Month: September 2022

OFDIT Newsletter September 2022

September 2022

Dear faculty,

We hope your semester is off to a great start!

In this month’s newsletter we share info about OER and Open Pedagogy opportunities you might be interested in, as well as our full schedule of faculty trainings for Fall. Whatever online teaching skill you want to pick up next, we’ve got you covered! And remember, Faculty Support Virtual Drop-In Hours are every Tuesday 3-4 pm via this Zoom link.

Open & Active Video Workshop Registration Extended through Friday!Null

Register by Friday, September 16, at noon

Looking to increase student engagement and lesson effectiveness? Don’t miss the hands-on Open & Active Video Workshop, Monday, September 19 to Monday, October 3, 2022.

This workshop, sponsored by the CUNY-SPS OER Initiative, involves one week of asynchronous discussions on the pedagogical role of video, active learning, and OER, and training on how to create a video. In the second week participants create a video activity to complement the materials in their courses. See the full workshop description including learning objectives and workshop requirements on our Advanced Workshops page. Eligible faculty who complete the OAV Workshop are compensated with 7 NTA hours and are eligible for OER Initiative funding to create an additional video during the semester.

Registration extended through Friday, September 16, at noon: https://forms.gle/nBWwT62HLYge3doB8

Open Pedagogy in the Teaching Matters Series

On Friday, September 16 from 2 PM – 3 PM, Shawna Brandle from Kingsborough Community College will present “Choosing Your Own Adventure: Increasing Student Engagement with Open Pedagogy.” For more details and to register, click here! To read more about Teaching Matters offerings, or to submit a proposal for a workshop, please see Teaching Matters – The City University of New York.

NullOER and Open Pedagogy

(Oct 17-20, 2022)

October is a big month for the Open community. OpenEd22 takes place Oct. 17- 20 online. This is a great conference for anyone interested in OER or Open Pedagogy, with talks from experts in the field, higher ed leadership, open activists, and faculty sharing their experiences of implementing, revising or creating OER with their students. Early registration rates run until Thursday, Sept. 15 & the CUNY SPS OER Initiative can support a few early registration fees for part-time faculty. If interested, please contact Sarah Kresh (sarah.kresh@cuny.edu).

NullOur OER & Open Pedagogy Workshop for SPS Faculty runs Monday, October 24 to Sunday, November 6, 2022. This workshop introduces the theory and tools that support OER and Open Pedagogy in online courses. Extending on the content of past sessions, this workshop is open to all SPS faculty, even those who’ve previously completed the OER Workshop or who’ve developed OER or ZTC courses. If you’re interested in creating materials with your students, giving them a more authentic way of demonstrating their learning, or simply replacing expensive materials with ZTC content and activities, this is the workshop for you!

Eligible faculty who complete the OER & Open Pedagogy Workshop are compensated with 7 NTA hours thanks to the CUNY SPS OER Initiative. More information and eligibility criteria can be found on our SPS Faculty Community Site’s Advanced Workshops page.

Registration open through Monday, October 17: https://forms.gle/SVZJuSVHxyRh4yYs8

We’ll be offering a short intro to OER and Open Pedagogy in early October as well, so if you are curious about the subject but would like to know more before enrolling in a two-week workshop, check out the Fall Trainings listed below.

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Fall Trainings for SPS Faculty

Panopto for SPS Faculty 

Creating video content just got a whole lot easier! Whether you need to record a welcome message, a lecture, or a recorded announcement for your class, Panopto, the SPS video platform integrated into Blackboard, can make it happen in a few clicks. Participants will learn how to access Panopto and its features through Blackboard, focusing on a workflow to create, organize, and publish your video content. Special attention will be paid to viewing permissions, sharing content between courses, and captioning. Join us to boost your video skills!

A Cut Above: Making Your Videos More Professional 

Learn simple steps to present yourself on video to enhance your connection with your students by looking more professional. Nowadays, we have multiple opportunities to be on camera for synchronous virtual meetings or recording content for our classes. Having your students see and hear you builds rapport and sparks excitement for learning. No matter if you’re trying this for the first time or have been creating media for a while, this session we’ll give you a set of guides to make your videos look more professional.

Personalizing Your Panopto Video

As many of us have learned, using Panopto to create a video is a simple process. But many of us have yet to unlock the powerful features inside Panopto that can transform video to maximize its impact. In this session, participants will look inside the Panopto video editor to discover tools for trimming or cutting video, adding additional content (ex. YouTube videos), or challenging students with in-video quizzes. Finally, we’ll review Panopto’s robust viewer analytics that tells us who has watched the video and for how long. Join us to make your next video go from good to great!

VoiceThread for SPS Faculty

This training will introduce VoiceThread, an asynchronous video discussion board. VoiceThread allows faculty and students to create multimedia presentations that creates a classroom community through threaded audio and video discussions. You and your students can add commentary to a presentation by means of microphone, webcam, keyboard, or phone. The ensuing conversation feels like a live classroom, but in an online environment. In this session, SPS faculty will learn how to create a VoiceThread and integrate it into their Blackboard course.

Screencast-O-Matic: Effective Editing Techniques

Screencast-O-Matic (SCOM), a powerful video creating and editing tool, is available to SPS Faculty. In this session, participants will learn effective editing techniques that will direct your audience’s attention to what’s important. Used in conjunction with Panopto, the SPS video hosting platform, SCOM makes advanced editing features simple. The result, you can produce a polished video with a few simple steps.

Getting Started with Blackboard Mobile

In this session, we will explore the Blackboard Mobile application and gain an understanding of how students experience learning on the go. We will also discuss the major interface differences between Blackboard Mobile and Blackboard for Desktop and best practices for online course design for mobile devices.

Making your Blackboard Course Content Accessible

Want to make your documents and Blackboard course content accessible but don’t know where to start? Join us for a training session to learn how! We will cover accessibility principles and provide practical tips on how to make your documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Blackboard course content (such as font, headers, images, charts, graphs, hyperlinks) accessible to all your students.

Accessible Multimedia

In this session, we will discuss tools for multimedia such as Collaborate and Zoom. We will cover tips such as how to add captioning and transcription for audio and video as well as how to write alt-text for images.

From Open Educational Resources (OER) to Open Pedagogy

In this one-hour session, we’ll introduce the why and how of OER—materials that are free and openly licensed for you or your students to reuse, retain, revise, remix, and redistribute. We’ll also explore how student-created or student-remixed OER can fulfill the goals of open pedagogy—an approach that invites students to create knowledge rather than to merely consume it. If you’re curious about OER & Open Pedagogy, but aren’t sure you want to commit to the two-week workshop, this training offers an intro to the topic and the types of projects possible in the workshop.

ePortfolio for SPS Faculty: An Introduction

If this is the first time you are using Digication’s ePortfolio in your course or you need a quick refresher, this workshop will help both new and existing faculty get acquainted with ePortfolio. We will discuss the current practice of using ePortfolio at CUNY SPS, navigate through the tool in a course site, review the responsibilities of instructors when using ePortfolio, and showcase the various support resources available for both students and instructors. There will also be time to answer any questions you might have about ePortfolios at CUNY SPS. Click here to register for this workshop.

  • Thurs. Sep 29, 1-2pm
  • Weds. Oct 12, 10-11am
  • Tues. Oct 25, 6-7pm

Faculty Support Drop-In Hour

Need live faculty support? Stop by during our Faculty Support Drop-In Hour every Tuesday 3-4pm to speak to an OFDIT team member who can help.

You can access the drop-in hour session via the Zoom link.

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As always, OFDIT is here to help with any questions you may have. We are available for one-on-one support and would be happy to schedule a Zoom call to discuss any questions you may have. You can contact us at facultysupport@sps.cuny.edu.

All the best,

Your OFDIT Team

OFDIT Newsletter August 2022

August 2022

Dear CUNY SPS Faculty,

The Office of Faculty Development and Instructional Technology (OFDIT) is excited to welcome you to our Fall 2022 semester! In this newsletter, we share news about our completed transition to Panopto’s video platform.

Speaking of videos, our Open & Active Video Workshop will also be offered again, starting up on Monday, Sept 19th, and we would love for you to take part. Please find details below.

As always, please feel free to reach out to us for any assistance you may need as we begin this new semester and throughout the term. Below, you will see information about our Faculty Support Drop-In Hours which we hold every Tuesday afternoon via Zoom. We welcome any and all questions you may have!

Last but not least, we kick off our Fall Faculty Corner with a useful idea shared by Curtis Izen about using an Outlook distribution list to stay in touch with your students.

Stay tuned for more information about our Fall training sessions in our next newsletter!

Panopto is Here! Updated Video Tools in Blackboard Null

The Panopto video platform has been fully integrated within Blackboard. In previous newsletters, we announced that our original video system, Ensemble Video, was purchased by Panopto. Over the summer OFDIT and Panopto migrated all SPS content to our new service. Faculty that were using Ensemble Video will now find their content located in their Panopto account. All links and embeds created with Ensemble Video will be maintained.

Moving forward, to ensure the best experience when using Panopto with Blackboard, all users must allow their web browsers to open pop up windows from Blackboard. When accessing Panopto from Blackboard a pop up window is needed to log in users (instructors and students). The pop up opens, logs in the user, and closes in a couple seconds. This needs to happen once per Blackboard session. We’ve documented steps you can share with your students if video playback is interrupted by a user’s browser blocking the pop up. Please visit our support site Panopto for SPS Faculty for these resources.

Please feel free to explore Panopto and its myriad of features including in-video quizzing, deep viewer analytics, and interactive transcripts, just to name a few! Access Panopto in Blackboard by clicking on the “Tools” link in the left-hand navigation menu, and then clicking on “Panopto Content.” You can also log in to the Panopto portal directly here: CUNY SPS Panopto (use your CUNYFirst login). Be on the lookout for upcoming trainings on using Panopto with your courses. In the meantime, please contact facultysupport@sps.cuny.edu for any questions related to Panopto.

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Open & Active Video Workshop

Looking to increase student engagement and lesson effectiveness? Don’t miss the hands-on Open & Active Video Workshop, Monday, September 19 to Monday, October 3, 2022.

This workshop combines the pedagogical why and the practical how to help you generate an interactive video to use in your courses. We start by identifying a course need that can be addressed by the addition of multimedia content presented in an active learning context. Then we’ll train you on how to script, record, and edit your video, adding interactive elements. In the second week, you’ll work independently (with our support) to create the video and accompanying activity. You’ll wrap up the workshop by sharing your video and activity in an open format for other instructors within CUNY and beyond on OpenEd.CUNY.

What’s more, thanks to the OER Initiative, participants can be compensated for their work. Upon successful completion of the workshop, eligible participants will be paid for 7 Non-Teaching Adjunct hours. To be eligible, faculty must be first-time participants in the workshop, be within their workload restrictions with an additional 7 NTA hours in the Fall 2022 semester, and have approval from their Academic Director. See the full workshop description including learning objectives and workshop requirements on our Advanced Workshops page.

Registration is open through Friday, September 9: https://forms.gle/nBWwT62HLYge3doB8

Faculty Support Virtual Drop-In Hours

Need live faculty support? Stop by during our Faculty Support Office Hours every Tuesday 3-4pm via the Zoom link. An OFDIT team member will be on hand to assist with any Blackboard questions

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Faculty Corner: Notifying Your Students Outside of BlackboardNull

“The archetypal method to send announcements or email to your entire class is through Blackboard. How would you contact your students if Blackboard was down or you are traveling and don’t want to use the Blackboard app to inform your class of important information?

I create an Outlook distribution list of my student’s SPS emails each semester by downloading the roster from CUNY First.  Follow this link to learn how to Notify your Students Outside of Blackboard.“ – Curtis Izen, SPS Adjunct Faculty, Business 

 

As always, OFDIT is here to help with any questions you may have. We are available for one-on-one support and would be happy to schedule a Zoom call to discuss any questions you may have. You can contact us at facultysupport@sps.cuny.edu

Wishing you a very successful Fall semester!

All the best,

Your OFDIT Team

OFDIT Newsletter May 2022

May 2022

Dear CUNY SPS Faculty,

The Spring semester is winding down and the summer is almost upon us!

In this edition of our OFDIT newsletter, we share a short recap of this year’s Faculty Development Day and give a big thank you to all our presenters and session chairs. We also announce the migration of Ensemble to Panopto, and invite you to learn about upcoming faculty development opportunities at SPS and CUNY: a free webinar from ICAI on group collaboration online, SPS’s own Adult Learners, Andragogy, and Active Learning workshop, and the CUNY Mindset June mini-course. In addition, we highlight the benefits of becoming an Online Learning Consortium member.

At the end of our newsletter, you will find a short grading tip for the end of the semester as well as information about our Faculty Support Drop-In Hour.

Faculty Development Day Resources

Thank you again to all those who presented and participated in this year’s Faculty Development Day. The theme was Inclusive Teaching: Reaching All Students. Faculty members presented on various topics including engaging students using renewable assignments, how to use Ensemble to create video lessons, techniques when using voice and video threads, integrating self-evaluation style assignments within course design, and empowering students through language choice.

If you missed a presentation or want to catch up with colleagues’ contributions, please visit the Faculty Development Day webpage for recordings. Also, check out the padlet site where participants provided their ideas and insights on Inclusive Teaching.

Once again, thank you to all who attended and a special thanks to our presenters and session chairs!

NullEnsemble Video Migrating to Panopto

Our video hosting service, Ensemble Video, has been acquired by Panopto and SPS will be managing the transition over the summer. All current content, including all video, playlists, and quizzes, will be seamlessly migrated to the new service. There will be no impact on videos currently published in courses or elsewhere. Moving forward, we will refer to Panopto rather than Ensemble as the service that hosts our video content, and we will be able to take advantage of the wider range of features offered by Panopto. More details and training opportunities will be announced soon!

Free Webinar: The Changing Nature of Group Collaboration in the Online Environment (May 27th, 2022)

Sign up for the free ICAI webinar that will take place May 27th, 2022 from 12pm to 1pm: The Changing Nature of Group Collaboration in the Online Environment. The webinar will cover the nature of group work in online courses and engage participants with a discussion on creating and managing expectations throughout a group project.

Adult Learners, Andragogy, and Active Learning Workshop

OFDIT invites CUNY SPS faculty to participate in the Adult Learners, Andragogy, and Active Learning asynchronous workshop.

As an institution that primarily serves adult learners, we recognize they have unique strengths and needs that require additional support and approaches to teaching. Learn the theories, strategies, and activities that will enable you to better meet the needs of your students. When student learning needs are met, they are both successful and satisfied with their learning experience. Use this training to help improve your own teaching. If you are an instructor, a trainer, or if you are a leader who works with adult learners, this workshop is for you.

This asynchronous workshop is open now to all CUNY SPS faculty/staff. A limited amount of grant money is available for compensation to eligible adjunct faculty starting now until June 13, 2022.

For details please see: Adult Learners, Andragogy, and Active Learning Workshop

Intro to Learning Mindsets Mini Course

In June 2022, CUNY Central OAA’s Innovative Pedagogy Team will offer an Intro to Learning Mindsets course designed by the University of Virginia’s Motivate Lab. For more information about the CUNY Mindset Mini-Course, check out the flyer: Motivating Learning Mini-Course Flyer.

If you are interested in participating in the CUNY Mindset Mini-Course, please register here by Monday, May 23rd, 2022.

Online Learning Consortium Membership

The Online Learning Consortium is the leading professional organization for online educators. CUNY SPS is an institutional member of the OLC, so faculty can benefit from a number of high-quality resources and workshops. Member benefits include:

  • Free webinars
  • Member pricing on workshops ($100 savings)
  • Discounted pricing ($300 – $500 savings) on all OLC Certificate Programs, including Online Teaching and Advanced Online Teaching
  • 20% discount on all OLC publications 
  • Discounted member pricing on OLC conferences

To create a free OLC account affiliated with CUNY SPS,

  • Go to the Online Learning Consortium homepage and Log In
  • Click on “Create an Account”
  • Enter your email address — please use your work address so that your account will connect to your organization and its membership
  • Complete the profile form
  • Set your password – you may be asked to reset your password
  • Select your account to update your profile.
  • Once logged in, the system will now recognize you as a member and you can use your OLC Institutional member benefits.

For more information, please visit the OLC Member Resources Page.

Grading Tip: Setting Letter Grade as Secondary View

Instructors who use Weighted Total or a Total column with 100 points can choose to display the CUNY SPS Undergrad or Grad Letter Grade as the Secondary View. This does not appear to students, but it is visible to instructors so that they can type this letter grade into their CUNYfirst course roster.

Please follow the below steps to ensure your Secondary View displays the appropriate Letter Grade:

1.  Go to your course’s Full Grade Center

2.  Click to edit your Total or Weighted Total column, whichever is used to calculate final grades.

3.  For Secondary Display, select either SPS Undergrad or SPS Grad Letter grade.

4.  Click Submit.

Setting Secondary Letter Grade as Secondary View

Faculty Support Drop-In Hour

Need live faculty support? Stop by during our Faculty Support Drop-In Hour every Tuesday 3-4pm to speak to an OFDIT team member who can help.

You can access the drop-in hour session via the Zoom link.

As always, OFDIT is here to help with any questions you may have. We are available for one-on-one support and would be happy to schedule a Zoom call to discuss any questions you may have. You can contact us at facultysupport@sps.cuny.edu.

Faculty Support Drop In Hour

As this is our last edition before the end of the Spring semester, we would like to wish you a wonderful and restful summer!

All the best,

Your OFDIT Team