Lansing Community College is a Guided Pathways school, as such, it has created clear Program of Study (degree) maps that define the courses students take, and the order in which they are taken. The goal of Guided Pathways is to increase timely completion of degrees while focusing on the educational needs that best match the students' goals. Another main initiatives at Lansing Community College is Operation 100% in which the goal "is nothing less than 100% completion for the students in degree, certificate, and/or transfer pathways." Through the adoption and successful use of OER and Open Materials both the Operation 100% initiative and Guided Pathways can be strengthened as the research shows that students who use OER are able to complete more coursework since there is no cost for course materials. Therefore, creating Z-degrees within Guided Pathways is a way the presenters believe Lansing Community College will be able to support their students needs best. This session focuses on the collaboration between the Guided Pathways Coordinator, the OER Project Manager, the Operation 100% Faculty Project Manager, full-time and adjunct faculty in advocating for the implementation of sustainable Z-degrees within Guided Pathways. Both the challenges associated with the beginning stages of creating Z-degrees and strategies to overcome these will be addressed. The presenters of this session envision Guided Pathway Z-degrees to be able to rapidly take off at their institution and therefore make Lansing Community College a national leader in this area.
