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OER/ZTC Resolution

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OER/ZTC Resolution

On May 5, 2021, the Skyline College Curriculum Committee passed the Inclusion and Documentation of Open Educational Resources Options in Skyline College Course Outline of Record Links to an external site. resolution to affirm its commitment to adding Open Education Resources (OERs) and Zero Textbook Costs Texts (ZTCs) to all course outlines.  Below is the text of the resolution:

  • Whereas, Skyline College has committed to values of student success, equity, access, and academic excellence; and

  • Whereas, as faculty, we have a responsibility to promote, protect, and ensure equity in Skyline College curriculum; and

  • Whereas, The Skyline College Academic Senate, in our Resolution on Equity, affirm its core values to ensure diversity and equity so that our mission and strategic priorities will consistently align and be fully implemented in curricular content and increase student success; and 

  • Whereas, the “brutal truths” of student outcomes show that some of the approaches that Skyline College has taken do not sufficiently support equity, access, success, or academic excellence for many students including those who have historically been minoritized and marginalized in higher education; and

  • Whereas, The Skyline College Academic Senate, in our Student Ready Resolution, recognize the definition of transformative learning, and define this as educational experiences that positively and holistically change lives and communities while meeting students’ resource, learning, and emotional needs; and

  • Whereas, The Skyline College Academic Senate, in their Student Ready Resolution, urge the college to ensure success for all students, regardless of preparation, by providing creative, accessible, and transformative courses and curriculum without restrictive barriers; and

  • Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges encourages local academic senates to develop mechanisms to encourage faculty to consider open educational resources (OER) when developing or revising courses and to document the use of OER on the course outline of record (Resolution 09.05 SP 19); and

  • Whereas, California Code of Regulations Title 5 §59404 mandates that districts that require students to “provide instructional materials for a course shall adopt policies or regulations” that “shall direct instructors to take reasonable steps to minimize the cost and ensure the necessity of instructional materials”; and

  • Whereas, faculty consider OER adoption, including customizable teaching materials, as a measure toward achieving equity and facilitating student success (Resolution 09.05 SP 19); and

  • Whereas, in the California Community Colleges, the course outline of record is the official document that establishes, among other things, the content, objectives, and instructional materials for a given course and is the basis for articulation; and

  • Whereas, both The California State University Chancellor’s Office and University of California Office of the President are on record establishing that the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) which are comparable in currency and stability to commercial texts does not jeopardize articulation; and

  • Whereas, faculty who wish to use OER may be hesitant to do so if such options are not explicitly indicated on the course outline of record, and faculty who wish to specify OER on course outlines of record may be unclear about how to do so; and

  • Whereas, The Skyline College Curriculum Committee, in conjunction with the Zero Textbook Cost Task Force, developed guidelines for how to properly indicate the option of using Open Educational Resources (OER) on course outlines of record; and

  • Whereas, The Curriculum Committee, a standing Committee of the Academic Senate, understands and accepts our responsibility around student success, access, and equity in curricular development, review, and approval; and

  • Be It Resolved, that The Skyline College Curriculum Committee commit to advancing “student-readiness” through the implementation, documentation, and training in a process to add an Open Educational Resource (OER) or Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) resource to all course outlines of record, when available; and

  • Be It Further Resolved, That the Skyline College Curriculum Committee members will engage in collegial conversations that remind faculty about our shared responsibility to promote equity by considering the adoption and implementation of an OER or ZTC resource.