November 2, 2023

Present

Raymond Brennan, James Capurso, Juan Diaz, Brandon Gainer, Nazy Galoyan, David Garrido, Pam Grey, Jory Hadsell, Alex Harrell, Shagun Kaur, Sridevi Lakshmanan, Christopher Li (Student Representative), Sharon Luciw, Kevin Metcalf, Gabriela Nocito, Cheryl Owiesny, Mary Pape (Tri-chair), Thomas Ray, Dennis Shannakian (Tri-chair), Marisa Spatafore (Tri-chair), Chelsey Taniguchi (Notes)

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Welcome and Introductions

Christopher Li and Kevin Metcalf reintroduced themselves.

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Approval of Minutes

The October Minutes were approved with minor edits.

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Website Improvements

Chat Cat

Since its implementation, Chat Cat has received a total of 157,000 messages. Before this chatbot, the Office of Communications was manually answering questions. They received about 1,500 monthly messages from students. Luckily, Chat Cat has minimized this number. 

The ability to search the De Anza website has also been integrated into Chat Cat, which means that it can search the website for information it doesn’t know. Since the integration, users are able to navigate the website much faster (Diaz). 

Chat Cat was started during the early stages of COVID. Since then it has been training itself to a degree, but its outcomes are always reviewed by the Web Team. Diaz also integrated funnelback seach. (Harrell)

Spatafore asks if the mascot should be named – much like the Roary the Mountain Lion mascot. (Spatafore)

Chat Cat also has a scraper implemented, so it can scrape the website for information and then build answers based off its research. (Diaz)

Strategic Planning

The phased implementation of the Strategic Planning initiatives is going well. After receiving feedback during Session 1, the Web Team has put the submitted comments on the website in order celebrate ongoing work. Work is also being celebrated through compliment cards, which were developped by the Office of Communications. The online submission form was created by the Web Team. Spatafore asks those present to submit comments and to bring the submission form to DASG so they can compliment professors. (Spatafore) 

Webpages

Shannakian thanked Brandon Bailey from the Web Team for helping with a webpage update. Since summer 2021, the college has been offering free Microsoft accounts to all students. Prior to this, students could only receive these accounts if they requested a student email. Bailey published this update and also linked it from student tech support page (Shannakian).

The Office of Communications will promote the new student parent page on social media. (spatafore)

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Tech Plan Updates

Goal	Description	Accomplishments
Goal 1: Increase Overall Student Access to Technology for Learning and Services	Includes but not limited to the provision of laptops for students, and other devices as necessary; software and software as a service (SAAS) as appropriate, both required and that would enhance the student experience; continuous technical improvement of communications resources including the website, app and portal; and classroom equipment to support student learning and engagement in evolving modalities, with classroom needs documented through updated classroom standards, program review and the Facilities Condition Assessment	All students now have access to Microsoft 365 automatically (Shannakian) Brandon Bailey and Enrollment Services made page for student parents (Galoyan) Expansion of students utilizing the CVC-OEI Exchange at De Anza through prerequisite clearance (Galoyan)
Goal 2: Increase and Enhance Faculty and Staff Professional Development and Training	Includes but not limited to robust training and related communication about the trainings based on faculty and classified professional feedback, including to holistically improve online pedagogy and pedagogy in the use of technology tools, including in evolving modalities and accessibility training	One initial training on accessibility and Pope Tech (Nocito) New Pronto training this month and training will become regular series (Capurso)
Goal 3: Continue Work to Ensure Accessibility	Includes but not limited to implementation of SAAS to support an equitable teaching and learning environment; researching strategies and emerging technologies and implementing as appropriate; ongoing ensuring of accessibility in instructional and communications tools	New Pronto training series (Capurso and Nocito) Received specific user feedback about navigating MyPortal, so ETS is working on adding keyboard navigation for blind users (Hadsell)
Goal 4: Enhance Communication and Collaboration with ETS to Achieve Evolving Priority College Objectives	Strategy to include monthly small-group meetings of Tech Committee and ETS leadership, with updates as requested, on college-identified priorities including but not limited to Ubiquitous, functioning Wi-Fi, including on Athletics fields and in parking lots Upgraded technology for employees, including shorter personal technology refresh cycle of three years, as appropriate Improving communication, including of system and software availability and changes Development and support of peripheral loan program to address additional needs, such as doc cams, iPads for whiteboards, etc. College-identified projects that Directly affect student success or the student experience, particularly timely requests via expert administrators Address regulatory issues	Wi-Fi expansion project has led to good meetings between ETS and De Anza (Hadsell)

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Standing Updates

Accessibility

• New Pronto training series (Capurso and Nocito)
• Received specific user feedback about navigating MyPortal, so ETS is working on adding keyboard navigation for blind users (Hadsell)

Banner student

• SSB9 (self service banner 9) migration from 8 to 9 for faculty pages. An email was sent to Academic Senate regarding the migration and changes will also be presented to Academic Senate. Feedback will be brought back to ETS, and the migration will not go live until faculty signs off. Galoyan asks for participation of faculty (Galoyan)
• ETS and the district are working with Elucien to implement Elucien Experience (the feature that MyPortal is based on). ETS is exploring options to go back to Elucien Experience. Eventually, everyone will be asked to be involved in testing Elucien Experience (Galoyan)
• Harrell adds that the college will have less control over how the portal will operate once we go back to Elucien, since it is not our portal (Harrell)

ETS

• Hadsell thanks Shannakian and DASG for letting ETS visit DASG for direct student feedback about WiFi, printing, and more. (Hadsell)
• ETS has identified Fresh Service as the new replacement for the KACE system. It will be implemented between winter and summer. With the previous KACE system, there were limitations with delegating access to others for support; these barriers will be knocked down. The new system will be more efficient, include self service, become modern and more organized, include work flows, and will likely replace the ETS project request form as well. It is very user friendly (Hadsell)
• The review of BP and AP 3720 board policy, admin procedures and student network use policy have been read a second time at the Chanchellor's Advisory Council. FA leadership has also met with ETS about it. The board policy will be going forward in December or January (Hadsell)
• Starting in winter, CVC-OEI students will be accepted and prerequisites will be cleared (Galoyan)
• Pape asks about no cost textbooks and expanding server capability. Metcalf responds that with the way virtual desktops work, it would take a large percentage of budget measure G to expand the server (Metcalf and Pape)
• Kaur states it would be nice to get more faculty training courses on the CVC OEI exchange.  Galoyan responds that if they are fully online they are already offered to students, but agrees not many faculty know about them (Galoyan and Kaur)
• Kaur also adds that another pain point is about Bookstore processes and book requisitions. She describes how these processes do not work and do not support OER. She also notes it is going through Academic Senate. Grey adds that a group can form to meet with Follett about he Bookstore. Owiesny responds that she is appalled that the Bookstore hours are so limited. Nocito adds that Online Education can try to manage textbook adoptions through Canvas (Grey, Kaur, Nocito and Owiesny)

ETS project scheduling

• Grey adds that there are no new updates, but reminds the group that they meet every other week. Project scheduling goes to Prioritization Committee (Grey)

Online Education

• Nocito adds that Online Education met with Academic Senate to gather ideas. Capurso and Nocito have also written mission statements and objectives for the future Online Education committee. Discussions about the committee are ongoing and when they are finished, it will be brought to Academic Senate for approval. The planned time for the launch is 2024, but it will depend on Academic Senate discussions and faculty participation (Nocito)