2023 Program

Affordable Tech Tool to Enhance Teaching and Learning in Stem Courses

• • Anthony Durante, Assistant Professor, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Bronx Community College

  • Learning Modalities

• NL-131

Could STEM courses be converted from in‐person to on‐line modalities? They require heavy hands‐on manipulations and robust chalk‐talk. Could technology, used by graphic artists, illustrators, and others in the visual arts fields, replace black and white boards? Could it enable instructors to write, draw and annotate text remotely on a computer screen in real time? Yes, to these questions, because the subject technology works like a mouse, but handles like a pen. This affordable e‐pen and tablet replace other more costly devices. The presenters initiated a program to install the technology in multiple STEM‐related programs and departments. They will discuss the features, advantages and benefits of this technology and will show the planning approach, training system and distribution method.

Adjusting a WI Microbiology Course’s Instruction to Fit the Current Needs of Our Students

• • Julie Trachman, Associate Professor, Natural Sciences Department, Hostos Community College

• Learning Modalities

• NL-141

A writing intensive course in microbiology provides science students opportunities to improve their communication and critical thinking skills in addition to learning course content. As a result of instructional modality changes due to the pandemic, the course needed re‐structuring with respect to instructional material as well as some assignments so as to deal with student knowledge / skill gaps and to allow students to work around life complexities which could impact their performance. Some of the course changes will be discussed including increased use of discussion boards and development of an OER lab manual. The overall intention is to adopt where possible the best of what was used in both online or in-person modalities to benefit student instruction and increase student success.

Pedagogy as Per Machiavelli: Embracing AI

• • Stephen Powers, Professor, Education & Academic Literacy, Bronx Community College
  • Dr. Teresa Fisher, Communications Arts and Sciences, Bronx Community College
  • Wendy Baptiste Student, Bronx Community College
  • Cinthia Rodriguez Student, Bronx Community College
  • Saleh AliStudent, Bronx Community College

  • Digital Literacy

• NL-137

We are using non‐traditional resources to supplement course materials. We have moved from an encyclopedia, to Wikipedia, to Google, to Chat GPT. How are we paraphrasing and citing this access to primary and secondary sources? Are we attempting to create assignments that are “Artificial Intelligent resistant?” How can faculty use AI sources to enhance creativity in their assignments and assessments? Machiavelli advised to keep your friends close and your enemies closer – do we keep our books and journals close, and the internet closer? As instructors, do we embrace AI, or continue to wage a losing battle against it. Should students use all available options in completing assignments. Where do information availability, acquisition of knowledge, and ethical behavior cross paths?

Open for Student Success: Innovating and Collaborating with Commons In A Box OpenLab

• • Charlie Edwards, OpenLab Co‐Director, New York City College of Technology
  • Jean Amaral, Associate Professor & Open Knowledge Librarian, Borough of Manhattan Community College
  • Jesse Rice‐Evans, OpenLab Manager, School of Professional Studies
  • Jody Rosen, OpenLab Co‐Director and Associate Professor of English, New York City College of Technology
  • Chris Stein, Chair, Media Arts and Technology Department, Borough of Manhattan Community College

  • Student Engagement & Active Learning

• NL-136

Commons In A Box OpenLab (https://cboxopenlab.org/) is free, open source software that enables anyone to launch a commons for open learning. Built here at CUNY, it provides powerful open infrastructure for innovation and collaboration, helping students, faculty, and staff work together across institutional boundaries, sharing their creativity with one another and the world. There are vibrant OpenLabs at City Tech and BMCC, and SPS is preparing to launch an OpenLab focused on student community‐building. We will show how CBOX OpenLab can advance open pedagogies, OER, internships, portfolios, co‐curricular activities, and other active learning practices that promote student engagement and success, and is driving cross‐CUNY collaboration around best practices and new feature development.