On March 24, 2026, we gathered with ZTC faculty and student panelists to celebrate a milestone: the first anniversary of the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) initiative at BCIT. The luncheon was more than just a celebration, it was a reflection on how far BCIT has come in making education more accessible, equitable, and affordable for all students.

A table at the front featuring ZTC merchandise and a screen displaying the text: 'Welcome to the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Instructor Luncheon.'
A room full of guests seated at tables, with a speaker standing at the front of the room.

Opening Presentation

The event kicked off with a presentation by Ian Linkletter, who shared the highlights of the ZTC initiative and showed faculty the massive impact we’ve made together in just 12 months. It’s amazing to see how much awareness has been raised and how many students are already financially benefiting from these changes. Seeing those numbers helps put into perspective why this work matters so much.

A room full of guests seated at tables, with a speaker standing at the front of the room.

Voices of the Student Experience

One of the other highlights of the event was the opportunity to hear directly from students during our Student Panel on Textbook Affordability. We were joined by five incredible panelists from different schools across BCIT: Erin, Devraj, Eminence, Katherine, and Chelsea and a moderator, Mariia. Their stories gave the ZTC instructors in attendance a valuable perspective on textbook affordability with ZTC courses:

  • The Relief of No Unexpected Costs: Students shared how relieved they were to find out they didn’t have to buy expensive textbooks for most of their courses. In cases where they did have to buy one, some shared they only used it about three times, mostly just for an exam.
  • Fairness and Results: The panel discussed how ZTC makes education fairer. When everyone has access to the same materials from day one, everyone has the same opportunity to get the best results in the course.
  • Better Ways to Learn: Instead of just reading a paid textbook, students shared how they learn the same or even better through OER (Open Educational Resources), including practicing with quizzes, hearing from guest speakers, having open access textbook, and learning directly from their instructors’ expertise.
Panelists and a mediator presenting to guests at a ZTC event.
A group of seven event participants standing in front of a projection screen displaying the text 'Student Panel on Textbook Affordability'.

After the panel, we opened the floor for answering questions. It was a great session where we answered questions and talked about important topics that the instructors were curious about. It’s truly so important to see the interest and curiosity from both sides, it helps improve the level of education while making it more affordable for the students.

Looking to the Future

To all the instructors who joined us: thank you! Celebrating these accomplishments and the effect it makes on the students, with the help of instructors who marked their courses ZTC, makes so much difference. This was an incredible final event for our team’s active contribution to this initiative. We are so excited to see what impact our efforts will bring to BCIT in the future and beyond!