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Crossword puzzle showing interconnected words: Equity, OER, Guided Pathways, ZTC

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This course explores the fundamental connections between Equity, Open Educational Resources (OER), Guided Pathways, and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) programs. You will employ an equity cognitive frame to examine the impact of textbook costs on student success, and the disproportionate impact on historically underserved students. You will also dig into the growing research on OER efficacy, consider the "what" and "why" of Guided Pathways, and review case studies on successful ZTC pathways, across the state and beyond. You will leave this course understanding how OER and ZTC pathways promote student success and reduce equity gaps, supporting the CDHE Master Plan Goals for the State of Colorado.

This course, "ZTC + Equity + Pathways for Colorado," is a derivative of "Zero Textbook Cost Pathways: OER & Equity (Self-Paced Version)." Adapted by the Colorado OER Council Members. That original course was by Aloha Sargent, under the California Community Colleges’ Zero Textbook Cost Degree program with the Technical Assistance Provider James Glapa-Grossklag, and was released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The current work removes almost all of the materials specific to California from the original and adds much new material about Colorado. A special thank you to the instructional design team at CCCOnline for additional contributions to this course.