Additional OER Platforms

Platforms

Pressbooks is a strong option for creating, adapting, and publishing OER, especially when you want a web-based book that can include multimedia, H5P activities, accessible exports, and openly licensed content. However, it is not the only platform available. The best platform depends on your goals, audience, available support, sustainability needs, and the kinds of learning experiences you want to create.

This section offers resources for comparing OER and digital publishing platforms, along with a closer look at two commonly used options: Pressbooks and Manifold.

OER Platform Comparisons

Finding the Right Platform^[1] is a crosswalk designed to help authors, librarians, publishers, and project teams compare academy-owned and open-source digital publishing platforms. The crosswalk compares 10 platforms commonly used in library and university press publishing, including Pressbooks, Manifold, Scalar, Omeka, PubPub, Humanities Commons, Open Journal Systems, Janeway, Mukurtu, and Fulcrum.

This resource can be helpful when you are deciding which platform best fits your project’s needs, such as hosting options, cost, accessibility, multimedia support, collaboration features, export options, sustainability, and technical support.

Exploring Open Education Publishing Platforms

Open Education Global’s 2024 webinar, Exploring Open Education Publishing Platforms, features discussion of two open education publishing platforms: Pressbooks and Manifold. The webinar includes award-winning OER creators who share their processes, challenges, platform choices, and lessons learned.

Exploring Open Education Publishing Platforms by Open Education Global

Pressbooks vs. Manifold

The University of Washington Libraries’ Pressbooks vs. Manifold resource offers a helpful side-by-side comparison for creators who are considering one of these two platforms.

OE Global Award-Winning Examples

Open Education Global recognizes outstanding work in open education through the annual Open Education Awards for Excellence. The examples below show how OER creators have used Manifold and Pressbooks to publish open educational resources. See all past OE Global Award Winners.

Manifold Platform

About the award winner: HUM 1: Modern Humanities on Manifold received the 2023 Open Reuse / Remix / Adaptation Award. The award page notes that the project uses CUNY’s Manifold publishing platform and includes remixed openly licensed texts, embedded media, teaching resources, and social annotation features.

The OER: HUM 1: Modern Humanities is published through Manifold @CUNY.

Pressbooks Platform

About the award winner: Liberated Learners received the 2022 Open Education Global Award for Best OER. The project was co-designed and co-created by students, faculty, and staff across multiple Canadian institutions and supports new post-secondary students with topics such as study habits, technology, time management, wellness, collaboration, self-advocacy, and networking.

The OER: Liberated Learners is published in Pressbooks through eCampusOntario.