What are OER and ZTC?

Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) is an initiative aimed at making textbooks available to students for FREE in order to make higher education more accessible. When you see a course with the ZTC Icon , the instructor has indicated that students will not be expected to pay for any textbooks or learning materials for that course. The Low Textbook Cost Icon means that materials for that course will cost less than $40.

Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely available textbooks, slides, homework sets, and other learning materials that can be utilized to give courses a ZTC or Low Textbook Cost designation. OER materials can have a range of copyright policies that often include open remixing and adaptation of materials, which allow faculty the freedom to customize material to fit their needs. To learn more about copyright related to OER, check out this guide from the CSU Channel Islands Library.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I take classes with free textbooks?

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!

How will I access my free textbook?

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.

How do I get involved with OER/ZTC as a faculty member?

You can learn more about finding and using OER by exploring this LibGuide from the University of Texas! You can also take our Introduction to OER/ZTC Canvas Course 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.

ZTC Pathways at Oxnard College

To reach our goal of making higher education more accessible to all, we are currently working on developing degree and certificate pathways that will allow Oxnard College students to complete their course of study with entirely ZTC classes. Below is our current list of pathways that can be completed entirely ZTC.

Feeling overwhelmed by OER?

Steve Carrell's character from The Office getting overwhelmed by too much information.

Does this image feel a little too relatable when you start hearing about OER and ZTC? There are TONS of resources out there, which is great! However, it can also be overwhelming to navigate the flood of information.

OER and ZTC are here to stay, and we would love to have a conversation with you about them. Meeting with a friendly face can be a lot more rewarding than getting lost in repositories and databases alone.

Set up an appointment with Cristy Lopez-Bowlin or Robbie Hoile using the information below if you would like to learn more about the impact of OER/ZTC and how you can get started.