Applications due February 6, 2025
Background
The Educational Development and Technology unit at the Minnesota State system office invites campuses within the system to submit an interest application for the Z-degree project.
The Z-degree project, with funding from the State of Minnesota, supports the development of a complete associate or bachelor’s degree program that exclusively uses course resources that are no cost to students. These resources include open educational resources, open textbooks, library-curated materials, and other resources provided at no cost to the student. To be considered a Z-degree course, the instructor cannot require students to purchase any course resources. Supplemental or optional resources that have an associated cost can be recommended.
The Z-degree project is entering its sixth year. Ten colleges are currently offering Z-degrees and 15 colleges and universities are in the process of developing Z-degree programs.
Grant Types
Applicants can apply for one of three grant opportunities for FY25-26:
- faculty development
- open textbook exploration and review
- building open textbook capacity in the transfer curriculum
Exploration award requirements include:
- Participate in Minnesota State Z-degree community of practice
- Meet each semester with Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Development and Technology and System Director for Student Success Technologies to discuss project status
- 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
- Acquisition of Library curated resources that would be available at no-cost to students
Implementation award requirements include:
- Ability to offer a Z-degree by spring 2026
- Enabling of the Course Marking feature in ISRS which allows for the identification of no-cost courses
- Participate in Minnesota State Z-degree community of practice
- Meet each semester with Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Development and Technology and System Director for Student Success Technologies to discuss project status
- Add courses or course sections
- Updating courses to reflect changes in instructors or content
- Increase the number of faculty using zero textbook cost materials in a course already part of an existing Z-degree
Expansion and/or Sustaining award requirements include:
- Continued use of the Course Marking feature in ISRS which allows for the identification of no-cost courses
- Participate in Minnesota State Z-degree community of practice
- Meet each semester with Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Development and Technology and System Director for Student Success Technologies to discuss project status
Campuses are eligible to apply for only one type of grant each year.
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
Information Sessions
Anyone interested in learning more about the Z-degree application process can join one or both information sessions coming up on January 10 at 9:00 a.m. or January 16 at 2:00 p.m. Find Zoom information on the Z-degree page of the OER Community Site.
Download an Application
Minnesota State faculty and staff can find the application and learn more on the Z-degree page of the OER Community Site (log in using your StarID@MinnState.edu).
Deadline is 4:00 p.m. on February 6, 2025.
Submit Your Application
Questions?
Contact Michael Olesen.
Learn more about Z-degrees and OER at Minnesota State at www.MinnState.edu/OER.