Spring into Action

April 2021

Spring is a busy time for our cross-functional teams. As collaborative efforts between various departments, here are some exciting projects that are currently in process:

HyFlex Pilot

A Hybrid-Flexible (HyFlex) course is a student-centered model of class delivery that integrates three learning modalities: in-person (instructor and students in the same classroom), synchronous (on- and off-campus via videoconferencing), and asynchronous online (learning management system + recordings). Students enrolled in the same class have the choice to attend in person, participate through videoconferencing, or watch a recording of the class session, whichever works best for them. Research shows the HyFlex model can help (1) serve more students in the same physical space, (2) increase student enrollment (by appealing to students’ desire to control aspects of their learning environment), (3) increase student retention (by providing student participation flexibility), and (4) prepare for business continuity in the event of a natural disaster or pandemic.

While this model provides the most flexibility for students, it can be challenging for instructors because they need to pay attention to and plan for multiple audiences. Effectively teaching with this model requires much more planning than teaching to a regular class or even to an online-only class. Our ITCS Department has begun work with the CTE Business Department to explore the possibility of conducting a small HyFlex pilot when possible. A pilot will help us find out how this model works for NPC and whether it is worth rolling out on a larger scale. We also had some great discussion with TAS, Enrollment Services, and Perkins Coordinator regarding the technology and registration readiness and funding. CTE Interim Associate Dean Jennifer Bishop and I plan to bring a recommendation to Learning Technologies Subcommittee and Instructional Council on the week of April 19.

Dual Enrollment System

The current enrollment process for our Early College students is cumbersome and labor intensive, which takes a significant amount of time from our EC advisors. We have been looking for a technical solution that streamlines and automates the enrollment of high school students in college courses, ensures college standards are met for courses in the high school, and makes it easy to manage high school instructors. Such a solution not only provides a more effective and efficient enrollment process for students and staff, but also frees up the time of our EC Team so they can focus more on advising students and networking with our high school partners.

After some research, we found that one vendor seems to meet those criteria. A demo has been scheduled and more discussion about the software is underway. Early College is taking the lead to develop a scope of work.

Course Scheduling System

Course scheduling, event planning, and room/system reservation are always a challenge for a college that has multiple locations, various programs, and different needs. NPC has been searching for an effective scheduling tool for years. The ideal tool should be something that helps predict course needs based on historical data and other information in our ERP system, build a schedule that is aligned with student demand (based on student academic history and program pathway), determine which sections should be offered in what modality, use data to determine meeting patterns (days/times) for courses/sections, optimize space based on scheduling preferences, and monitor registration. Overall, the goal is to help the College make informed decisions on academic scheduling and optimize use of resources.

Evaluation, selection, and implementation of a course scheduling system of this scope is a major undertaking. We are currently working with various parties to develop the scope of work and get demos scheduled following the appropriate procedure.

All three projects are in the early stage (research and planning). More updates later.

Wei Ma, PhD

Dean of Instructional Innovation