Customize, Author, and Publish Open Educational Resources

The Power of Open Publishing: The 5 R's

Open publishing goes beyond cost savings. It gives faculty pedagogical agency to shape learning materials around student needs.

  • Retain: Keep, own, and control copies of the content forever.
  • Reuse: Use the content in a wide range of settings (in class, online, study guides).
  • Revise: Adapt, adjust, modify, or translate the content to fit your specific course outcomes.
  • Remix: Combine original or revised content with other open resources to create something brand new.
  • Redistribute: Share copies of the original or modified content with students and colleagues.

Understanding Creative Commons (CC) Licenses

Creative Commons copyright licenses provide legal clarity, allowing creators to keep copyright while granting the public permission to use, share, and adapt their work.

Some of the common Creative Commons licenses you will come across are listed below. 

  • CC BY (Attribution): Allows others to share and adapt as long as they credit the original creator.
  • CC BY-SA (ShareAlike): Requires any new or adapted works to carry the exact same open license.
  • CC BY-NC (NonCommercial): Permits reuse and adaptation for non-commercial educational purposes.
  • CC BY-ND (NoDerivatives): Allows redistribution without modification (note: ND items limit adaptation and do not fulfill all 5R permissions).

These attributes can be combined to create a license like CC BY-NC-SA, which allows sharing with attribution in non-commercial environments. Attribution is an important foundation of the open movement, where reuse and remixing are encouraged while the original creator is acknowledged.

For help with the Creative Commons licenses, talk with the OER librarian at your college.

The Pedagogical Edge

  • Tailor Content to Your Classroom Context: Bridge gaps between disciplines, align readings directly with Maricopa competencies, and weave in local community case studies and diverse student experiences.
  • Turn Readers into Active Participants: Embed interactive self-assessments, H5P practice activities, and rich multimedia directly alongside reading passages.
  • Engage Students as Co-Creators (Open Pedagogy): Shift students from passive consumers to active contributors by involving them in writing case studies, updating glossaries, or building study guides.
  • Keep Your Course Responsive & Current: Update readings, incorporate recent research, or refine activities in real time without waiting for commercial publishing cycles.

Choose Your Creator Path

Every faculty member enters open publishing at a different stage. Choose the pathway that matches your goals and capacity:

Select and adopt a high-quality, pre-existing open textbook or resource directly into your course without making any content edits.

Take existing open resources and customize specific chapters, rearrange sections, or combine multiple texts to align perfectly with your syllabus and Maricopa course outcomes.

Elevate open materials by adding interactive H5P practice quizzes, self-assessments, flashcards, or embedded multimedia to boost student engagement.

Write, format, and publish a complete, original digital textbook, manual, or course pack from scratch using MOD Press.

Submit your draft materials to the Open 4 Peer Review Hub for quality feedback from discipline peers, or serve as a peer reviewer to validate and elevate OER created across the district.

Tools, Training & Support Ecosystem

Maricopa Open Digital (MOD) Press is the district’s platform for open publishing. Powered by PressbooksEDU, MOD Press empowers faculty and staff across the Maricopa County Community College District to discover, create, and share high-quality digital publications. Whether you are authoring an original textbook or remixing existing Open Educational Resources (OER), MOD Press provides the tools to reshape pedagogy and increase student access.

Ready to start? Every MCCCD employee has access to the platform. Simply log in with your MEID and password to begin your publishing journey. Reach out to your college’s MOD Press Institutional Manager with questions on creating an account.

You don't have to publish alone. Tap into local tools, guides, and expertise to support your project from concept to publication.

Platform Access & Guidance

Peer Review & Quality Assurance

  • Open 4 Peer Review Hub: Engage in open peer review to elevate the quality, accuracy, and accessibility of your publication. Connect with peer reviewers across the district to evaluate draft content or volunteer as a reviewer in your discipline.

Publishing Guides & Practice Tools

Join the Open Creator Community

Ready to take the next step? Connect with peers, join a working group, or attend training to start your publishing journey.