Open Educational Resources (OER) and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC)

California legislature appropriated $115 million to the California Community Colleges in the 2021 Budget Act in one-time funding for the Zero-Textbook-Cost Degree Grant (ZTC) program. The program intends to “reduce the overall cost of education for students and decrease the time it takes students to complete degree programs offered by community colleges.” Specifically, the funding is being used to develop and implement zero cost or low-cost degrees or CTC certificates. 

Legislation: Education Code Section 78050-78052 – Zero-Textbook-Cost Degree Grant Program

The program is administered through the California Community College Chancellor’s Office and marks the single largest state investment in open educational resources to date.

"Zero Textbook Cost Program," California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office (CCCCO).
"California’s Zero Textbook Cost Degree Program," SPARC, CC BY 4.0

This video provides a short introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER), ways to use them in courses, and how libraries can provide support.

Source: Open Educational Resources by Myroslava Zhuk, University of Groningen.

OER Mythbusting

Myth #1: Open simply means free.

Fact: Open means the permission to freely download, edit, and share materials to better serve all students.

Myth #2: All OER are digital.

Fact: OER take many formats, including print, digital, audio, and more.

Myth #3: “You get what you pay for.”

Fact: OER can be produced to the same quality standards as traditional textbooks.

Myth #4: Copyright for OER is complicated.

Fact: Open licensing makes pre-existing OER* easy to freely and legally use.

Myth #5: OER are not sustainable.

Fact: Models are evolving to support the sustainability and continuous improvement of OER.

Myth #6: Open textbooks lack ancillaries.

Fact: Open textbooks often come with ancillaries, and when they do not, other open supplemental materials are probably available.

Myth #7: My institution is not ready for OER.

Fact: Any institution can start with small steps toward OER that make an impact for students.

Top OER Repositories

Other OER Sources

Search Multiple Repositories at Once

"Searching OER Repositories and Collections," OER Basics (Canvas Course), ASCCC OERI, CC BY 4.0.

Some OERs are available in the library catalog.

Search the Library Catalog

Search for your subject. When the results appear, find Sort by on the left sidebar.

Under Availability on the left sidebar, check the Open Access box (pictured on the right).

Best Practices for Using Library Materials

1. Consult a librarian. Ask them about the specific resources you might want to use in your class. 
2. Be aware that many online materials, such as e-books and journals articles, are not owned by the library. This means that resources may change from semester to semester as subscriptions change. 
3. Know that e-books may not be accessible by more than one student at a time depending on the license of the individual e-book.
4. For use of library materials in your course, such as an article from a database, properly link to the resource instead of making digital copies. If you do not know how to link to a library resource, consult a librarian on your campus.

"Using Library Materials," OER Basics (Canvas Course), ASCCC OERI, CC BY 4.0.