The UAGC Chronicle: A Faculty Focused Publication The UAGC Chronicle supports the entire academic community's contribution to the UAGC mission of providing a community of caring and guidance for adult online learners. Therefore, our publication promotes content that addresses the theoretical underpinnings and practical execution of this mission: academic research on instructional best practices, curricular innovation, and student support strategies; examples and resources that foster a community of practice; news of the progress of institutional student success initiatives; professional development opportunities; and – most importantly – the stories and successes of the people who shape our university.
Contents LETTER FROM THE EDITOR ................................................................................................................................. 5 UNIVERSITY, PROGRAM, AND CURRICULUM NEWS.............................................................................6 A NEW DIRECTION FOR AN OLD BELIEF .............................................................................................................. 6 UAGC CRITICAL STUDENT GOAL #4: ENHANCE STUDENTS’ ECONOMIC RETURN ................................................ 8 RESOURCEFULL : AN INITIATIVE TO REDUCE RESOURCE EXPENSES AND IMPROVE STUDENT OUTCOMES ........ 10 UAGC TEXTBOOKS RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE ........................................................................................... 12 2023-2024 UAGC FACULTY EXPERIENCE SURVEY RESULTS ............................................................................... 14 FACULTY COUNCIL | CALL FOR NOMINATIONS ................................................................................................ 15 CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT............................................................................................................18 GENERATIVE AI AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: NAVIGATING THE GREY AREAS ................................................... 18 LEADING THE CHARGE TOWARD AI LITERACY .................................................................................................. 21 RESEARCH CORNER ..........................................................................................................................24 STRESS AND CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR ............................................................................................................... 24 ADDRESSING DYSREGULATION IN THE ONLINE CLASSROOM ........................................................................... 26 WELLNESS CORNER ..........................................................................................................................30 WHY IS THERE A FLU, COVID, AND RSV SEASON?............................................................................................. 30 BUILDING ACADEMIC COMMUNITY ..................................................................................................33 FACULTY VOICES .............................................................................................................................................. 33 NEW FACULTY INTRODUCTIONS ...................................................................................................................... 36 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS ...................................................................................................................43 CONTRIBUTORS ...............................................................................................................................44
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The University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC) is pleased to announce the inaugural Culture of Care Summit , a transformative 2-day virtual event taking place March 27-28 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT . This free summit is open to the public and aims to explore and promote the importance of fostering a culture of care within organizations and educational institutions. Featuring over 90 diverse sessions, the Culture of Care Summit invites you to discuss how the concept of care can support organizational culture. For additional information about the summit, including the agenda, presenters, and free registration, visit uagc.edu/care.
Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Donna Beegle, President of Communication Across Borders, will share her work with students and families who live in the crisis of poverty, improving communication across poverty barriers and journey from
abject poverty to a Doctorate.
Matt Tenney, author of Inspire Greatness: A Simple, Repeatable Process for Creating a Culture of Care. All attendees at Matt Tenney’s keynote session will receive a free copy of his new book!
Register to attend now!
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THE UAGC CHRONICLE: A FACULTY–FOCUSED PUBLICATION The UAGC Chronicle supports the entire academic community’s contribution to the UAGC mission of providing a community of caring and guidance for adult online learners. Therefore, our publication promotes content that addresses the theoretical underpinnings and practical execution of this mission: academic research on instructional best practices, curricular innovation, and student support strategies; examples and resources that foster a community of practice; news of the progress of institutional student success initiatives; professional development opportunities; and – most importantly – the stories and successes of the people who shape our university. Please check the Call for Submissions section for more information on submitting an article for consideration. LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
We are pleased to bring you this UAGC Chronicle issue focused on the fourth UAGC critical student goal: enhancing students' economic return. Enhancing student economic return is crucial for fostering individual prosperity and societal advancement. Investing in education that equips students with relevant skills and knowledge empowers them to secure better-paying jobs and navigate economic challenges more effectively. The 2023 Faculty Experience Survey results reveal that slightly over 50% of faculty members feel empowered to contribute to institutional goals and that overall, faculty feel the least able to
contribute to enhancing students' economic return. The Chronicle serves UAGC faculty by providing access to pertinent updates to this work, resources, and teaching practices – aimed at fostering faculty’s sense of contribution to all institutional goals. What you do matters, and we want to give you as many tools as possible to help! In this issue, contributors introduce discussion related to reducing students’ out-of-pocket expenses, optimizing programs and career services, the impact Artificial Intelligence technology has on the learning experience, and potential impact in the workplace. The Research Corner explores the relationship between trauma and behavior and the impact of dysregulation on student learning – crucial considerations for creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment where all students can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. These topics are aimed at the goal of delivering a valuable educational experience that prepares the UAGC student for the workforce. Our hope is that instructors connect with these articles to enrich their teaching practices by integrating new insights, resources, and methodologies to enhance student preparation for life after graduation.
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The UAGC community continues to demonstrate tremendous support for the Chronicle. Our next issue will be published in the 24-25 academic year, and our strategy will continue to focus on engaging this community in the critical work and accomplishments intended to achieve the UAGC mission. We are excited to present a new opportunity to recognize your creative talent by calling for artistic contributions to grace the covers of upcoming UAGC Chronicle issues! Learn more about this opportunity here! Sincerely, Jackie Bullis Lead Faculty Support and Classroom Consultant, The UAGC Chronicle Editor
UNIVERSITY, PROGRAM, AND CURRICULUM NEWS
A NEW DIRECTION FOR AN OLD BELIEF Gary Packard, Senior Vice Provost of Online Initiatives
On Dec 4, 2023, my work at the University of Arizona (UArizona) took a new turn. I stepped away from being the Dean of the College of Applied Science and Technology (CAST) at the Sierra Vista Campus and was appointed as the Interim Senior Vice Provost for Online Initiatives at UArizona. My Associate Dean for Research, Dr. Nic Rae, stepped up to be the acting Dean of CAST. In my new role, I lead a new online enterprise consisting of over 32,000 online students through UArizona’s Online Team (Arizona Online) and the
University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC). I have partnered with both Arizona Online and UAGC during my tenure at the university but now I lead these two organizations. My relationship with Arizona Online and UAGC has been positive during my tenure at UArizona. But the more I immerse myself in Arizona Online and UAGC, the more I am impressed by the depth of incredible work being done by these two organizations. While my work has shifted, my passion for the value of adult learner focused, online education at UArizona grows stronger. The passion I had at CAST remains. But, in my new role, I see that passion playing out on an even greater scale. In the two months I have spent in my new role, I have been amazed by the people committed to this vision at UAGC and Arizona Online. Quality is important at both UAGC and UArizona, and both are nationally recognized for their work. For example, UAGC is recognized by the prestigious Quality Matters Online Learner Support Program Certification for all its online programs, validating its commitment to comprehensive online learner support and continuously enhancing academic and student services. It is one of only ten institutions
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nationwide to meet the stringent criteria for this certification. UAGC is also a member of the National Association of Institutions for Military Education Services, underlining its commitment to delivering high quality postsecondary education programs to the military community. The UAGC nursing program was awarded a 10-year accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, a commitment to maintaining the highest standards in nursing education. Finally, UAGC is officially recognized by the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services as a Veteran Supportive Campus, certifying its commitment to providing essential support to student veterans, faculty, and staff. Arizona Online has its own national accolades. In the recently released U.S. News & World Report rankings, Arizona Online is ranked in the top 3 percent of all online programs nationally. It also ranks #4 in best online bachelor’s programs for veterans, #6 best online bachelor’s in business programs, and #7 best online MBA program. Other academic programs such as marketing, business analytics, education, and computer information technology graduate programs are all in the top tier of national online programming. In a separate ranking, Academic Influence ranks the online bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity as the #1 in the nation. In addition, the Online and Professional Education Association (UPCEA) has recognized Arizona Online for excellence for its Mixed Media Campaign and its Online Website (2019). Good things happen at UAGC and Arizona Online. But now, good things are jointly happening. In January, both UAGC and Arizona Online secured approval from Arizona Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (AZ-SARA) for UAGC’s initial application and Arizona Online’s renewal application. SARA is important because it enables institutions to provide distance education across state borders using a streamlined oversight structure and a standardized approval process. In essence, it protects distance education students in participating states by insuring we are compliant with state education regulations across the nation. This accomplishment opens doors to students across the nation to Arizona Online and UAGC academic programming and opens opportunities for us to synchronize our commitment to offering quality education on a national scale. We are one month into 2024, and two short months on our journey as a university online initiatives enterprise. So far, UAGC and Arizona Online are reaching new heights through our ongoing integration efforts and collaborative initiatives. By engaging with key leaders and teams at Arizona Online, we've established connections that go beyond conventional boundaries. The dedication and contributions of the UAGC and Arizona Online communities play a pivotal role in shaping our institution. We have only just begun our joint journey. Together, we are not merely adapting to change; we are architects of a future where education knows no boundaries and empowers every learner. As we continue our journey into 2024, I express sincere gratitude to each one of you. Your commitment propels us toward a future of collective success. Sincerely,
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Gary A. Packard Jr., Ph.D. Interim Senior Vice Provost of Online Initiatives
Pronouns (he, him, his)
UAGC CRITICAL STUDENT GOAL #4: ENHANCE STUDENTS’ ECONOMIC RETURN Stephani Kilby, Director of Student Success
At UAGC, we are driven by our purpose to transform higher education through the achievement of our four Critical Student Goals. Critical Student Goal #4 requires that we seek to enhance students’ economic return . In August 2023, the UAGC Executive Leadership Team approved the following targets to measure the achievement of critical goal #4:
Through 2028, BA/BS alumni will report at 21 months post-graduation:
• A median annual salary equivalent to at least 3.7x the average total out-of-pocket (OOP) cost incurred toward their earned degree. • A median earnings growth of 21 percent since enrolling at UAGC The pursuit of enhancing students’ economic return reflects the institution’s commitment to student success. The approved targets acknowledge the significance of economic stability and career mobility for learners. While recognizing that economic considerations are not the sole determinant of the value of a college education, this goal underscores the importance many students place on the economic outcomes of their educational investment, emphasizing the dedication of UAGC to meet students’ needs and support their aspirations. Defining the Targets In Spring 2022, a workgroup was charged with recommending how to define Critical Goal #4 and with proposing a SMART goal to be adopted as the target. This cross-functional group spent 16 months seeking to understand potential measures for return on investment (ROI) in higher education, defining affordability and equitable value as it translates to economic return, exploring UAGC student’s out-of- pocket costs, and identifying the current earnings-to-cost ratio for UAGC graduates. As a result, the following definitions were adopted for these targets: • Economic Return: A graduate’s return on their investment. • Total Out-of-Pocket (OOP) Cost: The cost of the education directly paid by the student or that the student must pay back (loans up to institutional costs). This excludes any payments made
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by a third party which are not expected to be reimbursed by the students (Military funding, Corporate funding, Pell Grants, etc.). • Earnings Growth: Salary increase based on income prior to enrollment to approximately two years post-graduation. • Return: Post-graduation earnings. The targets are based on internal data collected by our data reporting team to determine what our graduates’ out-of-pocket costs look like across a variety of factors and on alumni survey data that indicates self-reported salary on the 21-month alumni survey to measure post-graduation earnings and earnings growth. The decision to use the 21-month alumni survey as a means of data collection was based on two years being a reasonable amount of time to allow for a student’s degree to influence earnings, yet not so far out that we would not be able to determine goal achievement until well into the future. The data collected indicated that for BA/BS students who completed degrees between 7/1/2020 and 8/9/2021, the median salary at approximately two years post-graduation was 3.7x their out-of-pocket costs. For that same time period, alumni reported a median salary growth of 21 percent. (Note: Median is the preferred measure because it offers a robust representation of central tendency and is less influenced by outliers.) Given the consideration of external economic factors, rising costs, and changing attributes of the UAGC student population (such as the number of transfer credits, payment options, etc.), the recommendation was made to set targets in alignment with current economic return data and hold steady to those values over the next five years. Achieving the Targets There are three primary levers with which we can influence the achievement of this goal: out-of-pocket costs, direct student costs, and optimization of programs and career services. By controlling out-of-pocket costs, we can maintain stability and transparency for students when it comes to the cost of their education. Efforts are already being made in this area with the launch of Tuition Simplification on 2/26/2024, which reduced catalog tuition rates and strategically modified institutional grants and benefits. Out-of-pocket costs can also be controlled through friendly transfer credit policies, which reduce the number of credits a student may need to complete a degree at UAGC, and increased external scholarship awareness, which offers students opportunities for funding that does not need to be repaid. Direct student costs include those costs that students incur outside of the cost of tuition, such as the cost of learning materials and books. Considerable efforts are being made by the UAGC Learning Resources team, faculty, and Library team to source quality educational materials at minimal cost to our students. Additionally, lowering direct student costs reduces economic disparity and unintended barriers to education that can be created by high and variable fees.
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Finally, program optimization, in collaboration with career services, can support the achievement of our goal by empowering students to maximize the earnings potential of their degree. Aligning programs to market demand and understanding the economic value of a UAGC degree in the job market will ensure we stay knowledgeable about current and future workforce needs. Partnering with UAGC Career Services provides students an opportunity to gain valuable job search support, connect with employers, and empower them to speak confidently about their potential to achieve career aspirations. In essence, the pursuit of enhancing students’ economic return encapsulates the UAGC mission to transform higher education by prioritizing student well-being, fostering economic empowerment, and preparing graduates for meaningful and prosperous careers in their chosen fields. Contributions to this achievement will come from all areas of the institution as we seek to make every dollar count for us and for our students. How will you contribute? Send your thoughts to SuccessTogether@uagc.edu. I would love to hear about the commitment you are making to contribute to the success of our students through the achievement of our critical student goals.
RESOURCEFULL : AN INITIATIVE TO REDUCE RESOURCE EXPENSES AND IMPROVE STUDENT OUTCOMES Lindsay Devine, Senior Director, Learning Resources & Products
It's old news that textbook costs can be a deterrent for students engaging in higher education. The expense can create an additional financial burden, completely discourage a student from taking a course or completing a program, and be priced too high for the actual value they bring to a course. In our efforts to increase students’ economic return on their experience at UAGC and ensure their academic success, the Learning Resources and Products team, in partnership with the Library and Curriculum teams, has launched ResourceFULL, a resource affordability initiative with the goals of optimizing resource management and reducing student expenses for required third-party course
resources. While it’s easy to imagine the benefits of reducing resource expenses, the steps to achieve them, including researching, adopting resources, and revising courses, can be challenging. For this reason, we are employing the following strategies to chip away at these instructional supply costs. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.” -Tanzanian Proverb Leveraging the Library The first and, to date, most successful strategy has been to remove student fees by better leveraging available library resources. Why ask students to purchase a copy of a digital text if it can be available in our library collection? In working with the library team to ensure availability and sufficient student access, we’re reviewing our full booklist for opportunities to move students to a zero-cost version of
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their course resources. When these opportunities are identified, the curriculum team can change the resource link and citation provided in the Canvas classroom; no changes to the curriculum are needed! Adopting Open and Affordable Educational Resources (OER/AER) We are also exploring how to increase Open Educational Resources (OER) and Affordable Educational Resources (AER) resources. Studies have shown that retention rates increase significantly for course sections where OER was used, and withdrawal rates decrease (Griffiths et al., 2020). OER can also be a powerful tool for universities to advance their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, Accessibility, and Justice (DEIBAJ) goals by making education more accessible, relevant, and inclusive (Watson et al., 2023). The learning resources team has adjusted the adoption process to encourage the use of OER and AER materials and to ensure support from library liaisons who can aid Faculty Subject Matter Experts (FSMEs) in research and curation efforts. Next, we will explore opportunities for course marking to indicate that a course is low- or zero-cost (providing students with additional information for their financial planning) and the potential for a grant-sponsored incentive program to encourage FSME to adopt OER. Creating Custom Resources We also support FSMEs in creating custom resources when they can’t find an existing resource or don’t find existing resources to be a good fit. Our in-house Editorial team and proprietary eReader platform, Constellation, provides a unique opportunity for FSMEs to request a custom solution, whether a full- length textbook, OER, or AER content, or a reader to combine existing open resources with new custom content. An AER Reader is currently underway for GEN104, which will include a selection of OER and library readings, as it is important for students in the course to read various materials. The reader will be delivered to students through Constellation for $25 and incorporate faculty-created original content to better introduce and contextualize the readings. It will also include media and an audiobook, which will enhance the student experience for a fraction of an average textbook fee ($90). Progress So Far
Since the initiative began in 2023, 29 required resources have been transitioned to fulfillment via the library, which has removed approximately $124,000 in annual student fees. Currently, 22 percent of UAGC course resources are no-cost to students, and 10 percent are low-cost or AER ($1-50). And these numbers do not yet include the 28 additional courses scheduled to move to no-cost resources by this summer! The Master of Public Health program has made noteworthy strides toward lowering resource expenses.
UAGC Course Resources
22%
10%
68%
No-Cost
Low-Cost (<$50)
Over $50
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Five courses in the program currently use the library or other free or open resources, bringing the program’s average course materials fee down to $53. All Hands on Deck The Learning Resources team is here to support FSMEs in evaluating and procuring the best resources (in quality and price) to meet the needs of courses in development or revision. Along with our ResourceFULL partners, we have made primary progress, but true success will depend on a collaborative effort by all. Let’s work together to empower our students by leveraging quality resources at reasonable prices. Take a peek at the Learning Resources “Menu of Services” for helpful information on how the Learning Resources team can support resource selection during course development. Need assistance finding AER, OER, or exploring other options? Contact Learningresources@uagc.edu, and we will help you start your journey. Exploring alternatives benefits everyone – it helps faculty ensure the best course resources are in place, opens the door for lower student fees, and helps drive the University’s goals around economic return and student success! References Griffiths, R., Mislevy, J., Wang, S., Ball, A., Shear, L., & Desrochers, D. (2020). OER at scale: The academic and economic outcomes of Achieving the Dream’s OER degree initiative. SRI International. https://achievingthedream.org/wp- content/uploads/2022/05/atd_oer_at_scale_academic_economic_outcomes_feb_2020.pdf Watson, C.E, Petrides, L., Karaglani, A., Burns, S., & Sebesta, J. (2023). Leveraging open educational resources to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion: A guide for campus change agents. The American Association of Colleges and Universities. https://www.aacu.org/publication/leveraging-oer-to-advance-dei UAGC TEXTBOOKS RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE Four UAGC custom resources have been recognized for their excellence by the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA). The textbooks used in GEN 499 and EDU 100 were named among the Most Promising New Textbook Award for 2024. The textbooks used in SPE 103 and BUS 311 were among those granted the Textbook Excellence Award, or “Texty,” for 2024. All textbooks are available on the UAGC proprietary eReader platform, Constellation, and the GEN 499, EDU 100, and SPE 103 textbooks were authored by UAGC faculty, with development support from the UAGC Editorial team.
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One Step at a Time: A Roadmap for Problem Solving & Making a Difference
Authored by faculty member Sabrina Mathues, in close collaboration with faculty members Wendy Conaway and Jamie Petrilla, the GEN 499 text is intended to help students understand the cumulative value of their general education coursework. This step-by-step guide helps students identify, understand, and address problems in the world around them, offering strategies and tools that students can use to become problem solvers and change leaders in academic, professional, and community settings.
How Does “Educator” Look on Me? The EDU 100 text was designed by faculty members and authors Newton Miller, Sarah Miller, and Ishonté Allar to introduce students to the journey of becoming an educator—starting with understanding why they are pursuing the field of education. Frequent self-assessments and a downloadable journal encourage students to reflect on their own skills and journal their progress from where they are to where they want to be.
New Traditions in Public Speaking, Second Edition
Faculty member and author Dan Tinianow conceptualized this textbook as a forward-thinking text that would specifically address the challenges of an online speech course. The SPE 103 text provides a complete foundational training in the methods, techniques, practices, and theories of public speaking, with a particular focus on the special conditions associated with studying speech in an online context. The majority of content in this text would apply to any speaking situation, but special “online to traditional” features will point out the differences between online and real-world speaking situations, providing students with simulations and exercises to develop the necessary real-world speaking skills that are more challenging to
learn in an online setting.
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Essentials of Business Law, Second Edition While not written by UAGC faculty, the BUS 311 textbook was developed due to the vision of and key feedback from UAGC faculty. Most legal textbooks are intended for law students and are too long, too detailed, and too high-level for the undergraduate business student. This digital text, originally written by Suzy Rogers of University of Wisconsin River Falls and revised by Gwen Seaquist of Ithaca College, summarizes the basic legal concepts businesspeople need to know to adhere to the law and act ethically in business. The TAA is a professional development and networking organization for textbook and academic authors, and it honors excellence in learning materials.
It hosts these awards annually, and authors and publishers of all sizes are invited to submit titles for consideration. The TAA then evaluates the texts based on pedagogy, content/scholarship, writing, appearance, and design.
2023-2024 UAGC FACULTY EXPERIENCE SURVEY RESULTS Cole McFarren, Associate Director, Academic Technology and Innovation
Each year, the UAGC Faculty Experience Survey informs institutional actions to improve the classroom, build faculty community, and communicate recognition and appreciation of the important work the UAGC faculty body does every day to support UAGC students. Last year’s survey responses impacted changes to faculty compensation, targeting faculty development on learning theory, improving
classroom tools like Signalz, and exploring new platforms. More insight is provided below. The UAGC Academic Experience Office has shared results from this year’s survey with Academic Affairs leadership, UAGC Faculty Council, Faculty Affairs, and other stakeholders to ensure your feedback contributes concretely to the student and faculty experience. Current work related to your feedback includes: • Piloting a refreshed discussion forum format that utilizes Yellowdig, a community-based gamified engagement platform, in a selection of courses starting in February 2024. • To improve the usability of the Signalz tool, which about 50 percent of faculty indicated lower levels of satisfaction with, a refreshed Signalz template library is available to faculty now. • Faculty expressed they would like to see increased interaction with students through live virtual classrooms, and we are excited to share that the Live Learning initiative has been expanded to all General Education courses. • To improve student engagement in courses, we are exploring the use of AI-informed student interventions and recruiting for CHAMPS in partnership with Discourse Analytics.
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• Faculty expressed they would like to see community-oriented activities, and we have recently launched a peer tutoring pilot, which will start in ENG 121. The mission of the Peer Tutoring Program (PTP) is to provide timely, positive, and supportive help to students so they may achieve their academic goals and overcome academic obstacles. We seek to build a community of students supporting students by offering course- and assignment-specific tutoring by a cohort of accomplished student tutors who can relate to the experiences of online students. The PTP is established within a culture of care based on building relationships through 1:1 interaction as a pathway to academic success. • Survey results indicate that the three highest motivating factors for teaching at UAGC are serving at-promise students, honing instructional practice, and being part of a learning community. The UAGC Faculty Community of Practice sessions and synchronous space are aligned with these motivators. We encourage you to attend these monthly sessions. Learn more and register here!
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the many UAGC faculty members who dedicated their time to completing the sixth edition of our annual faculty experience survey. This year’s iteration of the survey received the highest response rate ever since introducing this survey in 2016, with a resounding 42 percent of the faculty body participating. This engagement demonstrates the commitment of the UAGC faculty to our students and institutional mission. FACULTY COUNCIL | CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Cara Metz, Program Chair, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Yvonne Lozano, Assistant Dean, Department of Health Sciences
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Faculty Council had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Gary Packard, Interim Senior Vice Provost of Online Initiatives, at a recent council meeting. During his time with us, Dr. Packard provided insights into the future of UAGC and reinforced the collaborative spirit that UAGC values. He also spoke about his commitment to diversity, faculty wellness, and student success. The faculty council values the information provided to us by our special guests and committees. It
is important for us to report to the faculty what we have learned and how we represent our faculty and our future endeavors. For this reason, we're excited to announce the opportunity for you to be involved in Faculty Council. Faculty council co-chairs Dr. Yvonne Lozano and Dr. Cara Metz are excited to announce a call for nominations for the UAGC Faculty Council and subcommittee representative vacancies. The University of Arizona Global Campus Faculty Council creates a structured, formal process through which the Vice Provost can solicit and receive feedback from the faculty. The goal is to ensure the faculty's collective voice is heard on issues essential to fulfilling the university's mission. Faculty participation and involvement in the Faculty Council significantly impact the success of our academic community. We welcome all nominations beginning March 2024. Associate and Full-time Faculty can self-nominate or nominate a colleague within their designated program. Nominations are due by April 30, and formal elections will be held May 1-15, 2024, to appoint new representatives for a two-year term. All newly elected (incoming) representatives will be formally announced in college meetings by the end of May 2024. Newly elected representatives will begin their terms on July 1, 2024. Why join the UAGC Faculty Council? • Support UAGC in building and promoting existing academic endeavors, • An opportunity to work with colleagues from other departments, • Service to the faculty council is an essential aspect of academic life at UAGC, • The strength of our university relies heavily on the commitment of faculty to act as a community of interdependent members rather than as a body of independent individuals. The Faculty Council structure consists of several subcommittees: • Curriculum and Assessment Steering Committee - supports developing and assessing academic programs that align with the university's mission. • Promotion Advisory Committee - reviews confidential faculty applications for rank promotion. • Doctoral Advisory Committee – provides faculty perspectives to support doctoral culture, student progression, and retention.
Interested? Contact your Assistant Dean to self-nominate or nominate a colleague. Listed below are the current Faculty Council and sub-committee representative vacancies.
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College of Arts and Sciences
Forbes School of Business and Technology® Department of Organizational Studies (1) Full-time faculty -Faculty Council (1) Associate faculty - Curriculum and Assessment Steering Committee Contact: Dr. Katie Thiry Department of Technology Studies (1) Associate faculty-Faculty Council Vacancy Contact Dr. Karen Ivy Department of Professional Studies (1) Full-time faculty -Faculty Council (1) Full-time faculty - Curriculum and Assessment Steering Committee Contact Dr. Jorge Cardenas Department of Advanced Management Studies (1) Associate Faculty - Faculty Council (1) Associate Faculty - Curriculum and Assessment Steering Committee Contact Dr. Charlie Minnick
School of General Studies
Department of Behavioral Sciences (1) Associate faculty - Faculty Council Contact: Dr. Michelle Rosser-Majors Department of Health Sciences (1) Associate faculty - Faculty Council (1) Associate faculty - Curriculum and Assessment Steering Committee Contact: Dr. Yvonne M Lozano Department of Education and Liberal Arts (1) Full-time faculty - Faculty Council (1) Full-time faculty - Curriculum and Assessment Steering Committee Contact: Dr. Denise Maxwell
(1) Full-time faculty – Faculty Council (1) Associate Faculty- Faculty Council Vacancy (1) Associate Faculty- Curriculum and Assessment Steering Committee Vacancy Contact: Dr. Mingzhen Bao
Faculty Council Committee Updates Moving forward, the Associate Faculty Engagement Committee (AFEC) will utilize associate faculty feedback and institutional data to develop a best practices document on how program chairs and full- time faculty can best communicate with and create relationships with associate faculty. To achieve this goal in 2024, the committee has created an Associate Faculty Engagement Survey to learn more about the strengths and opportunities for communication within academic programs. Program chairs and full- time faculty are encouraged to email this survey to their associate faculty. Together, we hope to improve the associate faculty experience at UAGC. All associate faculty are invited to complete this survey.
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Questions? Please contact Cara Metz or Yvonne Lozano.
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
GENERATIVE AI AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: NAVIGATING THE GREY AREAS Alaina Pascarella, Manager, Academic Quality Services
Over the centuries, technological innovations have impacted how we view and engage in the process of teaching and learning and can sometimes leave those in academia feeling as though we are on unsteady ground. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is one such technological advancement where there is uncertainty about its potential to impact, both positively and negatively, how we approach academic writing as a learner and a teacher. Naturally, one of the major concerns
of generative AI usage is how to maintain academic integrity in the classroom when the tool can seemingly compose written work to address classroom prompts. The uncertainty of the impact on academic integrity in the classroom is compounded by a lack of definitive evidence of generative AI usage and calls for us to consider a nuanced approach to generative AI and academic integrity in order to navigate the shades of grey of this new normal: we must balance academic integrity concerns with the need to train students to utilize tools which may impact their future work. What Do We Mean by Generative AI In order to better understand why there are concerns regarding academic integrity and generative AI, we must first briefly explore the evolution of artificial intelligence and generative AI. Previously, when we discussed the concept of artificial intelligence, we were talking about machine learning that could predict patterns in data and make predictions based on that data (Zewe, 2023). We have used this type of artificial intelligence for some time in our Signalz predictors. Demographic and student engagement data was input into a system, which would make predictions about the potential need for intervention by the faculty to help the student be successful in the classroom. Generative AI expands on this machine learning capability, utilizing that same data set to create new data rather than make predictions based on the data. Ultimately, it is a “system … that learns to generate more objects that look like the data it was trained on” (Zewe, 2023, para. 4). Much of what we see of these generative AI tools in academics are large language models, analyzing large amounts of text for patterns and connections between words and phrases and create text responses to prompts based on algorithmic probability of those patterns (Priest, 2024). In other words, it is a highly sophisticated predictive text model which doesn’t just predict the next word in your message but creates the whole message. This is based on the mathematical likelihood that one phrase will follow the next, given how other texts addressed the same topic. The tool also has the ability to improve and modify outputs
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depending on the prompt’s parameters, clarifying questions, and feedback given to the tool by users, making each potential output unique. This ability to create new text can make mundane tasks in the workplace, such as creating formulaic emails, more manageable, but it presents a greater concern in the online classroom, where learning is often demonstrated through writing and should encompass diverse perspectives. This becomes more difficult when text is created using an algorithm. AI Detection Tools As a response to the concern regarding generative AI writing and academic integrity in academic settings, AI detections such as the one within Turnitin or GPTZero were developed to attempt to support faculty in navigating this concern. Much like the generative AI tools, these detection tools utilize algorithms to predict whether or not the words and phrases were likely created by a human being or generative AI. These tools have three major underlying concerns, which makes the use of them potentially problematic: 1. Lack of transparency – While Turnitin employs an algorithm to distinguish between human and AI-generated content, details on its development and training are unclear. Understanding how the algorithm has been trained would provide additional context into how it might address potential bias and how it determines what patterns of phrasing, word usage, etc., indicate generative AI writing versus human writing. This information would allow users to better vet the results of the detection tools before concluding that generative AI has been used inappropriately in the academic setting. Additionally, students cannot access this tool before submitting work, further limiting transparency. The same transparency issues impact our ability to vet other similar AI detection tools. 2. Lack of reliability – Contrary to Turnitin's claim that tools like Grammarly don't affect AI% scores, there have been documented instances that prove otherwise. We support students using such tools for writing improvement and don't believe in penalizing them for it, as it conflicts with our Culture of Care. Additionally, when reviewing the other AI detection tools, such as GPTZero, there is an inconsistency in the results between the different tools. Without the aforementioned transparency regarding the tools’ algorithms, we are unable to determine the level of reliability for ourselves. 3. Potential for bias – A research study performed at Stanford University investigated AI detection tools and noticed that there was a significant likelihood for non-native English writers to be inaccurately identified as generative AI as opposed to native English writers (Myers, 2023). As the algorithm of the detection tool should be identifying irregularities in patterns of language and syntax, an algorithm which does not account for cultural idiosyncrasies in language could potentially misidentify human writing as generative AI. While Turnitin has attempted to mitigate this bias by utilizing more work by non-native English writers in its training database, the lack of transparency does not ensure an equitable approach to detecting generative AI for our students. It is for these reasons that we have opted to turn off the AI detection within Turnitin and are recommending that faculty not utilize other AI detection tools, and we are certainly not the only
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university that has opted to do this. In August 2023, Vanderbilt University outlined similar concerns regarding AI detection tools and their reliability, as well as privacy concerns regarding student data in the use of other detection tools outside of Turnitin (Coley, 2023). A Case Study Recently, I was scrolling through TikTok one evening and came across the video of a student who was being investigated at her institution for an academic integrity violation. Marley Stevens, a junior at the University of North Georgia, received a zero on an assignment prior to her school’s winter break in December and had been referred to the Office of Student Integrity for a hearing after classes resumed in January. Ultimately, the university hearing found her guilty of committing an academic integrity violation and placed her on academic probation until February 2025, among other sanctions (Leoffler, 2024). This was because the Turnitin AI detection score had falsely indicated that her work had used generative AI when she has solely been utilizing Grammarly, a tool recommended by the University of North Georgia and one that we recommend as well to support student writing. This exemplifies the need to provide definitive evidence of inappropriate use of generative AI, which can be difficult given that each output is unique to the user. Back to the Basics When there are no means for definitively proving the inappropriate use of generative AI, how do we support quality academic writing? How do we avoid having a similar incident to the one that Ms. Stevens experienced? To provide a framework to begin to answer these questions, we recognized the need to focus our attention on the basics of what makes good academic writing and created the Artificial Intelligence Checklist for Faculty to provide guidance on what to look for in student’s writing when there is suspected use of generative AI. This checklist shifts our focus from proving whether or not generative AI was used to asking ourselves what it is about the student’s writing that does not meet the rubric, assignment, and/or academic integrity expectations. When we shift our focus, we can support the student by utilizing the following approaches as appropriate: • Focusing feedback on how the student can improve their writing about the topic. • Asking critical thinking questions that would prod the student to move beyond the surface level.
• Providing guidance on proper attribution and interpretation of outside material. • Encouraging students to develop their own academic voice, ideas, and thoughts.
By approaching the issues in writing rather than whether or not generative AI produced the text, we can guide the student towards ethically using generative AI tools to support rather than replace their own writing. There are a great many unknowns with the technological advancements in generative AI, and we understand the frustration and fear that accompany any potentially disruptive force in academia. Moving beyond the black-and-white approach to academic integrity to embrace those shades of grey will help us better guide students toward the ethical use of generative AI.
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References Coley, M. (2023). Guidance on AI detection and why we’re disabling Turnitin’s AI detector. https://www.vanderbilt.edu/brightspace/2023/08/16/guidance-on-ai-detection-and-why-were- disabling-turnitins-ai-detector/ Leoffler, K. (2024). Georgia student used Grammarly, now she is on academic probation. Fox 5 Atlanta. https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/grammarly-georgia-college-student-academic-probation- plagiarism-allegations Myers, A. (2023). AI detectors biased against non-native English writers [blog]. Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence Stanford University. https://hai.stanford.edu/news/ai-detectors-biased- against-non-native-english-writers Priest, M. (2024). Large language models explained [blog]. Boost AI. Retrieved on February 29, 2024 from https://boost.ai/blog/llms-large-language-models/ Zewe, A. (2023). Explained: Generative AI [blog]. MIT News. https://news.mit.edu/2023/explained- generative-ai-1109 LEADING THE CHARGE TOWARD AI LITERACY Jennifer Dunn, Associate Faculty | School of General Studies, Curriculum Writing Consultant | Learning Support, and Karin Mente, Outreach Librarian, Learning Support The toothpaste is out of the tube: Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is here to stay and is rapidly transforming the academic and professional world. For some faculty, artificial intelligence is an opportunity for students and instructors alike to boost productivity in scholarly pursuits. Others fear that students will bypass the development of their writing, research, and critical thinking skills by using these tools in place of their own processes and learning (Slimi & Carballido, 2023). Generative AI complicates academic integrity issues and can facilitate outright academic dishonesty. Change can be uncomfortable, and AI tools challenge traditional writing and research methodologies. However, if we guide students in using these tools ethically and effectively, we can help them navigate this dynamic academic and professional environment. Leading the Charge As student supporters, we can achieve more by fostering AI literacy than advising against using these tools altogether. Acknowledging the use of artificial intelligence demonstrates familiarity with the technologies students may be already using for their academic work.
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We can help students to think of AI as a peer. While students might bounce ideas off a friend, gain feedback on their written work, or learn a concept from a fellow student or tutor, they should not use a peer’s words in place of their own. Similarly, AI-generated words, sources, and ideas should not be substituted for a student’s original work. When Wikipedia launched in 2001, it quickly gained popularity as an easy and free resource for information. Even today, teachers and librarians educate students about why Wikipedia is not considered an acceptable source for academic research. However, if students know a few ground rules for using the resource, Wikipedia can be a great jumping-off point to begin exploring a research topic. The same can be true with AI. Just like Wikipedia, there are a few ground rules we can teach students when approaching AI for research and writing: • Rule #1: Verify everything you read and the sources you find using AI tools. • Rule #2: Never cite AI as a source in an academic work. • Rule #3: Disclose the use of generative AI tools in your paper. • Rule #4: Never copy and paste AI-generated work into an academic paper. Guiding Students The Learning Support team offers several resources to guide students in the ethical use of artificial intelligence for academic work. The Using AI for Academic Writing and Research tipsheet presents a visual snapshot of the overall “Do’s and Don’ts” of using these tools for academic assignments. To guide students in effectively using generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, the Using Generative AI for Research and Writing webpage provides textual guidelines for crafting questions and disclosing the use of these specific tools. Faculty can post links to these resources using the in-course announcement Effective & Acceptable Use of AI in Academic Writing and Research . The UAGC Library Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Guide provides information on the different forms of artificial intelligence and how AI can be ethically used to support the research process. There are a few ways we can encourage students to use AI tools to support their academic written and researched assignments: • Brainstorming and overcoming writer's block
• Exploring topics, subtopics, and issues for a paper or research • Generating keywords on a topic to use in the library databases • Getting writing feedback (organizing and developing ideas, critiquing logic, etc.) • Checking grammar, writing clarity, and diction • Formatting assignments in APA style
In the curriculum, we can encourage the active use of these tools to foster critical thinking and decision- making skills instead of passively cutting and pasting content. For academic writing, ChatGPT or Claude could help students overcome writer’s block by getting them started brainstorming topic ideas or exploring multiple views on an issue. While the AI tool may provide topics and issues, the student still must evaluate the information and ideas presented to determine which path to pursue further in
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