OER and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC)

Use the Class Schedule Search link to find ZTC courses for the upcoming semester or apply the "Zero and low textbook cost courses" filter listed under "More Options" when starting a new search. Look for the ZTC Icon to find classes with free textbooks and the Low Textbook Cost Icon for classes with less than $40 in course materials. Check out the list of ZTC Pathways below to find degrees and certificates that are entirely zero textbook cost!

Most ZTC courses utilize OER and other electronic resources. Your instructor will provide information about how to access course materials in the syllabus and Canvas modules. If you are having trouble finding or accessing your course materials, reach out your instructor or one of the Oxnard College instructional design experts.

You can learn more about finding and using OER by exploring this LibGuide from the University of Texas! You can also take our OER and ZTC Training for Faculty course on Canvas or contact Cristy Lopez-Bowlin or Robbie Hoile to learn about these initiatives at Oxnard College. Important note: don't forget to list your class as ZTC when you submit your courses for the upcoming semester! This will enable the ZTC Icon so students know your class is ZTC and so we can properly report our statistics.

Email the AA in your division office with the CRN # for courses that you would like marked ZTC on the official class schedule. You are also required to report the XB12 data element (Instructional-Material-Cost) for the section. This element indicates the cost of course materials using a code:

• A: Section has no associated course material
• C: Section has course material costs none of which are passed on to students
• D: Section has low course material costs (total cost $40 or less)
• E: Section uses only no-cost, OER course material
• F: Section uses only no-cost digital course material that does not meet OER guidelines
• G: Section uses a mix of no-cost OER and other cost bearing resources, but no costs are passed to the student
• Y: Section does not meet no-cost or low-cost course material criteria

Open educational resources (OER) are those educational resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license, such as a Creative Commons license, that permits their free use and repurposing by others. To help you determine the correct XB12 code for your course, use this XB12 Code Helper. chatbot developed by Chad Funk and Cristina Moon for the ASCCC OERI.

There are six Creative Commons licenses that allow for different levels of openness. These are listed below in order of most to least freedom. Content that has the ND designation are not considered open educational resources (OER). Check out this License Chooser tool to help you create a license for your work.

CC BY This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. This is the most accommodating of licenses offered. Recommended for maximum dissemination and use of licensed material.

CC BY-SA This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work even for commercial purposes, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. This license is often compared to “copyleft” free and open source software licenses. All new works based on yours will carry the same license, so any derivatives will also allow commercial use. This is the license used by Wikipedia, and is recommended for materials that would benefit from incorporating content from Wikipedia and similarly licensed projects.

CC BY-NC This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, and although their new works must also acknowledge you and be non-commercial, they can also choose to add on layers of restriction (SA or ND).

CC BY-NC-SA This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms.

CC BY-ND This license allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged, in whole or in part, with credit to you. This license is not an OER.

CC BY-NC-ND This license is the most restrictive of the six licenses, only allowing others to download your works and share them, in whole or in part, with others as long as they credit you. They can’t change them in any way or use them commercially. This license is not an OER.

General Education for Transfer Requirements (Cal-GETC)

The Certificate of Achievement in CSU GE-Breadth recognizes completion of the California State University (CSU) lower-division general education requirements. CSU GE-Breadth is a series of courses that California community college students can complete to satisfy most freshman/sophomore level general education requirements in preparation for transfer. Separate from CSU GE-Breadth certification, the Certificate of Achievement is a state-approved award that is given by the college, documented on a student’s transcript, and qualifies a student to participate in the annual graduation ceremony.

Completion and certification of CSU GE-Breadth will permit a student to transfer from a California Community College to a California State University generally without the need, after transfer, to take additional lower-division, general education courses to satisfy campus general education requirements.

Oxnard College General Education Requirements

Completion of Oxnard College General Education is required for most AA/AS Degrees, including the Associate Degree (AA) in General Studies Pattern I. All Students pursuing the AA in General Studies Pattern I must complete this GE plan in its entirety (areas A-F). Students completing all other AA/AS degrees that require or allow for this GE plan are only required to complete areas A-E. This GE pattern is not designed to prepare students for transfer. 

There are some AA/AS Degrees that require or allow students to choose an alternative general education plan such as CSU GE-Breadth, IGETC, IGETC for STEM, or the GE pattern of their intended transfer institution.  For information on which GE applies to each major, see General Education Options.

General Studies, Associate in Arts emphasis in:

1. Creative Arts and Humanities
2. Society, Human Behavior, and Culture
3. STEM Fundamentals

The Associate in Arts in General Studies is an interdisciplinary degree, that allows students to choose the general education pattern that aligns with their educational goal, whether that is to complete the AA or to transfer, and also allows students to choose an area of emphasis for their focus.  

Child and Adolescent Development, Associate in Arts for Transfer

Early Child Education, Associate in Science for Transfer

Paralegal Studies, Associate in Science

Anthropology, Associate of Arts for Transfer

Psychology, Associate in Arts for Transfer

Sociology, Associate in Arts for Transfer

Spanish, Associate of Arts for Transfer

Mathematics, Associate in Science for Transfer

Physics, Associate in Science for Transfer