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Changing Your College Culture
Changing Your College Culture
Cosumnes River College has been engaged in OER and ZTC efforts for nearly five years, and one of the most important lessons learned is that this work takes time and consistency. Building and sustaining a zero textbook cost culture is not a one-time project. It’s an ongoing commitment that grows through collaboration, persistence, and shared leadership. Each step, no matter how small, helps move the needle toward equitable access and long-term change.
We have tried to organize the information on this site to help you through every step. Some resources fall under multiple relevant sections so you might see the same information listed in more than one category.
Getting Started
Getting Started
Identify a faculty lead. Find a faculty member who is passionate about OER and student success. This person can help coordinate the effort, connect with administration, and inspire peers to get involved. See the Project Coordinator & Support section for help.
Review your XB12 data. Begin by confirming the accuracy of your college’s reported ZTC course sections. Accurate data will help you understand your true baseline and track progress over time. See the Marking ZTC Sections and Schedule Auditing workflows section for help.
Conduct a ZTC degree audit. Examine degree pathways to identify where ZTC courses already exist and where there are remaining gaps. Focus first on pathways that are close to being fully ZTC. See the Mapping ZTC Classes to Degrees section for help.
Engage faculty in those pathways. Reach out to instructors teaching the remaining non-ZTC courses to explore options for OER adoption or alternative zero-cost materials. See the Faculty Incentives, Faculty Outreach, and Help for Creators sections for help.
Start with OER-rich disciplines. Prioritize departments where there are already many high-quality open resources available - this makes it easier for faculty to transition from commercial texts to OER. See the ZTC at CRC website and the ASCCC OERI for discipline specific resources and support.
Additional Support
Additional Support
The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges' Open Educational Resources Initiative (ASCCC OERI) has been doing and supporting this work for nearly ten years. Their website has a wealth of information and resources to help colleges build and sustain this work. You are highly encouraged to ensure that your institution has identified an OERI Liaison so that vital information is being shared with your campus community. Here are impactful sections of the ASCCC OERI Website.
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