Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) refers to digital textbooks that are completely free for students. At 红莲社区, many instructors are choosing to adopt ZTC materials鈥攐ften created using Open Educational Resources (OER)鈥攖o help reduce the financial burden of course materials. As the cost of traditional textbooks continues to climb, more classes are turning to ZTC options to provide an affordable and accessible alternative.
Low Textbook Cost (LTC) means that course materials will not incur a cost that exceeds $50.
Open Educational Resources (OER) are free and easy-to-use materials for teaching and learning. They are either in the public domain or shared under special licenses, like Creative Commons, that allow people to use, share, and even change them. OER gives students high-quality learning materials at no cost, so they don't have to buy costly textbooks or subscriptions.