News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NR-07-08-26-Axim
July 8, 2026

COC Receives Axim Funding to Launch AI4TL Institute

College of the Canyons has received $779,000 in funding from Axim Collaborative—a nonprofit that invests in teaching and learning innovation at broad-access institutions—to create the AI for Teaching and Learning Institute (AI4TL Institute).

The six-month, cohort-based virtual program is designed to help community colleges and broad-access institutions address generative AI in teaching and learning.

The AI4TL Institute aims to help institutions move beyond isolated experimentation with AI and toward coherent, institution-wide strategies that support student success. Grounded in research and practice, the program is based on the principles that relevant, evidence-based instruction strengthens learner engagement, ethical AI use can reduce barriers to achievement, and meaningful innovation requires alignment among faculty, staff, and administrators.

“The fact that Axim Collaborative reached out to College of the Canyons and supported us to lead this project together with Carnegie Mellon University underscores the reputation of the college for instructional innovation and reliable partnership,” says James Glapa-Grossklag, dean of educational technology, learning resources, and distance education, who will lead the project.

The college will partner with Carnegie Mellon University to develop and run the Institute. Participating institutions will apply as cross-functional teams that include faculty, instructional support professionals, and academic leaders.

Recruitment will focus on institutions within the California Community Colleges (CCC), the State University of New York (SUNY), and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) networks.

The Institute combines self-paced learning, live virtual sessions, peer collaboration, and individualized coaching. Participants will begin with an online AI literacy course that establishes a shared foundation in AI concepts, pedagogy, and ethics. Teams also will engage in expert-led presentations, applied webinars, case discussions, and cross-institutional learning opportunities.

Each institution will be paired with an educator-coach to support the development and implementation of locally relevant initiatives, including course redesign, assessment innovation, AI guidelines, faculty development programs, AI-supported instructional practices, and change-management strategies focused on teaching and learning.

Distinctive features of the Institute include a shared AI learning framework, continuous improvement of course materials based on participant feedback, documentation of instructional changes and student perspectives, and a dedicated focus on teaching-intensive, broad-access institutions.

By the conclusion of the program, participating institutions are expected to demonstrate stronger cross-functional collaboration, greater strategic alignment, practical implementation plans, and lasting professional networks that advance equitable, student-centered AI use in higher education.

The inaugural cohort is scheduled to begin in Spring 2027.

To continue building institutional capacity and sector-level impact, the Institute will collaborate with other organizations and networks that deliver AI training to share insights and learn best practices.

The Institute builds on the success of the AI for Learning Network (AI4LN) and is part of Axim Collaborative’s AI Starter Kit, a broader initiative to drive AI adoption in broad-access higher education through collaboration and capacity building.