32.2 What is Nectir AI & Why It Matters

What is Nectir AI & Why It Matters

Nectir AI is a tool that integrates with Canvas to help answer student questions based on course materials. As community college faculty juggle multiple responsibilities, tools like this aim to address some common challenges in course management. This page explains what Nectir AI does, how it works with your existing course materials, and some considerations for classroom use.

🔹 Key Focus Areas:

• What Nectir AI does within Canvas courses
• How it works with your existing materials
• Potential effects on teaching and learning

The following sections explore these aspects to help you understand this Canvas integration tool.

At its core, Nectir AI functions as an information assistant within Canvas. When faculty enable it, the system can respond to student questions using information from course materials.

🔹 Basic Functions:

• Responds to questions using materials you've already created
• Handles common inquiries that recur throughout the term
• Works within Canvas without requiring additional platforms

You maintain control over what course materials are included and how the system operates in your specific course sections.

Faculty who use Nectir AI typically configure it with their existing course materials. This helps the system provide responses that align with your specific course.

🔹 Sources It Can Use:

• Existing Documents: Syllabus information, assignment guidelines, and course policies
• Course Materials: Readings, lecture notes, and other instructional content
• Faculty Settings: Preferences for how information should be presented

Several community colleges have been exploring this technology. For context, institutions like Palomar College and approximately 100 other schools have implemented it in various ways across different disciplines.

Faculty who have worked with AI assistants in Canvas have noted several effects on their teaching practice:

🎓 Teaching Considerations:

• Question management: Addresses recurring questions that appear throughout the term
• Extended availability: Provides support for students outside regular office hours
• Pattern recognition: Helps identify concepts that students frequently ask about
• Routine inquiries: Manages basic questions about deadlines, requirements, and procedures

🎓 Student Experience:

• Point-of-need assistance: Offers information when students are actively working on assignments
• Multiple formats: Presents course content in different ways
• Self-paced inquiry: Allows students to ask questions at their own pace
• Immediate responses: Provides answers to basic questions

These observations reflect experiences reported by faculty who have incorporated this tool into their courses.

Important Considerations

When exploring any new teaching tool, it's important to consider how it fits into your existing teaching practices. The usefulness of Nectir AI depends entirely on how it aligns with your particular teaching approach and course needs.

🔹 Things to Consider:

• How the tool might complement your existing communication methods
• The balance between automated assistance and direct faculty interaction
• Regular assessment of whether the tool is meeting your teaching objectives

Finding the right balance with any classroom technology involves ongoing evaluation of how it supports your teaching goals and your students' learning needs.