Skyline College recognizes the continued high cost of textbooks and course materials as a barrier that impacts student success. An increasing number of Skyline faculty are utilizing zero textbook cost (ZTC) materials and/or open educational resources (OER) for their classes. Instructors understand that barriers to affordable textbooks and course materials are an equity issue that can be addressed by using course materials available to students at no-cost or lower-cost.

ztc ltc icons

Visit WebSchedule and select "More Options" to view the full list of current and upcoming courses at Skyline that offer no-cost (ZTC) and Low Textbook Cost (LTC) sections.

Find ZTC and/or LTC Courses

webschedule ztc and ltc course tag

 

ztc ltc tagged course sections

 

What does ZTC mean for Skyline Students?

In short, a free digital copy of required learning resources will be provided to all students in Zero Textbook Cost sections.

The State has specified what constitutes “zero textbook cost” through S.B. 1359:

  • ZTC courses exclusively use digital course materials that are free of charge to students and may have a low-cost option for print versions.
  • Course materials...may include open educational resources, institutionally licensed campus library materials that all students enrolled in the course have access to use, and other properly licensed and adopted materials.

If students need to pay fees to access a software platform to do coursework or homework, this counts as a required course material cost. The course section would NOT qualify as ZTC.

Why choose ZTC & LTC classes?

Zero-Textbook Cost courses can benefit students in a variety of ways. Some of these benefits include:

  • Significant Cost Savings - Students know how expensive and cost-prohibitive textbooks can be.  ZTC & LTC provides no-cost or low-cost course materials, that can make higher education accessible and affordable for everyone.
  • Flexible - ZTC & OER provide flexibility for all learning styles. Students have the option of accessing ZTC electronic content online, downloading to your preferred device, accessing through the Skyline Library course reserves, printing a hard copy a portion of the material, or purchasing a lower cost print version through the Skyline Bookstore.
  • Accessible - ZTC and OER materials are available to students day 1 of class and long after the semester ends.
  • Course materials in ZTC class sections are Free to access for ALL students - regardless of enrollment status, county of residency, or program of study.
Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses support the following pathways:

Look for ZTC and LTC labeled course sections in SMCCCD WebSchedule when registering for your classes using "More Options+". To learn more, visit the ZTC & LTC Courses @ Skyline Research Guide.