AL$ Annual Conference 2021
The AL$ Annual Conference occurred virtually on February 4-5, 2021. All of the session recordings are now available on the AL$ Conference webpage.
Announcements
What's New in the AL$ Community
Open Education Week, March 1-5, 2021
An annual celebration, Open Education Week (OE Week) This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.is an opportunity for actively sharing and learning about the latest achievements in Open Education worldwide.
Started in 2012 by the Open Education GlobalThis link will take you to an external website in a new tab. as a collaborative, community-built open forum, Open Education Week seeks to raise awareness and highlight open education efforts worldwide. OE Week provides practitioners, educators and students an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of open educational practices and be inspired by the wonderful work being developed by the community around the world.
Call for Proposals: Cascadia Open Education Summit
The Cascadia Open Education SummitThis link will take you to an external website in a new tab. invites you to share your groundbreaking ideas, research, and best practices for using open educational resources (OER) or engaging in open educational practices. There will be an opportunity to learn, share, and network with colleagues throughout the full conference. Submit a presentation proposalThis link will take you to an external website in a new tab..
Learning Everywhere: Open Educational Resources in the COVID-19 Era
Ideal for online learning, low- and no-cost learning materials leave room for faculty innovation while increasing student access and cost savings.
In these challenging times, the California State University continues to develop ways to reduce students' expenses while maintaining a high-quality education. The CSU's Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$)This link will take you to an external website in a new tab. is an innovative program that enables faculty to choose and provide more affordable (and even free) quality educational content for students across the 23 CSU campuses. Read Full ArticleThis link will take you to an external website in a new tab.
CSU Responds to Coronavirus Outbreak
The safety and well-being of California State University students, faculty and staff are foundational concerns for the institution. On this site, you’ll find Information about the university’s response to the outbreak, as well as links to individual campuses.
Learn about the CSU's ResponseThis link will take you to an external website in a new tab.
Initiatives undeway for low-cost, free textbooks for California college students
Students seeking alternatives to buying books - Ashley A. Smith
Universities across California, especially in the 23-campus California State University system, have become more transparent about textbooks and more proactive in assigning free, digital or low-cost books to students. Full ArticleThis link will take you to an external website in a new tab.
CSU's MERLOT is featured as the "mothership of OER" in Campus Technology
"This one ought to be called the OER Mothership, since you couldn't do much better than to begin your OER content search here...." Full ArticleThis link will take you to an external website in a new tab.
CA Lawmakers Pass Food Security Bill Aimed at Helping College Students ABC 10
The bill would create a standardized form for colleges and universities to work with counties to enroll students in CalFreshThis link will take you to an external website in a new tab.. ArticleThis link will take you to an external website in a new tab.
No Textbook? Not a Problem - CSU Bakersfield Exploring Z Degree Majors
Zero-cost course materials are materials in which students can find online, for free, compared to their counterpart, textbooks. This the defining characteristic of a Z- Major. Affordable Learning Solutions and Textbook Affordability Coordinator Sandra Bozarth, spoke on the subject stating that, "if students are being provided their textbooks for free, in whatever format it is, I think that is going to help them succeed better in class." FULL ARTICLEThis link will take you to an external website in a new tab.