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Austin Community College Department Chairs

Harnessing the Power of AI: 

A Toolkit for Community College Department Chairs

https://sites.google.com/view/austinccai

Welcome! 

First a word about power-pointless.  I have been presenting without ppt for the past 20 or more years. My rationale is to best serve you.  The presentation is intended to be informative, timely, updatable, and accessible anytime/anyplace.  So, I use this format that includes many citations and resources. In this way, you can easily extract them and use them for your own presentations or correspondence with colleagues.  You can browse ahead while I present, or linger on a topic and links where your interest is piqued.  Also note that I was assisted with Gemini 2.5 Pro Deep Research in preparing this site. Enjoy! -ray

Outcomes

We must recognize that this is a rapidly-changing field. Updates come on a daily, and even hourly, basis. In that context the goal is to present you with resources and strategies that may be referenced in the work of the Department Chair, and most importantly those that are updated daily (at the end of the presentation). 

Harnessing AI's Power: Community College Department Chairs Toolkit

Presentation Goal: To introduce new community college department chairs to the fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and explore practical ways this technology can save precious time and enhance their administrative and leadership roles in areas such as planning, faculty assignment, student success assessment, and budgeting.

What is AI and Why Does It Matter for Us? 

• A. Brief, Accessible Definition of AI:

...the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages. - Oxford Languages

• AI has been around for years.  Many variations in models preceded GPT (generative AI) - some examples:

Supervised Learning

Unsupervised Learning

Reinforcement Learning 

Deep Learning

Generative  https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/ai-model

Agentic  is the most intriguing; it not only offers autonomous agents who can do work and use your credentials whithout your direct viewing, but it conducts the most amazing deep research for which (with your permission) it can use your apps such as docs, sheets, and even credit cards!  

Interesting aside, recent advancements toward super-human AI, have surfaced in self-taught AI without human-provided data - Absolute Zero Learning  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqdqZNqljdI

• Excels in analyzing data, identify patterns, predictive analytics, and automating tasks to assist human decision-making. Here are some current examples  https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/lac/publication/ia-educacion-superior-inteligencia-artificial

For university students: Personalized tutoring systems, adaptive learning platforms, and immediate feedback tools tailored to the needs of each degree program and specialization. 

For faculty and researchers: Academic planning assistants, automated assessment tools, and advanced research resources that enhance scientific production and teaching quality. 

For higher education institutions: Early warning systems [such as your Inspire for Advisors (Civitas) program] resource optimization, and institutional management platforms that improve efficiency, student retention, and educational quality. 

Relevance for Community College Department Chairs:

The evolving landscape (perhaps that is an understatement - maybe radically changing  landscape - of higher education and the need for innovativions. (Inside Higher Ed, 2025)

Potential for AI to streamline administrative workloads, provide data-driven insights, and support strategic goals. (Enrollify, 2025a; UMass, 2025)

Acknowledge that AI is a tool to augment, not replace, human judgment and expertise. (ACUE, n.d.)

Through exploration, become well-familiar with the awe-inspiring cognitive power and resourcefulness of AI. 

AI in Action: Practical Applications for Department Chairs 

Strategic Planning & Curriculum Development 

• AI for Curriculum Analysis & Enhancement:

• Tools to analyze current course offerings against labor market trends and identify areas for new program development or updates. 

• AI-assisted course design: Generating initial drafts of learning outcomes, content organization, or suggesting relevant resources. (EdTech Magazine, 2025a)

• Predictive analytics, gatekeeper courses, paths to success

• AI for Course Scheduling Optimization:

• Ad Astra is a key tool for development of institution-specific scheduling of courses. Gemini 2.5 Pro deep thinking identified the following:

While Ad Astra optimizes the "supply side" of course availability, supplemental tools can improve the "demand side" by providing students with more intuitive interfaces for planning their academic journeys and registering for courses. These tools often have features like degree audit checklists, multi-semester planning, and visual schedule builders.  Stellic and Coursedog are prominent examples of platforms that offer enhanced student-facing registration and academic planning functionalities. These tools can help students visualize their path to graduation and make informed decisions about course selection, which can then feed back into Ad Astra's demand data for future scheduling optimization. (see: https://www.tcu.edu/academics/advising/stellic.php )

Supporting Faculty in AI Use 

• You may want to encourage your faculty members to engage in the many resources that ACC provides to faculty interested in utilizing AI.  I see that FCTL, TLED, and FCLI are engaged in developing and supporting innovation in the use of AI in teaching and learning. 

• One strategy that may be useful is to encourage faculty in your own department to work with one another, sharing ideas and projects that may enhance their classes, and perhaps even be useful department-wide.  In my half century in higher ed, I have found time and again that judicious pairing of faculty can energize remarkable collaborations and outcomes.

Assessing & Enhancing Student Success 

• Early Alert Systems & At-Risk Student Identification:

• AI-powered analytics such as Civitas' Inspire for Advisors to identify students who may be struggling based on engagement patterns, performance data, and other indicators, enabling timely interventions. (USAHS, 2025; Brookings Institution, 2025)

• Personalized support: AI can help tailor academic advising by providing data on student progress and areas needing attention.  (Enrollify, 2025b)

• Personal example - my greatest revelation came with a  Gates funded project - Predictive Analytics Reporting - in which we mapped detailed data.  Findings such as when students took Organic Chemistry  and Advanced Calculus the same semester - their grades, were  a full grade point lower than peers who took those  classes in succeeding semesters. 

• Analyzing Course Effectiveness:

• Using AI to analyze student performance data across sections and modalities to identify trends in student success and areas where curriculum or instructional strategies might need adjustment. (Liaison, 2024) 

Budgeting and Resource Allocation 

• AI for Budget Analysis and Forecasting:

• Tools that can assist in analyzing past spending patterns, predicting future needs based on enrollment trends, and identifying potential areas for cost savings or optimized resource allocation. (Enrollify, 2025c; eCampus News, 2025)

• Automating Repetitive Financial Tasks:

• Streamlining processes like expense tracking or generating budget reports. Note that even students are now using such AI enabled services (Sprintzeal, 2025)

Navigating the Opportunities and Challenges 

Key Benefits for Department Chairs & the College:

• Increased efficiency and time savings on administrative tasks. (EdTech Magazine, 2025a; Enrollify, 2025c)

• Example of Zoom assistant tools for summarizing meetings, scheduling next meetings, etc.

• Data-informed decision-making for planning, resource allocation, and student support. (UMass, 2025)

• Potential for enhanced student outcomes, satisfaction, and retention. (USAHS, 2025; Liaison, 2024)

Ethical Considerations & Potential Pitfalls:

• Data Privacy and Security: The importance of protecting student and faculty data (FERPA compliance). (JMU Libraries, n.d.; Enrollify, 2025b; EdTech Magazine, 2024)

• Algorithmic Bias: Ensuring AI tools are fair and equitable and do not perpetuate existing biases against certain student groups. (Brookings Institution, 2025; EdTech Magazine, 2025b; Liaison, 2024b)

• The Human Element: The irreplaceable role of faculty and staff in mentoring, critical thinking, and providing nuanced support. AI is a tool, not a replacement. (EdTech Magazine, 2025b)

• Faculty and Staff Adoption: Addressing concerns, providing training, and fostering a culture of informed AI use. (Inside Higher Ed, 2025)

Starting Small & Moving Forward:

• Identifying one or two key areas where AI could offer the most immediate benefit.

• Exploring pilot programs or existing institutional AI tools.

• The importance of ongoing learning and critical evaluation of AI applications. (aiEDU, n.d.) Note: Ray's daily update news blogs 365 (at the bottom of this page)!

Call to Exploration 

Recap of AI's Potential: AI will impact nearly all aspects of the Chair's job. It will facilitate meetings, plan for marketing, conduct strategic thinking and planning, recommend faculty assignments based on multiple factors, help design appropriate resolution to disputes, a assist with a myriad of other responsibilities that come up daily. 

Encouragement for Exploration and Collaboration:

• Discuss AI possibilities with your faculty, other departments, and institutional IT/data teams.

• Highlight resources for further learning (e.g., institutional workshops, relevant articles, online courses like those from Code.org or aiEDU).

Selected Readings for Further Exploration 

• ACUE (Association of College and University Educators). (n.d.). AI Tools & Assignments: 10 Best Practices for Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://acue.org/unlocking-human-ai-potential-10-best-practices-for-ai-assignments-in-higher-ed/

• aiEDU. (n.d.). Intro to AI. Retrieved from https://www.aiedu.org/intro-to-ai

• Brookings Institution. (2025, April 17). Using AI to predict student success in higher education. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/articles/using-ai-to-predict-student-success-in-higher-education/

• Code.org. (n.d.). AI 101 for Teachers. Retrieved from https://code.org/ai/pl/101

• Columbus State University. (n.d.). Academic and Department Chairperson Responsibilities. Retrieved from https://www.columbusstate.edu/academic-affairs/chairperson-job-description-short.php

• eCampus News. (2025, February 13). Slashing budgets, saving futures: Can AI rescue higher ed? Retrieved from https://www.ecampusnews.com/ai-in-education/2025/02/13/slashing-budgets-saving-futures-can-ai-rescue-higher-ed/

• EdTech Magazine. (2024, June 14). How to Ensure FERPA Compliance in Colleges and Universities Retrieved from https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2022/05/how-ensure-ferpa-compliance-colleges-and-universities-perfcon 

• EdTech Magazine. (2025a, April 25). 5 Ways To Implement AI Effectively Into Faculty Work. Retrieved from https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2025/04/5-ways-implement-ai-effectively-faculty-work

• EdTech Magazine. (2025b, March 18). AI Ethics in Higher Education: How Schools Are Proceeding. Retrieved from https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2025/03/ai-ethics-higher-education-how-schools-are-proceeding-perfcon

• Enrollify. (2025a, February 5). AI Academic Advising: Benefits and Challenges. Retrieved from https://www.enrollify.org/blog/ai-academic-advising

• Enrollify. (2025b, February 5). AI Academic Advising: Benefits and Challenges. Retrieved from https://www.enrollify.org/blog/ai-academic-advising

• Enrollify. (2025c, April 24). Higher Ed Budget Automation: Uses & Benefits. Retrieved from https://www.enrollify.org/blog/higher-ed-budget-automation

• Full Fabric. (2025, March 27) How Predictive Analytics Can Boost Student Success Rates. Retrieved from https://www.fullfabric.com/articles/how-predictive-analytics-can-boost-student-success-rates

• Inside Higher Ed. (2025, May 8). Professors Using AI Need More Administrative Support. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/academic-life/2025/05/08/professors-using-ai-need-more-administrative-support

• JMU Libraries. (n.d.). Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education: AI and Ethics. James Madison University. Retrieved from https://guides.lib.jmu.edu/AI-in-education/ethics

• Liaison. (2024, March 22). How AI Can Boost Higher Ed Student Success Outside the Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.liaisonedu.com/resources/blog/ai-can-boost-higher-ed-student-success-outside-the-classroom/

• Liaison. (2024b, May 9). Ethical Considerations for AI in Higher Education: Ensuring Fairness and Transparency. Retrieved from https://www.liaisonedu.com/resources/blog/ethical-considerations-for-ai-in-higher-education-ensuring-fairness-and-transparency/

• Medix Blog (2025, January 14). David Brault What Are the Different Types of AI Models? https://www.mendix.com/blog/what-are-the-different-types-of-ai-models/ 

• Sprintzeal. (2025, February 28). AI for Student Finances: Smart Budgeting & Savings Made Easy. Retrieved from https://www.sprintzeal.com/blog/student-finances-guide

• UMass (University of Massachusetts). (2025, January 27). AI's Impact on Higher Education Through the Eyes of Faculty: 4 Key Trends. Retrieved from https://www.umass.edu/ideas/news/ais-impact-higher-education-through-eyes-faculty-4-key-trends

• USAHS (University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences). (2025, April 18). AI in Higher Education: How AI Is Reshaping Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.usa.edu/blog/ai-in-higher-education-how-ai-is-reshaping-higher-education/

• World Bank. (2025, May 5). Artificial Intelligence Revolution in Higher Education: What You Need to Know. Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/lac/publication/ia-educacion-superior-inteligencia-artificial

A couple of resources and exercises for you

Try out a prompt at GPT:

Begin by prompting "temporary chat" to GPT - this puts the app  into a private mode in which OpenAI promises that everything you type and the response is not used for model training, remains private,  and is permanently deleted.  As described by OpenAI:

Key Features of Temporary Chat (from OpenAI):

No Memory Storage: The AI does not remember anything discussed after the chat ends. Once the tab is closed or the session times out, the content is lost.

Privacy-Focused: It offers a higher level of privacy because no data is saved to a persistent memory linked to your account.

No Personalization: Since memory isn’t used, the AI doesn’t adapt based on previous interactions. Every session starts fresh.

Choose to prompt whatever you seek - here is an idea, the details that are returned may surprise you:

Create a prospectus for my college in central Texas offering a new certificate in the next five years of AI in the workforce with a focus on the Texas economy [or - insert your own topic]. Include an analysis of the competition, appropriate tuition rate, anticipated enrollments, marketing budget, course descriptions, syllabi, and learning outcomes. 

Alternatively, begin by prompting GPT some basic info about your college and department, then ask it to assess the online certificates offered by colleges  within 100 miles of Austin and recommend possible new certificates that would draw students and generate a positive ROI.

Then, craft follow-ups to generate more details.

==

Ray's Rule of Three (ok, sometimes two)

I recommend that you always run your prompts on two or three different AI apps - this will help you to avoid hallucinations.  You can synthesize the responsonses to make the best outcome.  

Try out the prompt at Google Gemini:  https://gemini.google.com/app

Try out the prompt at Anthropic Claude: https://claude.ai/new

Try out the prompt at ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com 

I introduced Anthropic's Claude 4 to Ray's EDUAI Advisor GPT

The two held  a conversation.  I found it fascinating.  I believe you will too! Embedded in the conversation are numerous insights and perspectives that I think may be  most useful as you engage with AI to assist in your position of Department Chair.

This will come out in my bi-weekly column tomorrow in Inside Higher Ed - Online: Trending Now

https://sites.google.com/view/two-co-workers

Fifteen Minutes - from entering a modest prompt, to this:

I know a couple of people who suffer from a rare form of brain cancer - Glioblastoma.  It is one of the most difficult to treat cancers with a very short life expectancy.  I normally do two research reports a week using the two leading (IMHO) deep research apps - Google Gemini 2.5 Pro Deep Research and OpenAI GPT-o3 Deep Research.  Last week I tried a new deep research report release at You.com - ARI.  It gave me this result in 15 minutes.  In that  brief time it conducted extensive research, compiled a substantial report, and formatted the results in a highly professional package.  

Research Report Example

Also - an excellent brainstorming site:  https://storm.genie.stanford.edu/

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Ray's bi-weekly insights and perspectives - Online: Trending Now Inside Higher Ed 

https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/blogs/online-trending-now

How can you keep up with daily developments & trends?

Ray's Daily Curated Reading Lists and Social Media

• UPCEA Professional, Continuing and Online Education Update http://continuingedupdate.blogspot.com/

• UPCEA Alternative Credentials in Higher Ed https://altcred.blogspot.com/

• UPCEA Artificial Intelligence in Higher Ed https://ai-in-highered.blogspot.com/

• Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayschroeder

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Brief Bio https://sites.google.com/view/raysspace/home/schroeder-bio

Contact Ray

 rayschroeder@gmail.com 

@rayschroeder LinkedIn

UPCEA Senior Fellow, UIS Professor Emeritus