The Zero Textbook Cost/Open Educational Resources Faculty Incentive Program offers a pathway to improve textbook affordability at Merced College. This grant-funded program provides training, support, and a stipend to help faculty replace required course materials that students must purchase or rent with materials that are zero cost for students. Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) is an umbrella term that encompasses Open Educational Resources (OER), Open Access (OA) books and articles, materials in the public domain, and library-licensed materials.
Faculty members of Merced College are eligible to apply for a $1000 stipend to adopt ZTC/OER materials for a single course or to serve as an advocate for ZTC/OER by mentoring others and sharing their experiences in adopting zero cost materials.
2022-2023
2023-2024
*Courses must be completely ZTC/OER.
Joey Merritt (now retired as of August 2023) and Lindsay Davis submitted this program proposal in October 2021, prior to the consideration and implementation of Follett Access.
Students will still be charged $25 per unit regardless of the type of materials used in their courses unless they opt out of Follett Access; students can opt out on a semester basis.
The grant administrators hope this incentive program will lend itself to an another pathway to reduce student textbook costs at Merced College. If successful, and with additional funding from other sources, the program may be able to expand in other ways.
