Enhance your Content for Free

Instructors often stick only to their own original work or the resources provided in a textbook because of concern about copyright violations. Creating images, video clips or other original resources can be incredibly time consuming. There are free resources online where you can find beautiful images or other visually engaging content to bring more life into your course and spark students' interest.

Although you can gain access to these resources and a wealth of other resources for free, use caution. Some sites advertising free educational materials may include paid advertisements or click-bait images, and some will require an email address to access the free resources. There are also some images, videos and other products that come with an associated cost and are located among the free resources. Be smart and cautious as you navigate. Look for the CC or creative commons attribute with the images and videos you use. If you know how to properly navigate and use these resources, you can truly gain a higher level of visually appealing and interactive content your students will appreciate.

For more information regarding copyright rules, Fair Use or Teach Act information, please use the free resources provided by the OSU Edmon Low Library.

Open Educational Resources (OER)

Open Educational Textbooks (OSU Library)
Merlot (ready-made online activities)
EDUCAUSE (tips and support)

Images, Graphics, Videos and Sounds

Canva is a full-service graphic design platform that virtually anyone can use. You don't need any knowledge of graphic design or advanced online tools, because Canva is extremely intuitive. There are free and paid versions, but the free version is just fine for most users. Not only does it have pre-made templates that you can easily adapt, but it also includes many free images, graphics and backgrounds. You can even do some photo editing and minor animations. Canva has hundreds of pre-made PowerPoint templates, so it is a great solution for creating lesson files. Plus, you can easily export in several formats!
Adobe Express is very similar to Canva, but is part of Adobe's creative suite. Logging in with your OSU email grants access to features the free version does not have. Express isn't quite as intuitive as Canva for beginners, but is still very easy to use.
Adobe Stock has millions of free images and graphics that you can use to enhance your content. Login with your OSU ID to get the full range of services. Be aware that there some images do require purchase, but many are free.
Pixabay has millions of free images, illustrations, videos, music and sound effects that you can use for non-commercial purposes without attribution.
Videvo has free videos, motion graphics, sound effects and royalty-free audio you can use to supplement your course videos.

Interactivity and Engagement

Poll Everywhere can help you engage an audience through live polling, surveys and more. It's a great way to add some interactivity and you can use it to gauge students understanding. There are paid plans, but you can use a free version with up to 25 users.
Padlet is a curation tool that allows you to organize ideas using photos, drawings and AI-generated pieces. It is similar to Pinterest in some ways, but it allows real-time collaboration. Padlet is a great tool to use for group work, presentations or allowing students to visually represent their learning. There is a paid version, but the free version is still quite robust!