IACCT selected Collins for his innovative contributions to college operations and leadership in addressing challenges at community colleges. Collins and his instructional design and innovation team launched the College’s “Z-Degree,” an online Associate of Arts degree in an eight-week format that utilizes free open educational resources (OERs). Through his leadership, the Z-Degree and individual Z-courses have gained cross-departmental faculty support. In its first year, Z-Degree students completed 790 courses with a 98 percent retention rate, and the savings to students using OERs, not textbooks, amounted to more than $139,000.
https://www.waukonstandard.com/articles/2020/08/05/northeast-iowa-community-college-administrator-and-faculty-member-receive-top
