The Zero Cost Textbook (ZCT) Program is designed to help reduce the cost of higher education for students by replacing commercial textbooks with Open Educational Resources (OER) or library-licensed content. During the initial phases of this project, faculty who replace their commercial textbook with either OER or library-licensed content will receive $1,000. Priority will also be given to BRICKS courses, but faculty who are not teaching a BRICKS course can still apply.
Information sessions for faculty who are interested in learning more about the ZCT Program will be offered throughout the school year. You can also reach out to John Canter, Chris Guder, or Haley Shaw with additional questions or to arrange a meeting to discuss the initiative.
Affordable learning helps reduce the cost of course materials for students by using low-cost or free resources to support courses. Research is conclusive that students with financial needs sometimes forego purchasing required course materials even though they know it will impact their grades (Student PIRGs. (2021). Fixing the Broken Textbook Market, 3rd ed). University Librarians are available to help you identify affordable course materials for your students. Additional information is available on OhioLINK’s affordable learning website.
Open Educational Resources (OERs) are a great way to reduce costs for students while still providing high quality materials for your courses. OER adoption allows student access before, during and after the class at no cost. To learn more about OERs and library services to help make our students’ education more affordable check out the OER web page on the OHIO Libraries website.
Ohio libraries purchase databases that contain many ebooks that can be used to replace commercial textbooks. Databases like EBSCO eBook Collection, Hathitrust Digital Library, Knovel Ebooks, ProQuest Ebook Central, Safari Books Online, Sage Research Methods, and more, contain thousands of ebooks covering a wide range of subjects.