Students have access to nearly limitless learning resources from preschool to graduate school. These resources are available in a variety of formats, but they all have the same goal: to improve student learning outcomes. Publishers, independent websites, educational initiatives, and universities all have online resources for a wide range of subjects. Some resources are supplemental, serving as a general complement to a particular field of study, while others are developmental, addressing the needs of struggling students.
Teachers and professors are the foremost authorities on educational resources. Educators are in a position to be approached educational publishers and software developers because they spend a significant amount of time looking for learning resources. Educators can use open source material from prestigious universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Berkeley, or provide students with learning resources from independent publishers. Teachers can be considered a type of learning resource in and of themselves.
While there are learning resources for all levels of education, early-childhood learning resources are far the most common. This is partly due to the abundance of new material available to early learners, but it is also due to the impressionable nature of the elementary age group. A variety of websites, software, and mobile applications aimed at children are available as math, reading, science, and writing resources. Many of these products are used in classrooms all over the world, demonstrating the high demand for technology-based learning resources for students.
High school and college students’ learning resources are frequently a mix of technology and traditional textbooks. While there are many websites and computer applications that serve as ancillary resources for a given subject, a teacher or other student may recommend a reference book, biography, or literary work as a resource relevant to the specific area of study. On occasion, a small portion of a class may be interested in learning more about a subject and will seek out learning resources to learn more.
Many learning resources are designed to reinforce material or simply provide additional help for struggling students, in addition to acting as a supplement. There are also learning resources for students with disabilities, such as deafness or blindness, as well as learning disabilities like dyslexia and autism. The American Disability Act (ADA) establishes educational resource requirements for disabled students in the United States, similar to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act in the United Kingdom.
It is not difficult to locate learning resources for students. In nearly every field of study and educational development, libraries, teachers and other educators, higher learning institutions, and the Internet are all excellent sources of additional learning resources.