Date: Thursday, September 14, 2023 at 12:09 PM
To: SPS@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU <SPS@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Blackboard to Brightspace Transition

Dear CUNY SPS Community, 

We are excited to announce a new chapter in online learning here at CUNY SPS. You might have heard that we are making a major transition from Blackboard to a brand new learning management system (LMS). CUNY’s choice for the next-gen learning experience is D2L Brightspace.

A CUNY-wide committee of students, faculty and staff chose D2L’s Brightspace for many reasons. Brightspace is all about making the learning journey smooth and straightforward. It packs some powerful tools, lets you customize content, and offers robust support to guide users along the way. Plus, it works with the third-party tools we use here at SPS, allowing for seamless integration.

The LMS transition is a CUNY-wide effort, led by the CUNY Office of Academic Affairs in collaboration with CUNY CIS. You can keep updated with the overall transition project by visiting the CUNY LMS Transition website. 

Here at CUNY SPS, the Office of Faculty Development and Instructional Technology (OFDIT) has been planning the key steps to make this a smooth transition for our School. This Fall semester is earmarked for planning, communication, and training of core staff. In the Spring 2024 semester, we will be rolling out training for all faculty and students, and will start moving our course sites over to the new platform. By Summer 2024, the transition of CUNY SPS courses to Brightspace will be complete and SPS courses will be offered in Brightspace for the first time. From now until the summer launch, we will update you regularly on the transition, implementation, and training.

We are eager for you to be a part of this journey, as your perspectives and insights are crucial for a successful transition. We have set up four implementation committees to help guide and inform decisions, and want to extend an invitation to all SPS community members—faculty, staff, and students—to join one or more of these committees to help make this transition as seamless as possible. Please visit the CUNY SPS Brightspace Transition site to learn about each committee and sign up. Everyone at CUNY SPS is welcome!

We look forward to working with you in this important and exciting project. Please join an implementation committee, follow the CUNY SPS Brightspace Transition site for updates, or contact us at brightspace@sps.cuny.edu for questions and feedback.

Best regards,

Ruru Rusmin

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Ruru Rusmin
Assistant Dean of Faculty Development and Instructional Technology
CUNY School of Professional Studies