Reflecting on the previous year’s objectives, this cycle represents a transition from building stable systems to making learning visibly interactive.
My focus has shifted toward designing spaces where students actively think, respond, and collaborate—supported by technology, consistency, and shared departmental vision.
Peer observations, committee work, and collaborative projects all contributed to refining this balance between structure and curiosity.
Laboratory Video Library Expansion
Last Year’s Plan:
The initial goal was to produce accessible, captioned lab videos for CHEM V104 to help students—particularly those with hearing or language barriers—preview procedures and key techniques.
Progress:
By Summer 2025, the full V104 video series was completed in collaboration with Antonia Flores.
Each video includes synchronized captions, clear narration, and a consistent four-part structure (materials, steps, cleanup, safety).
The series was published on both Canvas Studio and the department’s YouTube channel and is now used across multiple sections.
Feedback highlighted reduced pre-lab anxiety and improved procedural accuracy, especially among ESL and hearing-impaired students.
Future Plans:
The next step is to expand the model to CHEM V101 and V20, producing one new recording per week in Spring 2026.
With support from the Distance Education Advisory Group (DEAG), I plan to refine caption timing, enhance audio clarity, and test AI-assisted transcription tools to strengthen accessibility and efficiency.
CHEM V101 Lab Manual Renewal
Last Year’s Plan:
Develop comprehensive documentation for each experiment with standardized structure and layout.
Progress:
During Summer 2025, the entire CHEM V101 manual (15 labs) was rewritten with unified formatting, simplified background text, numbered procedures, and redesigned data tables.
After classroom deployment in Fall 2025, a few cross-reference and numbering errors surfaced, prompting a full-department review.
To maintain transparency, I shared editable files, rollback options, and invited feedback from all V101 instructors.
Future Plans:
The next revision cycle will focus on quality control and collaboration.
I will implement version tracking, automated cross-reference checks, and a peer-review workflow to ensure accuracy and consistency.
This process will establish a sustainable model for future lab manual development.
Student Engagement and Classroom Practice
Context:
Peer evaluators noted strong clarity and visuals but recommended more visible student reasoning and broader participation.
Progress:
Based on that feedback, I incorporated Think-Pair-Share moments, clicker warm-ups, document-camera showcases of student work, and short live demonstrations.
I also began consciously stepping away from the tablet to circulate through the room and give longer wait times after questions.
These adjustments made the classroom rhythm more conversational without losing structure or clarity.
Future Plans:
Next year, I plan to formalize engagement checkpoints within each lecture—brief structured pauses for group reasoning or prediction—and track participation data over the semester.
The goal is to maintain stability while inviting spontaneous curiosity and collective problem-solving.
Professional Service and Departmental Collaboration
Progress:
This year broadened my participation beyond the classroom.
I co-authored the new Associate in Science in Chemistry degree proposal (approved April 2025), served on the Distance Education Advisory Group, and led several departmental initiatives such as the faculty introduction bulletin board and the linked lecture–lab Canvas coordination for CHEM V104.
Each project emphasized design consistency, accessibility, and collaboration across teams.
Future Plans:
I plan to deepen involvement in AI and accessibility initiatives, potentially pursuing the DE Faculty Liaison role to bridge classroom practices with campus-wide DE policy.
My aim is to represent the STEM perspective in discussions about AI ethics, digital equity, and instructional design.
Pedagogical Reflection and Future Vision
This year’s reflection integrated feedback, philosophy, and practice into a continuous design cycle.
My teaching philosophy evolved from stability and access toward intentional curiosity and visible reasoning.
Technology reached a steady equilibrium, enabling exploration of new tools without losing reliability.
Methodology matured from efficiency toward active co-reasoning in class.
Next year, I aim to expand these ideas through small discussion checkpoints, AI-assisted feedback systems, and documentation of student interaction patterns.
Reflection is no longer a final step—it has become an embedded process that continuously informs design, technology, and pedagogy.
Implementation Outlook – Winter 2025 → Spring 2026
Building on this year’s progress, the upcoming semester will focus on piloting new tools and strategies that promote interaction, experimentation, and data-driven reflection.
- Plickers (Interactive Response System)
Plickers enables students to answer questions by holding up QR-coded cards, giving instant formative feedback without requiring devices.
During Winter 2025, I plan to develop a question bank aligned with core lecture concepts and pre-assign student codes.
In Spring 2026, Plickers will be integrated into lecture warm-ups and comprehension checks to strengthen real-time engagement. - Chemical Demonstrations and Lab Integration
Following committee suggestions and Joe’s mentorship, I obtained Chemical Demonstrations (Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, Vols 2–3).
Over the winter break, I will study the volumes to identify demonstrations suitable for CHEM V104 and V20, coordinate with lab staff for material preparation and safety planning, and pilot selected demos in Spring lectures.
This initiative extends the year’s theme of making learning visible through tangible, inquiry-based experiences. - MathLabs Platform Testing
To reinforce quantitative reasoning in introductory chemistry, I will explore the MathLabs simulation environment during the break.
The pilot will target stoichiometry and kinetics modules, using visual and data-manipulation tasks to link mathematical reasoning with experimental intuition. - PlayLab AI and DEAG Tools
As part of my ongoing DEAG involvement, I plan to experiment with PlayLab AI and related prompt-based tutoring tools.
The objective is to adapt these platforms for chemistry—creating structured pre-lab prompts, guided error-analysis exercises, and AI-assisted feedback systems consistent with academic-integrity standards.
Results from these pilots will inform both departmental practice and future DEAG discussions on ethical, transparent AI use in STEM instruction.
Year 3 represents a quiet but pivotal shift—from clarity of structure to clarity through interaction.
Each improvement—video design, lab documentation, Canvas architecture, or committee service—shares one principle: structure creates the freedom for curiosity.
The upcoming implementations aim to extend that principle further, testing how new tools and demonstrations can make participation even more spontaneous, accessible, and reflective.
As I move forward, my goal is to sustain that equilibrium—where stability remains the foundation, and engagement becomes the measure of growth.