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WHAT WE DO / WHO WE AREWelcome to the Association of Florida Colleges Technology Commission webpage. Please browse the information listed below for Technology Commission events and announcements as well as our bylaws, newsletter, and awards and recognition acknowledging the great work of our AFC commission members. Welcome - A Message from the 2024 Chair
Dear Technology Commission members, Since childhood, I have found myself immersed in the world of technology. I can still remember my father piecing together circuits and chips on Commodore 64s, while I sat transfixed in front of my Magnavox Odyssey. Today, those memories seem to flicker like black-and-white reels; we have come so far, and our technology has advanced so much – it’s truly an extraordinary evolution, and I can’t wait to see what comes next. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to serve as Chair of AFC’s Technology Commission. I come to this position having served as a teacher, mentor, consultant, and professional development facilitator with over 100 institutions and organizations on education reform and educational equity and with more than 25 years of experience in K-16. I have a Bachelor of Education, Masters in English, and a Ph.D. in Instructional Design and Technology. Most recently, I was the lead Instructional Consultant for Florida International University's Center for the Advancement of Teaching where I supported the redesign of 21 high-enrollment, low-pass courses through evidence-based, learner-centered, and culturally-responsive pedagogy – achieving a 40% increase in passing rates across redesigned courses. Currently, I am the Director of the WeLearn 366 Institute at Miami Dade College’s Padrón Campus where I continue to work on high impact course redesign to enhance teaching and learning experiences. I am both honored and thrilled to be able to work alongside each of you, drawing upon your diverse expertise and perspectives to foster environments that encourage innovative ideas, meaningful dialogue, and impactful initiatives. Our commission is rooted in the belief that technology is a catalyst for transformative change. Let us continue this journey of exploration, collaboration, and innovation as we shape the future of technology in education.* *This final paragraph contains two revised lines drafted by ChatGPT. Warmest Regards, Belkis Dr. Belkis L. Cabrera Chair, AFC Technology Commission Director, MDC WeLearn366 Institute Faculty Liaison, FIU Dual Enrollment Program Commission Resources
2024 EXECUTIVE BOARDChair: Dr. Belkis L. Cabrera, Miami Dade College-Padron, eMail: [email protected]; Phone: 305-237-6818 - Officer attending conferences and events. Past Chair: Jamie Beck, Pensacola State College, eMail: [email protected]; Phone: 850-484-1513 - Acting as Consultant of the AFC Technology Commission. Webmaster: Pamela Suguimitzu, Miami Dade College-Padron, eMail: [email protected]; Phone: 305-237-6343 - In charge of managing social media accounts including creating a few blog posts related to tech and Higher Ed. Updating the WiX website (psuguimi.wixsite.com) Treasurer: Sheri Thomas, Tallahassee Community College, eMail: [email protected]; Phone: 850-201-6188 - Managing the financial budget and fundraising affairs. Historian: Vacant - Collecting and archiving photos, flyers, and records for the Yearbook. Secretary: Bertha Cabrera, Miami Dade College-North, eMail: [email protected]; Phone: 305-237-8115 - Preparing agenda-minutes, events, schedules, announcements, PDF proposals, and Weebly/district websites. Special Guest: Jessie Clayton, Tallahassee Community College, eMail: [email protected]; Phone: 850-201-8267 (optional). New website: Home | Afctechnologycommiss (https://welearn6.wixsite.com/afctechnologycommiss) COMMISSION OF THE YEAR 2023
The AFC Technology Commission at the AFC's 70th Annual Meeting and Conference! BYLAWS AND MEETING MINUTESBYLAWS afc_technology_commission_bylaws_2022.pdf Technology Commission Board Meeting Minutes - December 13, 2023 Technology Commission Board Meeting Minutes - January 23, 2023 Technology Commission Board Meeting Minutes - May, 6, 2022 Technology Commission Board Meeting Minutes - March 11, 2022 Technology Commission Board Meeting Minutes - February 28, 2022 Technology Commission Board Meeting Minutes - November 10, 2021 Technology Commission Board Meeting Minutes - February 26, 2021 Technology Commission Board Meeting Minutes - November 7, 2019 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
AFC Technology Commission 2024 Exemplary Practice Awards The AFC Technology Commission would like to thank everyone who submitted their exemplary practice for the recognition of the 2024 award. After a close review and consideration, the awards committee has chosen to recognize the following outstanding submissions: Theme: “The Power of AI Implementation in Higher Education”
AFC Exemplary Practice: Integrating AI to Enhance Academic Success in Higher Education Dr. James May and Professor Sharon May Our AI initiative thrives on extensive collaboration within and across disciplines at Valencia College and beyond. By partnering with the associate director of online learning and faculty from various departments, we enhance and diversify AI applications, enriching our teaching methods and expanding AI's educational applications.
AFC Exemplary Practice: Enhancing Administrative Efficiency with AI Automation Dr. James A. Thomas In Higher Education, efficiency is key to streamlining workflows which is why Dr. Thomas developed the Microsoft Power Virtual Agents Staff Copilot, an AI Chatbot that serves as a natural language search engine. Built on Microsoft Teams, this tool allows administrators to access information instantly, improving productivity. This whitepaper outlines its design, implementation, and impact. CONGRATULATIONS to the 2024 Exemplary Practice Award Winners! 2023 Exemplary Award Winners The AFC Technology Commission would like to thank everyone who submitted their exemplary practice for the recognition of the 2023 award. After a close review and consideration, the review committee has chosen to recognize the following outstanding submissions. Theme: "Moving Forward to Creative & Innovative Ways of Using Technology in Education"
The WeLearn366 Institute is an equity-focused grant initiative that strives to improve retention, progression, and completion rates for Hispanic and low-income students. WeLearn offers a vibrant, innovative, and high-tech workspace that prioritizes course redesign, student wrap-around services, and diverse opportunities for planned and organic collaborations among students, staff, and faculty.
Since January 2020, the TCC Learning Commons has partnered with Study Edge to pilot the use of virtual reality (using Oculus Quest 2 headsets) in learning centers. Virtual reality (VR) enables users to experience 3D rendered environments in both physical and virtual spaces. VR creates a sensory experience - sights, sounds, and haptics, that allow the user to interact with alternate realities. To date, hundreds of current and prospective students have used VR headsets and demonstrated its applications within the educational environment. Success coaches have utilized VR headsets to offer coaching sessions on a variety of topics including stress management, goal setting, mindset work, and motivational strategy. 2022 Exemplary Award Winners
2022 Exemplary Practice Award Winner Kevin Moreau, Program Grant Manager
2021 Exemplary Award Winners
1st place winner: Dani Hawke, Merry Low, & Dr. Nicholas Vick, Tallahassee Community College Presentation Title: LC Pop-Up Videos Narrative: The Learning Commons staff at Tallahassee Community College (TCC) formulated the “Pop-Up Video” initiative. The pop-up video itself is a throwback to VH1’s music pop-up videos from the 1990s in which little blurbs about the artist or song would appear. While incorporating cutting-edge platforms such as VidGrid and Canva, the Learning Commons staff have produced short videos that mimic VH1’s engaging and nostalgic shorts. The content of these videos obviously diverges from that of VH1, and ranges from top skills for MAC1105 classes, to success in online courses, and the Spanish imperfect vs. preterit tenses. However, the form of these resources weaves a classic pop culture artifact with important course content and academic success tips for our students at TCC. These videos are short and sweet, intended to grab students’ attention and quickly convey the information they need to be successful in their classes.
2nd place winner: Harry Holdorf, Eastern State College Presentation Title: Our Job is to Give You What You Want Narrative: The Adult Cardiac Sonography ATC was created as a building block for a “One-Stop-Shopping” process in sonography. The Vascular Sonography ATC serves as an adjunct to the AS Degree General sonography program. The Adult Cardiac Sonography program allows registered Sonography professionals to expand their skills and leads to an Advanced Technical Certificate from Eastern Florida State College. As the adult population ages, the need for doctors to diagnose and treat heart-related issues is increasing, leading to rising demand for cardiac sonographers. Classroom and hands-on clinical experience are both key parts of the program, with local hospitals, diagnostic centers, and clinics serving as clinical education settings for the certificate. Job opportunities include working in hospitals, emergency clinics, medical clinics, and physician’s offices. AFC Technology Commission extends our appreciation to the four (4) Colleges that submitted their 2021 Technology Commission Exemplary Practice Award projects. All of the projects were excellent and outstanding. 1.) Harry Holdorf, Eastern State College – Presentation Title: Our Job is to Give You What You Want 2.) Dr. Emmanuel Hernandez, Kurt Morris, and Jose Lopez, Gulf Coast State College– Presentation Title: Product Development Cross-discipline Project 3.) Dani Hawke, Merry Low, & Dr. Nicholas Vick – Tallahassee Community College – Presentation Title: LC Pop-Up Videos 4.) Madeline Heller, Buffi Bailey, Rodney, Garrett, Mike Johnston, Scott Schackmann, and Brian Underwood, Pensacola State College – Presentation Title: Supporting Faculty in the Transition to fully Online Classes 2020 Exemplary Practice Award Winners1st place winner: Dr. Nicholas Vick / Dani Hawke, Tallahassee Community College – Presentation Title: LC Videos – Promotional Video Planning Narrative: Our exemplary practice emerged from a time of remote learning and remote working during the early days of the pandemic. We knew that communicating with our students was essential, and our staff decided the best approach was to create short videos. The documentation is provided with this application package detailing how these different videos were very well received by faculty, staff, and students. The videos that were sent to students include Closed Captioning, and we made audio-only versions that can be listened to as short podcasts. The video project itself was a testament to the amazing collaboration that our staff believes is critical to our success. This work included contributions from both full-time and part-time staff members. We involved everyone from receptionists to administrative staff to help convey the important messages that the Tallahassee Learning Commons was open and ready to support student learning. 2nd place winner: Veronica Martabano & Leigh Clay, Indian River State College– Presentation Title: SLS – Advisor Connect Narrative: Indian River State College (IRSC) embraces the use of analytics as a pillar that supports student success. Often, when analytics are looked at, outcomes are the focus – we want to see if data-informed initiatives produce any effects. While results are incredibly important, the collaborations that make initiatives possible are also worthy of attention. This practice shows how two departments at IRSC worked in different ways and collaborated to achieve the same outcome – student success. 3rd place winner: Dr. Naita Guine / Jennifer Peterson, Florida State College Jacksonville - Presentation Title: Using YouTube to Enhance the Student Experience Narrative: For over 50 years, Florida State College at Jacksonville has successfully provided adult education to high need populations in Duval County. The Adult Education program at Florida State College at Jacksonville strives to help those without basic literacy skills and limited employment opportunities. We offer extensive academic, tutorial, career planning, and case management services for students at three college campus sites, 2 campus centers, and one community site. Our goal is to improve the quality of life for individuals with low skills and place them on a path to workforce or college credit readiness. EXEMPLARY PRACTICE AWARD WINNERS 2016: Excellence in Technology Award - Finalists James Robinette, Palm Beach State College 2015 WINNERS 1st place: Bridge to eResources- Mia Tignor, Indian River State College 2014 WINNER Virtual Groups: Working Together Without Actually Meeting! - Neal R. Phillips, Ed.D., Valencia College 2012 WINNER Cell Phones in the Classroom: Collaborative or Calamitous? - James May, Valencia College 2010 WINNER Harnessing Web 2.0 to Build a New IRSC-FACC Chapter Website - Daniel Hood, Indian River State College 2009 WINNERS 1st place: Academic Success for Criminal Justice Officers: A Tactical Approach - Adam Martin, South Florida Community College SOCIAL MEDIA - GET CONNECTED
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2021 AFC Technology Commission Exemplary Practice Award 1st place winner Presentation topic: LC Videos – LC Pop-Up Videos
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First Place - Valencia College
Second Place - Miami Dade College
Second Place Tallahassee Community College - Exploring Possibilities through Virtual Reality Tutoring Sam DeZerga, TCC Learning Commons Director & Jessie Clayton, TCC Learning Commons Technology Specialist
