IntroDUCTION to Instructional Innovation

September 2022

As we welcome many new employees to the NPC family this year, I’d like to take this opportunity to briefly introduce our division - who we are and what we do here at NPC.

The Instructional Innovation Division houses support from the Libraries, Instructional Technology and Curriculum Support, Early College, Office of Accessibility and Inclusion, and Perkins Grant. The mission of the Division is to promote and support a diverse life-long learning community committed to innovation, creativity, collaboration, that is inclusive in all aspects of the education process. We aim to promote effective and innovative teaching and learning, strengthen internal and external educational partnerships, and foster a learner-centered and inclusive educational environment that increases access.

The Instructional Technology and Curriculum Support Department assists faculty and staff with the use of technology for teaching and learning and the creation of well-designed instructional content for all delivery modes. Their mission is to contribute to an academic culture grounded in the values of respect, inclusion, and innovation. The department focuses on the theory and practice of effective use of pedagogy, technology, and instructional design.

The Early College Department provides educational opportunities that empower all Navajo and Apache County school students to rise to the expectations of academic rigor through an affordable and positive college experience. The team’s goals are to improve communication and partnerships among stakeholders, streamline enrollment and registration processes, and strengthen support for the Early College programs. The launch of a 2-year FIPSE Grant Project, ECOADA, is expected to have a positive impact on achieving these goals.

The mission of Library Services is to provide quality, scholarly resources and information literacy instruction to all members of the college community and to promote and assist where beneficial to the learning objectives of the college. The library team offers quality, scholarly resources to college users to address their academic and personal information needs, provide Instruction on library usage, information literacy, and all research endeavors, and assists users as they respond to the changing landscape of their education and learning environment to further their needs as lifelong learners.

The Office of Accessibility and Inclusion ensures equal access to educational opportunities for students and community members through collaboration with faculty, staff, and community partners (VR, VA, caseworkers). Their services include authorizing accommodations for students that participate in the ADA process each semester, providing access options for those who choose not to participate in the ADA process, and educating others on issues of awareness, inclusion, and access.

Perkins Postsecondary Grant funds to supplement Career and Technical Education, Nursing and Allied Health, and Education programs. The grant is administered by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) for all Arizona Community Colleges. It helps strengthen the academic, occupational and technical skills of students, provides students with strong experience in and understanding of all aspects of an industry, improves the use of technology in occupational programs, and links secondary and post-secondary career and technical education, including programs of study and articulation agreements to include college credits.

If you want to know more about how these departments work together to accomplish the mission of the division, and how we align our operations with NPC’s strategic goals, please see a summary of the Division’s strategic planning from our May newsletter.