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Home/Faculty and Staff/OER & ZTC at IVC/OER FAQ

OER & ZTC FAQ 

  • Online Educational Resources (OER) are “teaching and learning materials that are freely available online for everyone to use and includes course modules, lectures, homework assignments, lab and classroom activities, pedagogical materials, games, simulations, and many more resources contained in digital media collections from around the world… OER most often refers to openly-licensed textbooks and ancillary materials that are available at little or no cost to students.” ​–ASCCC-OERI 
  • They are free for students (although there may be a small cost if printed copies are required) 
  • They are available on day one—no waiting for financial aid, the Bookstore, or a ride to campus 
  • They can be updated, tailored, and customized for the course’s precise needs 
  • In their online format, they are highly portable and accessible  
  • The best place to check first is the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges’ Online Educational Resources Initiative (ASCCC-OERI) website and their curated lists of resources by discipline
  • For a deeper dive, and resources on in-depth search, visit the Finding OER page for more information 
  • As a faculty member, you are the expert in your field and content. Just as you would with a publisher textbook, you can confirm the author/editor’s credentials and peer reviews. You can investigate which other professors or colleges might have adopted the resource. Unlike a publisher textbook, if you find the OER lacking, you can (depending on how it’s licensed) update, edit, remix, and/or reissue it!
  • Remember that all required instructional materials should be on the Course Outline of Record (COR). You can list an OER as an optional text—but if it’s a good one, ask your Chair about getting it onto the COR! 
  • For an OER to meet articulation standards, certain conditions must be met. Learn more about those specific requirements at IVC’s Citing OER on the COR for Articulation guidelines. 
  • Certain departments may have their own requirements, such as a mutually-decided required textbook. Check with your Chair to confirm. 
  • No! As an instructor, you have academic freedom, and no one is forcing you to adopt an OER. 
  • Selecting and vetting instructional materials, and preparing/delivering content, are part of your professional duties as an instructor of record. You should also select the materials that you believe best meet your students’ needs and the requirements established by the COR—not choose based just on publisher or ZTC incentives! With that said, switching to new instructional materials, and updating lessons, quizzes, Canvas pages, etc.—especially when the materials in question are OER rather than publisher-produced resources—can take time, and there is money available to compensate for that labor. See the various levels of projects and compensation available at the Funding page. Please note that your project needs to be complete, and your course marked as ZTC in the schedule, by Fall 2026.
  • Yes. We believe that the more people who understand OER, how they work, and the advantages they offer students, the better! Click here to apply. 
  • Yes! You should definitely check what’s already out there, and use what you can, but if there are parts that are missing, outdated, or otherwise not a good fit for your pedagogy and COR, you should certainly apply for Special Projects funding. Please note that your project needs to be complete, and your course marked as ZTC in the schedule, by Fall 2026. 
  • ZTC stands for Zero Textbook Cost, and refers to courses in which there are no costs to students for instructional materials 
  • LTC stands for Low Textbook Cost, and refers to courses in which instruction materials cost less than $50 to buy (not rent), new, from the Bookstore or the publisher. Visit IVC’s LTC and ZTC Guidelines 
  • Watch your email for the form we use to collect the XB-12 data we are required to provide to the state for every course, every semester. If the online schedule is already live, and your course isn’t marked correctly, please  fill out this form to request a schedule attribute update (IVC login required). 

OER FAQ