OFDIT Newsletter April 2024

Dear Faculty,

It was great to have so many of you in attendance in various ways for OFDIT’s Brightspace Day event this week! We admire the dedication and spirit of adventure with which folks are finding their way through the new LMS landscape, and we’ll be here providing support for all your discovery in the coming year as we move through the transition.

This month, we share additional upcoming training activities and registration links to help you continue to develop proficiency in all things Brightspace, as well as upcoming CUNY professional learning events to inspire your course design as you prep for summer and fall teaching.


Brightspace Updates

As we approach the summer launch of teaching in Brightspace at CUNY SPS, the work has begun to prepare courses. The schedule for preparing dev sites, course copying, and customizing live sites will remain much the same, and we will be using the same systems to conduct quality review of courses over the next six weeks so that things are student-ready. Students will also be connected with training opportunities and resources by the beginning of May – watch this space for more info!

Spring Break Camp

OFDIT will be offering Brightspace support sessions during Spring Break.

You can join us for:

    • Teaching in Brightspace: basics of communication and grading
    • Preparing your Course: bring your questions while getting your course ready
    • Open Office Hours: ask us anything

Morning, Midday, and Afternoon sessions will be available. See the schedule and registration links here.

Additional sessions will be offered through May if you can’t make Spring Break Camp.

Brightspace Day in May

Missed Brightspace Day, or want to come again? We will be holding another Brightspace Day on May 15, virtual sessions only, for students, faculty, and staff.

Other training opportunities, both self-paced and facilitated, can be found on the training page of our CUNY SPS Brightspace Transition site.


Upcoming CUNY Events
2024 BX EDTECH SHOWCASE

Date: Friday, May 3
Time: 9 AM – 4 PM
Location: Hostos Community College
Audience: SPS Faculty

Let’s Talk: Rethinking Authentic Learning & Assessment in the Age of AI
Get inspired as you design your new Brightspace courses! Innovators from the three Bronx CUNY colleges, Lehman College, Hostos, and Bronx Community Colleges, demonstrate their exemplary models for integrating and infusing technology into their fully online, hybrid, and traditional teaching methods.

Register Here

CITA’s Applying Universal Design for Learning 

Date: Friday, May 3
Time: 2:30 – 4:00 PM
Location: Virtual
Audience: SPS faculty and staff

As you begin to prepare your upcoming course sites, join the CUNY Innovative Teaching Academy (CITA) for the third workshop in a 3-part series on Applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Principles to Your Teaching: How to Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression. The session will start with a presentation about this key UDL principle, explaining the accompanying guidelines, and providing examples. After a Q&A session, attendees will have a chance to work with colleagues to brainstorm ways to apply it in their courses.

Register Here


As always, OFDIT is here to help! We are available for one-on-one support and are also happy to schedule a Zoom call to discuss any questions you may have. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at facultysupport@sps.cuny.edu.

All the Best,
Your OFDIT Team