Highlights
Async and sync courses both need more than a laptop — Brightspace fluency, a reliable webcam/mic setup, and a backup internet plan are the baseline.
YuJa (lecture capture) and Ally (accessibility scoring) are already built into your Brightspace toolkit — no extra sign-up required.
Run every document and video through an accessibility check before it goes live to students, not after.
Publisher tools (Perusall, VitalSource, Pearson, etc.) are only relevant if your course uses that specific textbook or platform — skip what doesn't apply.
Teaching online well isn't just about having a laptop and a Brightspace login. Whether you're running a fully asynchronous course or leading live sessions every week, the right setup makes the difference between fighting your tools and teaching with them. Use this checklist to see what you already have — and what might be worth adding before your next course launch.
Hardware
- Reliable computer or laptop (with enough storage for recorded lectures/videos)
- Webcam (built-in or external) — external recommended for better lighting/framing control
- Microphone or headset — audio quality matters more than video quality for student comprehension
- Headphones or earbuds (for sync sessions and reviewing recordings)
- Second monitor (optional, but a major quality-of-life upgrade for running a video call and slides/notes at once)
- Document camera, drawing tablet, or a SMART Board (if teaching from a collaborative classroom) — useful if you annotate or work problems live
- Basic lighting (a ring light or well-placed desk lamp goes a long way for sync video and recorded content)
Internet and Connectivity
- Reliable, sufficient-bandwidth internet access
- Wi-Fi router or Ethernet cable (Ethernet recommended for live sessions — more stable than Wi-Fi)
- Backup plan (mobile hotspot, alternate location, or a colleague who can cover if your connection drops)
Course Delivery Software
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What it's for |
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Live class sessions, office hours, and meetings. Get familiar with breakout rooms, polling, and recording before your first sync session. |
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Cortland's video platform for lecture capture and async content — record, upload to the Media Library, and embed directly in Brightspace. |
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Your course's home base. Go beyond posting content — get comfortable with the gradebook, discussions, modules, and release conditions. |
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Free on personal devices for faculty, staff, and students — use for slides, docs, and any course materials you build outside Brightspace. |
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PDF creation, editing, and accessibility remediation for course readings and handouts. |
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Live polling and interactive activities to keep sync sessions engaging instead of one-directional. |
Accessibility Tools
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Tool / Resource |
What it's for |
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Ally |
Built into Brightspace — scores your course content for accessibility and shows you exactly what to fix, right where the content lives. |
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SUNY's open Online Course Quality Review rubric — a broader self-check for instructional design and accessibility across your whole course. |
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Built-in accessibility checkers (Word, PowerPoint, Acrobat Pro) |
Run before posting any document to catch missing alt text, poor color contrast, or unlabeled structure. |
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YuJa caption review |
Auto-generated captions need a human check for accuracy before a video goes live to students. |
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Teams meeting live captions |
Turn on live captions during a Teams session so students can follow along in real time, especially useful for sync sessions and office hours. |
Course Materials & Publisher Tools (if applicable)
If your course uses a specific textbook or courseware platform, one of these may already be integrated into your Brightspace shell:
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Tool |
What it's for |
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Perusall |
Social annotation tool for collaborative reading assignments. |
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VitalSource / RedShelf |
Digital course material and e-textbook access integrated directly into Brightspace. |
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Pearson / McGraw Hill Connect / Macmillan / W. W. Norton |
Publisher-specific courseware and homework platforms tied to an adopted textbook. |
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Lumen One / OLI Torus |
Open educational resource (OER) platforms for building or adopting low-cost course content. |
Assessment & Integrity Tools
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Tool |
What it's for |
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Locks down the testing environment for secure online quizzes and exams — set up through Brightspace. |
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Turnitin |
Plagiarism and AI-detection tool integrated with Brightspace assignments — worth knowing its current strengths and limitations. |
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Brightspace Quizzes |
Built-in assessment tool for timed quizzes, randomized question pools, and self-assessments. |
Communication & Organization
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Tool |
What it's for |
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Build online forms for course sign-ups, requests, or data collection outside Brightspace. |
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Cortland's tool for course or research-related surveys (not for collecting private information). |
Pick one consistent channel — Announcements, email, or Discussions — so students always know where to look for updates.
Accounts and Security
- SUNY Cortland email and single sign-on access
- Antivirus/firewall protection
- Password manager (recommended, especially if you're juggling multiple platform logins)
- Awareness of FERPA-safe storage/sharing practices for student work and grades
Mobile Devices
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Tool |
What it's for |
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Check in on your courses from your phone — announcements, discussions, and due dates on the go. |
Citations & Further Reading
- State University of New York. (n.d.). OSCQR: SUNY Online Course Quality Review rubric. SUNY Online. https://oscqr.suny.edu/
- SUNY Cortland Campus Technology Services. (n.d.). Available software. TeamDynamix Knowledge Base. https://cortland.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/2298/Portal/KB/Article/159784/Available-Software