Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Resources

Of the major principles that undergird the implementation of OER, those of diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the forefront of the UofM's OER initiative. OER has important connections to DEI goals:

Studies have shown that offering zero-cost textbooks and course materials levels the playing field for historically-underrepresented students who are struggling to balance paying for tuition and day-to-day costs of living.
The availability of OER offers academic instructors the freedom to explore materials written by a wide range of authors and incorporate a diverse body of work into their courses.
For university campuses as diverse as the University of Memphis, especially, representation matters, and the inclusion of texts by BIPOC, women, and other underrepresented or marginalized communities can foster an inclusive environment and culture on the UofM campus.

This guide was created by Dr. Meredith Heath Boulden on behalf of the University of Memphis Libraries and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise noted. This guide is currently maintained by Carl Hess.