CSUB launches first zero-cost textbook degree

Campus leads entire system in initiative to boost affordability for students

By California State University, Bakersfield

November 27^th, 2023

California State University, Bakersfield has achieved a milestone for the campus and the entire CSU system in the quest to expand affordability: the first “Z degree,” a bachelor’s degree that requires no textbook costs for students.

“It is an impressive accomplishment for the faculty and students at CSUB,” said Dr. Leslie Kennedy, assistant vice chancellor of Academic Technology Services and Affordable Learning Solutions at the Office of the Chancellor. “Affordability of a quality higher education is an emphasis for Governor Newsom’s office because zero-cost course materials’ programs can lower potential barriers for students while supporting student retention in their learning pathways.”

Over the summer, several faculty members undertook the considerable work necessary to shift their general education courses from reliance on expensive textbooks to high-quality open educational resources, materials that reside in the public domain or require no cost to access, said Dr. Elaine Correa, special assistant to the provost. Dr. Correa — who also serves as the chair of the Department of Child, Adolescent Family Studies — and Dr. Alexander Reid, director of open educational resources for the department, worked together to offer the first CSUB program major that is entirely textbook-free. A pathway of general education courses is now available for students to earn a bachelor’s degree in CAFS with no textbook costs.

“Open educational resources (OER) blends inspiration and innovative thinking together to foster positive social change with free, and open access to course content and ancillary materials for all students,” Dr. Correa said.

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Vernon Harper applauded Dr. Correa’s leadership and the faculty who are adopting materials to save students money.

“CSUB is committed to identifying new and inventive ways to pursue a university degree that is affordable,” he said. “There should be no barriers to a college education, least of all cost. Now that we have our first Z-degree, I expect other majors to follow Dr. Correa’s lead.”

The Z-degree represents a major step forward in CSUB’s efforts, which were launched about a decade ago when Curt Asher, then dean of the Walter W. Stiern Library, attended a conference hosted by the Chancellor’s Office on a new program called Affordable Learning Solutions, created to reduce the cost of learning materials like textbooks.

“He came back so excited and said that this was going to be huge,” said Sandra Bozarth, who succeeded Asher as dean of the library. “He said, ‘I want our library to part of it and I want you to run it.’ I couldn’t wrap my mind around it at first.”

But Bozarth got to work, building a catalog of resources like digital textbooks and other resources curated by the library.

“What this is about is the students,” Bozarth said. “This is what libraries do. We provide resources to people for free. So why shouldn’t we provide free course materials in whatever way we can?”

‘Best course evaluations I ever received’

Eventually, faculty like Dr. Correa and Dr. Yeunjoo Lee, professor of special education, accepted the challenge to find OER materials and other resources to help their students. Dr. Lee teaches a diversity class required of all juniors and noted that until she adopted OER materials, the students were required to buy a textbook that costs $100 that was updated frequently by the publisher with little change to the content.

“As a GE class, I have students from all over the majors — science, art, Spanish, etc., who can now take the course without any textbook costs," Dr. Lee said. "The textbook that I had previously used really did not address the course objectives, so I decided to challenge myself and make an OER course using all the available free resources out there. The first time I offered it was over the summer two years ago, and I was shocked. The student loved the class. It was the best course evaluations that I have ever received.”

The university is part of a CSU-wide effort to enhance affordability for students, a mission that the governor has made a priority for all three systems of public higher education in the state.

“The governor’s office has prioritized the advancement of student-focused, shared goals; for example, to reduce equity gaps and to increase the affordability of a CSU education,” Dr. Kennedy said. “Affordable Learning Solutions is working with the 23 CSU universities to meet the $150 million student savings on course materials goal by 2025, and CSUB is significantly contributing to this effort.”

During the 2022-23 academic year, the Affordable Learning Solutions initiative saved 14,588 CSUB students more than $1.4 million in textbooks and other materials, Bozarth said. Since the inception of the program during the 2013-14 academic year, the cumulative savings to students has surpassed $3.6 million.

“The total for last year is a huge increase from what we have done in the previous years,” she said. “It speaks to the efforts of Dr. Correa and the CSUB Affordable Learning Solutions team in making the push for more participation.”

The work involved with adapting a course from textbooks to OER is significant, Dr. Correa said. Over the summer, the Office of the Provost offered $1,500 stipends to professors for the general education initiative, and the Chancellor’s Office also gives each of the 23 campuses modest support for their Affordable Learning Solutions programs.

“Faculty have to be committed to it but also have to see value in it,” she said. “When you use a textbook, it’s very easy because the materials are there, slide decks, quizzes, tests and so-on. When you adapt to OER, you must create all the supplementary and ancillary materials. The materials must be ADA and copyright compliant. It’s a huge workload.”

But the reward, she said, is the cost savings to students, especially her CAFS majors, who enter careers after graduation that don’t pay as well as some other professions.

“I think for our department, unlike business and science areas where students can earn a lot of money going into those fields, people come to CAFS with passion and a desire to help, because we deal with the needs of children and families," Dr. Correa said. "Starting off in this field, students don’t earn a lot of money, but their roles are essential to society and can change the trajectory of lives of children and entire families. So how can we address those gaps? We’re trying to make sure our students start with an equal chance. Affordable learning solutions ensures opportunities in education for all.”