Meeting & Agendas

Lisa: Many Academic Departments want to leave the Artificial Intelligence (AI) usage open, rather than restrictive. Lisa shared a PDF with the committee of the experiences she’s experienced as a professor with AI. She is able to spot plagiarism so she as a professor would like for students to find their voice in writing. She would also like to be a mentor for other faculty members if needed. Jim: Agree with consistency ACC District wide Suzanne: Place the responsibility on faculty to determine how AI can be used by students. Angela: Determine what is permitted when using AI, instead of what is not permitted in syllabuses. Tamez: Research about AI does not need a uniform stance on it but it should depend on the professor. North region deans will continue to meet and polish the Student Standards of Conduct. Once complete, we will share with ACC legal and others as needed. Mervin: On 2/19/2024, Dean Jones emailed Dr. Gaye Lynn Scott regarding ACC’s stance on AI or ChatGPT. She shared the following link which demonstrates the work from a faculty work group on these topics: Artificial Intelligence Draft Policies | Institutional Effectiveness and Grant Development | Austin Community College District

Mervin: Provided committee an overview of expectations of the new free tuition initiative. Three years free tuition for Associates Degrees and five years for ACC Bachelor's degrees. Myles: Shared information from a meeting with Dr. Russell-Lowery and also expressed concerns about limited staffing and support if enrollment numbers increase tremendously. Eileen: Based on experience, she believes ACC has the bandwidth to support growth and can provide support to students as needed. Also concerned about how ACC will respond to students who are unsuccessful academically. Mervin: Points out that Dr. Russell-Lowery does not want any new policies to be a roadblock for students. Our existing policies should be sufficient in supporting students who receive free tuition. Lisa: States when she served as an Academic Advisor, students could pay additional funding if retaking the class after the 3rd time. Nina: Expressed how students proceed who are benefiting from Capital Idea (another state funded program for students who qualify). She is proud to say, free does not equal low performance or persistence. Mervin: We will need to become much more intentional about how we support our students. Student Affairs are reviewing our strategies and best practices in serving our students. Myles: States he has been involved with rehabilitation of Student Government. The leaders of this group can deliver the message to their peers about taking advantage of various services. Troy: States in concert with Student Life is ACC Promise is being led by Dr. Reinhart.

Mervin: Provides an overview of CARES and how ACC Behavioral Intervention Teams offer support to students. More training needed for faculty and staff members to become comfortable with reporting various cases. Tamez: Provided updates on the new structure for CARES and newly hired Case Manager (one for now and another on board by Fall 2024). She explained how we work in concert with Campus Police, Compliance, Faculty, and Clinical Counseling to ensure we have a realistic safety plan in place to support students. Suzanne: Concerns about disclosing provide information beyond what students want to share. Lisa: Explained that a colleague helped her with understanding the importance of reporting CARES referrals instead of maintaining student’s “privacy”. Nina: Can the CARES team help close the loop with the person submitting the CARES referral. Faculty members continue to worry about their students if they are uncertain about the support the student is receiving. Mervin: Shared best practices when receiving CARES referrals. Additionally, shared that Student Affairs Deans are committed to providing confirmation of receipt to reporters of such incidents. Jim: Explained that only Clinical Counselors have the responsibility of confidentiality. In other words, it is better to disclose information as a mandated reporter than to not report and have regrets of not doing so.

Committee conducted introductions again for a guest attendee from Clery Davion Ayabarreno.

Thank everyone for their participation and time.

Meeting Adjourned: 12:08 pm

Next Meeting Date: March 8, 2024

Time: 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Location: Zoom