Zero Cost Course Materials (ZCCM) Eligibility Suggestions
Free and qualifies as ZCCM:
- Open Educational Resources (OER) that have no cost to access/obtain
- Free videos, articles and digital content that is NOT copyrighted
- Digital content available to all students from the Library at no cost
- Optional basic school supplies such as pens, pencils, paper, etc.
- Optional electronics such as calculators, flash drives, etc.
- Access to a computer, free software downloads, and internet
- Free event tickets
Does NOT Qualify as ZCCM:
Required purchase or rental of:
- Textbooks, trade books, digital books/access, courseware, studyware, and homework software that must be purchased or rented
- Course packs and reference materials that must be purchased or rented
- Study guides, lab manuals, reference books, reference charts and maps
- Goggles, lab coats, dissection kits, breakage fee, and other lab equipment
- Art Kits, Art materials and supplies (paints, clay, charcoal, etc.)
- Yoga mats, shoes, and other specific exercise/dance/music equipment
- Calculators that are required to participate in the class, do homework or tests
- Aprons, chef hats, hospitality gear or tools
- Software and subscriptions (including paid-access such as Harvard Law review, New York Times, newspapers.com and similar)
- Opera, theater, other event tickets
- Specialized supplies such as thesis packets, custom or added value/feature binders and folders, specific music or technical paper and folders, special function pens and pencils
- Scrubs, uniforms, stethoscopes, drafting equipment, mechanical pens/pencils, and other STEM items
25 Benefits of ZCCM to Consider
Description of ZCCM from proposed AB2624 and previous CA legislation:
“digital or physical textbooks, devices such as calculators and remote attendance platforms, and software subscriptions” that are available to students at no charge.
HEOA Higher Education Opportunity Act, Federal Public Law 110-315:
“each postsecondary institution in the United States that participates in Title IV student aid programs must post a net price calculator on its Web site that uses institutional data to provide estimated net price information to current and prospective students and their families based on a student’s individual circumstances.”
CA1359 regarding publishing notice of ZCCM Zero Cost Course Materials:
“…identify in the online version of the campus course schedule its courses that exclusively use digital course materials, as specified, and communicate to students that the course materials for these courses are free of charge and therefore not required to be purchased”
