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Zero Textbook Cost

This guide is designed for FSCJ faculty to discover learning objects and other open educational resources. Faculty will also find information on adding and uploading content to share with colleagues.

Introducing the OER Student Advocate Packet 

 

Open Educational Resources (OER), are no cost learning objects, teaching resources (Free textbooks!) that faculty can use in place of a costly textbook or access code. OER are free to access, saving students money.  

 Student advocacy for open educational resources (OER) and affordable course content is essential, meaningful work that can make huge impacts on OER programs. The FSCJ Library, along with the Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC) Library Services, developed this guide and the resources it contains. This guide outlines three quick steps students can take to move their campus communities toward increasing the use of open and affordable course content. This guide also contains further steps students can take if they have the time. Continue reading to find our more about what you can do to promote Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) course at FSCJ!

 

Take 3 Simple Steps... 

Save yourself and other students money, while improving equity and engagement in course materials, by being an advocate for open educational resources (OER) and zero textbook cost courses on your campus with these three easy steps! 

STEP 1 - SHARE (on social media) 

STEP 2 - DISCOVER (an OER or ZTC course) 

STEP 3 - THANK (your teachers and others) 

Go Further--Beyond the Three Steps 

We invite you to go beyond these steps and continue to advocate for OER and ZTC courses.  

 

Go Further--Beyond the Three Steps 

We invite you to go beyond these steps and continue to advocate for OER and ZTC courses.  

  • Encourage Faculty to use OER 

  • Explore the OER Student Advocate Toolkit from OER Commons/Michelson 20MM Foundation  

  • Present on the importance of OER or ZTC for you as a student. 

  • Push for an OER policy on your campus. 

  • Tell 3 students about OER and invite them to join you in advocating for OER. 

  • Connect with a student PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) focused on affordable higher education. 

 

 

FSCJ already offers some Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses.

Use the resources below to find ZTC at FSCJ!

More Information on Student Advocacy 

For your convenience. we have pulled additional information together below for OER Student Advocates. 

University of Texas Libraries, Open Educational Resources 

  • LibGuide with good infographics on OER cost. 

Step Three: How to Advocate on Your Campus (BC Campus OER Toolkit) 

  • BC Campus' chapter on student advocacy; presents a deeper dive for students wanting to do more on campus to promote use of OER. 

Automatic textbook billing: An offer students can’t refuse? 

  • Attending college in America is one of the largest expenses someone will have in their lifetime. For more than 30 years, textbook publishers have added to that financial burden by driving up textbook costs through a variety of tactics. The latest effort is to automatically charge students for textbooks on their tuition bill. 

Student Government Toolkit 

  • This toolkit provides the resources that student governments and state student associations need in order to bring open textbooks to their campuses and save students money. 

Student PIRG Make Textbooks Affordable 

  • “Our mission? Ensure that every student has access to the high quality learning materials they need — at little-to-no cost.” 

           – Kaitlyn Vitez – PIRG Higher Education Program Director 

A Win for Student Choice: University of Central Florida stops Automatic Textbooks Billing Plan 

  • In a win for student choice and textbook affordability, we applaud University of Central Florida’s decision to maintain the opt-in structure for the “First Day” textbooks program through Barnes and Noble.  

OER and Accessibility 

  • Our mission is to enable the community of accessible technology experts, advocates, and users to build an online community and collection of open education resources that can improve universal learning by facilitating the contribution and sharing of accessible technology information, expertise, and accessible online teaching and learning materials