Frequently Asked Questions

How can I download resources I have already purchased?

  1. You log via the page at https://openstem.com.au/store/my-account
  2. Go to https://openstem.com.au/store/my-account/downloads
  3. From the list of resources that you have purchased, select the items you want; alternatively, if you scroll to the bottom there, you’ll see an orange button with a “Select All” tickbox next to it; tick that box.
  4. Click the “Download All Files (.zip)” button (normal [left] click!)
  5. Your browser will download a ZIP file containing all the PDFs.
  6. When you unpack the ZIP on your computer (using WinZip or another tool) you can view, display or print each of the PDFs as needed.

When you newly purchase for instance a bundle, there is a similar Download button that will get you just a ZIP of the specific bundle you’ve just purchased, without “clutter” from other earlier orders.

Do you offer professional development?

Yes. Particularly with our comprehensive programs (such as the Understanding Our World® HASS+Science program for primary schools) we offer an initial session, plus one at the end of each term, and other specific training as requested.  This PD can be done at your school, another (joint) venue, or online.

Can you help us in <far from capital city>?

Certainly.  Provided you have a moderately decent Internet connection, we have the technology available to provide online Professional Development.

Otherwise we can assist via email and our discussion lists.

Do you work with home school groups?

Sure!  If you’re unsure about whether particular programs  or resources are suited to your needs, do contact us to discuss details.

Do you work with individual home tutors?

Short answer: sure!

Long answer: our interactive workshops tend to need at least a handful of students to work well, so we would encourage you to get together with a local group to organise such an initiative.

What format are your materials?

We deliver our resources and units in PDF format. They are tagged with your name and organisation, but otherwise not restricted.

After purchase through our online store you can go to the Downloads page of your account (you’ll be asked to login, if you aren’t already) and

  • download the individual PDFs;
  • select many PDFs into a single ZIP file to download more easily;

and then you can print any PDF locally as needed. Our base resources are colourful (this serves a pedagogical purpose) so colour printing is preferred.

Can I receive materials by post?

Short answer: yes.

“My Internet connection is too dreadful” We understand. This is the real world, we hear this often. When talking to departments and politicians we make sure we pass on your expressions of frustration and daily grief. This is why we purposely ensure that our materials can be used offline (i.e. we don’t require you to connect to our site in the classroom).

In practical terms, if your connection is too slow/bad or you’ve (for instance) licensed our materials for an entire school, you may wish to receive the materials via post on a CD or USB stick, either once-off or every term. There is a fee associated with this, however we try to lower this cost as we automate the process further.

How can I assess the quality of your materials?

Fabulous question, of course we want you to be confident about using our materials.

  • We have quite a few happy clients already. See what our clients say about us and our programs.
  • Check out one base resource PDF for free using the TRYARESOURCE coupon code.
  • Every one of our PDFs has a preview image of its 1st page (+ the 4th page, if it’s longer) which you can find on the individual product pages in our online store. Unit bundles have many preview images.
  • We offer some sample resource and teacher handbook PDFs, so you can have a look at a complete teacher handbook or student workbook and see how they’re laid out.
  • All OpenSTEM resources and units are under our full editorial control. We ensure that we write about facts not opinions, encourage discussions rather than passing judgement, and provide a coherent pedagogical path with appropriate scaffolding, and of course assessment. All explicitly and verifiably curriculum aligned.

Where/how do I begin?

This is a somewhat tricky question, as it depends on your needs. We’re going to assume that you want to check out our products for your classroom, possibly on behalf of your whole school. These are effective first steps, while minimising your initial outlay:

  • If you just want to augment your existing units with fresh resources, check out one base resource PDF for free using the TRYARESOURCE coupon code and possibly order a few more according to your current needs. This will only cost a few dollars per resource, well worthwhile.
  • If you want to try our complete unit bundles, you can purchase a unit bundle (one yearlevel, or a multi-yearlevel bundle) to run an entire term (9-week layout) for one classroom. This costs from a mere $49.50 per unit (licensed for a single classroom).

Our subscription model is suited when you order more units or deploy across a number of classrooms or an entire school. Subscription pricing scales with the number of students, while providing a significant discount on the unit bundle pricing and other products.

Do you have some free stuff?

Short answer: yes!

Long answer: please make use of the above offers and opportunities.  We do hope that you’ll (also) engage us to acquire other resources or workshops.

How can your resources be so cheap?

Indeed, we often get told our resources are so cheap. That’s ok, we do know what we’re doing!

With many of our materials available through our website, lots of educators and schools can get access easily.  And by then selling our items at a low price point, we maximise the number of potential clients and at the same time enable teachers and schools with small budgets to benefit also.  It works out.

That said, if you feel that for our pricing and subscription options don’t quite work for your particular needs and situation, please talk with us.

Why do you watermark and tag PDFs?

We watermark our sample PDFs with “OpenSTEM Sample”, and any PDF download is tagged with your name and organisation in the bottom right of every page.

If anyone asks or wonders, this allows you to easily show that you have acquired the right to have and use the resources within your realm.

We don’t apply other technological restrictions, so the materials remain convenient for you to view and print.

Do I need yet another user/login name and password?

Not necessarily.  Individual PDF resource and unit purchases, physical product purchases and free downloads don’t require registration (guest checkout).  Subscriptions do require you to register otherwise that mechanism doesn’t work.  Our online store also allows you to sign up and sign in with any of the following accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Google, PayPal.  Use one of the “Log in with …” buttons on the My Account page, so that can save you from having to remember yet another password.

How do I login?

If you have an account (you purchased something from our online store, and didn’t check out as a guest), go to the My Account page.

  • Use your email address as your username.
  • If you don’t remember your password, use the lost password page. A lost password cannot be “recovered” as it’s stored using one-way encryption for site security. Instead, the system will ask for your email address, and then sends you an email with a link allowing you to set a new password.
  • If you’re using your own laptop or other device, you could choose for your browser to remember your OpenSTEM site password.
  • Note: if you enter a wrong username/password 5 times within 5 minutes, the system will lock out your IP address for 5 minutes as well as notifying site administrators. This is to prevent opportunistic attacks and alert us of any potentially dubious activity.

Non-clients do not have a login. This is important for maintaining the security of our site and systems.

Why do I need to fill in details to check out?

On download, the system tags PDFs with your name/organisation (this does NOT apply to our free sample PDFs, which are directly downloadable without the need to log in or fill in any details).  For the system to be able to do that, we need some information (your name, and organisation – if applicable), your email address to send your order information (invoice, download details, etc), and for physical products, we’ll need an address to ship to.  We have ensured that unnecessary fields are either not shown, or optional. We require you to register for subscriptions (otherwise that system won’t work), other purchases can be done through guest checkout which does not permanently record your details on the site.

We actively maintain our Privacy and Security Policy, and while we ask for your trust that we keep our commitments, we also fully expect people to hold us to this.

Obviously, if you do provide your details, this also enables us to contact you about updates and fixes regarding the materials that you have acquired from us.

I have another question…

Sure. Contact us.