This term was adopted at a meeting of UNESCO in 2002, which means to establish an open supply of educational resources through information and communication technology, and users can refer to, use and modify these resources for non-commercial purposes.

The definition of open educational resources that people often use refers to free and open digital materials that educators, students and autonomous learners can use and reuse in their teaching, learning and research.

Open educational resources include three parts:

(1) Learning content: complete courses, courseware, content modules, learning objects, papers and periodicals;

(2) Tools: software that helps to develop, use, reuse and deliver learning content, including content search and organization, content and learning management systems, content development tools and online learning communities;

(3) Implementation resources: public release of intellectual property licensing promotion materials, design principles of best practices and localized contents.