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Dear Faculty,<\/span><\/p>\n Professional development opportunities are in full flower this month! Whether you\u2019re looking for quick tips on setting accommodations for students, want to sign up for a beginning or advanced Brightspace training session, or are interested in attending a CUNY conference or an SPS learning community, check out the info and registration links below. Don\u2019t miss the chance to join the SPS Faculty Fellowship on Teaching and AI, or SPS\u2019s debut Transformative Learning and Development Conference, or the UDL and Open Pedagogy joint meeting with your campus colleagues, or the CUNY-wide Teaching and Learning Conference, or many more opportunities!<\/p>\n Need to <\/span>allow extra time<\/b> or for <\/span>additional attempts<\/b> on a quiz for a student, or to allow <\/span>special access<\/b> to a student or group of students for an individual assignment after a due date? Check out our <\/span>Setting Accommodations in Brightspace<\/a><\/strong> teaching guide to learn <\/span>how to provide these common accommodations<\/b> in your courses!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Join us for a joint meeting of the UDL Collaborative and Open for Al<\/span><\/p>\n Workshop on <\/span>Friday, March 21 at 12pm (<\/b>Register Here<\/b><\/a>)<\/b>. Our discussion will focus on <\/span>learner agency<\/a><\/strong> and explore Open Pedagogy practices that align with this UDL principle.<\/span><\/p>\n We invite you to share your experiences as students, instructors, or course developers<\/b> of voice, choice, and agency in the classroom, considering the following questions:<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to share out during the meeting, <\/span>please <\/b>sign-up on this Google doc<\/b><\/a> with your name and a brief description, thank you<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n UDL Collaborative: Join the OpenLab Site Now! Applications are now open for the <\/span>CUNY SPS Faculty Fellowship on Teaching and AI<\/b>. This fellowship supports faculty in developing innovative responses to AI\u2019s presence in education. In a collaborative peer environment, participants will explore the impact of AI, study current practices in AI and education, and develop projects that integrate AI into coursework, adapt teaching strategies, create educational or policy materials, or leverage AI for instruction.<\/span><\/p>\n The fellowship kicks off in May and runs through the summer. Participants will pilot their projects in the Fall semester and present their work to their department and the CUNY SPS community during the 2025-26 academic year. Successful completers will receive a $500 stipend or NTA appointment. Applications are due April 15. <\/b><\/p>\n Visit the <\/span>Teaching and AI<\/a> Fellowship <\/a><\/strong>page for details and to apply.<\/span><\/p>\n Registration is open CUNY SPS\u2019s inaugural <\/span>Transformative Learning and Development Conference<\/b> (TLDC)<\/strong> 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<\/span><\/p>\n Register for the TLDC here!<\/a><\/p>\n Bring your OpenLab questions and ideas for one-on-one support and collaboration! Join the OpenLab team this semester to learn about available tools and features, including building your own site, using our awesome single sign-on plugin, and joining the growing groups and conversations happening with other CUNY SPS community projects.<\/p>\n Think of the <\/span>Open Road<\/a><\/strong> as <\/span>your hub for SPS OpenLab news, events, and some helpful blogs <\/b>that explore what\u2019s possible with WordPress, Creative Commons licenses, plugins, BuddyPress, and how to make the most of the OpenLab\u2019s features! We\u2019ve recently published our new <\/span>Getting Started with OpenLab<\/a><\/strong> blog post designed for new users and total beginners. <\/span>Sign up<\/a><\/strong> today and <\/span>join The Open Road<\/a><\/strong> to receive <\/span>email updates directly from the OpenLab team<\/b>!<\/span><\/p>\n Bridging Vision and Action: Setting CUNY\u2019s Academic AI Strategy for Transformative Impact, <\/b>Ina Wanca, Chief Academic AI Officer, CUNY Central<\/span><\/p>\n This virtual session scheduled for <\/span>Friday, March 21 from 11am- 12pm <\/b>unveils <\/span>CUNY\u2019s academic AI strategy<\/b>\u2014a dynamic, human-centered roadmap designed to enhance education, align with institutional goals, and respond to emerging trends. By building an AI-ready culture, fostering trust, and driving ethical innovation, the strategy turns bold ideas into actionable steps that empower faculty, support student success, and streamline processes. This is an opportunity for CUNY-wide audience members to have conversations with the new Chief Academic AI Officer at Central Office; the session invites collaboration to innovate and lead the future of education. You can find additional details in the<\/span> flyer<\/a><\/strong>. ASL & CART services will be provided. <\/span>Register Here<\/a><\/strong>!<\/span><\/p>\n Registration to attend the 2025 <\/span>CUNY Teaching and Learning Conference<\/b> held April 3rd (virtual) and April 4th (in person at the Graduate Center) closes <\/span>March 21, 2025!<\/b> Join the conversation about innovative pedagogical practices and celebrate teaching excellence at CUNY! <\/span>Register here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n Thursday, April 3, 3-4 pm<\/b><\/p>\n Peer Power Up! Using Collaborative Reviews & Peer Mentoring <\/span>learn how to create powerful peer review processes that ignite collaboration and propel student learning in your online courses. <\/span>Register here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n – Submitted by Dr. Sarah Ruth Jacobs, Communications and Media<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Brightspace gives faculty the option to give students <\/span>audio or video feedback to assignments, with automatic captioning<\/b>. This option is through the “<\/span>Record Audio<\/b>” and “<\/span>Record Video<\/b>” links just below and to the right of the text box when giving feedback. I recently gave students audio feedback with captions on a short assignment, and I found the process to be quick and simple. My feedback was usually about 1 to 3 minutes in length. Out of the close to forty students that I gave feedback to this way, three or four responded with a personalized thank you note, including one student who sent me a three-minute-long video thanking me! I recommend that others try this for short assignments to see if their students will respond similarly.<\/span><\/p>\n Did you know everyone at CUNY SPS \u2014 faculty, students, and staff \u2014 has access to a fully licensed Zoom account? That means unlimited meetings, no pesky time limits, and full integration with Brightspace!<\/span><\/p>\n To get started, simply sign up or sign in at <\/span>cuny.zoom.us<\/a><\/strong>. We\u2019ve also made it easy to bring Zoom into your courses by integrating it directly into Brightspace. If you\u2019re looking for a quick way to add Zoom links to your course, check out our <\/span>step-by-step teaching guide<\/a><\/strong> to get up and running in no time.<\/span><\/p>\n OFDIT\u2019s spring trainings can help you learn more about how you can use Brightspace tools and features to support efficient, accessible course delivery and foster student engagement. We look forward to seeing you at some of our upcoming sessions! Refer to our trainings page on the\u00a0SPS Faculty Community Hub site<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0or use links below to register.<\/p>\n In this session, you will explore the structure of ePortfolio and learn how to use the platform from the instructor view. You will learn how to navigate the Digication in Brightspace, review your students\u2019 signature assignment submissions, and share 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.<\/p>\n In this training we will discuss how to navigate the gradebook and the options for grading in Brightspace.<\/p>\n Creating engaging online courses is not easy. In many text discussion-board based courses, students feel isolated and disconnected from their instructors and classmates. VoiceThread bridges the gaps in social presence typically found in online courses. In this workshop, educators will learn how to establish a social presence and connect with their students using VoiceThread to improve course satisfaction and student learning. We will cover all of the basic VoiceThread features, demonstrate how everything works in D2L Brightspace, showcase a variety of examples from actual courses, and have an open Q&A throughout the training.<\/p>\n In this training, we will discuss setting up your gradebook for the semester, how to add items for extra credit, using grade schema for items requiring special circumstances, and more!<\/span><\/p>\n Learn to navigate the Discussions area seamlessly and to efficiently grade student participation in Discussion Boards in your course!<\/span><\/p>\n
\nBrightspace Updates and Notes<\/big><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
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\nPlease save the date! <\/span>Thursday, May 15th is Brightspace Day!<\/b> The OFDIT Team is busy preparing a day of activities to deepen knowledge and sharpen skills in our LMS. CUNY SPS faculty and staff will once again be invited to both in-person and virtual sessions on Brightspace Day. You can expect some hands-on workshops, interactive demonstrations, and an “Unsession,” where faculty members can take a 3-minute slot to share their best Brightspace tip or pose a question. Save the date for this opportunity to explore, learn, and ask us anything Brightspace!<\/p>\nBrightspace Highlight: Setting Accommodations<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nCUNY SPS Events<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n
UDL and Open Pedagogy: Fostering Student Agency<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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\n<\/b>The OpenLab is open! All CUNY SPS community members can now <\/span>sign up using your CUNY Login<\/a><\/strong>. Once you\u2019ve signed up and logged in successfully, you\u2019ll want to navigate to the <\/span>UDL Collaborative<\/a><\/strong> group profile and click the \u201cJoin\u201d button below the group avatar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nCUNY SPS Faculty Fellowship: Teaching and AI<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nCUNY SPS Transformative Learning & Development Conference\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nOpenLab Support Hours<\/span><\/strong><\/big><\/h2>\n
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Join the Open Road for updates!<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nCUNY Opportunities for SPS Faculty<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
Meet\u00a0 CUNY\u2019s Chief Academic AI Officer!<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
CUNY Teaching & Learning Conference\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
CUNY Online Webinars<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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\nAudio and Video Feedback in Brightspace\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/openlab.sps.cuny.edu\/sps-faculty-community-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2025\/03\/did-you-know_icon.png?resize=206%2C206&ssl=1\"){kind=icon}
<\/strong><\/span>Make the Most of ZOOM!<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
\nOFDIT Spring 2025 Trainings\u00a0<\/big><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Using ePortfolio in your Course<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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Brightspace: Navigating the Gradebook and Grading\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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Humanize Your Online Course with VoiceThread\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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Advanced Gradebook Topics for SPS Faculty<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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Brightspace: Navigating the Gradebook and Grading\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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