Innovation Connections is a monthly newsletter that features Instructional Innovation Division updates and college-wide innovation and collaboration. Contact Luann Crosby, Director of Library Services, if you wish to contribute to the content.

As the conversation about ChatGPT continues, there is very little doubt that 2023 is a year of Artificial Intelligence. From Midjourney, DALL-E2 to GPT-4, AI advances at an unprecedented pace, and is already transforming the world of higher education in various ways. For example, machine learning algorithms are utilized to personalize the learning experience. AI-powered predictive analytics are used to identify students who are at risk of dropping out or failing courses. At NPC, a number of faculty and staff already started exploring the use of ChatGPT in supporting teaching and learning, and tools to detect GPT-generated content.

While reviewing course forms in ACRES last month, I accidentally ran into a course I developed with another faculty more than ten years ago...

Coming soon - Laptops for students and faculty will be available to check out from campus library locations starting April 10. Click to visit our April newsletter for more details.

Also in April, to celebrate National Library Week and National Poetry Month, drop by any campus library location and create your own book spine poem. Our April newsletter shows photos of book spine poetry displayed at some NPC Library locations in the past.

We are so very excited to announce the launch of the Self-Advocacy Workshop on April 10, 2023.  This workshop is intended for students attending NPC who are struggling with navigating the resources for accommodations while attending NPC.  You might ask why this is so important: College is a preparatory for employment and that is why the expectation of self-advocacy is so strong. Students who have been on an IEP or 504 Plan while attending high school have always had a Case Manager and support team to help them and explain things to their teachers.  Once they transition to college that is no longer the case, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), students are required to seek the support and services they need while attending college.  This is not always an easy task for students and they need a bit of help to grow that muscle that is why this workshop has been created.  There are also some students who just are not sure about where to start when it comes to self-advocating, this workshop would also be helpful to them. 

Currently the plan is to offer this workshop on Monday and Thursday at 3 different times, the workshop is going to be about 60 minutes long and can be scheduled on WebEx or in person depending on your location.  If you have any questions about the workshop please feel free to call the Office of Accessibility and Inclusion at 928-536-6246. 

Another exciting topic that we hope to expand upon is using Rocketbook notebooks for classroom notetaking and Beacons for capturing content in classroom whiteboards.  Here is information from a Math instructor about how they use Rocketbook Beacons:  “Can I just take a picture of the board?” This is something that would never have been uttered in a classroom ten years ago. Many people outside of academics may be surprised it’s actually a common question in the classroom — both from students who don’t take very good notes, but also from students who DO take really nice notes and want to make sure they don’t miss anything. Five years ago, my response would have been, “Absolutely not. You learn by writing it down. You need to take your own notes.” I have now completely reversed my answer to this question, not only allowing it, BUT actually taking the picture myself and posting it on my class website.

Several things have changed my thinking on allowing students to take pictures of notes on the board. One was that I returned to school for my Masters in Applied Math. Lectures were recorded, so even if I missed something in the notes, I could rewind the video. However, I found that if I KNEW the professor was going to post the notes, I was much more engaged in the lesson. I wasn’t worried about missing anything. Even though I could rewind, I didn’t — I kept the momentum of the lesson going and if I thought I might have missed something, I just wrote myself a little note so I knew to doublecheck my notes with the professor’s notes later.

I also had my own realization in my classroom. If a student didn’t take good notes, for whatever reason, and then ASKED for better notes, what is the benefit of me saying no? Ideally, by saying no, they will change their behavior. But that doesn’t change the fact that they now have bad notes and when asked for the opportunity to learn from better notes, I wouldn’t allow it. Do I want to teach them a lesson on note-taking, or a lesson on math? Do I want to break down their barriers to learning or continue to let them struggle? The answers became clear. And I started allowing pictures.

I also found that often it wasn’t a case of bad note-taking, but more a case of mine just being so good (in my humble opinion). Often in math we draw diagrams. I have had a lot of practice drawing those diagrams. I can draw a conical tank better than your average Calculus student. You should see my volumes of revolution. A student will show me their sad diagram in their notebook and ask how they can make theirs more like mine. Practice. Years of practice. And we’re not going to spend time in class practicing it. So, why not give them mine to use?

Now that I was letting students take pictures, everybody wanted a picture. One phone came out and then a handful more came out. A dozen students lined up to take their own picture of the board. But what about the dozen who didn’t? Or the one or two students who aren’t really taking pictures, but just using the opportunity to have their phone out? It hardly seemed fair that half the class got a second version of the notes and half the class didn’t. It became clear that I needed an easy way to take a picture and distribute it to the whole class.

This is where Rocketbook Beacons came in, and made this process seamless. I keep my phone on me in the classroom and scan a board before I erase it. At the end of the class, I take my last scan, title the set of scans with the textbook section the notes were about, and send the scan to a Google Drive folder that is shared with all students. Students still take notes — they just don’t feel the pressure to get every last detail, and as a result, are more engaged in the lesson. Every student gets a copy of the notes, so there’s no worry about some kids having access and others not.

I also have my students submit homework online. They do the work in their Rocketbook, scan it, and submit it on PowerSchool. I started running into problems with students losing pens or running out of ink and then using regular paper and pencil for that night’s homework. They still have to submit the work online, but their pictures of their homework were awful. So, we now have a scanning station where students can scan work using the beacons for submittal.

Rocketbooks streamlined how my students do and submit homework. Now with Rocketbook Beacons, I have been able to streamline the notetaking process in my classroom. We have a seamless process and my students are now Rocketbook Rockstars!

Click below to read about the winner of the 2023 NPC Innovation of the Year Award; upcoming technology, design and curriculum events; Instructional Design Inside Wire: Updating Your Course; and more on the ITCS April newsletter.

The Early College Team will host a full team meeting on 4/5/23, which includes various internal stakeholders who are focused on increasing communication, transparency, and consistency within the college community related to the department and the college's strategic plan. The next full team meeting is scheduled for 5/3/23. 

Currently, the team is still finalizing the TALON course scheduling for next academic year with the various high schools and college academic divisions. The team is also working on summer and fall registration tasks. 

Here are some other upcoming meetings, activities, and/or events for April that the Early College Team plans to participate in – 

• HS Partners’ Convocation Day (in person at SCC) – 4/12/23 from 11 am to 2 pm 

• AZ Transfer Summit (in person in Scottsdale) – 4/13 to 4/14

• Eagle Fest (in person at WMC) – 4/22 from 10 am to 1 pm 

• AAEC/YC Campus Visit (in person in Prescott Valley) – 4/23 to 4/25

• Chinle High School Visit (in person at LCC and PDC) – 4/26 

• Various high school visits/tours in college service areas (on-going) including DualEnroll Demos, where possible 

Reminder: As of 3/1/23, Stephanie Arrazola officially started a new full-time position as the Assistant to the Campus Manager at SCC. In the interim, Cassie Dows will be assisting the team in the Early College Office Assistant position. 

Thank you and have a great rest of the spring semester!.