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Dear Faculty,<\/span><\/p>\n In this edition of our newsletter, you\u2019ll find lots of links to resources to guide your <\/span>preparation for course opening on August 26th<\/b>! We also share a few announcements about <\/span>course naming<\/b>, <\/span>Panopto<\/b>, and <\/span>new enhancements<\/b> to our <\/span>Teaching Guides<\/a><\/strong> for CUNY SPS faculty. We look forward to seeing you at an <\/span>OpenLab Support Hour<\/b> or <\/span>Brightspace Office Hour <\/b>session to assist you with your course delivery, and we invite you to check out a few <\/span>tips<\/b> about using Brightspace features like the <\/span>Drop Lowest<\/b> setting or the <\/span>Activity Feed<\/b> in the coming term. Wishing you a wonderful start to Fall semester!<\/span><\/p>\n Finalizing course sites for Fall semester? You can refer to our <\/span>Course Site Prep Checklist for CUNY SPS Faculty<\/a><\/strong> for steps and links to assist as you prep.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the Checklist, you\u2019ll find links to guides for how to:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In addition, on the <\/span>SPS Faculty Community site<\/a><\/strong>, you will find an array of SPS quick guides from our OFDIT team, and you can always refer back to Brightspace Essentials units on <\/span>adding content<\/a><\/strong>, <\/span>rubrics<\/a><\/strong>, <\/span>discussions<\/a><\/strong>, <\/span>quizzes<\/a><\/strong>, <\/span>grading<\/a><\/strong>, and <\/span>video<\/a><\/strong> for help with any of these features!<\/span><\/p>\n To initiate, look for a module labeled \u201cPanopto\u201d or \u201cPanopto Video\u201d in the course table of contents. Click the link inside this module to open the Panopto Portal. Once the portal loads, your account will be authenticated for the course and you can go back to the Panopto Embed tool and add your video. Here are steps on <\/span>Adding a Panopto Video to Brightspace<\/a><\/strong>, and <\/span>if you don\u2019t see a Panopto module, quickly add one<\/b> using this guide, <\/span>Creating a Panopto Portal in Brightspace<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n Brightspace\u2019s long course names got you down?<\/span> Consider customizing the course name that appears in the <\/span>course banner. <\/b>Hover to the right of your course banner, click the three dots that appear in the banner\u2019s top-right corner, select <\/span>“Customize Banner Text,”<\/b> and choose <\/span>“Custom.”<\/b> Then, enter your preferred title. We do recommend keeping the semester and year in any title edit\u2014it helps everyone stay organized and ensures consistency across courses. Don\u2019t forget to hit <\/span>Save<\/b>!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Important<\/b>: We ask that you customize any name via the banner only, rather than making any change to the course name in the <\/span>Course Admin panel<\/b>. Changing the official course name can interfere with important administrative processes behind the scenes. Thanks for keeping things running smoothly and always leaving course names listed at their defaults in the Course Admin panel!<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019re excited to share some updates to our <\/span>Teaching Guides website<\/a><\/strong>, home to a growing bank of tutorials designed to help CUNY SPS faculty make the most of Brightspace. Thanks to your feedback, we\u2019re introducing new features to make finding the information you need both faster and relevant to your needs.<\/span><\/p>\n Explore the updated guides and see how these enhancements can support your teaching and save you time!<\/span><\/p>\n OFDIT will continue providing some weekend faculty support via email to <\/span>facultysupport@sps.cuny.edu<\/a><\/strong> and will do our best to assist with time-sensitive, urgent issues. For the quickest response to general questions and troubleshooting, <\/span>we recommend reaching out Monday through Friday when our full support team is available<\/b>. In addition, you can reach out to Brightspace help via D2L\u2019s CUNY-dedicated support line at (888) 895-2511, or pop a question at any time into the virtual assistant chatbot by clicking the chat icon found on the lower right of any Brightspace course page.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Also, feel free to come by <\/span>OFDIT\u2019s Brightspace office hours<\/b> as often as you like with your questions! Check our<\/span> Brightspace Office Hours<\/a><\/strong> page for the weekly schedule and the link to join. We\u2019ve added some <\/span>extra sessions to support faculty<\/b> for the weeks before and right after the semester\u2019s start to assist you in getting the semester off to a great start.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Drop In, Connect, Create: OpenLab Support Hours Return for Fall 2025<\/b><\/p>\n The CUNY SPS OpenLab team is excited to announce the return of our <\/span>Support Hours<\/b> for the Fall 2025 semester! Join us to learn about CUNY SPS\u2019s digital \u201cthird space,\u201d where you can build your own projects and connect with other members of the CUNY SPS community.<\/span><\/p>\n These informal, come-as-you-are sessions are designed to provide flexible, real-time support for all members of the CUNY SPS community. No appointment necessary\u2014just bring your questions, ideas, or curiosity. Whether you’re t<\/span>roubleshooting a technical issue<\/b>, seeking <\/span>design feedback<\/b>, or simply want to <\/span>brainstorm<\/b> with the OpenLab team, we\u2019re here to help.<\/span><\/p>\n \ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f Fall 2025 Schedule:<\/span> \ud83d\udca1 What You Can Do During Support Hours:<\/span><\/p>\n Join us this fall and make the most of what OpenLab has to offer! Whether you’re just getting started or looking to take your site to the next level, our team is here to support you. Drop in, ask questions, and get inspired.<\/span><\/p>\n For more information, visit the <\/span>SPS OpenLab Fall 2025 events <\/a><\/strong>post or email us at <\/span>openlab@sps.cuny.edu<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Do you have a Brightspace category of items (Discussion Board topics, quizzes, etc) that are all of equal weight, where you would like to <\/span>drop the lowest score from students\u2019 final calculated grades<\/b>?\u00a0 Activate the Drop Lowest gradebook setting at the <\/span>end<\/b> of the term to do so!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Our Teaching Guide,<\/span> Dropping the Lowest Grade from a Grade Category in Brightspace<\/a><\/strong> provides the steps to apply the setting, and again,<\/span> the ideal timing to apply the Drop Lowest setting in a category is at semester\u2019s end<\/b>, as applying this setting at the beginning of the semester can lead to confusion since the \u201clowest\u201d grade is relative and changes as more category items are graded!<\/span><\/p>\n Submitted by Curtis Izen, CUNY SPS, Online Business Program<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The Activity Feed tool in Brightspace offers a straightforward yet effective way to <\/span>enhance communication <\/b>and <\/span>foster student engagement<\/b>. The Activity Feed is a centralized, scrollable stream where students can view real-time updates, similar to a course-specific newsfeed. Unlike traditional announcements, the Activity Feed encourages a more conversational and interactive learning environment.\u00a0 Here are some of the benefits I encountered using the tool last term:<\/span><\/p>\n To learn more, check out the Teaching Guide: <\/span>Using the Activity Feed in Brightspace<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n 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\u2019t hesitate to reach out to us at facultysupport@sps.cuny.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nCourse Prep For Fall<\/span><\/big><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\nQuick Tip: Initiate Panopto in New Course Sites<\/big><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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With the Fall semester around the corner, many of you are setting up a new or newly copied Brightspace course. When adding a video, <\/span>have you found that the Panopto video embed tool appears empty<\/b>, as if there are no videos to add?\u00a0 Some have reported this, but this just means Panopto hasn\u2019t been initiated for that course yet.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nQuick Note: Impacts of Editing a Course Name<\/big><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nNew Teaching Guide Enhancements\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/big><\/h2>\n
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Sometimes you just need <\/span>a quick reminder of the essential steps <\/b>\u2014 without having to scroll through an entire tutorial. That\u2019s why we\u2019re adding a <\/span>Quick Path <\/b>to select guides, providing a concise list of major steps right at the top of the page. As we update the guides, you’ll see a breadcrumb trail of steps to help you navigate Brightspace expeditiously. Take a look at the <\/span>Creating Groups in Brightspace<\/a><\/strong> guide to see it in action.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/openlab.sps.cuny.edu\/sps-faculty-community-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2025\/08\/Video-Icon_teaching-Guide.png?resize=107%2C107&ssl=1\"){kind=icon}
We\u2019re also <\/span>adding video<\/b> to our most-viewed guides, giving you the option to either read the instructions or watch them. Two guides now feature video \u2014 <\/span>Integrating Turnitin V2 in Brightspace Assignments<\/a><\/strong> and <\/span>Viewing Deleted and Edited Discussion Posts<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 with more planned in the coming months.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nFaculty Support and OFDIT
\nBrightspace Office Hours<\/big><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nExplore the OpenLab\u00a0<\/big><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
\n<\/span>Unstructured Support Hours will be held regularly via Zoom. Check the <\/span>SPS OpenLab Open Road<\/a><\/strong> for the most up-to-date schedule and links.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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Did You Know?<\/big><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Faculty Corner:<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Foster Engagement with the Activity Feed<\/strong><\/span><\/big><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/openlab.sps.cuny.edu\/sps-faculty-community-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2025\/08\/OFDIT_Curtis-Izen_Activity-Feed.jpg?resize=346%2C364&ssl=1\")
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