Austin CC Expands Zero-Textbook-Cost Degrees

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 04/29/19
hand grabbing book from computer screen

Austin Community College in Texas is expanding its use of open educational resources (OER) in a big way. The school is working on developing a zero-textbook-cost (ZTC) business degree, and last fall, the school launched two "Z-degree" programs: an associate of science in general studies and an associate of arts in general studies. Each program offers a ZTC pathway, which saves students about $2,000 in textbook costs over the duration of the program, according to the college.

The college estimated that since its launch of ZTC in spring 2017, 31,000 students have taken advantage of Z-degree programs. Using an average savings of $100 per textbook, that has resulted in a total savings of almost $3 million. Over that period the number of course sections providing those options has grown from 29 in that first semester to 410 in fall 2018.

Students can search for ZTC sections by course and campus using a sort option in the student planning program.

Now the college is developing a Z-degree for business administration. That's already offered at OER pioneer Tidewater Community College in Virginia.

The State of Texas has also gotten into the act. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has requested a $250,000 allocation from the state for 2020-2021 to develop an open educational repository and hire a person to oversee it. The board has also requested $200,000 for an OER grant program, which would fund additional grants to faculty for the development of OER course materials. Those grants have already been made available, and instructors at Austin CC have been recipients of the funding.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • college student sitting at a laptop writing a college essay

    How Can Schools Manage AI in Admissions?

    Many questions remain around the role of artificial intelligence in admissions as schools navigate the balance between innovation and integrity.  

  • a hobbyist in casual clothes holds a hammer and a toolbox, building a DIY structure that symbolizes an AI model

    Ditch the DIY Approach to AI on Campus

    Institutions that do not adopt AI will quickly fall behind. The question is, how can colleges and universities do this systematically, securely, cost-effectively, and efficiently?

  • person signing a bill at a desk with a faint glow around the document. A tablet and laptop are subtly visible in the background, with soft colors and minimal digital elements

    California Governor Signs AI Content Safeguards into Law

    California Governor Gavin Newsom has officially signed off on a series of landmark artificial intelligence bills, signaling the state’s latest efforts to regulate the burgeoning technology, particularly in response to the misuse of sexually explicit deepfakes. The legislation is aimed at mitigating the risks posed by AI-generated content, as concerns grow over the technology's potential to manipulate images, videos, and voices in ways that could cause significant harm.

  • laptop screen showing Coursera course

    Coursera Introduces New Gen AI Skills Training and Credentials

    Learning platform Coursera is expanding its Generative AI Academy training portfolio with an offering for teams, as well as adding new generative AI courses, specializations, and certificates.