As I write this, it’s -10 windchill outside and I’m missing Tim Hortons coffee and Timbits. It’s a shame TC doesn’t have a Tim Hortons, the closest one is in Gaylord. Growing up downstate in metro Detroit, Tim Hortons started popping up in the 1990s and I latched onto that Canadian export. Of course, I also knew the Canadian national anthem before age 6 and grew up watching Sesame Street in French from Channel 9 in Windsor. When I go downstate to visit family, I stop at Tim Hortons and it reminds me about the changes in my life over the past 8 years, including discovering new favorite coffee places in TC like Cuppa Joe and Third Coast Bakery. Change can be challenging but also rewarding. 

Moodle

Speaking of change, NMC is a small campus and whispers are floating in the winter wind about the fate of Moodle. Yes, a new LMS (Learning Management System) might indeed be on its way. Yes, it is true that, very soon, vendors will be on campus (check your email) to give demonstrations and be evaluated. And yes, there will indeed be a parallel operation of Moodle and the new LMS until Fall 2025. Finally, the Ed Tech team will indeed be here to guide, help, handhold, migrate, and train faculty and students. The draft timeline for the decision process and transition was sent out in an email to all faculty last week and a new page for the Center for Teaching and Learning website will go live soon as another communication point. Keep an eye on your inbox and calendar invitations. 

Generative AI (ChatGPT, BARD)

Another point of change that is affecting, well, everyone is the emergence of Generative AI in the past year. My newsfeed every day has at least one or two new articles about how AI is changing the landscape of higher education. New survey data also shows a change in workforce hiring and how AI will become commonplace at work. I’ve amassed a large collection of resources on Generative AI, but there are two that I’d like to share that I find the most helpful in understanding the technology and providing guidelines for the application of AI in teaching and learning contexts. 

I’ve long been a fan of Educause’s “7 Things You Should Know About” series. A concise and informative series about new and emerging technology to help educators grasp a baseline understanding, I have relied on it for many years. The Generative AI version is no different and worth the short read. The second resource, from the Colorado School of Mines, was shared with me after I attended a webinar last year hosted by Mines featuring the student perspective on AI. Carter Moulton, a faculty developer for the Trefny Center, was kind enough to spend time with me last fall reviewing their Guidelines for Using Generative Artificial Intelligence. Their TEACH (Trust, Ethics, Access, Communication, Human) approach to AI is a good place to start when teaching responsible use of AI. 

UDL (Universal Design for Learning) and Neurodiversity

Lastly, if you get a chance, listen to the latest episode of Distance Educated, the podcast I co-host with Josie Milliken, the Dean of Distance Education at Pima Community College. Our guest this month is Lillian Nave from Appalachian State University and host of the Think UDL podcast. We discuss the importance of UDL in course design, especially for neurodiverse students, and how to implement simple changes for online learning.