{"id":7233,"date":"2025-05-13T13:07:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T13:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openlab.sps.cuny.edu\/sps-faculty-community-hub\/?p=7233"},"modified":"2026-02-26T20:13:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T20:13:42","slug":"ofdit-newsletter-may-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openlab.sps.cuny.edu\/sps-faculty-community-hub\/2025\/05\/13\/ofdit-newsletter-may-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"OFDIT Newsletter May 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Dear Faculty,<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s getting close to the end of the semester and we hope it has been smooth for you. After a full year of teaching in Brightspace, we’re wiser, more efficient, but still discovering new things!\u00a0 With this in mind, join us for <\/span>Brightspace Day<\/b> to learn and share alongside your colleagues on May 15 (see below for details). As we close out the semester, the OFDIT team shares a call from the Improving the Teaching and Learning Experience Strategic Planning Committee to provide input on a <\/span>CUNY SPS Center for Teaching and Learning<\/b> (CTL). With the end of the term approaching, read on for some <\/span>general grading<\/b> advice<\/b> and a <\/span>new grading option coming soon<\/b>. For our <\/span>ePortfolio<\/b> users, you’ll find a round-up of useful end-of-term resources for you and your students.\u00a0 And we wrap up this issue with a tip on how to connect with colleagues through <\/span>OpenLab<\/b> and an invitation for your submissions for our <\/span>Faculty Corner<\/b>. Looking forward to seeing you on campus or virtually on Brightspace Day!<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Brightspace Day<\/big><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Brightspace<\/p>\n

Brightspace Day is on <\/span>Thursday, May 15<\/b>! We invite you to attend <\/span>any<\/b> part of the program and want to highlight a few sessions for you:<\/span><\/p>\n

(In-person) Prepare your summer or fall course site in person <\/b>in the morning,<\/span> starting at 9:45 ET. <\/b>Come and join us for breakfast and a hands-on working session in the computer lab in <\/span>room 216<\/b>. The OFDIT team will answer your specific questions and offer sessions providing general tips on <\/span>Communications<\/b>, <\/span>Dates<\/b>, and <\/span>Grades<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

(Hybrid) <\/b>Join the <\/span>hybrid UDL Collaborative session <\/b>(see below for more info!) <\/span>12-1 EST<\/b><\/p>\n

(Virtual) Come to the virtual afternoon session starting at 2PM EST. <\/b>Join us virtually to work on your dev sites and get general tips about communications, dates, and grades.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(Virtual)<\/b> Finish the day by <\/span>sharing and learning at a virtual \u201cUnsession\u201d at 3:30 pm EST: <\/b>
\n<\/span>Join to share and hear your colleagues\u2019 favorite Brightspace tips, tricks, or hacks! Whether it’s an efficiency hack you’ve discovered or a creative way of using Brightspace in your teaching, we encourage you to sign up on <\/span>our registration form <\/a><\/strong>and bring your insights! We look forward to seeing you and collaborating together to enhance the teaching and learning experience!<\/span><\/p>\n

Register Here<\/a><\/p>\n

Hybrid BYOL Session
\n<\/b>UDL Collaborative Meeting
\n12-1pm ET<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Room 104 (119 W 31st St, 1st floor) or via Zoom [<\/b>Register Here<\/b><\/a>]<\/b><\/p>\n

We’re excited to invite you for the final <\/span>UDL Collaborative<\/b> meeting of this academic year (and our first in hybrid format)! Come celebrate our collective achievements and share insights as we wrap up the semester. We’ll explore the <\/span>Ally<\/b> tool and discuss how LMS features can enhance accessibility and support UDL principles in our courses. We hope to see many of you in person, if you can – <\/span>bring your brown bag lunch!<\/b><\/p>\n

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Share Your Thoughts on a Center for Teaching and Learning at CUNY SPS!<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"\"The Strategic Planning Committee on Improving the Teaching and Learning Experience (ITLE) invites your input on a Center for Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship at SPS.\u00a0 A center of this nature would support faculty collaboration, pedagogical initiatives, and inclusive online learning practices. How could this be done?\u00a0 What is the priority for SPS?\u00a0 Tell the committee what you\u2019d like to see in a CTL by taking a brief survey.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take Survey<\/a><\/p>\n

Your feedback is invaluable and will shape the future of teaching, learning, and scholarship at the college. Please return the survey by June 1, 2025 and feel free to email any questions or comments to <\/span>ITLE@sps.cuny.edu<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Getting Ready to
\nCalculate Final Grades<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

As the term is winding down, it\u2019s important to <\/span>make sure things in your Brightspace Gradebook are in order for correct calculation of student final grades.<\/b> You can refer to our Teaching Guides for steps to do the following:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Check to make sure all gradebook items are linked<\/a><\/strong> to the related activities in your course, and if you have moved items or edited any item names during the semester, it\u2019s good to <\/span>verify that names of related Gradebook item and Content items<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Review settings for any extra credit<\/a><\/strong> you may have offered during the semester.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Apply the \u201cDrop Lowest\u201d setting<\/a><\/strong> once due dates for all items in the related category have passed.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Guides for Managing
    \n<\/span> Special Grading Cases in Brightspace<\/span><\/h2>\n

    We also have Teaching Guides for <\/span>special grading situations<\/b> you might encounter:<\/span><\/p>\n