[UPBEAT MUSIC]
ROBIN WITT: Think about how cool it would be.
On day one of your course, every student has the book.
They're ready to learn.
SANDRA: I've actually been in classes
where there were students that weren't in a place
that they were able to afford really expensive
medical textbooks and stuff.
And it was kind of a bummer because those students just
weren't able to thrive in the same way
that other students were able to.
So having access to zero-cost textbooks,
I think it's more equitable.
TARA JOHNSON: It's heart-wrenching to see
a student at the beginning of the semester
that you know is going to be less successful because they
can't get it right away, or they just can't get it period.
ANTHONY GUARACHA: Sometimes, students
have sent me emails in a class that I hadn't adopted
ZTC sharing that they weren't able to afford a textbook--
things are tight right now.
And so that really resonated with me.
And that's a plus for instructors,
too, so that way they can-- the students
can get started on the content and not have to worry
and stress about whether that they
can continue at the college.
STEPHANIE: I was paying a lot of money.
And then, I started going, whoa, I
can only take one course at a time
because it didn't allow me to finish up quicker
by all this expense.
PHATANA ITH: I think that the benefit
for a student who is taking a ZTC class, first and foremost,
is access.
EMILY: I would say it's easy to access.
I can access it on my phone.
CHUNYAN: It saves me money, saves me time, makes
me learn better and learn more.
MARIA: It's more personal with the professor,
versus a textbook.
It's just like handed work--
like here you go, read it, and then kind of learn on your own.
But with zero-cost textbook courses,
I feel like you have more digging to do.
SANDRA: I think I actually like it
better than a traditional text because with the zero-cost
textbooks, I feel like the professor really takes the care
to really structure the material around the course.
IAN JONES: Beyond just the money aspects and the frustration
is also the fact that the professors that
use ZTC tend to supplement their courses with more
on-the-spot texts students need throughout the semester.
So I think it changes the professor's pedagogy
in a way that benefits students.
CHARLES WILLIAMS: So there's this problem with diversity
in the textbooks.
And what the ZTC process allows you to do
is to structure the course the way you want to structure it.
You don't have to be concerned about the math
and representation.
You can just pick the best writers.
JACKSON TROPP: I think there are a multitude of benefits
to using ZTC materials for instructors.
One, I think, is course design.
Designing a course is a lot of work.
But with ZTC materials, it can be less work,
and it can feel more personal to you.
Right?
You can curate what you want based
on the themes that you want to teach,
based on your course outline record.
Right?
But you get to determine how you teach that material.
ANTHONY GUARACHA: Also, looking at the data,
being informed about the data how students who utilize ZTC
have greater retention and success rates.
SANDRA: You should use zero-cost textbooks.
[LAUGHS]
CHUNYAN: If two sections are both available for me,
of course I will choose the zero textbook.
PHATANA ITH: In addition to the extrinsic reward
of having your class listed as ZTC--
having the persuasive appeal of a student being
drawn to your class because it requires
less financial resource for them to take this class--
the very intrinsic reward is we're providing access
and we're providing a legacy for a student
to develop knowledge, hone in on their own power,
and be that resource for them.
STEPHANIE: The most important thing
for me saving money of not buying
texts was to help my children become students of a college
and pay for their education.
TARA JOHNSON: I think the hesitancy is more
the unknown, that it's scary.
But once you dive in, and once you
do it and you see the outcomes for your students, you're like,
oh, why didn't I do this sooner?
MARIA: I would want more of them to do it
because you can't be opposed to something you haven't tried.
So if you give it a chance, and it plays out where students
like it, then why not do it?
ROBIN WITT: Zero-cost options are becoming more popular.
And there's more and more options every day,
so don't give up.
JACKSON TROPP: I promise that once you get started,
there are so many resources not only in the material,
but in the people that you work with as well.
HANNAH LUCAS: Check out what we're doing with the Textbook
Transformation Project because we have really
tried to create accessible, convenient, but also
comprehensive course shelves now that make
it so much easier to adopt.
IAN JONES: I love Chaffey because there's
the spirit of sharing and student-centric teaching here.
So if we all band together-- share, promote--
we'll get there eventually.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]