Winter Update

December 2021

As we approach the end of the year, I would like to update you on the three major projects that will continue into 2022. The three projects, HyFlex Pilot, Open Textbook for Rural Arizona, and Early College Opportunities to Advance Degree Attainment (ECOADA), are expected to have a positive impact on enrollment, student success, and college sustainability over the next few years.

HyFlex Pilot

Thanks to the great work of the pilot team, we now have 9 classes labelled as NPCFlex in the course registration system ready for Spring 2022 registration. They are ENL101 (3 sections), ENL102 (2 sections), PHL101 (2 sections), BUS201, and BUS203. To participate in these classes, students have three learning options to choose from:

Live on Campus – This option allows students to attend a live class at one of our connected classrooms (Audio, Model, CC1, CC2, Tech Hubs, etc.). The instructor will be in one of those locations and, through the use of Cisco Technology, be connected so students can watch and learn in a live classroom each week.
Live Online – This option allows students to attend the live lecture by connecting with WebEx Meetings. Students can attend the live lecture from the comfort of their home, office, or any location each week during the scheduled class time. It is strongly recommended for this option that they have a computer with microphone abilities. A microphone will allow them to talk in real-time with their classmates and instructor. A video camera is not required but recommended.
Watch the Recorded Lecture – This asynchronous online option allows students to watch the live lecture recording at your convenience. This option will give students the flexibility needed to take the course but the added benefit of hearing their classmates' interactions with their peers and the instructor from the live lecture.

Students can select and switch participation modes during the course of learning. However, students must select the campus/center of their choice when registering to ensure a seat is available for the live on campus option.

The pilot is a collaborative effort between Instructional Innovation, Arts and Sciences, CTE, TAS, Student/Enrollment Services, campus/center staff, Marketing, and Institutional Effectiveness. Since this is new to us, the team has been working diligently to address some of the challenges associated with scheduling, registration, technology and pedagogy for this unique learning environment.

Special thanks to our pilot instructors, Dr. Elizabeth Oliphant, Dr. Gary Santillanes, Professor Ryan Jones, and Professor Rachel Arroyo-Townsend, for participating in this experimental project. They have all attended a HyFlex Learning Lab sponsored by EDUCAUSE and are getting ready for the pilot.

For catalog description and a flier of NPCFlex, please visit: https://www.npc.edu/aboutgeneral/course-delivery

Open Textbook for Rural Arizona

Due to the late award of the grant, we are slightly behind our original proposal. ITCS Chair LaTonya Motley and Library Director Shannon Motter have been working with the participating faculty and divisions on the development and adoption of OERs for several courses. Currently, we have ENL101, ENL102, ECN 211, ECN212, HUM150, HUM151, ENL291, CHM130, BIO182, GLG101, GLG102, BUS185, BUS225, BUS230, and BUS 231 on the OER course list, and we will continue to expand the repository internally and externally with the AZ Open Textbook Consortium. Over the next three years, we hope the project will help promote the awareness of OER and have a positive impact on student success by making learning more affordable and equitable.

An upcoming event we want to encourage faculty, staff, and administrators to attend is the 2022 AZ Regional OER Conference, which will take place on March 3 and March 4. The conference will be a virtual event to “forge meaningful cross-institutional connections related to open education.” Registration is free. We will send out the registration information as we get closer.

For more information about the Open Textbook grant, check out the grant section of our December Newsletter.

FIPSE Grant - ECOADA Project

The FIPSE grant task force has been busy moving forward with the five objectives. One of the priorities is to hire five grant-funded personnel. We have recently hired the Grant Project Director and the FIPSE EC Facilitator. Both will start in January. While the Director oversees the overall implementation of the project, the Facilitator plays a critical role in implementing the College Immersion Year, a program that allows high school seniors to satisfy their Arizona high school graduation requirements by taking a schedule comprised entirely of Early College classes during their senior year and preparing them to continue to degree completion following high school graduation. We also look to hire three faculty members for high-need areas to meet the student needs and increase enrollment.

Another priority is to implement software to improve the scheduling and enrollment processes. Interim Early College Director April Horne and the EC Team is working with TAS and the vendor to visualize the process and implement DualEnroll, an online system to streamline enrollment process and increase advising opportunities. An implementation coalition is also formed to launch the Ad Astra course scheduling software next year. In addition, Marketing is helping search for a student relations management software to assist in Early College recruitment and advising.

The team is also working with faculty and staff trainers on developing the readiness programs for Early College students and instructors. Those programs will be re/designed to improve student success and teaching excellence.

One thing worth mentioning is that the Early College enrollment increases by 2% in Fall 2020 and 4% in Fall 2021. We hope to see that uptrend continue as we strengthen the support and resources since the creation of Early College and Instructional Innovation Division.

Check out other updates from our individual departments in the newsletter.

Wei Ma, PhD

Dean of Instructional Innovation