Aagard presents on zero-textbook-cost degrees

Hans Aagard with the Boise State University eCampus Center, and Greg Wilson, assistant dean at the College of Western Idaho School of Arts and Humanities recently presented their research on "Z-Degrees" at OER West.

Aagard and Wilson discussed the key elements required to design a cross-institutional Z-degree (zero-textbook-cost degree), including curriculum mapping, joint open education resources (OER) adoption and adaptation, and advising and marketing support. The pathway aims to reduce student cost barriers, improve transfer coherence, and provide an attractive online degree for adult, first-generation and non-traditional students.

A Z-degree is an academic pathway where students complete all required courses without purchasing traditional textbooks that cost more than $30 per course. Instead, courses utilize OER to significantly reduce textbook costs, helping lower overall tuition expenses.

Aagard and Wilson, among others, have been working on a Z-degree transfer pathway between the College of Western Idaho and Boise State since October 2025. The pathway is projected to be completed within the next academic year.

OER are openly licensed and freely accessible materials used for teaching, learning and research. OER can include textbooks, additional materials, media and other digital materials and can be reused, revised, remixed, or redistributed while retaining credit to the original creator of materials.

Students without the opportunity to receive open textbooks often report not purchasing required course materials because they can't afford it. A recent student survey at the University of Idaho revealed that 47% of the respondents did not purchase the required course materials because they could not afford them. Additionally, 86% of respondents said they had purchased required course materials, but never used them, wasting funds that could have been used elsewhere in their education. At Boise State, students who enrolled in courses offering zero cost materials or very low-cost materials (some of which were OER) this academic year saved over $1,800,000 in textbook costs.

Aagard and Wilson's important work to develop a Z-degree pathway will enable students to complete a zero-to-low textbook cost transfer pathway from the Associate's Degree in General Studies at the College of Western Idaho to the Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Professional Studies at Boise State University.

To learn more about OER as a high-impact teaching practice for online courses, consult the Open Education Development Series offered by the eCampus Center.

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