Call for Business Faculty Collaborators: Z-TP Project

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Z-degrees at Minnesota State

Z-degrees are degree programs that allow students to complete their programs of study without having to spend money on textbooks or other course materials. The courses within these programs often utilize open educational resources (OER); these resources are typically developed by faculty who are teaching the courses, other faculty in the field, or Minnesota State librarians who have curated materials. 

Ten Minnesota State colleges currently offer Z-degrees, and eight more are in-process. Learn more about Z-degrees at Minnesota State.

Z-TP Project: Business

In the 2024 Minnesota Legislative session, Minnesota State was awarded funding to help support the ongoing development of OER connected to Z-TP (zero-textbook cost transfer pathway) projects.

The first Z-TP will focus on the development of OER courses connected to the Business Transfer Pathway, as this will have the greatest impact on our students due to the number of students enrolled in business programs.  

In terms of promoting equity, this project has had and will continue to have a positive impact on our students through cost savings and access. To do this, faculty will partner with the course development team to develop OER, including content and assessments, that can be used in business courses.  

Call for Business Faculty Collaborators

To effectively complete this work, we are seeking business faculty who have taught the following courses (or their equivalents) to serve as (a) writers/designers, (b) subject matter experts, and (c) course piloters working in a collaborative team along with instructional designers, instructional technologists, accessibility reviewers, and equity reviewers.

The courses that will be developed include: 

• Business Computers
• Legal Environment/Business Law
• Financial Accounting
• Managerial Accounting
• Principles of Management
• Principles of Marketing

Faculty who partner in this work will receive release credits.

Writers/Designers

The writers/designers will work collaboratively on the course development team to author the content of the course that meets Z-TP standards; this includes ancillaries (such as learning activities and assessments with rubrics) aligned to student learning outcomes. The faculty serving in this role are expected to receive 10 release credits for this work. 

Subject Matter Experts

The subject matter expert reviewers will review the developed open educational resources with a critical lens that is informed by subject matter expertise. The faculty serving in this role are expected to receive 2 release credits to complete the work.  

Course Piloters

The course piloters will pilot, or use, the developed OER within their business course and provide feedback on the resource and the experience. The faculty serving in this role are expected to receive 1.5 release credits to complete the work. 

Note: Writer/designers and subject matter experts are eligible to apply to pilot the developed course.

Minimum requirements for these roles include: 

• Master’s or doctoral degree in business, business administration (MBA), accounting, finance, marketing, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience implementing culturally responsive pedagogical practices in classroom environments.
• Demonstrated experience adhering to accessibility standards. 
• Experience teaching the course under development (or its equivalent).
• Demonstrated familiarity using collaborative technologies such as Microsoft Office 365 products (Teams, OneDrive, Word, etc.).

Preferred requirements include: 

• Professional development around and/or experience developing and/or teaching with open educational resources (e.g., OER Learning Circles, Minnesota State or external webinars or workshops)
• Experience reviewing professional learning resources for use in higher education.
• Familiarity with research and best practices around effective teaching and learning.
• Experience collaborating with instructional designers or related learning professionals in developing a learning experience.

Information Sessions

Minnesota State faculty and staff are invited to attend information sessions to learn more and ask questions.

Contact

Questions about OER initiatives can be addressed to:

Michael Olesen
Interim System Director for Student Success Technologies
Educational Development and Technology, Minnesota State ASA