Building Seamless Transfer Pathways: How zyBooks Enabled Metropolitan Community College’s Successful CS Articulation Program
Executive Summary
Metropolitan Community College (MCC) has successfully developed a comprehensive computer science transfer program that allows students to complete their associate degree requirements and seamlessly transfer to the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) to finish their bachelor’s degree in exactly four additional semesters—a true “2+2” pathway. At the heart of this success is the strategic implementation of zyBooks as the primary instructional platform for CS1 and CS2 courses.
Benjamin Say, Transfer Pathway Coordinator for MCC’s Information Technology Department, has leveraged zyBooks’ flexibility and consistency to create a program that not only aligns perfectly with university requirements but also provides superior student outcomes through automated grading, interactive learning, and the proven “many small programs” pedagogical approach.
The results speak for themselves: UNO faculty consistently report that MCC transfer students arrive “very well prepared for the program,” and the automated feedback systems have dramatically improved student engagement and retention compared to traditional textbook approaches.
The Challenge: Creating Effective Transfer Pathways
Alignment Complexity Creating seamless transfer pathways between two-year and four-year institutions presents numerous challenges. Curriculum must align precisely, course content needs to match university expectations, and students must be genuinely prepared for upper-level coursework—not just admitted with gaps in their preparation.
Quarter vs. Semester Systems MCC operates on an 11-week quarter system, while many transfer destinations use semester systems. This fundamental difference in academic calendars creates additional complexity in curriculum design and pacing.
Faculty Consistency With both full-time and adjunct faculty teaching transfer courses, maintaining consistent quality and content across multiple sections becomes critical for program credibility.
Cost Pressures Community colleges face intense scrutiny over material costs. At MCC, any educational materials approaching $80-100 per student per term receive pushback during course development reviews.
The Solution: Strategic zyBooks Implementation
Flexible Course Design zyBooks’ modular structure proved essential for adapting content to MCC’s quarter system. As Say explains: “The biggest advantage is being able to design my own chapters. I can combine sections as needed, so I structure the course as one chapter per week.”
This flexibility allowed MCC to create custom textbooks with precisely nine chapters for nine-week courses, with built-in contingency time. The same approach scales to any term length, making the platform adaptable to varying academic calendars.
Key Program Features
True 2+2 Transfer Pathway MCC now offers a transfer degree that allows students to complete their bachelor’s degree at UNO in exactly four additional semesters. This represents a significant improvement over traditional transfer programs that often require five or six semesters to complete.
Multiple Pathway Options The program offers three distinct degree tracks:
- Computer Science (true 2+2 pathway)
- Management Information Systems
- Cybersecurity
Hybrid Course Delivery MCC’s CS transfer courses use a hybrid model with one in-person lecture per week and dedicated time for students to work through zyBooks interactive content. This approach maximizes both direct instruction and hands-on practice time.
Pedagogical Advantages
The Many Small Programs Approach Say emphasizes the research-backed benefits of zyBooks’ “many small programs” methodology: “I’m always trying to give students more practice. But practice without feedback doesn’t work–zyBooks provides that feedback.”
Spiral Learning Design zyBooks’ modular structure enables sophisticated pedagogical approaches. Say implements a spiral teaching design where topics revisit and build upon previous concepts rather than being strictly compartmentalized. “Being able to move chapters and sections has helped significantly.”
Unlimited Submission Philosophy Unlike traditional homework models, Say allows unlimited submissions on zyBooks assignments: “I don’t limit submissions. I want students to try, fail, fix, fail again, fix it some more, and keep improving until they get it right.”
This approach emphasizes mastery over arbitrary deadlines and encourages the iterative problem-solving essential in computer science.
Operational Benefits
Faculty Time Savings The automated grading system has transformed faculty workload. “At Metro Community College, faculty handle all grading; we don’t have TAs. Grading takes time we could be connecting with students.”
This time savings enables faculty to focus on mentoring and individualized support rather than routine grading tasks.
Consistency Across Sections With multiple full-time and adjunct faculty teaching transfer courses, zyBooks provides crucial consistency. “zyBooks adds consistency across sections,” ensuring all students receive equivalent preparation regardless of their specific instructor.
Cost Effectiveness zyBooks meets MCC’s strict cost requirements while delivering superior functionality compared to traditional textbooks, satisfying both administrative and educational needs.
Student Outcomes
Improved Preparation Comparing students in zyBooks-based courses to those using traditional textbooks, Professor Say observes: “Students in the zyBooks-based courses don’t struggle nearly as much.”
The interactive reading assignments ensure students actually engage with the material before attempting programming assignments, creating a more effective learning sequence.
University Feedback UNO faculty consistently report strong preparation levels: “From UNO faculty, I have heard them say repeatedly that the students who transfer in from Metro are very well prepared for the program.”
Enhanced Retention The immediate feedback provided by zyBooks addresses a common community college challenge: “One of the main things we hear from students is the importance of timely feedback. Instant feedback improves retention–students know where they stand.”
Technical Evolution
IDE Integration The introduction of zyBooks’ integrated development environment addressed a key limitation. “It handles terminal input and output like a real program now,” eliminating the confusion students previously experienced transitioning between zyBooks and external development tools.
LTI Integration Say emphasizes that early adoption of Learning Management System integration would have saved considerable time: “When I first started using zyBooks, I wish I had known how easy LTI integration was–I did manual score transfers for too long.”
Implementation Recommendations
For Department Chairs Say’s three key selling points for zyBooks adoption:
- Automated grading that frees faculty time for student interaction
- Many small programs approach that improve learning outcomes
- Cost-effectiveness compared to traditional textbooks
For Faculty
- Embrace the unlimited submission model to encourage mastery learning
- Leverage chapter customization to align with specific term lengths and institutional requirements
- Use analytics data to identify students needing additional support
For Transfer Coordinators
- Investigate whether target universities already use zyBooks to simplify alignment
- Design custom textbooks that match institutional academic calendars
- Build relationships with university faculty to ensure ongoing program alignment
Future Considerations
Scalability The program’s success at MCC demonstrates zyBooks’ potential for broader implementation across community college systems, particularly for institutions seeking to strengthen transfer pathways.
Continuous Improvement Regular collaboration between MCC and UNO faculty ensures the program continues meeting evolving industry and academic standards.
Technology Enhancement Ongoing platform improvements, such as enhanced presentation tools for faculty and expanded analytics, will further strengthen the educational experience.
Conclusion
Metropolitan Community College’s success in creating seamless CS transfer pathways demonstrates the transformative potential of well-implemented educational technology. By leveraging zyBooks’ flexibility, consistency, and pedagogical features, MCC has created a program that truly serves students’ long-term educational goals while addressing the practical constraints facing two-year institutions.
The program’s success metrics—consistent university faculty praise, improved student preparation, and operational efficiency—provide a compelling model for other institutions seeking to strengthen their transfer offerings. Most importantly, the focus on student mastery through unlimited attempts and immediate feedback exemplifies how technology can support rather than replace effective teaching practices.
As Benjamin Say concludes: “With grading handled, you can connect with your students–that’s the time we usually don’t have.” This fundamental shift from administrative tasks to student engagement represents the true value proposition of thoughtful educational technology implementation.
This white paper is based on an extensive interview with Benjamin Say, Transfer Pathway Coordinator for Metropolitan Community College’s Information Technology Department, conducted in fall 2025.
