Pierce College Expands Zero Textbook Cost Program with New Support for Faculty and Students

Pierce College Expands ZTC Program with New Support for Faculty and Students

Los Angeles Pierce College continues to expand its commitment to access and affordability through its growing Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) program. With more than 300 class sections designated as ZTC each semester, students are saving nearly $1 million collectively on textbooks every term.

To help students take advantage of these savings, the college has launched a new campus-wide advertising campaign. Informational signs are being installed around campus and in the mall to help students recognize the ZTC symbol in the class schedule and understand how to search for these sections when registering. Faculty who are teaching ZTC courses are encouraged to inform their department chairs so that the ZTC designation can be included in the schedule.

In addition to helping students, the college is also investing in faculty through a new paid professional development program aimed at supporting the creation of high-quality, zero-cost courses. This effort includes participation in the Peer Online Course Review (POCR) process, a statewide initiative developed by the California Virtual Campus (CVC) to improve the quality of online teaching and learning.

POCR is a structured, faculty-driven review process that evaluates online courses against a set of research-based design standards. These standards ensure that courses are accessible, easy to navigate, and designed to engage students meaningfully. Faculty participating in POCR receive detailed feedback and support as they refine their courses, improving everything from content organization to multimedia integration and alignment with student learning outcomes.

Research shows that courses aligned with POCR standards have a 10% higher student success rate than the average online course. By integrating POCR into the ZTC initiative, LAPC is reinforcing its commitment to educational equity—ensuring that free-to-students doesn’t mean lower quality. Instead, it’s an opportunity to improve both access and outcomes.

Faculty can participate through two levels of support: first, a $1,000 stipend is offered for faculty to complete the POCR process on their own ZTC course. This opportunity is open not only to instructors teaching within the ZTC grant’s defined pathways, but also to those teaching General Education and other supporting courses. After completing POCR, faculty can choose to take the next step and develop a MasterClass version of their course for an additional $500 stipend. These MasterClasses serve as high-quality, accessible templates for future instructors to adapt and personalize, ensuring that course excellence is sustained even as instructors change.

These efforts support Pierce College’s commitment to building a strong, sustainable foundation for teaching and learning that is affordable and offers quality education.