An independent research preview · covering the California Community Colleges
Environmental Scan
AI Landscape by Region
Spring 2025 baseline · June 2026 update
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Madera College

Region: Central Valley / Mother Lode

At a glance

Madera College has embedded generative AI into its academic integrity policy, defining unauthorized AI use as plagiarism while allowing instructors discretion to permit and require disclosure of tools like ChatGPT in their syllabi; this language, adopted in 2024–2025, remains current in the 2025–2026 catalog. Librarians Susan Walsh, Kari Johnson, and Maia Gonzalez led early faculty education on AI's ethical and academic implications, though broader adoption remains limited to interested pockets across disciplines.

Updated Scan Findings

1 new 🆕· 4 source-verified findings from the updated web scan
AI Policies · 3
  • Generative AI named in academic integrity (cheating/plagiarism) policy. The college's official Academic Integrity policy defines cheating to include 'presenting generative Artificial Intelligence work as your own or using a generative AI tool without an instructor's permission,' and states that material created with generative AI tools (ex. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.) 'is not considered original' and that using such tools without instructor knowledge/consent 'is considered plagiarism.' 2025 · high confidencesource
  • AI integrity language carried forward into current 2025-2026 catalog. The identical generative-AI academic integrity language first added in the 2024-2025 Catalog Addendum (effective Fall 2024) appears unchanged in the live 2025-2026 college catalog, confirming the policy remains current as of the 2025-2026 academic year. 2025 · high confidencesource
  • Student AI disclosure/citation requirement tied to instructor guidelines. Catalog policy states that 'Even when instructor guidelines allow for the use of generative AI tools, students may need to disclose and cite all usage of tools such as ChatGPT, Dall-E, etc., specifying the extent and how it is used,' placing AI-use decisions and disclosure expectations at the individual instructor/syllabus level. 2025 · high confidencesource
AI Courses, Tools & Resources · 1
  • 🆕District (SCCCD) AI student chatbot contract (Gravyty/Ocelot) — district-level, not Madera-specific. Madera's parent district, State Center Community College District, holds a roughly $870,000 three-year contract for the Gravyty (formerly Ocelot) AI student-services chatbot running through June 20, 2026, with ~5,000 monthly interactions district-wide; the CalMatters report names Fresno City College specifically and does not separately confirm Madera campus deployment. 2026 · low confidencesource

Spring 2025 baseline

AI-Engaged People, Processes & Timelines

V2030: People
Team/Lead: Madera College/Senate/ Instructional Designer/Library Faculty Susan Walsh, Librarian, Kari Johnson, Librarian, and Maia Gonzalez, Librarian
  • Distance Education, Flex, Academic Senate, Library, Distance Ed, Technology Committee
  • Instructors were concerned about the effects of ai on information literacy and student integrity and saw it as a tool that is already affecting us.
  • The instructional designer has tried, but not many takers.
  • Pockets of faculty in various disciplines are trying / interested. Nothing official.
  • Instructors were concerned about the effects of ai on information literacy and student integrity and saw it as a tool that is already affecting us.
  • Classified Professionals and Admins
  • I do not know of any administrative work on the topic. AI is routinely used by administrators and their administrative assistants in meetings.
  • I believe many of our overworked classified staff are forced to use it in the name of efficiency. We need better involvement.

AI Policies

V2030: Policy
Team/Lead: Madera College
  • Per survey: to a limited extent.
  • We have approved syllabus language about cheating and plagiarism that includes generative ai while allowing instructional faculty room to use it in assignments if they wish.
  • I believe ai is also covered in our distance education strategic plan.

AI Courses, Tools & Resources

V2030: ResourcesV2030: PeopleV2030: Policy
Team/Lead: Madera College

Entities from the knowledge graph

college: Madera Collegeinitiative: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, from Origins to Ethical and Academic Concernsorganization: Madera College Technology Committeeorganization: Madera College Libraryorganization: Madera College Academic Senateorganization: Madera College Distance Educationperson: Susan Walshperson: Maia Gonzalezperson: Kari Johnsonpolicy: Madera College Distance Education Strategic Planpolicy: Madera College Syllabus Language on Cheating and Plagiarism

Links & artifacts

Contacts at this college

Name / RoleEmailPhone
SW
Susan Walsh
Librarian
KJ
Kari Johnson
Librarian
kari.johnson@maderacollege.edu(559) 675-4835
MG
Maia Gonzalez
Librarian
maia.gonzalez@maderacollege.edu(559) 675-4835
MI
michelle.abou-naoum@maderacollege.edu