(1) To the maximum extent practicable, but no later than the first full quarter after a community or technical college has implemented the ctcLink system, a community or technical college shall provide the following information to students during registration by displaying it in the online course description or by providing a link that connects to the bookstore's website or other website where students can search and view:
(a) The cost of any required textbook or other course materials;
(b) Whether a course uses open educational resources; and
(c) Whether a course uses low-cost required instructional materials. For the purposes of this subsection, "low-cost" means the required instructional materials equal fifty dollars or less.
(2) If a course's required textbooks and course materials are not determined prior to registration due to an unassigned faculty member, the textbooks' and course materials' cost must be provided as soon as feasible after a faculty member is assigned.
(3) Each community and technical college shall report to the college board which courses provided textbooks' and course materials' costs to students during registration, and what percent of total classes this equaled. The college board shall report the information to the legislature in accordance with RCW 43.01.036 by January 1st of each biennium, beginning with January 1, 2019.
[ 2020 c 104 § 1; 2017 c 98 § 2.]
NOTES:
Intent—2017 c 98: "The legislature recognizes the high cost of textbooks and the burden this can create for students. The legislature also recognizes the work of the state board for community and technical colleges in creating the open course library, in which free textbooks and other course materials are available for eighty-one of the highest enrolled courses in the community and technical college system. The student public interest research groups completed a cost analysis of the open course library and found that students who take open course library courses save ninety-six dollars on average per course over a traditional textbook. Therefore, it is the legislature's intent to incentivize faculty to use resources available on the open course library by informing students of a textbook's cost when they register for a class." [ 2017 c 98 § 1.]