Create a path to zero-cost course resources on your campus: Z-degree applications due October 22!

Contribute to the exceptional value of Minnesota State by creating a path to zero-cost course resources. Since 2020, students in Z-degree courses have saved an estimated $4.2 million on course resources per year.

Background 

The Minnesota State system office invites campuses within the system to submit an interest application as the first step to participate in the third Minnesota State Z-degree funding opportunity. A Z-degree is an associate degree or bachelor’s degree that have zero-cost course resources for students.

This is an opportunity to keep the momentum generated from the State of Minnesota’s 91st Legislature, which passed Senate File 2415 in the Spring 2019 session. This bill required Minnesota State to generate three additional college Z-degree offerings by the academic year 2022-2023 (136F.305).  

Grant Types 

This year, applicants can apply for one of three grant opportunities: 

1. Exploration (funding up to $25,000) 
Prepare a foundation for Z-degree development; for example: 

  • faculty development
  • open textbook exploration and review
  • building open textbook capacity in the transfer curriculum
2. Implementation (funding up to $100,000)
Create, finalize, and implement a new Z-degree; examples include:

  • finalize course development for Z-degree with at least two distinct courses in each transfer curriculum goal area and at least enough credits in each transfer curriculum goal area to complete the transfer curriculum package 
  • create a Z-degree and offer it for fall of FY24
3. Expansion (funding up to $25,000)
Increase the number and type of courses offered in an existing Z-degree, such as:

  • add additional courses or course sections
  • increase the number of faculty using zero textbook cost materials in a course already part of an existing Z-degree 

The system office will select participating campuses from the pool of applicants based upon responses provided in the following readiness categories: 

  • Readiness of campus personnel 
  • Structural readiness 
  • Cultural readiness 
  • Current open / zero-cost textbook inventory 
  • Proposed Z-degree and course sequence 

Download an Application 

Minnesota State faculty and staff can find the application on the Z-degree Project page of the OER Community Site (log in using your  StarID@MinnState.edu). 

Submit Your Application 

Submit the ApplicationDue 4:00 pm October 22, 2021

Questions? 

Contact Tim Anderson.

Learn more about Z-degrees and OER at Minnesota State at www.MinnState.edu/OER.

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