Fall 2023, Resolution Number 20.02
Whereas, Academic Senate for California Community Colleges Resolution 20.02 F20 Ensure Course Cost Transparency for Students[1] encourages “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”;
Whereas, Provisions of the Higher Education Opportunity Act that went into effect in July, 2010 require each institution of higher education receiving federal financial assistance to “disclose, on the institution’s Internet course schedule and in a manner of the institution’s choosing, the International Standard Book Number and retail price information of required and recommended college textbooks and supplemental materials for each course listed in the institution’s course schedule used for preregistration and registration purposes”[2] but do not require that colleges provide the URLs where students can access open educational resources (OER) that may be used in lieu of commercial texts, thereby denying students the opportunity to peruse readily-available resources and, when available, to obtain print versions of those resources; and
Whereas, Faculty who are using OER in lieu of a commercial text and wish to provide access to that OER via the internet course schedule may not be provided with a mechanism for doing so;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges urge local academic senates to work with their administrations to develop a procedure to publish URLs, where available, to free open educational resources in the course schedule; and
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges work with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to develop Title 5 language that requires districts to publish in course schedules the URLs, where available, where students may access free open educational resources.
[1] https://www.asccc.org/resolutions/ensure-course-cost-transparency-students
[2] Higher Education Opportunity Act page 33: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-110publ315/pdf/PLAW-110publ315.pdf