CSU Affordable Learning Solutions(opens in new window)
Identifying Courses
How do Faculty Designate a Course as ZCCM?
Faculty should notify the Chico State Wildcat Store textbook office if their course does not require the purchase of course materials. The bookstore works with the Registrar’s office to add the Zero Cost Course Materials (ZCCM) designation to the course, in accordance with California law and to communicate it clearly to students. Faculty should notify the bookstore as soon as possible (it is best reported before students register for classes in October and April).
Notify the bookstore of a course’s ZCCM status by either:
- Using the Follett Discover link in Canvas. In Canvas select Account from the top of the global navigation window, and then select Follett Discover. In Follett Discover faculty can search for the author “ZCCM”, and adopt it as if it were a title. See provided instructions on where to find and how to use Follett Discover.
- E-mailing the bookstore at wildcatstore@csuchico.edu.
What Qualifies as ZCCM?
Courses that only require the below items qualify as ZCCM.
- Open Educational Resources (OERs)
- Readily available digital Library content
- Basic school supplies such as pens, pencils, paper, and binders
- Unspecified calculators and/or flash drives
- Technology items readily available to check out from the library, such as calculators or specialized equipment
Courses that require the purchase or rental of any of the below are disqualified from a ZCCM designation.
- Textbooks, digital books, courseware
- Course packs and reference materials
- Goggles, lab coats, dissection kits, and other lab equipment
- Art kits and other specific art supplies
- Yoga mats or other exercise equipment
- Specific graphing or scientific calculators
- Specialized software or subscriptions
- Passes to a performance, show, or event
- Any other course materials with a cost
Frequently Asked Questions
- What if students need to purchase other materials?The ZCCM designation cannot be used if students are required to purchase course materials. For example, if students need safety goggles, a yoga mat, a calculator, or pay a field trip fee, the course cannot have a ZCCM designation.
- What about low-cost (as opposed to zero-cost) sections?Defining and making a low-cost notation is left up to individual campuses. At this time Chico State is only using the required ZCCM notation.
- What about optional materials?If students can be equally successful with the required free materials, faculty can recommend optional materials that have a cost. For example, a ZCCM course may require digital OER, but make available a low-cost print version for students to purchase.