Textbook Affordability

•    Certificate in Open Pedagogy 
  The Certificate in Open Pedagogy is a nine-week program that pairs a faculty member with an instructional designer and/or a librarian (can be two people or three) to transform their curricula through the use of open pedagogy. Open pedagogy is a pedagogical approach that centers students as co-collaborators in knowledge creation, using a social justice framework and prioritizing engagement in the Open Education movement. Minnesota State is a member of OEN, which significantly reduces the cost; further, once any librarian or instructional designer has completed the certificate, they can opt to participate during future sessions for free as long as they partner with a new faculty member.
   
•   MNOP (Minitex Network for Open and Affordable Practices)
  MNOP is a Minitex initiative designed to support libraries and academic support staff across Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota as they work to support adoption of open educational resources (OER) and library affordable content strategies. 
   
• OER Community Site

  Join the OER Community Site, providing Minnesota State employees a place to start and join discussions, find helpful resources, collaborate on files, locate Creative Commons licensing experts, and find quick start guides for common disciplines.

• Network for Educational Development

  Join OER faculty development events including webinars and learning communities on the Network for Educational Development events calendar.
  These events provide an avenue for faculty at all stages of their OER journey

• Open Education Network Webinars

  Get introduced to OER, Creative Commons licensing, and the work with the Open Education Network (OEN). Review an open textbook and receive a $200 stipend.

• OER FAQ Webinars

  Get answers to frequently asked OER questions.

• OER Community Conversations

  Share, discuss, and learn from colleagues in the Minnesota State OER community, focused on a topic of interest.

• OER Learning Circles

  Collaborate with colleagues from around the system in ten-week (five-week in the summer) cohort to develop OER ancillary materials or to redesign your course around OER. Participating faculty earn .5 RCE.

• Innovation Funding

  Apply for innovation funding for an OER project.

• Creative Commons Certificate

  Complete the Creative Commons Certificate course and get reimbursed. Minnesota State supports up to 10 seats each year.

A Z-degree is a complete associate or bachelor's degree program that exclusively use course resources that are no cost to students, such as: 

• open educational resources (OER)
• open textbooks  
• library-curated materials

To be considered a Z-degree course, the instructor cannot require students to purchase any course resources. Optional or supplemental resources that are a cost to students may be recommended.