Faculty interested in OER and/or ZTC course materials are encouraged to first discuss their interest with colleagues. You may discover that someone in your department is already using OER and/or has at least investigated some options. OER users are sharers! If you haven't already done so, check the disciplinary OER/ZTC page on this site to see if your department has any information there; even if you don't find anything, check with a colleague or the department chair. You may also want to check with a librarian to learn about ZTC materials for your discipline (see below for more info on this).
Faculty who are just starting their OER search are at the right place! Use the links in the menu at left to find some great resources to begin. If you would like further guidance, contact Jim Julius, Faculty Director of Online Education. Note that the Academic Senate of MiraCosta College passed a resolution in support of Open Educational Resources in 2016 and a clarification of ZTC and new designation for Low Textbook Cost (LTC) classes in 2018.
Funding to Support Work to Adopt OER
MiraCosta has AB 798 grant funds available to support work required to identify OER and redesign classes to save students at least 30% over current course material costs. Contact Jim Julius, Faculty Director of Online Education, to learn more about options for support.
MiraCosta Library Resources for ZTC Materials
MiraCosta's library includes access to digital resources such as academic journals on par with many universities. You can add links to most library resources that work seamlessly from Canvas. Some places to start:
- Research Guides - Subject- and class-specific sets of library resources such as journal articles
- Journals - Journal access organized by discipline
Resources from MiraCosta Workshops
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January 2025: Developing Zero Textbook Cost Courses and Programs (58 minutes) – by Jim Julius, Stephanie Kelley, Thao Ha, Steve Isachsen, Taya Lazootin, & Nery Chapetón-Lamas
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March 2024: MiraCosta hosted a NCHEA ZTC Transfer Pathways mini-conference. See student panel moderated by Leslie Kennedy, CSU Office of the Chancellor (55 minutes).
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January 2023: Developing ZTC Courses & Programs (View Slides – Not Recorded) – workshop by Jim Julius, Lauren McFall, & Sean Davis
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August 2022: Flex workshop: Zero Cost, Big Impact: Faculty Perspectives on Moving to Zero Textbook Cost Classes (1 hour 33 minutes) by Lauren McFall, Daniel Ante-Contreras, Billy Gunn, Jeanine Sepulveda, Andrea Petri, Pilar Hernandez, Sean Davis, Jim Julius, Nadia Khan
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April 2021: Flex workshop: How Open Educational Resources are Impacting Equity at MiraCosta (Zoom Recording, 1 hour 3 minutes) by Lauren McFall, Joseph King, Thao Ha, Claudia Flores, & Jim Julius. See also the workshop resources document.
- Open Education Lunch Extravaganza 1/17/18 – Keynote by Nicole Finkbeiner of Open Stax (video, 35 min.) | Student Panel on OER (video, 25 min.) | Faculty Panel on OER (video, 33 min.)
Open Online "Courses" about OER for Faculty
- Adopting Open Educational Resources in the Classroom - comprehensive overview of openness in education, copyright and open license alternatives, and OER tools and resources
- Introduction to Open Educational Resources - Canvas-based course from Butte College
- How to use Open Educational Resources - self-paced workshop from Open Washington
Faculty Showcase
Watch this space for information from faculty about their journeys into Open Education.