NEW: Updated Zero/Low Textbook Cost/OER Course and Class Notes
Course Notes History
Nearly ten years ago, Maricopa became the first higher education institution in the nation to establish course marking of no-cost and low-cost courses in the student schedule. We did this through the course notes in our SIS. With this marking, students are able to search for courses that have no cost or low-cost ($40 <=) materials that can include OER.
In 2018, MCC added the Z Course note to our Class Search, however, this search feature didn’t carry over to the district Find A Class. While the Z Course and no-cost/low-cost notes have allowed us to track our courses and calculate student savings they have had some limitations.
Over the years, Open Maricopa realized that the notes did not provide us the detail needed to best serve our students’ needs, allow us to do reporting and analytics, and serve our faculty. Therefore, Open Maricopa working, with college OER Committees, has developed new course notes that will be searchable by students and usable within the district for reporting and other purposes.
Using the New Course Notes
Refer to this website for details, definitions, and guidance for faculty and schedule builders, including scenarios to consider when choosing which course notes to apply. The new course notes and search functionality will go live with the development of the spring 2024 schedule. Below is a Preview of the new notes and video overview.
Course Note Code |
Note Text |
| 0074 Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) | Zero-Textbook-Cost Class: The total cost of required instructional materials for this “Z Class” is $0. |
| 0060 Low Textbook Cost (LTC) | The total cost of the required materials for this course is $40 or less. Some materials may be provided by the college and only be available while enrolled in the course. |
| 0069 Open Educational Resources (OER) | Open Educational Resources (OER) are learning, teaching, and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or have an open license copyright that permits no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, retention, redistribution, and adaptation by others. |