Clarkdale, Arizona (Dec. 10, 2025) – It didn’t sit well with James Morales if his Yavapai College HVAC class ended and students who had waited patiently for his time and attention didn’t get either because he had given both to others who were first in line.

Time-limited in a hands-on learning laboratory with an 18-1 student-to-teacher ratio, Morales set out to do something about it.

Also motivated by a college-wide challenge to find ways to incorporate technological advancements into the classroom, Morales developed an application aptly named “Professor HVAC” – an AI extension of himself that students access via a tablet. When Morales finishes a lecture and releases his students to start working on the HVAC equipment in his lab, the application guides them step by step through their assignment and answers questions they have about it.

“Before (Professor HVAC), students would line up to ask me questions. I would get to the second or third person and the rest would give up and walk away and never get their questions answered,” he said.

Morales developed Professor HVAC using ChatGPT and introduced it in his HVAC lab at the Skilled Trades Center on the Verde Valley Campus of Yavapai College late in fall semester. Students get access to the app after they have a knowledge base to work from so “they don’t rely too heavily on it,” he explained.

Asked if Professor HVAC is working, Morales responded with a resounding “yes” and the statement: “It’s going to bring up my class faster. There’s no way around it.”

The app is working so well that Morales has been sharing it with the world, most recently at the Arizona Community College Administrator’s Conference. He is presenting his invention at HVAC Excellence, the largest HVAC industry conference in the United States, in March in Las Vegas. And, in partnership with software developers, he’s working on a second phase of the application that will feature, among other upgrades, images and a job board that employers can log into to find qualified candidates for their open positions.

“Rather than showing people what we could do with AI, we’re showing people what we are doing,” Morales said.

Professor HVAC has not only proven helpful to students, it shows via the questions and chats they type into the app, what knowledge and skills Morales needs to reinforce. “That’s tremendously valuable,” he said.

The potential for scalability across multiple technical disciplines is creating buzz around Morales’ invention. At the Verde Valley Skilled Trades Center, that means construction, electrical and plumbing programs are next in line for an AI-enhanced educational experience. “Instructors in my building are already interested in the app. I can basically customize it,” Morales said.

Innovations like “Professor HVAC” are setting Yavapai College up as the model for delivering technological innovation to ensure students succeed and meet industry demands, said Dr. Richard Pierce, Customer Relationship Manager for the Yavapai College Information Technology Department.

“At Yavapai College there is a cultural shift toward innovation. Dr. Rhine is pedal to the metal when it comes to students first,” Pierce said, referring to YC President Dr. Lisa Rhine. “The status quo is not acceptable. That combination of vision and tools is what makes us a national leader in innovation.”

Morales said he appreciates the innovation nudge and the support from the college that resulted in Professor HVAC. “I want what we do here in this app to promote the college and the freedom we have to create these kinds of things.”

That creative freedom has Morales contemplating more innovation for his program, such as creating “adjunct avatars” to deliver classroom instruction to HVAC students online at home – saving them time and money on daily travel. “That’s my vision, to have a whole program built around new technology – where we’re using AI, we’re using avatars, we’re doing some instruction online.”

Despite all the new tools available now and on the horizon, hands-on training in the lab will never go away for HVAC students, Morales predicted. “My students will always need me. You’ve got to come to my lab. Because in my lab, I’m going to help you put your hands in this stuff.”

Yavapai College operates seven campuses and centers throughout Yavapai County and offers over 100 degrees and certificates, four baccalaureate degrees, student and community services, and cultural events and activities. To learn more about Yavapai College, visit www.yc.edu.