Nearly ten years ago, Maricopa became the first higher education institution in the nation to establish course marking of no-cost and low-cost courses in the student schedule. We did this through the course notes in our SIS. With this marking, students are able to search for courses that have no cost or low-cost ($40 <=) materials that can include OER. Below is a brief video explaining this search function. Additionally, we determined the low-cost pricing by surveying our students.
Over the years, we realized that having the no-cost/low-cost marker did not provide us the detail needed to serve our students' needs best, allow us to do reporting and analytics, and serve our faculty. Therefore, we have developed new course notes that will be searchable by students and usable within the district for reporting and other purposes. These new course notes and search functionality are now available in the current schedule.
Our institution is committed to making education more affordable through Low Textbook Cost (LTC) and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) course options. To support this initiative, we've created two comprehensive guides:
For Faculty & Staff - A detailed explanation of how course notes work in the system, how to properly designate courses, and how this data supports institutional planning
For Students - Clear instructions on how to find and filter for affordable course options when registering for classes
Faculty and staff are encouraged to review both guides—understanding the student experience will help you better support learners navigating these options. Please share the student guide with your classes to help them take full advantage of our textbook affordability initiatives.
The complete guides are provided below.
This guide explains how Low Textbook Cost (LTC), Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC), and Open Educational Resources (OER) course designations work within our system. Understanding these designations is crucial for proper course setup and helps support our district-wide affordability initiatives. The information below will assist you in correctly classifying your courses and understanding how students discover affordable course options.
As faculty and staff, it's important to understand how course notes for Low Textbook Cost (LTC), Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC), and Open Educational Resources (OER) function within the Find a Class tool, as this affects how students discover your courses.
Note 0069: Designates Low Textbook Cost (LTC) courses
Note 0074: Designates Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses
Note 0060: Designates Open Educational Resources (OER) courses
When students select the LTC filter in Find a Class:
Both LTC (0069) AND ZTC (0074) courses will display in search results
This means all affordable textbook options appear together
When students select the ZTC filter in Find a Class:
Only ZTC (0074) courses will display
LTC courses will not appear in these results
When students select the OER filter in Find a Class:
Only OER (0060) courses will display
Ensure your course has the correct designation (0069) for LTC, (0074 for ZTC) based on your course materials costs, or (0060) for OER.
Remember that these designations make your courses more discoverable to students seeking affordable options
These course note designations (0069, 0074, and 0060) generate valuable data that supports broader institutional initiatives:
District-wide analysis to identify and develop future ZTC pathways across the district
Reporting on OER and LTC adoption rates for institutional planning
Identifying curriculum gaps where affordable alternatives are needed
Supporting grant applications and initiatives focused on textbook affordability
Tracking progress toward institutional goals for reducing student textbook costs
Accurate course designations contribute directly to these efforts and help improve affordable learning options for all students.
Textbook costs can be a significant expense in your education. Our institution is committed to providing affordable learning options through Low Textbook Cost (LTC) and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses. This guide will show you how to easily find these money-saving options when registering for classes, helping you manage your educational expenses without compromising quality.
Looking for courses with affordable textbook options? Using the Find a Class tools.
Low Textbook Cost (LTC): Courses with textbook costs below a certain threshold
Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC): Courses with no textbook costs at all
If you're looking for ALL affordable options (both LTC and ZTC):
Go to Find a Class
Select the LTC filter in the search options
Your results will include:
All Low Textbook Cost courses
All Zero Textbook Cost courses
If you specifically need courses with NO textbook costs:
Go to Find a Class
Select the ZTC filter in the search options
Your results will include:
Only Zero Textbook Cost courses
(Low Textbook Cost courses will NOT appear)
Start with the LTC filter if you're open to all affordable options
Use the ZTC filter if you specifically need courses with zero textbook costs
Look for course notes 0069 (LTC) and 0074 (ZTC) in the course listings for confirmation
Learn how to apply the ZTC, LTC, or OER
course notes to your courses.
Courses can have more than one note applied. For example, if a course has materials that are $40 or less and the materials are OER, the LTC (0060) and the OER (0069) notes would be applied.
These notes can be applied at the Class or Course levels. If all class sections of a course meet the requirements of the notes, they can be applied at the course level. For example, if all sections of ENG101 at a specific college are OER and zero-cost, the 0060 and 0069 notes can be applied at the course level. If only a few class sections meet the requirements, the notes are applied at the class level.
Open Educational Resources (OER) are learning, teaching, and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or have an open license copyright that permits no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, retention, redistribution, and adaptation by others.
The total cost of the required materials for this course is $40 or less. Some materials may be provided by the college and only be available while enrolled in the course.
Zero-Textbook-Cost Class: The total cost of required instructional materials for this "Z Class" is $0.
For additional information or assistance regarding No Cost / Low Cost Textbooks, please contact openmaricopa@domail.maricopa.edu