Peer Review

Image Sources

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Apr 29, 2026 by Faculty Development

Bookmark

Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

Image Sources for Open Educational Resources is a curated instructional resource developed by the ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative to help educators locate openly licensed, reusable images for instructional use. The resource provides organized lists of image repositories, guidance on licensing considerations, and best practices for attribution. Designed to reduce legal and ethical barriers to content creation, the material supports faculty, instructional designers, and OER creators in developing visually rich, accessible, and compliant educational materials. The resource is practical, clearly structured, and directly aligned with open pedagogy principles.

Type of Material:

Collection, research

Recommended Uses:

Faculty professional development
OER creation and adoption workshops
Instructional design and curriculum development
Individual self-paced learning
Reference material during course or textbook development

Technical Requirements:

Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)
Internet access
No additional software or plug-ins required

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The user can select from a wide variety of topics, especially scientific images. The following objectives for the content are indicated:

Learn how to locate openly licensed images for educational use.
Understand different image licenses and attribution requirements.
Be able to select and use images that comply with OER standards.
Apply best practices for ethical and legal image use in instructional materials.

Target Student Population:

High School, College General Ed, College Lower Division, College Upper Division, Graduate School, Professional

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Basic computer and internet navigation skills
Familiarity with instructional material creation
No prior knowledge of copyright or licensing required

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

Valuable variety in topics.

The content is accurate, clearly organized, and highly relevant to educators engaged in OER creation. The curated list of image repositories and licensing guidance reflects best practices in open education and intellectual property compliance. The resource is flexible and reusable across disciplines, institutions, and instructional contexts, meeting MERLOT standards for exemplary OER support materials.

Concerns:

The resource functions primarily as a reference guide and does not include formal research citations. This is appropriate for its purpose and does not detract from content quality.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

This resource is highly effective as a teaching and support tool for OER adoption and content development. It can be easily integrated into faculty training sessions, OER certification programs, and instructional design workflows. I would use this resource as a required reference for faculty creating or adapting open textbooks and course materials.

Concerns:

Learning outcomes can be readily assessed by evaluating attribution practices and image use in completed instructional materials. However, its use should be reinforced and its referencing clarified.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The layout is intuitive, well structured, and easy to navigate. Information is presented in a clean, scannable format that supports quick reference and efficient use. The web-based design enhances accessibility and ensures broad usability for faculty and staff.

A usefule resource.

Concerns:

The design is intentionally minimal. While functional and accessible, additional visual examples or icons could further enhance engagement without compromising clarity.

Other Issues and Comments:

Image Sources for Open Educational Resources is an essential support tool for OER practitioners. By reducing legal uncertainty and simplifying access to openly licensed images, it directly advances equity, accessibility, and instructional quality in open education.

there is the regular risk of coming to a link that has been changed or taken down.

Creative Commons: