MERLOT Updated for Mobile OER Hunting

MERLOT, the granddaddy of open educational resources developed by the California State University system, has entered its third decade of operation with a new facelift. The project, as always, provides a gateway to OER. But with its newest release, search functionality has been expanded and coding has been done using responsive web design to make it mobile device-friendly.

Dubbed MERLOT (to distinguish it from MERLOT II, the previous edition), the latest edition features a new, simplified home page, intended to provide an easy and familiar way for instructors and students to hunt down resources. Those OER materials may reside in the MERLOT repository, in one of a dozen digital libraries or on the web. Users can also type in ISBN numbers to find matches that way.

"Smart Search," as the new search functionality is called, now includes a "recommender" function that infers the user's search objectives to provide additional results. Also, context-sensitive help has been redesigned and extended.

MERLOT's tools already include the ability for registered members to create bookmark collections and course e-portfolios, and to add new open learning materials that can be shared. Registration is free.

"Over the years, faculty wanting to adopt high quality, cost-effective [OER] have had difficulty finding them," said Sorel Reisman, MERLOT managing director and Fulbright OER specialist, in a prepared statement. "MERLOT has historically provided a solution to this challenge. Our new release, extending our proprietary smart search with an intuitive user interface, now makes this challenge easier than ever."

The MERLOT site receives more than a million visits each year, providing visibility to 80,000 free, online digital resources for learning, including links to 5,700 open textbooks.

In the California State University system, the Affordable Learning Solutions Initiative uses the MERLOT cataloguing system as the open access textbook repository to help faculty within CSU, California community colleges and other university systems choose more affordable, quality, educational content for their students.

The updated system is available on the MERLOT website.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • laptop displaying a phishing email icon inside a browser window on the screen

    Phishing Campaign Targets ED Grant Portal

    Threat researchers at cybersecurity company BforeAI have identified a phishing campaign spoofing the U.S. Department of Education's G5 grant management portal.

  • multiple computer monitors connected by glowing blue lines in a network grid

    Gartner Forecasts Increased Spending on Desktop as a Service as Cost Optimization, Sustainability Drive Adoption

    Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service reveals that while secure remote access remains a key driver of DaaS adoption, a growing number of deployments now focus on broader efficiency goals.

  • stylized figures, resumes, a graduation cap, and a laptop interconnected with geometric shapes

    OpenAI to Launch AI-Powered Jobs Platform

    OpenAI announced it will launch an AI-powered hiring platform by mid-2026, directly competing with LinkedIn and Indeed in the professional networking and recruitment space. The company announced the initiative alongside an expanded certification program designed to verify AI skills for job seekers.

  • young man in a denim jacket scans his phone at a card reader outside a modern glass building

    Colleges Roll Out Mobile Credential Technology

    Allegion US has announced a partnership with Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) and Denison College, in conjunction with Transact + CBORD, to install mobile credential technologies campuswide. Implementing Mobile Student ID into Apple Wallet and Google Wallet will allow students access to campus facilities, amenities, and residence halls using just their phones.