OER Project
Product by Big History Project, LLC
The Bottom Line
Partially. While OER Project has not yet been formally evaluated by The Learning Standard, its curriculum strongly aligns with evidence-based practices like interdisciplinary learning and primary source analysis. It provides robust, free resources for educators, but its effectiveness depends entirely on teacher implementation rather than standalone student interaction.
Pros
- Integrates primary source analysis to build critical thinking and historical inquiry skills.
- Connects historical events across vast time scales, promoting schema building and deep conceptual understanding.
- Provides comprehensive scaffolding for teachers, including reading materials leveled for different lexile scores.
- Uses structured writing assignments to force active retrieval and synthesis of complex historical concepts.
Cons
- Requires significant teacher facilitation to be effective, lacking mechanisms for independent student practice.
- Fails to provide automated feedback loops to correct student misunderstandings in real time.
- Heavy reliance on text-based resources overwhelms students with lower reading comprehension without direct teacher intervention.
What Do We Know About OER Project?
OER Project is highly effective for building historical comprehension when guided by an educator, though it is not a standalone app your child can use independently. This platform functions as a comprehensive curriculum rather than a direct-to-student tutoring tool. Because it relies on teacher-led instruction, your child will not find adaptive algorithms or instant feedback loops here. Instead, it provides high-quality text, video, and writing assignments designed to be facilitated in a classroom setting. The curriculum emphasizes macro-level history, connecting scientific, sociological, and historical events to help your child build a strong mental model of how the world evolved. By encountering primary sources and writing argumentative essays, your child engages in higher-order thinking rather than simple fact memorization. Parents should know that OER Project requires active engagement. If your child is using this at home for enrichment or homeschooling, you will need to step into the role of the teacher to guide discussions, grade essays, and sequence the lessons. The materials are entirely free and highly rigorous, but they demand significant adult involvement to translate into actual learning.
How Does OER Project Work?
OER Project uses a narrative-driven, interdisciplinary pedagogical approach that combines direct instruction with guided historical inquiry. The platform delivers structured lesson plans grouped by major historical eras or themes. Rather than clicking through interactive quizzes, students read leveled articles, watch expert videos, and analyze primary source documents. The curriculum is built around essential questions that require students to synthesize information from multiple disciplines, including astronomy, biology, and anthropology. To demonstrate mastery, students complete structured writing assignments and collaborative projects. Teachers use the platform to download materials, assign specific readings based on a student's lexile level, and access professional development resources to guide classroom discussions. The mechanics rely on teacher facilitation to introduce concepts, guide the analysis of evidence, and evaluate student writing, rather than using software to automatically grade or advance students.
Strengths and tradeoffs of OER Project
The biggest strength of OER Project is its rigorous, interdisciplinary approach to schema building, while its biggest weakness is the complete lack of automated feedback or independent student practice mechanisms. Strengths: OER Project excels at contextualizing knowledge. By framing history as an interconnected narrative across billions of years, it helps students build strong mental frameworks. This prevents the common pitfall of rote memorization. The platform also heavily utilizes worked examples and leveled texts to scaffold reading comprehension, allowing students of varying abilities to access complex primary sources. Furthermore, its emphasis on essay writing forces elaboration and retrieval practice, which are proven methods for cementing long-term memory. Weaknesses: Because OER Project is a curriculum repository rather than an interactive software platform, it lacks adaptive learning algorithms. Students cannot log in and receive immediate, corrective feedback on their historical knowledge. There are no built-in spaced repetition flashcards or interactive assessments to verify that a student has mastered a concept before moving on. Consequently, the burden of assessing mastery and identifying knowledge gaps falls entirely on the educator.
Who Might Benefit From OER Project?
OER Project is best for middle and high school social studies educators who need a rigorous, free curriculum to drive classroom instruction. It is highly effective for 6th through 12th-grade students who are developing critical reading and historical writing skills. Because the materials require heavy facilitation, it is ideal for traditional classrooms, co-ops, or dedicated homeschooling parents who are willing to lead discussions and grade essays. It is not suitable for students looking for an independent, game-based learning app or parents seeking a hands-off digital tutor for their child.
Data Transparency
Does Not Meet Data Transparency Standard
OER Project does not meet our data transparency standard. Its privacy policy does not reference FERPA.
19 of 35 checks passed
Evaluated July 2026
View privacy policy →View all 35 checks
Parent Access4/8
Does the policy mention parents specifically?
“ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING ANY NECESSARY NOTICES TO PARENTS AND OBTAINING AND MAINTAINING”
Can parents view their child's data?
“The policy directs parents to contact the School, but does not explicitly grant data view access.”
Can parents modify their child's data?
“Does not explicitly state parents can modify data; directs parents to contact the School instead.”
Can parents delete their child's account?
“Parents are told to contact the School regarding questions, but no explicit mechanism to delete.”
Is there a dedicated Children's Privacy section?
“2. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY Protecting the privacy of Student Users who are under the age of 13”
Does it reference COPPA compliance?
“as permitted by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“ COPPA ”).”
Does it reference FERPA compliance?
“FERPA or Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act are not mentioned in the policy text.”
Is parental consent required for child accounts?
“require Schools... to obtain any required consent and authorization for our limited collection”
Data Portability2/5
Can users access their personal data?
“Schools and Teacher Users may update, correct, or delete their associated Teacher User account”
Can users download/export their data?
“Data export or download mechanisms are not mentioned in the policy.”
Is there a self-service data access tool?
“Most changes can be made on the Teacher User account settings page.”
Is a specific data format mentioned for export?
“Export format is not addressed as exporting data is not mentioned.”
Is there an API for data access?
“API access for user data is not mentioned in the policy.”
Data Minimization1/6
Is data collection itemized?
“we gather information about the School, such as its name, school district, the city and state”
Can the app be used without a real name?
“Does not explicitly state users can use a pseudonym or operate without a real name.”
Can the app be used without an email?
“Teacher users must supply a school email address to establish an account.”
Does it state collection is limited to what is necessary?
“Mentions limited collection but does not explicitly state it is limited to only what is necessary.”
Is IP address anonymized or truncated?
“Collects IP addresses but does not explicitly state they are anonymized or truncated.”
Is location tracking explicitly excluded?
“Location tracking is not explicitly excluded in the policy.”
Third-Party Protection6/7
Does it explicitly state no selling of data?
“We do not sell or rent Student Data with anyone for marketing purposes.”
Are third-party providers named?
“We collect analytics data using third-party analytics tools such as Adobe Analytics and Google”
Are providers contractually restricted?
“Contractors and service providers... are subject to confidentiality and data security requirements.”
No-targeted-advertising commitment?
“We DO NOT use Student Data for targeted advertising.”
Is AI/ML data sharing addressed?
“AI or machine learning data sharing is not addressed in the policy.”
Child-specific sharing restriction?
“We do not facilitate the sharing of any Student Data with third parties on the Site or via Services”
Cookies/tracking limited or opt-out?
“view its currently available opt-out options at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout”
Deletion & Retention3/5
Can users delete their account?
“Schools and Teacher Users may update, correct, or delete their associated Teacher User account”
Self-service deletion mechanism?
“Most changes can be made on the Teacher User account settings page.”
Specific data retention timeline?
“States data is retained at their discretion without providing a specific timeline.”
Auto-deletion of inactive accounts?
“Auto-deletion of inactive accounts is not mentioned.”
Post-deletion handling described?
“We may maintain anonymized or aggregated data, including usage data, for analytics purposes.”
Advertising3/4
Advertising model explicitly disclosed?
“The OER Project is operated as a non-commercial venture”
Free from third-party advertisements?
“We do not... make any commercial use whatsoever of the information we collect from or about our user”
Children excluded from ad targeting?
“We DO NOT use Student Data for targeted advertising.”
Ad-free option available?
“No specific ad-free option or premium tier is mentioned as the service is non-commercial.”
What This Means
The policy review did not meet our data transparency standard. The checks above show the documented findings and unknowns. A missing statement does not establish how the app handles data in practice.
About this evaluation: Based on automated analysis of OER Project's privacy policy using the Common Sense Privacy Program framework. Results describe the policy disclosures we assessed; unknown checks are excluded from scores. Privacy policies can change. This review reflects the version we analyzed and does not determine legal compliance.
Sources and review method
TLS combines product information and editorial analysis to explain how OER Project works, its tradeoffs, and the questions to ask before choosing it. Product features, an instructional rationale and evidence of learning outcomes are different kinds of information.
Formal Learning Standard assessment: not yet completed. Data Transparency findings are reported separately and do not establish learning effectiveness. Read our methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions About OER Project
Is OER Project free?
Yes, OER Project is completely free for both teachers and students. Big History Project, LLC provides full access to all curricula, lesson plans, articles, and professional development resources without any subscription fees or paywalls. There are no premium tiers or hidden costs, making it a highly accessible option for underfunded school districts or homeschooling families looking for a comprehensive, rigorous social studies program without financial barriers.
Is OER Project good for middle schoolers?
Yes, OER Project is highly appropriate for middle schoolers, particularly those in grades 6 through 8. The platform offers leveled reading materials, allowing teachers to adjust the text complexity to match a student's reading ability while still conveying the exact same core historical concepts. This scaffolding ensures that younger students can participate in rigorous historical inquiry and primary source analysis without becoming overwhelmed by dense academic language.
What does OER Project teach?
OER Project teaches comprehensive social studies and history through a macro-level lens. It includes specific courses like the Big History Project, which covers the history of the universe from the Big Bang to the modern era, incorporating science and anthropology. It also features the World History Project, which focuses on global historical events, teaching students to analyze evidence, evaluate differing perspectives, and understand historical continuity and change over time.
Is OER Project safe for kids?
Yes, OER Project is completely safe for kids. The platform does not feature advertisements, in-app purchases, or unmoderated social feeds where students could interact with strangers. However, because it is an educational curriculum covering real global historical events, students will naturally encounter mature historical topics like war, conflict, and societal collapse. These subjects require appropriate teacher guidance to contextualize the information safely and effectively in a classroom setting.
Has The Learning Standard evaluated OER Project?
No, OER Project is currently pending evaluation by our team. While we have not yet formally rated it against our educational rubric, you can read more about exactly how we assess digital tools on our methodology page. Until we complete a full review, our analysis of OER Project is based on its documented curriculum structure and alignment with established learning science principles regarding historical inquiry.
How does OER Project compare vs Khan Academy for history?
OER Project is designed as a complete teacher-led curriculum, whereas Khan Academy is better suited for independent student review. While Khan Academy uses short videos and automated quizzes to provide immediate corrective feedback, OER Project relies on long-form reading, primary source analysis, and teacher-graded essays to build deeper historical comprehension. If a student needs quick test prep, Khan Academy is superior, but for full-scale historical instruction, OER Project provides far more depth.
Is OER Project COPPA compliant?
The reviewed privacy policy references COPPA. A policy reference alone does not establish COPPA compliance. Policy review note: as permitted by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“ COPPA ”).
Is OER Project FERPA compliant?
A FERPA reference was not found in the reviewed privacy policy. This does not determine whether the app complies with FERPA. Policy review note: FERPA or Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act are not mentioned in the policy text.
Does OER Project have a children's privacy policy?
The reviewed policy includes a dedicated children's privacy section. Policy review note: 2. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY Protecting the privacy of Student Users who are under the age of 13
Does OER Project sell student data?
The reviewed policy states that the app does not sell data. This is a policy statement; actual data practices were not verified. Policy review note: We do not sell or rent Student Data with anyone for marketing purposes.
Can you delete your data from OER Project?
The reviewed privacy policy describes account deletion. We have not tested the deletion process. Policy review note: Schools and Teacher Users may update, correct, or delete their associated Teacher User account
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