Spring 2024 Webinar Schedule

Online Communication, Interaction & Engagement for Building Class Community

January 31, 2024, 12:00 PM -1:00 PM

Description: This webinar will provide an overview of how to communicate and enhance interaction and engagement in the Brightspace platform. Participants will gain an understanding of online best practices in building online class communities, and view demonstrations of various communication tools in Brightspace to enhance online learner engagement and community. This session will provide all the information necessary to ensure that your online communications and interactions are optimized for the Brightspace environment. With a basic understanding of the features and functionality in the Brightspace platform to support communication and interaction, participants will have all the basic information needed to enhance online engagement and build and support a sense of online class community in their online course Brightspace environment.

Presenter: Rob Piorkowski

Effective Online Discussion

March 21, 2024, 12:00 PM -1:00 PM

Description: Online discussion forums have provided instructors with some very compelling new possibilities for instruction. When designed properly, learning activities that require students to interact with each other can provide a rich, authentic experience for both students and instructor. This session will focus on how to design and manage these interactions in your Brightspace online/blended course.

Presenter: Rob Piorkowski

Cool Tools: The 4 C’s to fire up online learner engagement (Part 1) 

April 2, 2024 12:00 PM -1:00 PM

Description: In Part 1 of this two-part webinar series, you will learn to: 

• Cut Content to increase online learner engagement and active learning. As an online instructor it may feel counterintuitive to reduce the amount of content to increase engagement and active learning, but content does not equal learning. And, adding more content does not equal more learning. Cool tools and suggested approaches will demonstrate how you can shift the responsibility for content creation to the learner.
• Create Community by building trust and encouraging online learners to express/explore their social and teaching presences. Cool Tools will be demonstrated and shared to help you Create Community with a focus on interaction and engagement. 

Presenter: Alexandra Pickett

Cool Tools: The 4 C’s to fire up online learner engagement (Part 2)

April 24, 2024, 12:00 PM -1:00 PM

Description: In Part 2 of this two-part webinar series, you will learn to: 

• Cultivate Connection by facilitating metacognitive reflection and making learning personally relevant. Cool Tools will be demonstrated and shared to help you Cultivate Connection by writing clear course objectives, adapting course management suggestions that support learner engagement, and designing online activities that promote active learning. 
• Communicate Care by inquiring, listening, being flexible, and providing options. By adopting course design and online teaching approaches that humanize your online instruction, you support online learner success. Cool Tools will be demonstrated and shared to help you Communicate Care by specifically targeting care and online learner success. 

Presenter: Alexandra Pickett

AI and Assessment

May 15, 2024, 12:00 PM -1:00 PM

Description: This session will help participants understand the role of AI in academic assessment, explore current applications, and discuss potential benefits and challenges in their classes. The session will highlight the transformative role of AI in reshaping teaching and learning, especially in student-centered discussion boards, entry and exit tickets, and research development, while emphasizing the importance of exploring AI's impact on academic assessment. Best practices will be shared for leveraging AI to enhance teaching and seamlessly integrating AI into teaching practices.

Presenter: Nikki Childrose, Ph.D.

Engaging Students in Online Math-Related courses

May 16, 2024, 11:00 AM -12:00 PM

Description: Join a panel of SUNY Online Teaching Ambassadors as they share strategies and experiences teaching online math-related courses. Panelists will share how they engage students in their courses and participants will be invited to share as well.

Presenters: Jennifer Shloming, FIT and Trevor Johnson-Speigelman, FLCC