Academic Partnerships

MERLOT and Skillscommons Open for learning logos

One team delivering integrated solutions for your academic and workforce needs.

Since 1997, MERLOT has been building the organizational network of individuals and partners that are co-owners and supporters of a technical infrastructure that enables everyone, everywhere to access online learning resources. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor selected MERLOT to design and deliver the national OER repository for workforce development instructional and program support materials produced by the TAACCT program. With one team delivering sister programs, we are able to design comprehensive skills strategies for a wide variety of people.

Serving Organizations’ Needs: The workforce development focus of SkillsCommons and the academic focus of MERLOT combine to deliver comprehensive and sophisticated technology platforms and life-long learning services for education, industries, governments, and organizations.

Serving Individuals’ Needs: With access to learning resources, every learner can begin his or her journey to develop their talents and empower them to achieve a sustainable livelihood for themselves and their loved ones.

About MERLOT: The MERLOT system provides access to curated online learning and support materials and content creation tools, led by an international community of educators, learners and researchers. The MERLOT collection consists of tens of thousands of discipline-specific learning materials, learning exercises, and Content Builder webpages, together with associated comments, and bookmark collections, all intended to enhance the teaching experience of using a learning material. All of these items have been contributed by the MERLOT member community, who have either authored the materials themselves, or who have discovered the materials, found them useful, and wished to share their enthusiasm for the materials with others in the teaching and learning community.

The materials in MERLOT are reviewed for suitability for retention in the collection. Many undergo the more extensive “peer review” for which MERLOT is famous. MERLOT presents annual awards for various categories of materials added to or used in the collection. As described in Material Link Checking and Removal, all material URL’s in the collection are reviewed frequently for sustainability.

Collaborations Supporting SkillsCommons Success

Explore SkillsCommons’ and MERLOT’s many partnerships with academic institutions and organizations.