Jess VanderWerf is fortunate that she has very little she needs to invest in her classes outside of paying for her tuition and fees. “In our program we aim to make it affordable by using articles,” she said. “We try to avoid using textbooks because who has that much extra.” VanderWerf’s professors are innovating new ways of providing students with access to course materials that are affordable or accessible in ways beyond purchasing a textbook at the bookstore. The zero-degree (Z-degree) movement seeks to make college more affordable for students by making sure they have no expenses beyond tuition and fees.
