Spring 2022; Resolution Number 13.10
Whereas, The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, in its 2020 Zero-Textbook-Cost Degree Grant Program Legislative Report (Zero-Textbook-Cost Degree Grant Program Legislative Report, CCCCO 2020), has recommended that future zero-textbook-cost (ZTC) funding should focus on investment priorities, including efforts to share and adopt existing quality ZTC programs and course materials, and California Education Code §78052 requires that “All open educational resources used as learning materials for a degree developed pursuant to this section shall be added to the California Digital Open Source Library established in Section 66408,” yet no public-facing information is available that delineates how colleges established ZTC certificates and degrees;
Whereas, In October 2021, the ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative completed an analysis of public-facing ZTC degree information provided by California community colleges and found no information regarding when ZTC sections would be offered, minimal information regarding the ZTC courses that were available and would meet specific general education requirements, and no information regarding how ZTC status was achieved for specific courses;
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges passed Resolution 20.02 in fall 2020, encouraging local academic senates to “advocate for the implementation of a process for consistent, clear, and transparent messaging to students prior to registration regarding all material and supply costs in appropriate locations including the schedule of classes and the bookstore” and providing this same clear messaging and information regarding the planned availability of ZTC sections that would enable students to plan to truly complete a ZTC degree; and
Whereas, Clear messaging for planning purposes is an integral part of guided pathways implementation to better serve students, and integrating information regarding ZTC sections would further advance the equity and achievement goals of the California Community Colleges by clearly mapping ZTC degree pathways.
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges urge the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to require all colleges and districts that receive zero-textbook-cost (ZTC) funds to provide public-facing information and student messaging that delineates the planned scheduling of ZTC sections; and
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges advocate for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to require that all colleges and districts receiving zero-textbook-cost (ZTC) funds delineate in a designated public-facing location how ZTC status was achieved for all courses in a given pathway, demonstrate that sufficient ZTC sections are available to enable student completion of ZTC degree pathway, and ensure that openly-licensed resources are shared as required by law.