![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/openlab.sps.cuny.edu\/sps-faculty-community-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2023\/05\/CUNYSPS-1.jpg?resize=923%2C84&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/openlab.sps.cuny.edu\/sps-faculty-community-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-2023-10-10-at-3.31.31-PM-1.png?resize=960%2C151&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
Dear Faculty,<\/p>\n
Hard to believe we are in the second September delivering instruction in Brightspace, but we congratulate you as things seem to have really fallen into place! In this edition of our newsletter, you\u2019ll find a range of professional opportunities, including UDL communities to join, OpenLab support drop-in sessions, calls for conference proposals, and a CUNY-wide series on adult learning. We also hope you\u2019ll consider dropping by one of our many OFDIT trainings on various Brightspace and pedagogy topics, and checking out some tips from our teaching guides and your fellow faculty! Wishing you a great start to the semester and a happy autumn!<\/p>\n
Happy fall from the facilitators of the <\/span>UDL Collaborative<\/a><\/strong>! We’re a <\/span>community of practice<\/b> bringing together faculty and staff to explore <\/span>accessibility<\/b> and <\/span>Universal Design for Learning <\/b>principles. Whether you’re new to UDL or experienced, we discuss best practices, answer questions, and brainstorm solutions for inclusive learning environments. We welcome both returning members and newcomers\u2014<\/span>all faculty and staff are invited to participate<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n We’re excited to invite everyone to our first meeting of the semester:<\/span> During this meeting, we’ll share updates on our accessibility and UDL projects and provide time for members to discuss their own work or questions. More importantly, we want to brainstorm together about how our community can become more collaborative and member-driven, with opportunities for you to take leadership roles and help shape our direction moving forward.<\/span><\/p>\n We’re looking forward to seeing everyone and building this collaborative space together.<\/span><\/p>\n Brian Le Lay, Antonia Levy, and Amarna Williams<\/span> This fifteen-day, asynchronous online workshop provides an in-depth introduction to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and to the intersection of UDL and Open Educational Practices (OEP), which include OER and Open Pedagogy. Participants will review the principles of UDL and explore how OEP can help reduce accessibility barriers for all learners, including those with disabilities. Participants will also learn about <\/span>best accessibility practices in online courses<\/b>, including identifying and fixing common accessibility issues. For their workshop project, participants will complete an inventory of one of their courses from a UDL perspective and create a plan for implementing UDL principles and open practices.<\/span><\/p>\n Eligible faculty participants will be <\/span>compensated with 7 NTA hours upon successful completion<\/b> of the workshop. <\/span>Registration<\/a><\/strong> is open through <\/span>Tuesday, October 14<\/b>. For more details, please see our <\/span>Advanced Workshops<\/a><\/strong> page on the SPS Faculty Community Site.<\/span><\/p>\n The CUNY SPS OpenLab team is excited to announce the return of our <\/span>Support Hours for the Fall 2025 semester<\/b>! <\/span>Whether you are a faculty member building a project site, or a staff member looking to enhance your online presence, our <\/span>virtual drop-in sessions are here to support your journey on the OpenLab and will be held via Zoom.<\/span><\/p>\n \ud83d\udca1 What You Can Do During Support Hours:<\/span><\/p>\n \ud83d\udce3 Join us this fall and make the most of what OpenLab has to offer! Whether you\u2019re 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 Support page<\/a><\/strong> or email us at openlab@sps.cuny.edu.<\/span><\/p>\n Register or Plan to Join OFDIT\u2019s <\/span>open Brightspace office hours<\/a><\/strong> will continue this fall on Tuesday evenings (6-7pm ET) and Wednesday afternoons (1-2pm ET). We look forward to seeing you in one of the drop-in Zoom sessions with your questions!<\/span><\/p>\n A warm welcome to the new members of the<\/span> OFDIT Faculty Advisory Board (FAB)<\/a><\/strong>, and an appreciative welcome back to our returning advisors! One of the key functions of FAB members is to connect OFDIT with the faculty community by gathering input, sharing needs and ideas, and helping promote professional development opportunities. Together, we\u2019ll be working on projects such as <\/span>hosting faculty discussions<\/b> (both in-person and on OpenLab), advising on <\/span>best practice recommendations<\/b> for instruction in Brightspace, and serving on the <\/span>selection committee for the Teaching Excellence Award<\/b> in the spring.<\/span><\/p>\n Members of the Board for the 2025-2026 academic year:<\/span><\/p>\n Many SPS courses make use of<\/span> group work as a way to foster student-to-student interaction<\/b>, but it\u2019s important to ensure that Groups have been set up correctly and connected to Discussions, Assignments and other activities<\/span> each semester<\/b>. If you have Group work in your class, this is a good time to <\/span>review the enrollment and associations<\/b> so that things are in order. Check out our related teaching guides:<\/span><\/p>\n Managing Groups in Brightspace<\/a><\/strong> You can reach out to <\/span>facultysupport@sps.cuny.edu<\/a><\/strong> if you would like additional support!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n CUNY Office of Faculty Affairs\/CUNY Innovative Teaching Academy (CITA) will be offering a new professional development series on <\/span>adult learning<\/b>. <\/span>Click here for session descriptions and Zoom registration links!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Session 1 \u2013 Foundations of Adult Learning<\/b><\/p>\n Presenters: Jennifer Valad (CUNY Central) and Meghan Gilbert (Guttman Community College)<\/span><\/p>\n Join us for an introductory session that dives into the world of adult learning. We\u2019ll explore how adult learning builds upon traditional pedagogy, examine real-world adult learner profiles, and discuss shifts in teaching philosophy that empower students as autonomous partners in their own learning journey.<\/span><\/p>\n Friday, October 10, 2025 from 11am – 12 noon ET. <\/b>Register here<\/b><\/a>.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Upcoming sessions include:<\/b><\/p>\n Session 2: Designing Adult-Centered Curriculum. Friday, November 14, 2025 at 11am ET The proposal submission deadline for the <\/span>CUNY IT conference, Moving Forward: Reimagining CUNY in an AI-Enhanced World<\/a><\/strong>, has been extended<\/span>.<\/b> If you have developed any <\/span>AI-related components<\/b> in your course site or in your teaching approaches, consider joining the conversation and submitting your presentation or panel <\/span>using this form<\/a><\/strong> by <\/span>September 23rd.<\/b><\/p>\n There is still time to <\/span>submit a proposal<\/a><\/strong> for the <\/span>2026 UPCEA Digital Teaching and Learning Conference<\/a><\/strong> (virtual, Feb 4 and 5th) by <\/span>September 19th. <\/b>\u00a0The conference is a free, virtual event centered around the theme of Designing the Future that aims to showcase innovative practices, research, and digital teaching design and strategies \u2014\u00a0 things we know our SPS faculty are doing every day!<\/span><\/p>\n When entering grades in Brightspace, or comparing it with your roster from CUNYfirst, you may find that the default order of student names is not the most convenient for your workflow. Brightspace allows you to change the sort order so that the roster appears the way you prefer.<\/span><\/p>\n The default setting typically lists learners alphabetically by last name (A to Z). However, depending on the task, you may prefer a different view.\u00a0 Below are the instructions to change the order:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>Tuesday, September 23 at 1pm ET<\/b> via Zoom. <\/span>Register here<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>Facilitators, UDL Collaborative<\/span><\/p>\n
\nOpen UDL Workshop:
\nMaking Your Courses Accessible to All<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/openlab.sps.cuny.edu\/sps-faculty-community-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2023\/09\/Open-UDL-Workshop-banner-smaller.png?resize=478%2C219&ssl=1\")
OFDIT and the CUNY SPS OER Initiative are pleased to invite all faculty to participate in the <\/span>Open UDL Workshop (October 20 to November 3, 2025)<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nDrop In, Connect, Create:
\nOpenLab Support Hours Return for Fall 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
\n<\/b>Tuesday 9\/16\/2025 6-7PM<\/a><\/strong>
\nTuesday 9\/23\/2025 3-4PM<\/a><\/strong>
\nMonday 9\/29\/2025 6-7PM<\/a><\/strong>
\nTuesday 10\/21\/2025 6-7PM<\/a><\/strong>
\nMonday 10\/27\/2025 6-7PM<\/a><\/strong>
\nMonday 11\/10\/2025 6-7PM<\/a><\/strong>
\nMonday 11\/24\/2025 6-7PM<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nBrightspace Office Hours Schedule<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nWelcome to the New
\nOFDIT Faculty Advisory Board Members!
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/openlab.sps.cuny.edu\/sps-faculty-community-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2023\/03\/FAB-Drafts-5-1.jpg?resize=960%2C201&ssl=1\")
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n
\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=187%2C187&ssl=1\"){kind=icon}
Did you know?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nSetting Up Group Discussions in Brightspace<\/a><\/strong>
\nSetting Up Group Assignments in Brightspace<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Overriding Individual Grades in a Group Assignment<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nCUNY Opportunities for SPS Faculty<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
CUNY Innovative Teaching Academy\u2019s Adult Learning Series<\/strong><\/span><\/small><\/h2>\n
\n<\/span>Session 3: Engagement & Motivation Strategies. Friday December 5, 2025 at 11am ET<\/span><\/p>\nCUNY IT Conference \u2013 Proposal Deadline Extended\u00a0<\/small><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
UPCEA Digital Learning Conference Call for Papers<\/span><\/small><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n![\"Faculty](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/openlab.sps.cuny.edu\/sps-faculty-community-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2022\/03\/Faculty-corner-image.jpg?resize=214%2C259&ssl=1\")
Faculty Corner:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/big>
\n<\/strong><\/span>Adjusting Learner Sort Order<\/big>
\n<\/strong><\/span>Submitted by Curtis Izen, CUNY SPS, Online Business Program<\/small><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/openlab.sps.cuny.edu\/sps-faculty-community-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2025\/09\/OFDIT_FacCorner-Sort-Learners-in-Gradebook.jpg?resize=300%2C252&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n