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California S Free College Textbooks Open Educational Resources Oers

Leo Migdal
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california s free college textbooks open educational resources oers

Open Educational Resources (OER) refers to teaching and learning materials that are freely available online for everyone to use and includes course modules, lectures, homework assignments, lab and classroom activities, pedagogical materials, games, simulations,... OER most often refers to openly licensed textbooks and ancillary materials that are available at little or no cost to students. The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI) was funded by the California legislature in trailer bill language during the summer of 2018. Preparations for its launch were made during the fall 2018 term and this state-wide faculty-led effort had its kick-off with a webinar on February 1, 2019. As referenced in Assembly Bill 1809 (Higher education trailer bill, 2017-2018). The OERI’s mission is to reduce the cost of educational resources for students by expanding the availability and adoption of high-quality Open Educational Resources (OER).

“OER” refers to teaching and learning materials that are freely available online for everyone to use and includes course modules, lectures, homework assignments, lab and classroom activities, pedagogical materials, games, simulations, and many more... OER most often refers to openly-licensed textbooks and ancillary materials that are available at little or no cost to students. The OERI facilitates and coordinates the curation and development of OER texts, ancillaries, and support systems. In addition, the OERI supports local OER implementation efforts through the provision of professional development, technical support, and technical resources OER Collections for the California Community Colleges, organized by discipline, CSU general education requirements, Transfer Model Curricula, and C-ID are available, as well as a summary of OER gaps. The OERI’s curated collections are developed by the OERI Discipline Leads.

Access ASCCC OERI Supported Resources for an overview of the OER that has been supported by the OERI, as well as an overview of the OER that is presently being developed. The Chancellor’s Office is a member of the Community College Consortium for OER (CCCOER), which gives all CCCs access to CCCOER activities. The ASCCC OERI funds the development of new OER for courses commonly taught in the CCCs. Access all OERI-supported resources. OER Collections for the California Community Colleges, organized by discipline, CSU general education requirements, Transfer Model Curricula, and C-ID are available, as well as a summary of OER gaps. The OERI’s curated collections are developed by the OERI Discipline Leads.

Access ASCCC OERI Supported Resources for an overview of the OER that has been supported by the OERI, as well as an overview of the OER that is presently being developed. The ASCCC OERI funds the development of new OER for courses commonly taught in the CCCs. Access all OERI-supported resources. Learn about currently available OER-related opportunities including funding and professional development opportunities. Access the OER and ZTC page to find all the latest information about Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) degrees and related textbook affordability requirements. Access the results from our ASCCC OER Development Compensation Survey Summary (2019) to learn what colleges and districts have done with prior ZTC and textbook affordability funding.

Interested in sharing your ZTC plans? Let the OERI know what your college or district is doing. In addition to state-specific requirements related to textbook affordability, there is a federal requirement that course material costs be made available to students at the time of registration. In other words, in addition to “marking” no-cost sections, students should be provided with information regarding text costs at the time of registration. Typically, a link to the bookstore’s text information is found in the schedule – ideally ensuring that both the costs of commercial texts and access to free digital resources (and low-cost print options) is... See samples of textbook information in course schedules.

Replacing expensive textbooks with OER is an equity and social justice issue. Students have free access to course materials on Day 1 of class, not when they can afford to purchase their textbooks. ~ Dr. Barbara Illowsky, Chief Academic Affairs Officer for the OEI. Open Educational Resources (OER) are high-quality teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license, such as a Creative Commons license, that permits... “Open Educational Resources” include, but are not limited to, full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, faculty-created content, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge...

If you have questions or need help, visit our Support Center This work by California Virtual Campus - Online Education Initiative, a project by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright © 2019 by California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office Open educational resources (OERs) are free online alternatives to commercial textbooks that turned into a hot political issue in California in 2021. During the press conference that unveiled his proposed budget that January, Governor Gavin Newsom said it was time to “deal with the racket…that is the textbook industry.” The Governor then claimed he was “committed” to addressing the “usurious costs associated with textbooks…and so we’re going to do more this year…on open source textbooks,” he said.

“We in California have an obligation to disrupt that entire system nationwide.” Except for their publishers, nobody is happy about the high prices of the college textbooks sold by America’s $3.2 billion university textbook industry. These days, a traditional commercial hardback textbook in a large-enrollment introductory prerequisite course like Principles of Economics can typically cost students about $140. Many others cost several hundred dollars and range up to $400, with prices averaging from $80 to $150. In late 2022, the average college textbook costs $105, and a typical student must buy four or five of them every semester. University textbooks are expensive to produce, and publishers have sold them at premium prices throughout the post-World War II era.

But several reasons exist why college textbooks have recently become so outrageously expensive. According to this 2018 study by strategy professor Dr. Matt Schmitt at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and economist Dr. Tongtong Shi with Compass Lexecon, a key reason is that the market for university textbooks is so unusual. College students have to purchase the precise book selected by their professor, and the publishers have developed strategies that exploit this captive market. Textbook affordability is a persistent challenge for many students, and access to required course materials often plays a significant role in academic success.

According to SPARC, “Our educational systems are built with the goal of providing every person the opportunity to build a better life by turning children into citizens, learners into teachers, laborers into skilled workers”... Adopting Open Educational Resources (OERs) is one of the most effective ways to ensure equitable access to high-quality learning materials. OERs support student success by reducing costs, increasing flexibility, and expanding opportunities for knowledge creation. On this page, you will find a curated selection of OER repositories across various subject areas. If you need help getting started or selecting resources, please get in touch with the Open and Affordable Course Materials Librarian, Angela Chikowero, at achikowero@ucsb.edu. Engineering Library Division, American Society for Engineering Education

Copyright © 2025 The Regents of the University of California. All Rights Reserved. Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research materials that are either (a) in the public domain or (b) licensed in a manner that provides everyone with free and perpetual permission to engage... This LibGuide seeks to provide instructors, students, and staff access to a variety of OAR/OER resources and search tools in order to assist our campus community in mitigating high course materials costs to increase... The purpose of this guide is to support faculty adoption of OER, while respecting academic freedom, in order to make college affordable for our students. Open Educational Resources (OER) are free and openly licensed educational materials that can be used for teaching, learning, research, and other purposes.

By using OERs in their teaching, instructors can make learning more accessible for students who struggle financially. SCC’s Affordable Educational Resources Committee (AERC) suggests a number of searchable websites that categorize and review links to open educational resources. We work to identify alternative strategies to reduce textbook and course material costs for students. Ask about OER/ZTC and the SAC OER/ZTC Degree Pathway! In honor of Open Education Week, Santa Ana College faculty will wear their "SAC Uses OER/ZTC" T-shirts, pass out fliers on how to search for OER courses and will have a discussion with their... Students can participate in a "Spread the Word" using the #OEWeek @santaanacollege on Instagram and Twitter accounts!

Faculty​, take a selfie with your class and spread the word! Faculty can participate by wearing our "SAC Uses OER/ZTC" T-shirts on Wednesday, March 6th, and any day you teach your OER course(s)! Have a conversation with your students about OER and w​hy you chose to use for your class! Post informational flyers and posters around campus about OER and ZTC degree pathways and how students can enroll in OER/ZTC courses through WebAdvisor. ​

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“OER” Refers To Teaching And Learning Materials That Are Freely

“OER” refers to teaching and learning materials that are freely available online for everyone to use and includes course modules, lectures, homework assignments, lab and classroom activities, pedagogical materials, games, simulations, and many more... OER most often refers to openly-licensed textbooks and ancillary materials that are available at little or no cost to students. The OERI facilitates...

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Access ASCCC OERI Supported Resources for an overview of the OER that has been supported by the OERI, as well as an overview of the OER that is presently being developed. The Chancellor’s Office is a member of the Community College Consortium for OER (CCCOER), which gives all CCCs access to CCCOER activities. The ASCCC OERI funds the development of new OER for courses commonly taught in the CCCs. ...

Access ASCCC OERI Supported Resources For An Overview Of The

Access ASCCC OERI Supported Resources for an overview of the OER that has been supported by the OERI, as well as an overview of the OER that is presently being developed. The ASCCC OERI funds the development of new OER for courses commonly taught in the CCCs. Access all OERI-supported resources. Learn about currently available OER-related opportunities including funding and professional developmen...

Interested In Sharing Your ZTC Plans? Let The OERI Know

Interested in sharing your ZTC plans? Let the OERI know what your college or district is doing. In addition to state-specific requirements related to textbook affordability, there is a federal requirement that course material costs be made available to students at the time of registration. In other words, in addition to “marking” no-cost sections, students should be provided with information regar...