Training

DLE Training Overview

A unified approach to training has been developed in collaboration with campus partner volunteers. As a result, SUNY faculty and staff have access to a variety of Brightspace training workshops, videos, and help resources at no charge to campuses. Each campus is able to adapt these materials as needed.

Below you will find a full list of the different formats/modalities of our Brightspace training workshops and webinars from which faculty may choose, the training levels based on faculty technology comfort and experience, the schedule of access to these workshops, as well as registration information. Regardless of the format faculty and staff members choose, all offerings follow the same outline, ensuring all faculty receive the same training.

Training Options

Fireside Chats

Fireside Chats were hosted to provide an overview of the training plans, introduce participants to the training team, showcase Brightspace tools and features, and provide an opportunity for participants to submit questions and suggestions to be addressed at subsequent fireside chats.

Topics included:

Training Overview, Brightspace Engagement & Faculty Time Savers
Video Chat
Course Builder
Templates
Personalization
Quick Eval
Migration Strategies
Blackboard to Brightspace Migration Strategies
Moodle to Brightspace Migration Strategies

To view recordings, click here.

SUNY DLE Brightspace Fundamentals Asynchronous Online Module

Description: SUNY DLE’s Asynchronous Brightspace modules are a convenient way to progress through the Brightspace training at your own pace. Progress in the recommended order, or pick and choose which topic(s) are most relevant to your purposes.

Certificate: There are optional knowledge checks at the end of each topic sections. Participants who successfully complete all assessments will earn a Brightspace Fundamentals Certificate and Badge from the SUNY CPD. Over 2,000 SUNY Faculty have earned their certificates.

Time: First time Brightspace users: 6-10 hours to complete. Experienced online instructors and those who have used Brightspace before: 30-60 minutes

Access: Access to the SUNY DLE Brightspace asynchronous modules is based on the availability of faculty accounts in the new Brightspace environment. When your campus Brightspace account has been created, your campus will provide your login instructions to Brightspace. The SUNY DLE Brightspace Asynchronous Modules will appear as a course in your course list.

Topic-Specific Fundamentals Scaled Webinars

Description: Targeted for larger audiences, these topic-specific scaled Zoom webinars offer live demonstrations of the Brightspace learning environment and other training topics. There are opportunities to ask questions of Brightspace experts at each webinar.

Progress in the recommended order, or pick and choose which topic(s) are most relevant to your purposes. These webinars are open to all SUNY faculty and staff, regardless of cohort until the final cohort’s implementation phase is complete.

Certificate: Optional assessments are available in the SUNY DLE Brightspace Asynchronous Online Learning Modules (see above).

Time: 90 minutes each:

60 minute webinars with 30 minutes for Q&A
7 webinars in the topic-specific scaled webinar series

Recommended Order: The recommended order for the Scaled Webinars is as follows:

1. Accessibility & Online Pedagogy

2. Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

3. User Interface (UI)

4. Communication Tools

5. Authoring/Publishing Content

6. Gradebook

7. Gradable Activities

General Schedule: For current dates, please click the registration link. The SUNY DLE training team will increase programming based on demand.

Recordings: To see video recordings of previous scaled webinar sessions, please click Recordings under the Training tab on this page.

When viewing these videos you can adjust the speed of delivery to assist you in your comprehension. When the video is in full screen mode, click on the Gear Cog/ Settings icon, select “Playback Speed”, and choose the playback speed that works best for you.

Brightspace Fundamentals Remote Synchronous Workshops

Description: These live “point & click” workshops are offered via Zoom and will cover the Brightspace Fundamentals training materials. Select a training session based upon your preferred training pace (see Training Levels, below).

These sessions are restricted to 10-15 participants per session.

Certificate: Optional assessments are available in the SUNY DLE Brightspace Asynchronous Modules.

Time: 4 2-hour workshops over 4 days (8 hours, total)

General Schedule: For current dates, please click the registration link. The SUNY DLE training team will increase programming based on demand.

Recordings: To see video recordings of previous Fundamentals Remote Synchronous sessions, please click Recordings under the Training tab on this page.

Brightspace Illuminations: Advanced Topics & Tools

Description: Brightspace Advanced workshops, Illuminations, are available for those who seek even more functionality and efficiency from the Brightspace learning management environment. These sessions offer in-depth looks at tools and options that are not covered in the Brightspace Fundamentals Workshops. Recordings are available on the SUNY DLE Website via the Recordings link on the Training Tab.

Time: 90 minutes each:

60 minute webinars with 30 minutes for Q&A

General Schedule: For current dates, please click the registration link. The SUNY DLE will increase programming based on demand.

Topics: For a complete list of the topics and workshop descriptions, please download this Illuminations Workshop Descriptions Document

Campus-Specific Workshops

Description: The DLE Training Team will work with your campus to arrange workshops/webinars that meet your specific needs. For example, we have worked with campuses to provide in-depth gradebook workshops for departments, and more! For more details, please reach out to jamie.heron@suny.edu.

Change Leadership

Although much of our collective engagement has focused on technology, it is essential that campuses also consider how best to use the DLE transition to address and support other current priorities such as diversity, equity, and inclusion, accessibility, general education, support and assessment of student learning, faculty support, etc. In response, SUNY and D2L developed a webinar series for campus change leaders to learn and share about change leadership in higher education. A monthly Change Leadership webinar series was held for campus change leaders to learn and share about change leadership in higher education. Webinars took place December 2022 – March 2023 to provide tools and resources to support change leadership.

- Webinar 1: Introduction to Change Leadership
  [Recording] [Slides]
- Webinar 2: Who is Changing?
- Webinar 3: Communicating Change
- Webinar 4: Change Leadership Tools

There is also a companion Brightspace Course with links to webinar recordings and Change Leadership resources. Enrollees who completed activities and assessments within the course were eligible for a SUNY CPD certificate in DLE Change Leadership.

This opportunity helped campuses to leverage this transition to address and support other priorities such as diversity, equity, and inclusion; EIT accessibility; general education; student success; support and assessment of student learning; faculty development, etc.

Training Levels

Options for instructional Brightspace use:

Spark

Description:
Participants may:

be somewhat apprehensive of technology
frequently require extra time to acquire technology skills and comfort
have limited skills with an LMS
be uncomfortable with undefined jargon
rarely attempt new technology or actions independently

Recommended Path:

Synchronous Remote Workshops at the “Spark” pace, with supplemental Scaled Webinars and Asynchronous Modules, as desired.

*To earn a certificate, complete the assessments in the asynchronous training

Ignite

Description:
Participants may:

be neutral regarding new technology but occasionally need extra time to acquire technology skills and comfort
be competent with an LMS but often require repetition to grasp new skills
be hesitant to try new technology or actions independently

Recommended Path:

Synchronous Remote Workshops at the “Ignite” pace, with supplemental Scaled Webinars.

*To earn a certificate, complete the assessments in the asynchronous training modules after completing the Synchronous Remote workshop.

Blaze

Description:
Participants may:

be skilled in technology
utilize current LMS well
learn quickly, but at a regular pace

Recommended Path:

Scaled Webinars, supplemented with Asynchronous Modules, as desired.

*To earn a certificate, complete the assessments in the asynchronous training modules after completing the Synchronous Remote workshop.

Bonfire

Description:
Participants may:

be very skilled in technology
utilize current LMS intricately
be ready for specialized tools/options
require little-to-no hands-on instruction or assistance

Recommended Path:

Asynchronous modules, supplemented with scaled webinars, as desired.

*To earn a certificate, complete the assessments in the asynchronous training modules after completing the Synchronous Remote workshop.

Options for non-instructional Brightspace use:

Scaled webinars and asynchronous modules
- Pick and choose the relevant topics to assist you with your Brightspace use needs.

Schedule

Cohort 1

Brightspace Fundamentals Synchronous Remote

Cohort 1 Faculty & Staff are no longer eligible to enroll in Brightspace Fundamentals Synchronous Remote training, the Cohort 1 Implementation phase has ended.
Recordings are available on this DLE website under the Training tab, click on Recordings

Topic-Specific Scaled Webinars

Scaled webinar registration is open to ALL campuses, regardless of cohort
Please check the registration site for updates, new sessions are added regularly
Recordings are available on this DLE website under the Training tab, click on Recordings
General Schedule: Topic-Specific Scaled Webinars typically ran every fourth Wednesday through Friday on a rotating topic basis. (For exact dates, please click the registration link.) The SUNY DLE will increase programming based on demand.

Asynchronous modules

Access: Access to the SUNY DLE Brightspace asynchronous modules is based on the availability of faculty accounts in the new Brightspace environment.
When your campus Brightspace account has been created, your campus will provide your login instructions to Brightspace.
The SUNY DLE Brightspace Asynchronous Modules will appear as a course in your course list.

Illuminations: Advanced Brightspace Webinars

Illuminations webinar registration is open to ALL campuses, regardless of cohort
It is recommended that attendees participate in the Fundamentals Scaled Webinars prior to these advanced Illuminations Webinars
Recordings are available on this DLE website under the Training tab, click on Recordings
General Schedule: Illumination webinars typically ran every other Wednesday through Friday on a rotating topic basis. (For exact dates, please click the registration link.) The SUNY DLE will increase programming based on demand.

Cohorts 2-4

Synchronous Remote

Cohort 2 Faculty Synchronous Remote training is ongoing (all Cohort 2 faculty)
Please check the registration site for updates, new sessions are added regularly
Recordings are available on this DLE website under the Training tab, click on Recordings
General Schedule: Synchronous Remote sessions typically once every other week, Monday through Thursday at the following times. (For exact dates, please click the registration link.) The SUNY DLE will increase programming based on demand.
- Monday-Thursday
  - 11:00 am — 1:00 pm
  - 2:00 – 4:00 pm

Topic-Specific Scaled Webinars

Scaled webinar registration is open to ALL campuses, regardless of cohort
Please check the registration site for updates, new sessions are added regularly
Recordings are available on this DLE website under the Training tab, click on Recordings
General Schedule: Topic-Specific Scaled Webinars typically run every fourth Wednesday through Friday at the following times on a rotating topic basis. (For exact dates, please click the registration link.) The SUNY DLE will increase programming based on demand.
- Wednesdays
  - 9:00-10:30 am
  - 2:30-4:00 pm
- Thursdays
  - 9:00-10:30 am
  - 2:30-4:00 pm
- Fridays
  - 9:00-10:30 am
  - 12:00-1:30 pm

Asynchronous modules

Access: Access to the SUNY DLE Brightspace asynchronous modules is based on the availability of faculty accounts in the new Brightspace environment.
When your campus Brightspace account has been created, your campus will provide your login instructions to Brightspace.
The SUNY DLE Brightspace Asynchronous Modules will appear as a course in your course list.

Illuminations: Advanced Brightspace Webinars

Illuminations webinar registration is open to ALL campuses, regardless of cohort
It is recommended that attendees participate in the Fundamentals Scaled Webinars prior to these advanced Illuminations Webinars
Recordings are available on this DLE website under the Training tab, click on Recordings
General Schedule: Illumination webinars typically run every other Wednesday through Friday at the following times on a rotating topic basis. (For exact dates, please click the registration link.) The SUNY DLE will increase programming based on demand.
- Wednesday
  - 9:00-10:30 am
  - 2:30-4:00 pm
- Thursday
  - 9:00-10:30 am
  - 11:30 am -1:00 pm
  - 2:30-4:00 pm
- Friday
  - 12:00-1:30 pm

OTTER Institute 2023

Online Teaching: Technology & Educational Resources: The OTTER Flex Edition!

Spring Course Design Institute: May 8 – June 16, 2023

Summer/Fall Course Delivery Institute: August 14 – September 22, 2023

The SUNY Center for Professional Development (CPD) OTTER Institute is an opportunity for online practitioners to learn more about the innovations, trends, and challenges with online education. Programming focuses on the Brightspace Learning Environment. See examples of best practices for course design and delivery within Brightspace. Learn about the tools and features within Brightspace that will help you create and deliver effective and engaging digital course content.

What is OTTER Flex? Each six-week component of the 2023 OTTER Institute will consist of a weekly 2-hour webinar that will be recorded and housed within the CPD’s Brightspace environment. OTTER participants can attend the live session and/or review the recording and review companion materials online. Following the weekly webinars, participants will have an opportunity to work with instructional designers and Brightspace experts and build or redesign their Brightspace course materials.

To view the Institute Agenda with a complete list of the weekly topics and activities, visit the OTTER 2023 website: https://sunycpd.eventsair.com/otter-2023

The webinars from OTTER 2022 were recorded and are posted here: https://dle.suny.edu/recordings/

Registration

We look forward to seeing our SUNY faculty and staff in our upcoming SUNY DLE Brightspace programming. For questions regarding programming, please reach out to Jamie Heron, SUNY Online Program Manager (jamie.heron@suny.edu).

Registration is currently closed.

Meet the Training Team

Jamie Heron, SUNY DLE Training Lead

SUNY Online Program Manager

Jamie is an instructional designer with 20 years of online teaching experience, spanning 7 different learning management systems. She has conducted hundreds of workshops designed to assist faculty in acquiring the skills necessary to effectively use a new learning management system and to successfully migrate their materials (e.g., WebCT, ANGEL, Blackboard). Jamie creates an engaging training experience, emphasizing the benefits and efficiencies of the Brightspace teaching environment, while maintaining a sensitivity to the individual needs and concerns of her workshop participants.

Robert Becker, SUNY Center for Professional Development

Robert is an instructional designer with over 35 years of teaching experience. Working for over a decade in digital learning environments, he has been at the forefront of distance learning in the humanities and fine arts. Robert teaches in multiple modalities within the SUNY system, including face-to-face, fully online, and HyFlex courses. In all of his teaching and training endeavors, Robert makes a point of seeking out innovations in educational best practices, technology, and content delivery strategies.

Robert Piorkowski, SUNY Online

Robert Piorkowski is the Assistant Director of Online Teaching for SUNY Online. He brings to the position a meaningful understanding of campus culture, online faculty development, instructional design, and online teaching. He is the principal designer of Open SUNY’s Instructional Designer Certificate Program adopted by OLC in 2016, for which he drew input from SUNY’s instructional designer community. Currently, he focuses on the implementation of online teaching supports, services, and resources for remote and online faculty & campus IDs, and the continuous improvement in online course quality via OSCQR. Rob was an adjunct instructor for Cayuga Community College, where he taught French online for 14 years.