Individuals at NISOD member colleges can register for this event by logging in or creating an account.
Total Credits: 0.1 CEUs
Students need help at 11 p.m., not just between 9 and 5. However, research shows that tutoring use is low, time is a barrier, and online mathematics courses show higher failure and withdrawal rates than face-to-face sections. This hands-on webinar will show how to extend 24/7 support without lowering standards. A faculty and student team co-designed an AI teaching assistant for pre-calculus with three modes that adapt to learner needs: express, standard, and full scaffold. Attendees will see the assistant in action through a live demonstration with quick polls, then try it with real mathematics problems on their own device. Using a one-page rubric, they will rate accuracy, scaffolding quality, and student-affirming language. This webinar also covers academic integrity guardrails, clear syllabus language for appropriate use, and a simple, privacy-aware intake process for typed or photo problems. Participants leave with ready-to-use templates they can apply immediately in one unit of a gateway mathematics course. This presentation is based on my personal philosophy: start small, measure what matters, improve, and use existing platforms to pilot responsibly and gather evidence. The webinar is ideal for faculty ready to pilot with care, document results, and make data-informed decisions about scaling.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Note: Webinars are only available to individuals at NISOD member colleges.
Certificate and CEUs for WebinarsLearners will have the option to earn a certificate of attendance or a certificate with Continuing Education Units (CEU) upon completion of the webinar. To earn a certificate with CEUs, the learner must successfully pass the learning assessment with a score of 80% or higher. All learners must complete the post-event evaluation to earn credentials.
The duration of this webinar is one hour, which is equal to 0.1 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
Dr. April Crenshaw is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Chattanooga State Community College with 21 years of combined teaching experience in higher education and K–12. She advances access by integrating equity principles into course design and advocating for policies that remove barriers for historically marginalized groups. Her work has earned national recognition, including the AMATYC Teaching Excellence Award (2023) and the D2L Excellence Award (2024). She facilitates faculty professional development with ACUE’s Effective Teaching Practices and Fostering a Culture of Belonging courses and presents regularly at AMATYC, AAC&U, The Teaching Professor, and the Open Education Conference. Her recent publication, "Redefining Support in Online Learning: The Benefits of Embedded Learning Assistants" (NISOD, 2024), reflects this applied focus on equitable and usable supports.
LeAnders Burns is a dynamic higher education leader with more than 20 years of experience in the community college setting. Burns focuses on student success and faculty development, with a track record of leading organizational change. Burns holds an MBA and serves as Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Chattanooga State Community College. In this role, Burns partners with faculty to strengthen instruction through course redesign and inclusive, evidence-based teaching. Burns also supports the thoughtful use of AI when it improves learning and fits the course context.
Since 2011, Burns has taught First-Year Experience courses as an adjunct instructor, which keeps the work closely connected to students' lived experience. With prior leadership roles in student support services, assessment, testing, and enrollment operations, Burns is known for clear, data-informed decision-making. Colleagues value Burns’s ability to bring departments together and move improvement efforts forward.
David Escalante is an engineering student at Chattanooga State Community College with a growing interest in backend systems development. He focuses on building and implementing APIs in Python and draws on prior experience with electrical systems in industrial and manufacturing settings. That work led him to pursue a degree in electrical engineering.
In the Fall 2025 semester, David enrolled in Dr. April Crenshaw’s Precalculus Algebra course, where he earned the highest average and was introduced to her AI Learning Assistant. After spending time with the tool, he shared practical suggestions that strengthened its support for students, which became the starting point for their collaboration.
