Colorado § 23-1-134 - Commission directive - open educational resources - course notice - report - definitions.

§ 23-1-134. Commission directive - open educational resources - course notice - report - definitions.

(1) The commission shall adopt guidelines to require public institutions of higher education to ensure that, beginning in the fall of 2021, students are informed prior to course registration, and beginning no later than the fall of 2025, students are also informed at the point of course registration, concerning which courses and sections use open educational resources or other low-cost materials.

(2) The department shall review the policies pertaining to the creation and use of open educational resources, including open licensing policies, adopted by public institutions of higher education throughout the state. The department shall identify and determine the efficacy of any provisions included in said policies that expand the use and promote the sustainability of open educational resources.

(3) Notwithstanding the requirement in section 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I), on or before October 1, 2021, and annually thereafter until December 31, 2031, the department shall prepare and shall submit to the commission, the council, the joint budget committee, and the education committees of the senate and the house of representatives, or any successor committees, a report concerning implementation and development of open educational resources around the state. The department shall work with the council in preparing the report, and the public institutions of higher education shall collaborate with the department and council in providing the information necessary for the report. At a minimum, the report must include:

(a) The degree to which all public institutions of higher education are adopting open educational resources support programs and ensuring universal awareness of open educational resources among faculty and students;

(b) Descriptions and evaluations of the efficacy of provisions included in open educational resources policies across the state that expand the use and promote the sustainability of open educational resources;

(c) The number and percentage of the courses offered by the public institutions of higher education that are zero textbook cost for students;

(d) The number and percentage of the degree programs offered by the public institutions of higher education that are zero-textbook-cost degree programs;

(e) The open educational resources created and shared by grant program recipients;

(f) The number of open educational resources revised and adopted by grant program recipients;

(g) For public institutions of higher education that receive a grant through the grant program or that employ faculty or staff that receive a grant, the course enrollment, completion, and pass rates for courses that use open educational resources compared to courses that do not use these resources and the enrollment and completion rates for zero-textbook-cost degree programs compared to other degree programs; and

(h) The summarized information concerning implementation of the grant program as described in section 23-4.5-104 (4)(a).

(4) As used in this section:

(a) "Council" means the open educational resources council created in section 23-4.5-103.

(b) "Grant program" means the open educational resources grant program created in section 23-4.5-104.

(c) "Public institution of higher education" has the same meaning as provided in section 23-4.5-102 (7).

(d) "Zero-textbook-cost degree program" has the same meaning as provided in section 23-4.5-102 (8).

Source: L. 2017: Entire section added, (SB 17-258), ch. 191, p. 693, § 1, effective May 3. L. 2018: Entire section R&RE, (HB 18-1331), ch. 186, p. 1259, § 2, effective April 30. L. 2021: Entire section amended, (SB 21-215), ch. 97, p. 389, § 7, effective May 5. L. 2024: IP(3) amended, (SB 24-135), ch. 34, p. 111, § 13, effective March 22. L. 2026: IP(3) and (3)(c) amended, (HB 26-1016), ch. 258, p. 1431, § 1, effective June 1.