Ethnic Studies Program Earns Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Grant
The Department of Ethnic Studies recently secured the Acceleration II Grant by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s office. Part of the Open Educational Resources (OER) Initiative, this grant will create a Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) pathway for students looking to earn an associate’s degree in ethnic studies.
The Acceleration II Grant supports colleges to develop unique academic pathways where students can complete an entire degree or certificate program without having to purchase a textbook. With ethnic studies becoming a graduation requirement starting fall 2025, larger numbers of students will be able to complete a key component of their college journey with reduced costs.
The efforts to secure this critical grant funding have been led by Fullerton College’s OER Liaison, Kelly Adams, Jeanne Costello and Jennifer Merchant from Guided Pathways and Ethnic Studies Department Coordinator, Dr. Ziza Delgado Noguera. Together, the team worked to identify which program courses would need to transition to ZTC, and how the grant could support faculty in this process. Other departments that also applied for funds include art history, geography and theatre arts.
Some of our Hornet faculty have been working hard to create Open Educational Resources (OER) textbooks. In fall 2023, Professor of Ethnic Studies Dr. Amber González published her book, “New Directions in Chicanx and Latinx Studies.”
Faculty in other disciplines have also developed OER texts with state support. Professor of Geography, Aline Gregorio, co-authored “World Geographies: A Critical Introduction” alongside Nazanin Naraghi and Jason Scott, and Professor of History, Anu Mande, co-wrote “Modern World History: New Perspectives.” The work of our faculty will ripple across the state and inspire other campuses to learn from each other. Currently, faculty from multiple campuses are in state-level collaboration cohorts, aiming to create textbooks that can be shared across the system.
Moving from the creation of individual OER textbooks to the development of a whole ZTC program, the Department of Ethnic Studies is moving forward to reduce barriers on a more significant scale for historically marginalized communities.
Learn more about the Open Educational Resources Initiative on the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges’ website.
