April 2023 QEP Update

Outreach

• DFI Core Team set up a series of three virtual information sessions on the website to RSVP on Eventbrite to recruit learners into four, five-week test pilot microcredentials that will launch in June (Introduction to Computing, Work Processing, Presentation Graphics, Spreadsheets. Also included in the launch is the new Microcredential that is now out of pilot: Web Builder. 
• Updates were made to the website, including building out an Innovation page.
• Linda Smarzik, Karina Hernandez, and Ann Pamela Saez met with the following for outreach and collaboration: Perry Crafton,Dean of Arts and Digital Media; Giao Phan, Dean of Public and Social Services; Grant Potts, Interim Dean of Liberal Arts, Humanities and Communications; DeShaunta Stuart, Dean of Liberal Arts, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Brandon Whatley, Dean of Design, Manufacturing, Construction, & Applied Technology. Meetings have been set with Deans: Nina Almasy and Lorlie Ellis, Dean of Business for May. In addition, Linda, Karina, and Pamela met with Mary Kohls, Chair of Computer Science and Information Technology and Linnea Fletcher, Chair of Biotechnology. 
• A One-Pager/Executive Brief is in the process of being created for external communication with potential industry partners. 
• A Newsletter, The Sparkis in the process of being created for internal and external communication purposes, and the first edition will be released May 15th. 

Microcredentials 

• Three new microcredentials have been uploaded into BrightSpace Leap (Intro to Computers & Internet Search, Word Processing, and Presentation Software) and are ready to pilot in Summer, 2023. 
• The DFI Core Team has made significant refinements to the Microcredential – Web Builder, based on substantial survey and focus group feedback from learners in the test pilots. Significant refinements were also made to the student experience for all microcredentials on the BrightSpace Leap platform.
• DFI Core Team has collaborated with the Teaching and Learning Excellence Division (TLED) to test pilot Suitable – an application that will award Microcredential badges to students. The pilot included designing and uploading badges, providing information for each badge to TLED, testing the application, and meeting with Matthew Evins, Sara Schulz, and Angela Hersch (Suitable) for questions. Once the process is complete, ACC will be able to award Digital Badges to its first five approved microcredentials: Introduction to Computing, Work Processing, Presentation Graphics, Spreadsheets, and Web Builder. It is estimated in June, 57 badges will be awarded to learners who have completed Web Builder with an 80 or above. 
• DFI Core Team participated in a PackBack demonstration (instructional AI) which led to meeting with a PackBack representative to begin the process of utilizing the application within the microcredentials. 
• DFI Core team in collaboration with Student Affairs and TLED participated in a workshop with Apple at the Apple Campus to review innovations such as Augmented Reality. 
• Linda Smarzik participated in an Honor Education demonstration and review.
• Tim Self organized a meeting with Signal Vine to ascertain whether the application has potential for collecting data.
• DFI Core Team continued to refine the HR process for hiring digital navigators. 

Data

• A data plan has been revised and vetted through several groups (Data Subcommittee, Implementation Committee, DFI Core Team, to gather data within the college. At this time, three surveys will be conducted for students (Fall, 2023), Department Chairs (Summer, 2023), and Faculty (Summer, 2023). In addition, two surveys will be inserted into each Microcredential, one at the beginning and one at the end to gather baseline data from students about perceptions about their digital skill set. 
• Met with several students to obtain feedback for the Web Builder microcredential.