Chaparral 2022-2023: 31.5 Letter from the Editor

Letter from the Editor

by Joanna Parypinski

This month, Chaparral is celebrating innovation at GCC!

There have been many efforts toward innovation in recent times—for fairly obvious reasons. We had to adapt the way we teach and engage with students quite abruptly during the pandemic. Now, with the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT, we are innovating new and creative ways to ensure learning and promote original student work. The last few years have been an incredibly tumultuous time in education, and we’ll likely see even more changes come our way as pandemic becomes endemic, as remote and online education become more established and desirable options alongside in-person learning, as new technologies become more sophisticated, and as we find new ways to meet students where they are.

With this in mind, we have a number of articles for you discussing the various innovative approaches to education being taken at GCC. In this issue, you’ll find:

• The Guild’s use of technology in Faculty United
• A Senate Update on the transformational effects of automation and AI
• Ways that Garfield is sustaining innovation for adult education
• Creative ways to utilize AI tools in Adjunct Junction
• Ways for Classified Staff to innovate in CSEA Connection
• Innovative health programs and challenges with OUR Wellness
• A spotlight on this semester’s Innovation Expo
• Building Bridges across campus
• And, of course, your milestones and what you’ve been reading!

I hope these articles provide ideas, inspiration, and further discussion on the exciting ways we are all innovating during these challenging times, and how we can continue to innovate to make our institution even more effective in the educational experience offered to our students.

Happy reading,

Joanna Parypinski
Chaparral Editor-in-Chief