Washtenaw Community College’s (WCC) program to help students earn degrees, certificates and general education credits with little or no textbook costs has recently surpassed the $10 million savings mark. Washtenaw embarked on its Open Educational Resources (OER) program in 2017 and this year launched its first “Z-degree,” or zero textbook cost degree, an Associate in Science: General Studies in Math & Natural Sciences, to join four Z-certificates in business and 325 general education course section offerings. Instead of a traditional textbook that can cost hundreds of dollars, students use free OER textbooks adapted by WCC faculty or other textbook alternatives.
