Within the world of education, there is no more valuable resource for students seeking success than an instructor. Being an educator is both an incredible responsibility and an intimidating one. The good news? Instructors may be the most invaluable resource for a student to turn to, but instructors themselves have resources to turn to—and to point their students to.

Teaching resources include any material intended to promote learning and knowledge acquisition. Furthermore, well-chosen resources enhance student engagement and improve student comprehension.

Consider two standard educational resources:

• The Ever-Useful Textbook: One of the first and most helpful resources for students and instructors, textbooks give students a resource they can own and return to at any time—even after a semester has ended!—with consistent and standardized information presented clearly.
  
  Instructors put a great deal of work into choosing the right textbook for their class—and their students. They consider the appropriateness of the content, the price of the textbook, any additional resources included with the textbook, and the accessibility of the reading material. Having put that work into choosing an appropriate textbook, instructors should feel confident in referring students to review the resource alongside additional provided resources and personal instruction.
  
  MyEducator knows exactly how important the textbook choice is for instructors and seeks to make reviewing a textbook simple and easy, while also providing many additional elements, such as in-text assessments, course customization, a teaching assistant bot, and seamless LMS integration.
• Learning Management Systems (LMS): Organization is an important feature for both instructors and students. An LMS can be used as a reference for class assignments, be a platform for quizzes and assessments, and host discussion boards. It can also host in-class resources, such as PowerPoints and lecture notes, for student reference.

These standard resources provide incredible value for instructors and students. But there are a few resources that are, at times, overlooked. Diversifying the resources instructors turn to, and provide for students, is an incredible benefit. Diversified resources provide different insights and perspectives; they also help instructors to teach students with different learning needs. These less-often-considered resources can be equally valuable and provide much needed versatility.

Consider the following:

• News and Journal Articles: Textbooks are incredible resources, but even when covering information in depth, they are restricted by the need to cover the breadth of a topic. Journal articles can cover topics in greater depth and often involve real-life applications. As a bonus, most universities provide students with free access to multiple databases and journals; this is an opportunity students may not have after graduation.
  
  News articles provide similar but different value. While they may not be intended as educational material, they are instead a peek into how things learned in class are applied in real-life situations. This resource helps instructors answer the commonly asked question of “When am I ever going to use this?” and provides great insight into the real dynamics of the world and workforce they’ll be entering after school.
• YouTube Videos: YouTube is an incredible free resource for people everywhere for both instruction and enjoyment. Instructional YouTube videos can often provide beneficial insight and explain material from a different angle than the instructor. YouTube videos can be presented in class by the instructor or provided by the instructor for students to view outside of class when reviewing the subject or preparing for class. Instructors can use YouTube videos to provide either a wider view of the topic or a deeper view of the topic.
• Social Media: While there is still research being done to determine if social media can be used within the educational field; the current research is leaning towards yes. Social media, properly used, can have a multitude of benefits for students and enhance the atmosphere of the classroom. To learn more about this specific resource, check out this post.
• Open Educational Resources: As online learning has increased, open courseware (OCW) and open educational resources (OER) have become increasingly prevalent. But open courseware is not just for online learning; instructors in all class formats can use these resources. OER can be found in different forms, including videos, lectures, reading materials, and more. Online example resources include MIT OpenCourseWare, Utah State University’s OER, and the Open Course Library, though the number of available online resources is endless. Instructors can use these open resources to supplement their own instruction and provide high-quality materials for their students.

Instructors may be the most valuable resource for students seeking success, but they are by no means the only resource, and nor should they be. There are many resources for instructors to utilize in their own teaching and for students to make use of as they seek to improve their education and prepare to enter the workforce. MyEducator seeks to be one of these resources, providing instructors with high-quality, valuable material alongside the flexibility to pick and choose what will serve them best.