I remember what it was like switching from practice to higher education. I knew accounting, but I knew nothing about higher education. Thankfully, I had several wonderful colleagues at my first institution who helped guide me. The other blessing in disguise was starting at a small institution where you wear many hats! I want to share resources and information for others who are also new to the community college arena.

What I'm using

I've tested a lot of tools. These are the ones that have earned a regular place in my workflow, and I'll tell you what I actually use each one for rather than just listing them.

AI Tools

Faculty often ask which AI tool to use. My honest answer is that I use all three of the major ones, but for different purposes. That division of labor took time and real testing to figure out.

• ChatGPT was my starting point. I still use it for HTML coding tasks in course design and for initial brainstorming when I want a quick first pass on an idea.

• Gemini is where I go for additional pedagogy brainstorming and conversational thinking about assignment design. It's more naturally conversational than ChatGPT for instructional ideas for me. It's also your access point to NotebookLM.

• Claude is my primary tool for serious course design work, building interactive games, polishing HTML, and packaging as SCORM files. It's also where I do my strategic thinking. When I need a genuine thought partner on a course design problem, this is where I go. I work inside Claude Projects so my course context carries across sessions without starting over every time. I'm starting to test out Claude Design.

• NotebookLM is where I upload my course materials and use it to generate audio overviews and infographics, giving students multiple ways to engage with the same content without me building everything from scratch. Accessible through Gemini. I've used this for a year now and have students tell me they appreciate the multiple options to absorb the material.

Accounting/Course Tools

• EY ARC is my go-to for AI and digital literacy content specifically framed for accounting. This is the foundation of my discipline literacy module.

• Snorkl is set up in my early chapters to allow students to evaluate their understanding of areas most struggle with. It's categorized as optional/additional resources. 

• Mentimeter for in-class interaction and in the past exam reviews. I have also used this with great success when presenting to other student groups, like our Honors programs.

Design | Pedagogy | Tools | Curriculum

Books:

These are just a few of the recent ones. Feel free to post other recommendations below on the Padlet.

People on LinkedIn 

Note: these are just a few of the ones I'm following. Feel free to check out my LinkedIn for more connections