The Higher EdTech Podcast

Times are changing fast! Some things are only bits we can guess at, and others are things we can plan for. We're looking at some future predictions and plans as we step into our summer break for the last episode of the season. Listen in for some ideas about how to think about tech and prepare for the fall without overwhelming ourselves. Show notes: www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com  

What happens when there's a cybersecurity breach in your LMS? Is there anything the average faculty or staff can do when it happens? Brent & Tim discuss it all in the wake of cybersecurity breakdowns across academia. Show Notes: www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com  

In the last episode we talked about some of the possibilities of gamification in the world of AI , but a lot of people aren't aware that you can build a lot of these ideas with some vibe coding. Vibe coding is a term that picked up some steam last year, but not everybody is aware of it or what it can mean for them in the classroom. Tim and Brent look at what it is, some ideas on what you might be...

As AI starts to make a lot of complicated coding a lot easier, Tim & Brent look at the possibilities of custom-building fully gamified classrooms and what it might look like. Tune in for some big-concept talks around ways to potentially convert dry and traditional course structuring into engaging platforms with gaming mechanics embedded in. Show notes at www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com  

You may have heard that you need to be in compliance with Title II ADA regulations by April 24, but it's not as straighforward NOR as overwhelming as it might seem at first glance. Tim & Brent go over the timing, the expectations, and some tips to get you on your way toward better compliance. Show notes: www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com  

Nick Wilkening, Irvine Valley College's Director of Technology Services, returns for his annual updates on what's happening with Technology Services at IVC. Whether you're at IVC or listening in from another institution, it's always worth hearing what's happening and how things work from the tech team on campus. Nick shares insights on organizational restructuring, changes to telephone services to...

Rather than using unreliable AI Detectors, consider using a tool that helps visualize and review the writing process to help your students understand what's happening in their writing. Tim & Brent talk about some of the most popular choices out there and break down the differences between these tools. Show notes at www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com  

Fake students are a frustrating problem that a lot of teachers have to deal with, especially in online classes, but don't get a lot of support on how to do so. Tim & Brent break down some of the issues and offer some suggestions on recognizing and dealing with them.  Show notes: www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com  

Tim and Brent sit down with Tricia Bertram Gallant to talk about ideas around Academic Integrity as it goes through a new round of concerns and frustrations in the age of AI. Listen in as Dr. Bertram Gallant shares philosophical and practical approaches to dealing with the problems we're all facing.  For those at IVC, this episode serves as a launching point for our AI Task Force Spring 2026 book...

To kick of 2026, we sit down with Irvine Valley College's Vice President of Instruction, Rick Miranda to talk about approaching the conversation around Agentic AI and his broader vision for tech in the future of higher education.  We often talk about the teacher's perspective, but today we get to dig into the thinking of administration. Tune in to think about alternative approaches to these tricky...

If you've been hearing about NotebookLM, but haven't explored what it has to offer, Tim & Brent discuss what it is, how it's different than other AI Chatbots, and some ideas on how you can use it in your classrooms and institutions.  There's a lot to explore here, so listen in and then crack open your own account to see if NotebookLM is a fit for you. Shownotes at www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com  

Every year Tim and Brent dig into some possible gifts for the techie teacher in your life. Whether you're looking to treat yourself, or just can't find something that will make the teacher in your life a little happier, we've got some ideas for you to check out. Listen in to hear the suggestions and thoughts about how teachers might use them. Show notes: www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com  

Companies like Google, Microsoft, Canvas, and many more have positioned themselves as solutions to education problems, but they're making very few moves to protect what we know about the learning process? It wouldn't be hard for them to make things work in much more pedagogically sound ways, but they seem to be uninterested in doing much beyond the status quo. In this episode, Tim and Brent discus...

Millions of people, including teachers and students, were affected by the recent outage of AWS as it took almost all EdTech, including Canvas, out of commission. While we may not collectively learn not to put all of our eggs in one basket, we can individually prepare ourselves for when this (inevitably) happens again. Listen in for ideas on how to deal with tech outages. Show Notes: www. TheHigher...

It's been a while since we've looked at Zoom updates, and there have been a LOT recently! If you've gotten into a rut with the ways you use Zoom, listen in to hear some of the new features that might be useful for you and your students or colleagues! Show notes: www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com  

Agentic AI is coming hard-baked into browsers, and it's absolutely frictionless to have it complete homework. Brent & Tim discuss Google's (NOT paused) Homework Helper and Perplexity's Comet browser as examples of ways AI companies are proactively dismantling the learning process while claiming to support students.  This is a bit of a dark one, but we've got to discuss these things. Show notes: ww...

There are a lot of initiatives happening in California and the California Community Colleges have cannonballed into the pool with summits, initiatives, and partnerships all over the place. Tim & Brent discuss the most recent announcements and what they might mean for faculty, staff, and admin up and down the state. Show notes at www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com  

Tim and Brent zoom out a bit to look at some of the things you might consider when making a transition. Tim shares some of his approaches to moving into management and the areas he had to consider as he made the change, and the parallels to teaching new classes or working with new groups of students. Show notes: www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com  

Group assignments and peer reviews great, but it's not always clear how to get things going on a digital platform. What are the options to make useful peer reviews in Canvas? We're looking into it in this episode of the HigherEdTech Podcast! Show Notes: www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com  

What does it mean for OpenAI to embed their AI right into Canvas? We're discussing the implications and the questions that came up when this announcement dropped - right during most teachers' summer break.  Show notes: www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com  

In the season 6 finale, Brent and Tim provide a rapid-fire tour of 12 tech tools available at IVC that faculty can explore during summer break. This practical episode highlights vetted resources that enhance course design, streamline feedback, improve accessibility, and create more engaging student experiences—all without additional cost. Though focused on IVC's available tools, the hosts encourag...

In this episode, Brent and Tim share practical strategies for preparing for fall semester while finishing up spring courses. They discuss valuable ideas including documenting course notes, creating AI literacy assignments, developing instructional videos, improving group projects, using student feedback, refining rubrics, and building flexible teaching modules. These approaches can help instructor...

Tim and Brent sit down with Eric Lavin at Playlab.ai to talk about what Playlab is, how it can help educators, and the value of using AI to customize your work.  Show notes at www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com  

Tim & Brent went down to San Diego to check out the AI Show @ ASU+GSV ! Check out just a small portion of what was happening and how the show focused on helping educators beyond the hype cycles and into the practicalities of understanding AI in education. Show notes: www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com  

Group Assignments are great, but there can be a lot of confusion on setting things up in the LMS. We're breaking down the differences between Group Assignments, Group Discussions, Assignments for Groups, and all the other confusingly similarly named ways to consolidate student work on Canvas. Show notes: www. TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com