ZTC Award Program

Faculty currently using traditional textbooks are asked to adopt existing OER material or to adapt, remix, and/or create OER materials that are suitable for your course(s) and learning outcomes. You will have support from the ZTC program coordinator, Meghan Cason. 

Faculty who are already using OER are asked to review and revise/remix their material to ensure accessibility and culturally relevant content. 

All awardees must use the OER materials associated with their awards in teaching assignments by Spring 2025 and make a commitment to keep their course ZTC for at least the next three academic years. 

Award amounts of up to $4000 per course are available to all classroom faculty (adjuncts and full-time) at Los Angeles Valley College. Awards will be dispersed through goal completion milestones, which must be completed in the order outlined below. Faculty are encouraged to work ahead of the stated deadlines. Awards may be split among faculty who wish to work in teams and divide the workload. Faculty team members will be compensated individually for Tier 1, but payment will be split for subsequent Tiers. Each team member must apply individually.

Award amount: $1000

Tier 1, Step 1: OER Orientation, CC Licensing, and Planning 

• If you have previously completed LAVC’s “Intro to OER” Canvas course taught by Meghan Cason and/or attended the OERI’s “OER Basics” webinars (parts 1 & 2), you must complete the Intro to Creative Commons Licenses self-paced Canvas module (not sure if you have taken the LAVC course or attended the webinars? Email casonmg@lavc.edu to find out). 
• If you have not taken the course or attended the webinars, you must watch the archived versions of OER Basics Part I and OER Basics Part II. Then complete the Intro to Creative Commons Licenses self-paced Canvas module.
• Submit an individualized action plan. Your plan will include:
  • Scope of work required to adopt/adapt/revise OER (if your plan is to revise your current OER, please identify the existing accessibility and/or inclusivity issues). 
  • Identify potential resources (include links) 
  • Share concerns and address barriers 
  • Recommended: create a Google folder, Canvas dev shell, or other location in which you can save potential OER resources and develop OER modules.

Tier 1, Step 2: Accessibility & OER 

Self-enroll in the ASCCC OERI’s Accessibility Basics Canvas course. Submit screenshots of your final grade and completion badge.

Tier 1, Step 3: Equity & OER  

• Review the ASCCC OERI’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism (IDEA) Framework 
• Write a personal reflection: How does the IDEA framework apply to your OER? Will you need to revise your OER to reflect the framework? If yes, what are some changes that need to be made?
• If you’re not planning to revise your OER, please share some examples of how your OER models the framework. 

NOTE: Completion of Tier 1, Steps 1-3 (Professional Development) is required before proceeding to Tier 2 

Award amount: $1500

• Submit an individualized plan to adopt accessible, culturally relevant OER for one or more courses OR revise your existing OER materials to make them more accessible and/or culturally relevant. Your plan will include:
  • Existing OER(s) you plan to adopt/adapt/revise and link(s) 
  • Creative Commons license (either ID the existing CC license for the work, or if you plan to revise/remix, the CC license you plan to apply to the new work) 
  • Plans for hosting your OER (Canvas? Google Drive? LibreTexts? A combination?)
  • Include any plans/considerations for print-on-demand. 
• Attend at least one one-on-one meeting with Meghan Cason to check in, ask questions, and get support for your project  
• Optional: Watch recorded LibreTexts trainings (Introduction to LibreTexts; Editing, Adding Images, and More; Developing a Book and the Remixer) 
• Adopt, adapt, revise, and/or remix OER materials  
• Use one of the IDEA framework rubrics (appendices A and B, pp 25 - 29) to evaluate your work. Submit the corresponding worksheet (either Rubric 1 or 2 depending on whether you are developing a new OER or using existing materials).
• Submit a progress report. Include a link to your OER-in-progress (if applicable) and/or an outline. Discuss final steps to implementation and provide a brief project reflection. 

Award amount: $1000; must be completed by Dec 1, 2025 

• Finalize your OER course content in your syllabus and/or Canvas.
• Make your OER available in a place where students can access it. 
• Take a screenshot from the class schedule showing your course(s) to be zero cost 
• If you are revising your OER, run a final accessibility check and/or examples of newly inclusive materials that you’ve included. 
• Share your work with your department colleagues 
  • Examples: post in Canvas Commons, create a shared Google Drive for your department, invite your colleagues to a Canvas dev shell, share at a department or area meeting.
  • Some faculty may be eligible to build a ZTC Canvas Master Class that can be shared with colleagues for an additional financial award. Terms and Conditions apply.
• Submit ZTC screenshot
• Suggestion: Work with your departmental colleagues to revise the Course Outline(s) of Record (COR) to include OER resources in the list of representative textbooks  

Bonus awards:

• $1000 if you build a ZTC Canvas Master Class that can be shared with colleagues
• $500 if you publish your OER in LibreTexts