Why choose ZTC?

The high cost of textbooks continues to be a barrier for Skyline College students. Inability to afford textbooks and course materials is an equity issue.

  • What is the role of faculty in this pursuit?

  • How can we as educators find and make use of ZTC resources to create equitable courses?

Contact Us

Want to participate? Have questions?

Contact the ZTC Team at: skylineztc@smccd.edu

Help make impactful changes! Decrease barriers and increase equitable access to education by choosing textbook affordability solutions such as zero-textbook cost materials (ZTC) and open educational resources (OER). Affordable textbooks will reduce equity gaps and help students avoid unpredictable and frequently rising prices of textbooks and course materials. Join us in this ZTC revolution that empowers student equity and supports faculty voice and choice.

Current ZTC & OER Courses at Skyline College is available on WebSchedule and at the ZTC @ Skyline for Students Research Guide.

Find ZTC Materials

There are many Zero-Textbook Cost Resources for your courses and the list is always growing. You may not find an all-in-one textbook, however, expand your search to locate various open resources for the specific content of your course. Visit the sections below to start your search.

Tip: Searching for these materials takes time and persistence, just like research!

Learn more about finding and selecting high quality OER.

As you search for ZTC materials, consider what criteria you will use to select appropriate open resources your course.

Tips:

  • Take a look to see if someone else has created OER materials, complete OER course or textbook. Example: Go to the OpenStax and browse their open textbooks.
  • Check the Skyline College Library for e-books, videos, articles, and other material.
  • Let your learning objectives be your guide. Instead of focusing on the textbook that you would like to replace, focus on what you would like students to know or be able to do. College a topic search Example: instead of searching for “biology” materials, search for concepts “cell structure” or “DNA” or “evolution” materials.
  • Check for feedback, reviews, or endorsements of OER and ZTC by your discipline community.
  • Not finding what you are lookign for? Ask your ZTC Team.

Few existing open educational resources will meet all your instructional needs so you may want to customize the open resources you have selected. Consider the following ways you may want to modify the open resources to make it more appropriate for your teaching style:

  • Combine two or more open OERs and package with ZTC materials to create one full course package.
  • Rearrange or remix the content in an open resource.
  • Add glossaries, hyperlinks, and test bank.
  • Make edits to an open resource to improve accuracy and relevance for your course.
  • Make content accessible for students with visual impairments.

If you are ready to take the next step and create your own OER, contact the ZTC Team.

Share your OERs in either digital or print format with students in your course. Be sure to give your students clear instructions about appropriate use of printing services on your campus. Try to coordinate with the student computer labs, library, bookstore, and printshop on your campus.

Do-It-Yourself

  • Share ZTC or OER website address or document file to Canvas.
  • Email the website address of the OER or ZTC materials to your students.
  • Download the open educational resource as a file (e.g., Word, Open Office, PDF). Email the file to your enrolled students.
  • Share your ZTC or OER materials for Skyline Library Reserves

Campus Printing Services (SkyGAP)

  • Partner with the SkylineGAP to produce low-cost print options.
  • Visit SkyGAP website for print specifications.

Faculty Incentive Program

 

ZTC Community Resources

Want to get involved in the ZTC Community at large? Visit the list of resources below to learn more about ZTC and OER efforts nationwide.

  • ASCCC Open Educational Resources (OER) Initiative, identifies ways to institutionalize the use of OER in the California Community Colleges (CCCs). The OER Initiative advocates for the sustainable use of high quality OER resources and will develop a comprehensive OER plan that is informed by a needs assessment; the current availability of OER resources; and barriers to the use of OER. 
  • Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources (CCCOER),  a growing consortium of community and technical colleges committed to expanding access to education and increasing student success through adoption of open educational policy, practices, and resources. We provide a community and resources to learn about the evolving practice of open education.
  • CooL4Ed, the California Open Online Library for Education (CooL4Ed), the mission is to support the success of CCC and CSU campuses implementing their textbook affordability programs and reducing the cost of course materials for students. Through developing and growing open and extensive communication channels, the collaborative community of the CCC and CSU will be able to achieve is textbook affordability goals successfully, efficiently, and in a timely manner.
  • California Virtual Campus (CVC), is a collaborative effort among California Community Colleges (CCCs) to ensure that significantly more students are able to complete their educational goals by increasing both access to and success in high-quality online courses.
  • Skyline College OER Commons Group, as San Mateo County Community College District advances its open educational resource (OER) adoption and implementation plan, Skyline College is offering a series of trainings and supports to engage faculty in the open educational practice of identifying, evaluating, curating, authoring, remixing, and roadmapping OER while taking advantage of shared knowledge, resources, and tools that can be accessed and contributed to by all educators. Join our group and share OER resources with Skyline College colleagues.