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OER & ZTC: Open Educational Resources & Zero-Textbook Cost Classes

A guide for faculty about OER & ZTC at El Camino College.

XB12: Instructional Material Cost

As of Summer 2024, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) requires all colleges to report the cost of course materials for each class section via the XB12 data element. This reporting is more robust, as there are now seven different codes which correspond to varying costs to students and copyright/licensing statuses.

To help students find classes, ECC will continue to list classes as Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) and Low Textbook Cost (LTC) in the Online Class Schedule based on the XB12 codes used for each course section. This information is reported by faculty on the Textbook Adoption Form each term. The corresponding class schedule designations for each code are indicated in the table below.

XB12 Data Element Codes & Definitions

graphic of XB12 course codes as described in the chart below

XB12 Code Definition  Examples ECC Class Schedule Designation
A

Section has no associated course material
  • No readings used in the class
 Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC)
C Section has course material costs, none of which are passed onto students
  • Classroom sets of textbooks
  • Library e-Resources (with unlimited user access)
  • College software subscriptions
 ZTC
D Section has low course material costs ($40 or less total)
  • Books costs a total of $40 or less at ECC Bookstore, based on new prices
  • OER + $15 book listed at ECC Bookstore
  • Library eResources + $30 book at ECC Bookstore
 Low Textbook Cost (LTC)
E Section uses only no-cost OER course material
  • OER is free material that is either 1) copyrighted and openly licensed or 2) no longer protected by copyright. Users are legally permitted to redistribute and adapt the material when it is:
ZTC
F Section uses only no-cost digital course material that does not meet OER guidelines
  • Freely accessible, copyrighted material without an open license, such as:
    • instructor-created content that has not been released under an open license
    • readings found on the open web
    • YouTube videos
    • freely accessible software (e.g. Duolingo)
 ZTC
G Section uses a mix of no-cost OER and other cost-bearing resources, but no costs are passed on to students
  • Any combination of materials from codes C & E
 ZTC
Y Section has standard course material costs and does not meet no-cost or low-cost material criteria.
  • Commercial textbook cost more than $40 new at the ECC Bookstore
  • Combination of books costing more then $40
  • Textbook + homework system costing more than $40
 _

Guidelines

  • The XB12 requirement applies both to credit and noncredit sections
  • List only one code per course section
  • All students in a class section must be able to access the assigned course materials simultaneously. Not eligible for ZTC or LTC eligibility:
    • limited user eBooks (1-user, 3-user licenses)
    • print textbooks "On Reserve" in the Library
  • Open Educational Resources (OER) are educational resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license, such as a Creative Commons license, that permits their free use and repurposing by others.

 

Determining cost:

  • For the purpose of the XB12 data element, only the cost of required course textbooks (including lab manuals) and supplementary materials (including specialized software and homework systems) are to be reported. 
  • For class sections that require labs, the XB12 code should be determined based on the total cost of materials for the lecture and lab sections. List the same code for both the lecture and the lab.
  • For codes D & Y, cost should be determined based on the buy new (print or digital) price at the ECC Bookstore.

 

Changing XB12 and codes post-registration:

The purpose of reporting course materials in the online schedule is so students can be adequately informed about the total cost for the class PRIOR to registration, and is legally mandated for all CCCs.  Failure to correctly report your class sections each term places our students at a disadvantage and causes a misreporting of the XB12 data element to the state Chancellor's office by the college.

However, we understand that sometimes you may not yet know what materials you intend to use before the start of registration and/or you decide to make a change.

  • If a class that was not listed as ZTC or LTC (XB12 code Y) is determined to be ZTC/LTC after registration begins, the notation can be added since it would only positively impact students.
  • If you're not sure whether a class will be ZTC or LTC before registration, list it using the XB12 code Y.
  • After registration begins, a course section listed in the Online Class Schedule as zero textbook cost (ZTC; XB12 codes A,C,E,F,G) or low textbooks costs (LTC; XB12 code D) should not change to a text that will cost more than originally advertised to students (e.g. going from ZTC --> LTC or removing ZTC/LTC completely) unless the instructor assigned to teach the section has changed and different materials are then selected.

This page is a modification of XB12 Instructional Material Cost Codes originally developed by Glendale Community College and is licenced CC By 4.0 International.

XB12 Codes Infographic by Caroline Hallam, Glendale Community College (CC By 4.0)