Districtwide - Student Textbook Affordability Committee (STAC)

October 4, 2023, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Meeting Notes

Members:

Allen Kuo, Angela Boyd, Anne Gloag, Brian Palmiter, Brian Weston, Desiree Payne, Diana Vera-Alba, Edward Borek, Lily Cava, Lisa Burgert, Nancy Wichmann, Pegah Motaleb, Rob Meyers, Sandra Pesce, Sol Madrid, Devika Chhabra, Melanie Nakaji, Kelly Spoon, Victor DeVore, Allen Kuo and Scott Kraus

Meeting Notes

The meeting notes from September 6, 2023, meeting were reviewed.

ZTC and LTC Defined

When listing Zero Textbook Cost courses in the class schedule, those courses should be free of charge to students and may have a low-cost option for print versions.

Clearly highlight, by means that may include a symbol or logo in a conspicuous place on the online campus course schedule, the courses that exclusively use digital course materials that are free of charge to students and may have a low-cost option for print versions.

If all assigned textbooks are optional for the section

If all assigned textbooks are identified as Open Educational Resource (OER) textbooks

If there is no assigned textbook

If the assigned textbooks (including course readers) are available online for free (i.e. through library databases) AND students are not required to buy a physical copy.

Lab materials or required supplies are not considered a textbook cost, so if a course section meets the parameters noted above, but do require a materials fee – then the section WOULD still qualify textbook cost free per State guidelines.

If students need to pay fees to access a software platform to do coursework or homework, this counts as a cost. The course section would NOT qualify.

Brian was able to attend the DEIA Conference that was held at the Westin in San Diego. The State Chancellor's Office was also in attendance. There was a question about clarifying how we list materials in the bookstore for students so they can use financial aid. The group discussed the use of financial aid in the bookstore, with Brian suggesting that courses labeled as ZTC could list the textbook as optional and students can continue to use their financial aid.

The State Chancellor’s Office confirmed that you do not need to list the book as required, it can be listed optional. There is no reason for faculty to list a book as required, especially if they're providing a free online digital copy for the students; it can be listed as optional. And that course would be considered Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC.)

Nancy reiterated that faculty decide what is optional or required and have never been held back on using financial aid.

Rob explained that certain programs like the VA only cover required textbooks and not supplemental materials, raising questions about the source of funding for Vetrans their specific rules. Rob added there are some other similar programs that mimic this practice.

Scott reminded that if there is an OER adopted for the course, the printed counterpart is always listed as optional. He suggested that in special circumstances like with VA, we can work with a student in that case. Brian clarified that with a ZTC course student will be provided digitally materials for free.

Kelly discussed the option of making lab manuals optional for students in Science Courses, as the manuals are often distributed digitally. Scott said that we treat lab manuals as required. Scott added that some Math instructors advise students that they are provided a copy of the text for free within Canvas, but if the student wishes they can purchase a printed copy (this needs to be communicated to the bookstore so they can plan purchasing.)

Scott said there are Biology and Chemistry courses that need the physical copy of manuals. Kelly met with Chemistry and Physical Sciences for the ZTC Acceleration Grant and were told specifically, they provide all labs in Canvas, but they submit them as required to the bookstore, so that students have the option to use Financial Aid.

Brian repeated that according to the State Chancellor the print textbook should be listed as optional when the materials are provided for free digitally. The team agreed that the bookstore should be notified, so those students who need a printed copy can continue to have that option.

Brian proposed lowering the low textbook costs threshold from under $40 to under $30, in line with recommendations from the DEIA Conference and the Academic Senate. There was consensus to move towards this change, with Brian to begin transitioning the Low Textbook Cost definition. Lisa also expressed faculty desire for a timeline for when the ZTC label would be available in the catalog and live. Brian confirmed that while there was no immediate update, he hoped this would be in place by the next semester. He also announced a forthcoming Student & Faculty Survey on Distance Education and Zero Textbook Cost & Open Educational Resources that we will be releasing this month.

Nancy expressed concern about the lack of communication from some faculty members, which was causing difficulties for students and the team. She highlighted that the team was experiencing more late orders than ever before, with some students not receiving textbooks until the third week of classes. Nancy also emphasized that the number of sections with no textbook requirement was alarmingly high at 23-25%. She plans to send Brian an email, detailing the faculty members that have not responded to the course materials requests, and plans to take this issue to the Deans' Council. Lastly, Nancy mentioned the need to work with the Scheduling Teams to address these issues.

Nancy expressed concern about the timing of the information release for the class schedule, noting that the schedule would be online before the requisitions. This is before requests for information were submitted. She shared that students could be making decisions without sufficient information. She suggested that there was room for improvement in the order of processes. Rob added that the process of inputting information into the system and having it appear on the website was not immediate, as each of the hundreds of submissions needed to be vetted by a single individual.

Lisa added concerns about students' struggles to complete assignments due to missing books, and the lack of timely responses from faculty. She noted that a student came to the library asking for a book that was not even available, but was needed that day for an assignment. Scott and Kelly acknowledged the challenges of managing course materials, with Scott emphasizing the need for instructors to submit orders in a timely manner. They also discussed the limitations of rolling orders, as section assignments often change, making it difficult to keep orders consistent. Kelly suggested that department chairs should take responsibility for ensuring textbooks are ordered for all sections under their purview.

ZTC Implementation Grant Program Deadlines

Brian reminded the team about the upcoming deadlines for the Implementation Grant Program and advised those who received grants to set up their projects correctly and utilize resources efficiently. Lisa inquired about the Grant Award Notification for her campus's $200,000 grant, which Brian suggested she obtain by contacting the State Chancellor's ZTC by email.

Lisa shared updates from Mesa College, including their grant application for ZTC Acceleration Grants for both Physical Sciences and Political Science, and the move of the Retail Management Certificate Project from low-cost to no-cost. She noted that Mesa College is saving students a $1 million dollars each year through ZTC Pathways and that a web page will be dedicated to showcasing these Pathways to students. Both Brian and Lisa expressed the need for stable infrastructure and consistent resources to support the growing Online Education Program.

DE WEEK Online Summit October 9-12, 2023

Brian emphasized the importance of attendance at an upcoming DE WEEK Online Summit, particularly for the Creative Commons Session and the LibreText Session at Miramar College.

Collaboration and Recognition in Education

A request to have a recognition program for faculty members who are actively converting courses to OER/ZTC was brought for discussion. The group discussed the hard work importance of faculty across SDCCD. A request was asked for each college to recognize faculty that were doing outstanding work for the year. The group mentioned challenges with recognizing individual faculty.

Next Meeting: Thursday, November 1, 2:00-3:00pm

Respectfully submitted: Mary Kingsley, SDOLP, District Educational Services

SDCCD STAC October Meeting Notes, 2023, Zoom Video Communications, 10042023, https://sdccd-edu.zoom.us/