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Dear Faculty,<\/span><\/p>\n We hope your 2025 has gotten off to a smooth start! We\u2019re excited to begin the new year with a very <\/span>open<\/b> invitation to connect with our Media Team for support making videos for your course, several <\/span>OpenLab<\/b> events to introduce you to SPS\u2019s new platform, and an <\/span>Open for All <\/b>workshop where you can learn more inclusive pedagogy approaches!<\/span><\/p>\n In addition to all these grand openings, we\u2019re sharing a call for proposals for the inaugural CUNY SPS Transformative Learning and Development Conference, feedback from our Brightspace Experience Survey, a request for volunteers to try out the Activity Feed widget in their Spring semester courses, and a Brightspace tip or two! We look forward to seeing you at a workshop, discussion or training session soon!<\/span><\/p>\n With the Spring term approaching many of you are making course overview, welcome message, and\/or faculty introduction videos. The OFDIT Media Team is available to assist faculty with creating instructional videos. Look to us for:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Get the Process Started!\u00a0 Email <\/span>matthew.lewis@cuny.edu<\/a><\/strong> or set up a <\/span>Zoom consultation<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Or if you\u2019re coming to campus on an upcoming Tuesday, <\/span>request a studio reservation<\/strong><\/span><\/a>!<\/span><\/p>\n Thanks again to those who participated in the feedback survey last November. There are a few initial configuration changes that we are making in response to suggestions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the course home pages, we will be moving the Instructor Profile widget higher. The Instructor Profile widget should display your <\/span>contact info<\/b>, so a higher placement will make it quicker for students to locate this important information. Because space on the widget is limited, \u201cabout me\u201d-type content can be placed in Syllabus\/Course Info instead. While these are a few changes that can be implemented quickly, we are still discussing and advocating for others. We are also creating support resources that address some of the questions and issues that have been brought forward. We\u2019ll continue to report out in the next newsletter, so watch this space!<\/span><\/p>\n An important tip to remember about Brightspace: When you <\/span>rename a discussion Board topic, a quiz, or an assignment in the Content or Activities areas in a course, the name does not automatically update in the related\/associated item <\/b>in the Grades area.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We suggest following any <\/span>update to the name of a graded item<\/b> in a course with navigation to <\/span>Grades<\/b>><\/span>Manage Grades <\/b>and:<\/span><\/p>\n If you want to <\/span>quickly copy in the name as it was updated in the associated item in the course content area<\/b>, you can click and drag over the title as it appears in the <\/span>Association<\/b> field (highlighted in first line above) and copy\/paste that text into the <\/span>Name<\/b> field and then click <\/span>Save and Close<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n NOTE<\/b>: The inverse is true as well: <\/span>if you make a change to the name of a grade item in the Grades area<\/b>, Brightspace does <\/span>not<\/b> automatically update the name of the related item back in the Content or Activities areas of the course. Whenever you change the name of a graded item in Brightspace, be sure to <\/span>update it in both the course area and in Grades<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n Happy updating! Check out the <\/span>Course Site Prep Checklist for CUNY SPS Faculty<\/a><\/strong> for more information about prepping course sites for Spring semester.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Seeking to have more interaction with your students in Brightspace? <\/span>We are <\/b>looking for faculty volunteers<\/b><\/a> to pilot the \u201cActivity Feed\u201d widget in their course site<\/b> in the Spring semester!<\/b><\/p>\n <\/b>Activity Feed provides a central hub on your course homepage where you can share timely updates, course materials, and important reminders. The tool allows you to post quick messages, attach files, and link to course activities, all while maintaining control over student participation levels. You can customize settings to allow student comments, enable full posting privileges, or maintain read-only access. As a complement to your regular Announcements, Activity Feed offers an alternative way to strengthen course communication and student engagement. We welcome interested faculty to join our testing group for the spring semester via <\/span>this form<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n OFDIT\u2019s <\/span>open Brightspace office hours<\/strong><\/span><\/a> will pick up again this week! We look forward to seeing you in a drop-in session with your questions!<\/span><\/p>\n OpenLab is open! Learn more about available tools and features, including building your own site, using our awesome new single sign-on plugin, and joining the growing groups and conversations happening with other CUNY SPS community projects!<\/span><\/p>\n OpenLab 101 <\/b>will provide a guided tour of the OpenLab site, including setting up your own user profile, how to join existing groups for timely updates, and more! For <\/span>Drop-In Hours<\/b>, please bring your own questions and ideas, and work on your OpenLab site with built-in support and feedback! Sign up at the links below to get a reminder email!<\/span> OpenLab 101 (followed by Drop-In Hours)\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Tuesday Jan. 14, 12-12:30pm<\/a><\/strong> Drop-In Hours:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Tuesday Jan. 14, 12:30-1:30pm<\/a><\/strong> Want to see what’s happening on the OpenLab now? Join the faculty discussion in the <\/span>Faculty Community Hub<\/strong><\/span><\/a>!<\/span><\/p>\n SPS\u2019 <\/span>inaugural Transformative Learning and Development Conference<\/b> (TLDC) will be held on Wednesday April 30, 2025, 12-3 pm. The goal of the TLDC is to foster a collaborative community and supportive space to share activities, ideas, and best practices for creating transformative teaching and learning experiences at CUNY SPS.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Submit a proposal<\/b><\/a> by January 15! All SPS faculty and staff are invited to share their professional development activities and research projects completed in AY 2024\/2025. Faculty-student research collaboration proposals are also welcome. See the <\/span>flyer<\/a><\/strong> for more information and links.<\/span><\/p>\n The SPS OER Initiative is pleased to once again offer the <\/span>Open for All Workshop & Discussion Series (Feb 28 – Mar 28)<\/b>. This hybrid online (sync\/async) workshop covers the intersection of Open Education and Inclusive Pedagogy. Participants review a course using the SPS course review rubric annotated with open and inclusive educational practices and create a proposal for incorporating inclusive pedagogical approaches. The wider SPS community is invited to our workshop discussions on Fridays to contribute their own insights into inclusive teaching and learning at SPS. See <\/span>Open for All Workshop & Discussion Series<\/a><\/strong> for all the details, including workshop syllabus and registration information, and the community call for contributions to the workshop discussions.<\/span><\/p>\n We will have an info session on the DEIA annotations to the SPS Course Review Rubric that participants use in the workshop on <\/span>Friday, Feb. 7, 12-1 pm<\/b> (<\/span>Registration<\/a><\/strong>). All are welcome!<\/span><\/p>\n Intelligent Agents in Brightspace<\/b><\/p>\n Submitted by Curtis Izen (BUS):\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>Intelligent Agent<\/b> is an excellent tool for automating specific tasks in Brightspace. It allows instructors to set up criteria to create a report or email students who completed or did not complete an action within the course. I find it useful early in the semester to email students who have yet to log in, access the course, or miss an assignment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Examples of criteria that can be set up include:<\/span><\/p>\n Learn more about it from the Brightspace Community knowledge base: <\/span>About Intelligent Agents<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n If you have a pedagogical tip from your new experiences in Brightspace (in 200 words or less!) that you think might help others, we would love to hear from you and add your submission to our next Faculty Newsletter<\/span>! You can use our Faculty Corner Submission Form <\/a>to submit.<\/p>\n
\nGet Support Making Instructional Videos<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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\nBrightspace Updates and Notes<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nBrightspace Feedback Survey\u00a0<\/big><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Brightspace Highlight: Updating Names of Gradebook items<\/strong><\/span><\/big><\/h3>\n
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<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nVolunteers Wanted! Try the Activity Feed Widget in Brightspace<\/strong><\/span><\/big><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nBrightspace Office Hours<\/strong><\/span><\/big><\/h3>\n
\nEvents and Announcements for SPS Faculty<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
OpenLab Events<\/big><\/span><\/h3>\n
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\nMonday Jan. 27, 2025, 4-4:30pm<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nWednesday Jan. 22, 2025, 5:30-6:30pm<\/a><\/strong>
\nFriday Jan. 24, 2024, 12-1pm<\/a><\/strong>
\nMonday Jan. 27, 2025, 4:30-5:30pm<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nCUNY SPS Transformative Learning & Development Conference\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/big><\/h3>\n
Open for All Workshop<\/strong><\/span><\/big><\/h3>\n
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\nFaculty Corner<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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