Notifications to Campus

In 34 days, December 31, 2023, we will be decommissioning Blackboard in its entirety.  We will not be able to recover items from the old server after this date so now is the time to save your content!

There is a wealth of information located in the Information Resources knowledge base article entitled: Downloading Files and Individual Items from Blackboard 

We have a step-by-step tutorial if you wish to Export or Archive your course . Exporting your Blackboard content and importing it into Brightspace can be done as well.

Design Help Walk-Ins - Extended Hours until 12/14/2023:

 9:00 am to 3:00 pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday now until December 14, 2023.  Located in the Teaching Materials Center of Memorial Library - B 117C.  

No appointment necessary!  

 You can drop in anytime during the scheduled Open Lab times. Please note: Walk-ins are not intended to be a replacement for a workshop or training.  

 If you need more than 15 minutes with your instructional designer, please schedule a meeting.

Important Dates:  

                  End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023  

Did you know? 

Cortland students are expected to practice academic integrity. Turnitin is a learning technology tool that can help students meet these requirements and learn how to properly reference and cite. 

Turnitin is plagiarism detection software that scans student work for matched text by comparing the work to a large database of student work, publications, and materials on the internet. The Turnitin service is available through Brightspace. 

If you want to check student papers for plagiarism, you should activate Turnitin on an Assignment before students submit work.  With the emergence of ChatGPT the need for AI detection has become a reality.  Turnitin does have AI detection. 

If you only want to check single papers or aren’t using Brightspace for assignment submission, there is a way to quick submit a single paper.  If you wish to upload prior papers into the database there is a way to upload multiple papers as a ZIP file.

Upcoming Workshop: Fri, Oct 27,  9:30 - 11:00 am VIRTUAL - Brightspace Gradebook: 

Review tools in the Brightspace Grade Book, starting with the Grades Setup Wizard.  A grade book is as individual as a course so this will be a basic overview of the grade book.  One on one meetings will be encouraged to fully set-up a grade book.  Register here. 

Design Help Walk-Ins: 

11:00 am to 1:00 pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until the end of the semester. 

No appointment necessary!  

You can drop in anytime during the scheduled Open Lab times. Please note: Walk-ins are not intended to be a replacement for a workshop or training.   

If you need more than 15 minutes with your instructional designer, please schedule a meeting. 

Important Dates:  

                  End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023  

Hoping the semester is going smoothly for you all.   Please don't forget that Blackboard will be removed from the servers on December 31, 2023.  It is not too early to start exporting/archiving any content you wish to save!

Did you know?  

Students are having some difficulty in finding your feedback on their assignments.  We have an Assignment Feedback tutorial that we encourage you to share.    

Upcoming Trainings:  

A full list of workshops is located on the workshops and training page.  If a workshop is not currently scheduled a previously recorded workshop will be available.    

Brightspace Gradebook:  

Review tools in the Brightspace Grade Book, starting with the Grades Setup Wizard.  A grade book is as individual as a course so this will be a basic overview of the grade book.  One on one meetings will be encouraged to fully set-up a grade book.    

Virtual and in person options are available.  Register here.    

Design Help Walk-Ins:  

11:00 am to 1:00 pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until the end of the semester.  

No appointment necessary!   

 You can drop in anytime during the scheduled Open Lab times. Please note: Walk-ins are not intended to be a replacement for a workshop or training.    

 If you need more than 15 minutes with your instructional designer, please schedule a meeting.  

Questions about how Brightspace works?  

Take a look at our Brightspace Knowledge Base articles.  If there is something missing please let us know!  

Important Dates:  

                  End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023  

Design Help hopes your semester is off to a great start! Included in this email are some reminders, information on class visits and an upcoming workshop, and our walk-in hours for the semester. 

A Reminder about Student Email Addresses in Brightspace 

 Students who previously attended other SUNY schools before coming to Cortland may observe that their email addresses have not been changed to reflect their current Cortland address. Consequently, their Brightspace notifications and assignment submission receipts will continue to be sent to their non-Cortland email accounts. To address this issue, a widget will be displayed near the top of the Brightspace dashboard for all Brightspace users until September 15th. This widget will check email addresses. If the email is non-Cortland, students (and faculty) will be provided with a link to the SUNY Help Desk to initiate the update process. Only the SUNY Help Desk can make this update for our students.   

Adding students or other faculty to a course: 

Need to add a co-instructor or a GA/TA?  The knowledge base article entitled How do I add someone to Brightspace? Gives you several options on how to add participants to your course.  

Did you know? 

The instructional designers in Design Help can present to your class.  This is especially helpful now since Brightspace is so new to the campus.  We have been invited into COR classes to assist our new students in navigating the system as well as fully online classes (virtually) and classes that only use Brightspace to hand in a final project.  Reach out to let us know you would like a presentation! 

Upcoming Trainings: 

Getting Started with Poll Everywhere (vendor hosted/sponsored) 

Join a Poll Everywhere product specialist to learn how Poll Everywhere can help you engage hybrid audiences, gather valuable feedback, and amplify your next presentation. Poll Everywhere will also host a live Q&A during the session. Free Registration! 

Design Help Walk-Ins have returned: 

11:00 am to 1:00 pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until finals. 

No appointment necessary!  You can drop in anytime during the scheduled Open Lab times. Please note: Walk-ins are not intended to be a replacement for a workshop or training.   

If you need more than 15 minutes with your instructional designer, please schedule a meeting. 

Important Dates:  

                  End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023  

It's not to late to join us for:

 Bagels and Brightspace: 

These informal, in-person get-togethers will be held in the Teaching Materials Center in Memorial Library. Faculty and staff can work individually or in small groups getting their courses set up in Brightspace. Migration sandboxes can be created on the fly to allow faculty the opportunity to clean up their old course content before moving them to Brightspace.      

Instructional designers will be on hand to assist. Bring your laptop or borrow one from the library. Munchies will be provided.  

Tuesday August 22, 8:00 - 1:00  

Wednesday August 23, 8:00 - 1:00  

Friday August 25, 8:00 - 1:00**  

We would like to thank the Provosts office for sponsoring Bagels and Brightspace. **An additional thank you to Cortland Auxiliary Services who graciously offered to donate Bagels and Coffee for this session!  

Please note there is no in person or virtual assistance on August 24. Please plan accordingly. Our normal walk-in hours have been suspended until the first week of classes.  

Brightspace Quick Start: 

Are you trying to get your courses up and running in a hurry? This workshop will take you through a general overview of the Brightspace dashboard. You will go through updating the image in your course, adding your syllabus and other content.  In addition, you will review your class list and how to email your class from Brightspace and also review a sample communication you can send to your students about Brightspace. We will spend the last 10 minutes of these workshops going over how to create an assignment.   

Virtually:  

Wednesday August 23, 1:00pm - 2:30pm  

Friday August 25, 1:00pm - 2:30pm  

Register for a Brightspace Quick Start workshop now.   

Recordings of previous workshops and information on upcoming workshops can be found on the Technology Workshops and Trainings page.    

Important Dates:  

                  End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023  

We hope you are enjoying your summer break, however we would be remiss not to suggest taking an hour or two to work on Brightspace. We want you to be successful in our new learning management system! Below are some highlights of an item to pay attention to as well as upcoming trainings to add to your calendar! 

Student Email Addresses in Brightspace 

Students who previously attended other SUNY schools before coming to Cortland may observe that their email address has not been changed to their current Cortland email. Consequently, their Brightspace notifications and assignment submission receipts will be sent to their non-Cortland email account. To solve this issue, until September 15^th a widget will be displayed at the top of the dashboard for all Brightspace users.  This widget will automatically check the users email address. If the address is non-Cortland, the user will be provided with a link to the SUNY Help Desk. The user needs to initiate the update process by asking for their email to be changed to their Cortland email in the SUNY Help Desk request. Only SUNY can make the change to the email addresses in Brightspace. 

Upcoming Trainings:  

Bagels and Brightspace: 

These informal, in-person get-togethers will be held in the Teaching Materials Center in Memorial Library during the two weeks preceding the first day of classes. Faculty and staff can work individually or in small groups getting their courses set up in Brightspace. Migration sandboxes can be created on the fly to allow faculty the opportunity to clean up their old course content before moving them to Brightspace.     

Instructional designers will be on hand to assist. Bring your laptop or borrow one from the library. Munchies will be provided.  

Monday August 14, 8:00 – 1:00  

Tuesday August 15, 8:00 – 1:00  

Wednesday August 16, 8:00 – 1:00  

Friday August 18, 8:00 – 1:00  

Monday August 21, 8:00 – 1:00  

Tuesday August 22, 8:00 – 1:00  

Wednesday August 23, 8:00 – 1:00  

Friday August 25, 8:00 – 1:00**  

We would like to thank the Provost’s office for sponsoring Bagels and Brightspace. **An additional thank you to Cortland Auxiliary Services who graciously offered to donate Bagels and Coffee for this session!  

Please note there is no in person or virtual assistance on August 17 or August 24. Please plan accordingly.  

Brightspace Quick Start: 

Are you trying to get your courses up and running in a hurry? This workshop will take you through a general overview of the Brightspace dashboard. You will go through updating the image in your course, adding your syllabus and other content.  In addition, you will review your class list and how to “email” your class from Brightspace and also review a sample communication about Brightspace. We will spend the last 10 minutes of these workshops going over how to create an assignment.   

In Person: 
Monday August 14, 1:00pm - 2:30pm  

Tuesday August 15, 1:00pm - 2:30pm  

Wednesday August 16, 1:00pm - 2:30pm  

Friday August 18, 1:00pm - 2:30pm  

Virtually:  

Wednesday August 23, 1:00pm - 2:30pm  

Friday August 25, 1:00pm - 2:30pm  

Register for a Brightspace Quick Start workshop now.  

Recordings of previous workshops and information on upcoming workshops can be found on the Technology Workshops and Trainings page.    

Important Dates:  

End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023  

 Updated in person and virtual assistance! 

In-Person help – 11:00 am to 1:00 pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday through August 31.  Design Lab, Memorial Library B-117C.   

Virtual assistance - By appointment only through August 31, please schedule a virtual meeting.  

24/7 access to knowledge base articles (tutorials): 

Take a look at the Brightspace Knowledge Base articles.  If there is something missing, or your question is not answered please let us know!  There are articles for your students as well!

Important dates: 

The Brightspace tab is scheduled to go away June 30. The Brightspace link is in the eLearning channel of the Student and Faculty/Staff tabs in myRedDragon.  

End of Blackboard/Archive Mode: December 31, 2023 

What does Archive Mode mean? - As of May 17th, no new courses were created in Blackboard. You and your students will still have access to existing materials. All content should be downloaded or moved to Brightspace before this date. 

Future Communications

 Future communications will be on an as needed basis.  

Summer is here and the time is right for beginning to create/move your courses to Brightspace.

•  Moving Content from Blackboard?  
  • The most consistent problems come from not removing old/unneeded content from a Blackboard course before it is moved to Brightspace.  Please let us know if you need help!
• clean up your course content  
•  Creating new content in Brightspace?  
• Request your fall (winter/spring) sandboxes or log into Brightspace and start building in your fall course.  If you do not see it listed check your enrollments. If there is no one enrolled a shell is not created (just like Blackboard). 

Don’t forget In-Person help – 11:00 am to 2:00 pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday through June 30.  Design Lab, Memorial Library B-117C.   

Virtual assistance - By appointment only through June 30, please schedule a virtual meeting.  

24/7 access to knowledge base articles (tutorials):

Take a look at the Brightspace Knowledge Base articles.  If there is something missing, or your question is not answered please let us know! 

In-Person help – 11:00 am to 2:00 pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday through June 30.  Design Lab, Memorial Library B-117C.   

Virtual assistance - By appointment only through June 30, please schedule a virtual meeting.  

24/7 access to knowledge base articles (tutorials): 

Please visit the Brightspace Knowledge Base articles.  If there is something missing, or your question is not answered please let us know! 

Important dates: 

End of Blackboard Archive Mode: December 31, 2023 

What does Archive Mode mean? - As of May 17th, no new courses will be created in Blackboard. You and your students will still have access to existing materials. All content should be downloaded or moved to Brightspace before this date. 

The Brightspace tab is scheduled to go away soon...details are forthcoming. The Brightspace link is in the eLearning channel of the Student and Faculty/Staff tabs in myRedDragon.   

Future Communications 

Future communications will be on an as needed basis.  

Questions? 

Information about the migration is on our project website: cortland.edu/dle  

Previous Campus Notifications 

If you are teaching this summer, do not forget to make your course available!  

The Brightspace link is in the eLearning channel of the Student and Faculty/Staff tabs in myRedDragon. 

We are still providing in person and virtual assistance!  

In-Person help – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Friday May 19 in the Design Lab, Memorial Library B-117C.  Summer Hours will be posted soon. 

Virtual assistance - 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. You can "drop-in" anytime via Webex during the scheduled times. Link to Design Help Webex Room    

If you would like a one on one with an instructional designer and the above times do not work with your schedule, please schedule a meeting.  

You have access to online resources 24/7 by logging into myRedDragon, choosing the Tech Help tab, then Knowledge Base  and Teaching and Learning.  If we are missing a tutorial you think we need, please let us know!

Important Dates: 

End of Blackboard Archive Mode: December 31, 2023 

What does Archive Mode mean? - As of May 17th, no new courses will be created in Blackboard. You and your students will still have access to existing materials.  

Brightspace is here! 

Future Communications 

Future communications will be on an as needed basis.  

Questions? 

Information about the migration is on our project website: cortland.edu/dle  

Previous Campus Notifications 

If you are teaching this summer, do not forget to make your course available!  

Please encourage your students to log into Brightspace before they leave campus. This Introduction to Brightspace for Students video was shared with students last week to help them get started.  There is a Brightspace link in the eLearning channel of the Student tab in myRedDragon. If they have any questions to please contact the Technology Help Center.  

We are still providing in person and virtual assistance!  

In-Person help – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Friday May 19 in the Design Lab, Memorial Library B-117C.  Summer Hours will be posted soon. 

Virtual assistance - 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. You can "drop-in" anytime via Webex during the scheduled times. Link to Design Help Webex Room    

If you would like a one on one with an instructional designer and the above times do not work with your schedule, please schedule a meeting.  

Accessing Brightspace after May 16 

You can now access Brightspace through the eLearning channel in the Faculty/Staff and Student tabs of myRedDragon. The Brightspace tab will be available until after the conclusion of the Spring semester. 

Important Dates: 

Full cutover to Brightspace: May 17, 2023 

Blackboard Archive Mode: May 17, 2023  

What does Archive Mode mean? - As of May 17th, no new courses will be created in Blackboard. You and your students will still have access to existing materials.  

End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023 

6 Days till Brightspace! 

Questions? 

Information about the migration is on our project website: cortland.edu/dle  

Previous Campus Notifications 

If you are teaching this summer, please encourage your students to log into Brightspace before they leave campus. There is a Brightspace link in the eLearning channel of the Student tab in myRedDragon. If they have any questions have them contact the Technology Help Center.   You may also encourage your students to stop into the Brightspace for Students in Summer Session tabling event in the lobby of Memorial Library on Wednesday May 10 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Design Help in person and virtual assistance!  

In-Person help – Starting Monday, May 1 until Friday May 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; our Design Lab, Memorial Library B-117C will be open to in-person walk-ins.  

Virtual assistance - 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until May 18. You can "drop-in" anytime via Webex during the scheduled Open Lab times above. Link to Design Help Webex Room    

If you would like a one on one with an instructional designer and the above times do not work with your schedule, please schedule a meeting.  

Accessing Brightspace after May 16 

You can now access Brightspace through the eLearning channel in the Faculty/Staff and Student tabs of myRedDragon. The Brightspace tab will be available until after the conclusion of the Spring semester. 

Important Dates: 

Full cutover to Brightspace: May 17, 2023 

Blackboard Archive Mode: May 17, 2023  

What does Archive Mode mean? - As of May 17th, no new courses will be created in Blackboard. You and your students will still have access to existing materials.  

End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023 

13 Days till Brightspace! 

Questions? 

Information about the migration is on our project website: cortland.edu/dle  

Previous Campus Notifications 

Design Help in-person and virtual assistance

Did you miss migration and munchies? Haven’t had a chance to prepare for summer (or fall)? Now’s the time! In-Person help – Starting Monday, May 1 until Friday May 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; our Design Lab, Memorial Library B-117C will be open to in-person walk-ins.  

Virtual assistance - 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. You can "drop-in" anytime via Webex during the scheduled Open Lab times above. Link to Design Help Webex Room    

If you would like a one on one with an instructional designer and the above times do not work with your schedule, please schedule a meeting.  

Accessing Brightspace after May 16 

You can now access Brightspace through the eLearning channel in the Faculty/Staff and Student tabs of myRedDragon. The Brightspace tab will be available until after the conclusion of the Spring semester. 

Important Dates: 

Full cutover to Brightspace: May 17, 2023 

Blackboard Archive Mode: May 17, 2023  

What does Archive Mode mean? - As of May 17th, no new courses will be created in Blackboard. You and your students will still have access to existing materials.  

End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023 

19 Days until Brightspace! 

Questions? 

Information about the migration is on our project website: cortland.edu/dle  

Previous Campus Notifications 

How do I make my (summer) course available?   Follow the video or written tutorial  

Making Your Course Available to Students in Brightspace 

How do I release final grades to students?  If you did not select the Automatically release final grade option when you set up your grade book, you can release final grades to learners manually. 

How do students learn about Brightspace? All students who are registered for a summer or fall class have access to Brightspace now – they will not see their courses until their instructor makes the course available.  

They can log in through the Brightspace Access link on the student tab. Students have access to the SUNY created Brightspace Orientation course.  We would encourage you to guide students to that course sooner rather than later, so they are prepared for summer and beyond.  

Accessing Brightspace after May 16 

You can now access Brightspace through the eLearning channel in the Faculty/Staff and Student tabs of myRedDragon. The Brightspace tab will be available until after the conclusion of the Spring semester. 

Design Help in person and virtual assistance!  

Did you miss migration and munchies? Haven’t had a chance to prepare for summer (or fall)? Now’s the time! 

In Person help – Starting Monday, May until Friday May 19: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. our Design Lab, Memorial Library B-117C will be open to in-person walk-ins.  

Virtual assistance - 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. You can "drop-in" anytime via Webex during the scheduled virtual assistance times. Link to Design Help Webex Room    

If you would like a one on one with an instructional designer and the above times do not work with your schedule, please schedule a meeting. 

Upcoming Brightspace Trainings:  

All workshops, unless otherwise noted, will be held in person in Memorial Library B117C Design Lab. 

April 24, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. 

Brightspace: Assignments, Quizzes and Surveys 

In Brightspace, you can use quizzes to measure student knowledge, gauge progress, and gather information from students. The assignments tool enables you to collect student documents uploaded in Brightspace. Use it to create, manage, and distribute activities that assess students in meaningful ways. Register here to learn about Brightspace assignments, quizzes and surveys

April 27, 9:30 am – 10:30 am 

Brightspace: Getting Started 

Get started on your Brightspace course creation by learning how to access, identify, and navigate global settings and features. This workshop provides a hands-on introduction to the Brightspace interface and organization features. Register here to learn about getting started in Brightspace

Important Dates: 

Full cutover to Brightspace: May 17, 2023 

Blackboard Archive Mode: May 17, 2023  

What does Archive Mode mean? - As of May 17th, no new courses will be created in Blackboard. You and your students will still have access to existing materials.  

End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023 

26 Days till Brightspace! 

Questions? 

Information about the migration is on our project website: cortland.edu/dle  

Previous Campus Notifications 

We would like to take a moment to thank departments who have reached out to their instructional designers to have departmental meetings around Brightspace. It really helps us, and we hope you, focus workshops on the needs of your discipline. If you would like to meet with us as a group, let us know! 

Accessing Brightspace this Summer and Beyond 

You can now access Brightspace through the eLearning channel in the Faculty/Staff and Student tabs of myRedDragon. The Brightspace tab will be available until after the Spring semester concludes.  

What should I be doing? 

Continue to prepare your courses:  

• Moving Content from Blackboard?  
• Request a Migration Sandbox, and clean up your course content  
• Creating new content in Brightspace?  
• After you complete your Brightspace Fundamentals Certificate Request your summer/fall sandboxes. 

Need Help? - Email designhelp@cortland.edu 

Upcoming Brightspace Trainings:  

April 17, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

Brightspace: Gradebook 

Review tools in the Brightspace Grade Book, starting with the Grades Setup Wizard.  A grade book is as individual as a course so this will be a basic overview of the grade book.  One on one meetings will be encouraged to fully set-up a grade book.  Register here to learn about Brightspace's gradebook

April 20, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. 

Brightspace: Groups 

In this workshop, you learn to facilitate collaboration among students by setting up groups. We will identify the components and walk through the steps needed to create groups in Brightspace.  Group members can exchange documents, submit group assignments, send email to other group members, and distribute tasks to keep the group on track. Register here to learn about Brightspace groups

Design Help Walk-ins are Virtual!  

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until the end of May 2023 (New schedule will be released for the summer).   

No appointment necessary!    

You can "drop-in" anytime via Webex during the scheduled Open Lab times above. Link to Design Help Webex Room    

If you need more than 15 minutes with your instructional designer OR would like to meet in person, please schedule a meeting. 

Important Dates: 

Full cutover to Brightspace: May 17, 2023 

Blackboard Archive Mode: May 17, 2023  

What does Archive Mode mean? - As of May 17th, no new courses will be created in Blackboard. You and your students will still have access to existing materials.  

End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023 

34 Days till Brightspace! 

Questions? 

Information about the migration is on our project website: cortland.edu/dle 

Brightspace Tip of the Week – Video Streaming

Ensemble has retired, Yuja is the new video streaming solution.  It is best practice to upload video files to our campus streaming service, Yuja, and then embed your video into your Brightspace course. Uploading your video directly to Brightspace is not advised.

How Do I Access YuJa?  

Embedding Yuja videos in Brightspace

Questions about how Brightspace works?

Take a look at the Brightspace Knowledge Base articles.  If there is something missing, or your question is not answered please let us know!

What should I be doing?

Continue to prepare your courses:  

• Moving Content from Blackboard?  
• Request a Migration Sandbox, clean up your course content

• Creating new content in Brightspace?  
  • After you complete your Brightspace Fundamentals Certificate Request your summer/fall sandboxes.

Need Help? - Email designhelp@cortland.edu   

Upcoming Brightspace Trainings:  

April 12, 9:30 am - 10:30 am  

Brightspace: Discussions – Wait, where did Journals & Blogs go?- This workshop will go over the use of the Discussions tool in your course to encourage users to share thoughts on course material with their peers. You can set up forums and topics for users to ask questions, discuss course content and assignments, and work together in assigned groups and sections. In Brightspace, you can create private groups with restricted discussion areas where learners can keep a journal.  These journals are only viewable to the individual student and the course instructor.  Register here to learn about Brightspace discussions

Design Help Walk-ins are Virtual!  

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until the end of May 2023 (New schedule will be released for the summer).  

No appointment necessary!    

You can "drop-in" anytime via Webex during the scheduled Open Lab times above.   Link to Design Help Webex Room    

If you need more than 15 minutes with your instructional designer OR would like to meet in person, please schedule a meeting with your designer.

Important Dates:

Full cutover to Brightspace: May 17, 2023

Blackboard Archive Mode: May 17, 2023  

What does Archive Mode mean? - On this date, no new courses will be created. 

You and your students will still have access to existing materials.  

End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023

36 Days till Brightspace!

Questions?

Information about the migration is on our project website: cortland.edu/dle

Important Dates:  

Full cutover to Brightspace: May 17, 2023  

Blackboard Archive Mode: May 17, 2023 

What does Archive Mode mean? - On this date, no new courses will be created. You and your students will still have access to existing materials. 

End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023  

48 Days till Brightspace!  

Brightspace Tip of the Week  

If you are used to using Safe Assign in Blackboard – check out Brightspace’s plagiarism tool: Turnitin.  

Enable Turnitin on an Assignment   

Turnitin Plagiarism Tool: Quick Submit (Replacing SafeAssign)  

Questions about how Brightspace works?  

Take a look at our Brightspace Knowledge Base articles.  If there is something missing please let us know!  

What should I be doing?  

1. Continue to prepare your Courses:   
   • Moving Content from Blackboard?
     • Request a Migration Sandbox, and clean up your course content   
   • Creating new content in Brightspace?
     • After you complete your Brightspace Fundamentals Certificate Request your summer/fall/winter/spring sandboxes.
2. Complete the SUNY DLE Brightspace Fundamentals Asynchronous Modules and earn your Brightspace Certification.
   • Log into myRedDragon
   • Choose the Brightspace Tab
   • Access Brightspace
   • Choose the DLE Brightspace Fundamentals course under My Courses.

If you are confident in the material being presented to you, skip to the Quiz.  

Need Help? - Email designhelp@cortland.edu   

Upcoming Brightspace Trainings:   

Brightspace: Gradebook - Review tools in the Brightspace Grade Book, starting with the Grades Setup Wizard.  A grade book is as individual as a course so this will be a basic overview of the grade book. April 6, 2023 9:30 am - 11 a.m. Register here.  

Design Help Walk-ins are Virtual!  

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until the end of May 2023 (New schedule will be released for the summer).  

No appointment necessary!   

You can "drop-in" anytime via Webex during the scheduled Open Lab times above.   Link to Design Help Webex Room    

If these times do not match your schedule, if you would like to meet in person or if you need more than 15 minutes with your instructional designer, please schedule a meeting.  

Are you interested in a workshop designed specifically for your department?   

We can set up a time for your department to meet for an open session, or we can come to your department meeting! Let us know.     

Questions?  

Information about the migration is on our project website: cortland.edu/dle  

Hello everyone, 

We’d like a moment to thank you for working with us on this migration to Brightspace. Change is never easy! In particular, we would like to thank the 34 individuals who participated in our Migration and Munchies during Spring Break! 

Important Dates: 

Full cutover to Brightspace: May 17, 2023 

Blackboard Archive Mode: May 17, 2023 

End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023 

55 Days till Brightspace! 

What should I be doing? 

1. Continue to prepare your Courses:   
   • Moving Content from Blackboard?
     • Request a Migration Sandbox, and clean up your course content   
   • Creating new content in Brightspace?
     • After you complete your Brightspace Fundamentals Certificate Request your summer/fall/winter/spring sandboxes.
2. Complete the SUNY DLE Brightspace Fundamentals Asynchronous Modules and earn your Brightspace Certification.
   • Log into myRedDragon
   • Choose the Brightspace Tab
   • Access Brightspace
   • Choose the DLE Brightspace Fundamentals course under My Courses.

If you are confident in the material being presented to you, skip to the Quiz. 

Need Help? - Email designhelp@cortland.edu  

Upcoming Brightspace Trainings:  

Assignments, Quizzes and Surveys - In this workshop, you will learn to facilitate collaboration among students by setting up groups. March 27, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.. Register here to learn about Brightspace assignments, quizzes and surveys 

Getting Started - This workshop provides a hands-on introduction to the Brightspace interface and organization features.  March 30, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.. Register here to learn about getting started in Brightspace
 

Design Help Walk-ins Going Virtual! 

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until the end of May 2023 (New schedule will be released for the summer). 

No appointment necessary!  

You can "drop-in" anytime via Webex during the scheduled Open Lab times above.  

Link to Design Help Webex Room  

If these times do not match your schedule, if you would like to meet in person or if you need more than 15 minutes with your instructional designer, please schedule a meeting. 

Are you interested in a workshop designed specifically for your department?  

We can set up a time for your department to meet for an open session, or we can come to your department meeting! Let us know.   

Questions? 

Information about the migration is on our project website: cortland.edu/dle

What should I be doing?

1. Complete the SUNY DLE Brightspace Fundamentals Asynchronous Modules and earn your Brightspace Certification.  
   • Log into myRedDragon  
   • Choose the Brightspace Tab  
   • Access Brightspace  
   • Choose the DLE Brightspace Fundamentals course under My Courses (Request a sample Brightspace shell to use while going through the Fundamentals course)  

If you are confident in the material being presented to you, skip to the Quiz. 

Need Help? - Email designhelp@cortland.edu  

2. Begin Prepping your Course or Courses: 
   • Moving Content from Blackboard?  
     • Request a Migration Sandbox, clean up your course content  
   • Creating new content in Brightspace?  
     • After you complete your Brightspace Fundamentals Certificate Request your summer/fall sandboxes.  

Upcoming Trainings:  

Brightspace Groups - In this workshop, you will learn to facilitate collaboration among students by setting up groups. March 20, 11 a.m. to noon. Register here to learn about Brightspace groups

Brightspace: Discussions – Wait, where did Journals & Blogs go? - This workshop will go over the use of the Discussions tool in your course to encourage users to share thoughts on course material with their peers.  March 23, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.. Register here to learn about Brightspace discussions

Don’t forget about Design Help Walk-Ins: 

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until the end of May 2023 (New schedule will be released for the summer). 

No appointment necessary!  

You can drop-in anytime during the scheduled Open Lab times. Please note: Walk-ins are not intended to be a replacement for a workshop or training.   

If you need more than 15 minutes with your instructional designer, please schedule a meeting. 

Are you interested in a workshop designed specifically for your department? Contact your instructional designer! 

We can set up a time for your department to meet for a workshop or an open session, or we can come to your department meeting! Let us know.   

Important Dates: 

Full cutover to Brightspace: May 17, 2023 

Blackboard Archive Mode: May 17, 2023 

End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023 

Questions? 

Information about the migration is on our project website: cortland.edu/dle 

62 Days till Brightspace! 

We understand spring break is a time to rejuvenate and prepare for the rest of the semester, however we would be remiss not to suggest taking an hour or two to work on Brightspace. We want you to be successful in our new learning management system! 

What you need to know now: 

1. Attend Migration and Munchies! Especially if you plan on teaching during the summer. (information below!) 
2. Instructional Designers will be on campus during Spring break to help Faculty. 

Upcoming Training: 

Migration and Munchies - these informal, in-person get-togethers will be held in the Teaching Materials Center in Memorial Library during spring break. Faculty can work individually or in small groups getting their courses set up in Brightspace. Migration sandboxes can be created on the fly to allow faculty the opportunity to clean up their courses before moving them to Brightspace.    

Not finished with your Brightspace certificate yet? Don’t fret – We won’t hold it against you, please attend!  

Instructional designers will be on hand to assist. Bring your laptop or borrow one from the library. Munchies will be provided. 

Monday March 13, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tuesday March 14, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday March 16, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Friday March 17, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Important Dates: 

Full cutover to Brightspace: May 17, 2023 

Blackboard Archive Mode: May 17, 2023 

End of Blackboard Archive: December 31, 2023 

Questions? 

Information about the migration is on our project website: cortland.edu/dle 

69 Days till Brightspace! 

As promised, here is the follow up to the sandwich seminar and webinar we held this week on the campus’ move to Brightspace.   

Brightspace is the new Digital Learning Environment (DLE) system that is being rolled out SUNY wide, replacing our previous learning management system, Blackboard.  A recording of Cortland’s Move to Brightspace has been made available for those who may have missed the sessions.   

The Instructional Designers in Memorial Library have partnered with the Campus Technology Trainer to provide a wealth of workshops and resources to help you in all aspects of teaching.   

We are offering Design Help Walk-in Hours starting next week through the end of May. Walk-ins will be held in Memorial Library B117C Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Join us during Spring Break when we will be offering “Migration and Munchies.” These informal, in-person get-togethers will be held in the Teaching Materials Center in Memorial Library: 

• Monday March 13, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Tuesday March 14, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Wednesday March 15 - No Time Scheduled 
• Thursday March 16, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Friday March 17, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Faculty can work individually or in small groups getting their courses set up in Brightspace. Migration sandboxes can be created on the fly to allow faculty the opportunity to clean up their courses before moving them to Brightspace. Instructional designers will be on hand to assist. 

Bring your laptop or borrow one from the library. Munchies will be provided. 

Please take a look at the Tech Help tab on myRedDragon, select Knowledge Base, select Teaching and Learning to get to the latest Blackboard and Brightspace guides and popular issues.  

What are my next steps? 

• Complete the SUNY DLE Brightspace Fundamentals Asynchronous Modules and earn your Brightspace Certification. 
• Log into myRedDragon 
• Choose the Brightspace Tab 
• Access Brightspace (Request a sample Brightspace shell to use while going through the Fundamentals course) 

* If you have difficulties at any step of the process, email designhelp@cortland.edu 

Prepping your Course or Courses: 

• Moving Content? 
• Request a Migration Sandbox, clean up your course content 
• Join us for Migration and Munchies during Spring Break week, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) 
• Creating new content? 
• After you complete your Brightspace Fundamentals Certificate Request your summer/fall sandboxes. 
• Start creating 
• Join us for Migration and Munchies during Spring Break week, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) 

Who is your Instructional Designer?   

• School of Arts and Science: Jill Nobles 
• School of Education: Kristina Maricle  
• School of Professional Studies: Hailey Ruoff

Who is the Technology Trainer?   

• Campus Technology Trainer: Julia Morog

Please feel free to reach out to Design Help with any questions. 

Want to meet with a designer as a department?  

We can set up a time for your department to meet for an open session, or we can come to your department meeting! Let us know.   

We look forward to assisting you, virtually or in-person.  

Hailey, Kristina, and Jill 

Designhelp@cortland.edu   

Julia 

Julia.morog@cortland.edu  

Dear Campus Community,

I want to provide an update on the . As part of SUNY’s second cohort, SUNY Cortland was to be fully migrated to Brightspace by January 2023. However, Information Resources staff and the Provost’s Cabinet have recommended full migration to begin with Summer Session I in May 2023. Blackboard will be decommissioned as the Learning Management System at that time.

I encourage faculty to participate in one or both pilots being offered in Winter Session and Spring 2023. Being part of a pilot serves as an opportunity to troubleshoot issues and will contribute to a more seamless implementation. Faculty interested in participating in either pilot session will need to complete the SUNY Brightspace Fundamentals Course and submit their certificate of completion and information on courses you would like to migrate for the pilot.

Once you are logged into myRedDragon, faculty members have a “Brightspace Pilot” tab, click on “Access Brightspace Pilot” link and the SUNY Brightspace Fundamentals Course can be found under the My Courses tab. Completion of the Brightspace Fundamentals course is essential for all faculty to teach in Brightspace. First-time online instructors can expect to take six to ten hours to complete the course. Experienced online instructors can complete the training in less than one hour. All faculty, whether choosing to participate in the pilot or not, have access now to Brightspace Pilot tab.

Please note:

• Certificates of completion may be submitted via the Brightspace Pilot tab in myRedDragon.
• The Winter Session submission deadline is Dec. 1.
• The Spring Semester 2023 deadline is Jan. 9, 2023.

We will continue to send updates by email and additional information can be found online.

My sincere thanks go to the 45 faculty members participating in the Brightspace pilot this semester. I would also like to thank Information Resources’ project team: Jim Durr, Kristina Maricle, Varya McCaslin-Doyle, Jill Nobles, Hailey Ruoff and Ray Ruppert.

Mark J. Prus
Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs

Dear Campus Community,

I would like to provide an update on the SUNY Digital Learning Environment migration from Blackboard to Desire2Learn’s Brightspace Learning Management system. SUNY Cortland is one of eight SUNY campuses in a cohort that originally aimed to move fully to Brightspace by January 2023. Based on consultation with Information Resources staff and the Provost’s Cabinet, the university has decided to delay full migration to Brightspace until the beginning of summer session 1, May 2023 . A pilot program is in place this semester with 45 faculty and 130 courses. More faculty will participate in an extension of this pilot through the Spring 2023 semester. Please know that the university will continue to fully support Blackboard through the end of this academic year. This change will allow us to better train faculty and staff and fully implement courses through Brightspace. I appreciate your patience and understanding through this transition. Brightspace will be a powerful new tool in serving our students’ needs. Please continue to check the SUNY Cortland DLE webpage for on-going updates and Brightspace LMS information.

I also wanted to share that the Ensemble Video Platform is being replaced by the YuJa Enterprise Video Platform. A corporate merger led to SUNY bidding for a replacement and a contract was signed with YuJa in mid-August. Campus Technology Services has been working on migrating video content to YuJa and will continue to do so through September. If you have new videos to upload, I ask that you please wait until YuJa is fully operational and refrain from posting to Ensemble at this time. Information on training classes for YuJa will be shared with you soon.

Thank you,

Mark J. Prus
Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs

Hello Faculty,

I hope the semester has wound down smoothly for you! As we get ready to enjoy the summer, we want to remind you of the transition from Blackboard to D2L Brightspace starting with pilot courses this fall with full implementation for the spring semester 2023. Information Resources had its first kick-off meeting with all SUNY Cohort 2 campuses, SUNY representatives and Brightspace last week to begin the planning and implementation process. SUNY Cortland will begin working with the SUNY Project Team on the plan, and shortly thereafter testing and training will begin.

The transition will involve 3 phases. In total, the rollout will take between 11 – 13 months:

• Phase 1: Planning with IT and Instructional Designers May – August 2022
• Phase 2: Pilot – Early Adopter Faculty September – December 2022
• Phase 3: Production Cutover “Go Live” – All courses/faculty January – April 2023

IR has worked with the Deans to identify faculty from their school who may be able to support the pilot in the fall; we will be reaching out to these individuals within the next week to confirm their participation. If you did not receive an invite from us directly by May 31, and you are interested in participating in the pilot in the fall, please contact designhelp@cortland.edu to be added to the pilot group. Keep in mind if you volunteer for the fall pilot, there will be some work this summer in order to have these courses ready for the fall semester. There will be ample training for SUNY Cortland faculty, staff and students, provided by SUNY starting soon. Cohort 2 Faculty Synchronous Remote Training will begin 6/1/2022.

You can find additional information about Brightspace and the SUNY-wide DLE initiative at Cortland’s DLE Information page. This page also includes access to the Brightspace Sandbox if you want to explore the new course management system.

We recognize that this is a big change for our students, faculty, and staff. We appreciate your patience through this process, and we will continue to keep you informed as we learn our next steps as a campus.

Sincerely,
Lisa Kahle
Associate Vice President for Information Resources
Director Campus Technology Services
SUNY Cortland
Academic Affairs
Library, 304
607-753-5942

Hello faculty and staff,

We hope this email finds you well and your semester has been going smoothly.

This email is one of several you will begin receiving regarding the move from Blackboard to our new course management system, Desire2Learn (D2L) Brightspace Learning. This change in our course management system was a SUNY-wide decision. All SUNY schools will be required to use D2L as their course management system. SUNY will be moving campuses over to the new course management system in stages because there are so many campuses involved. The first cohort of SUNY’s Digital Learning Environment (DLE) included 30 campuses, and that cohort began its rollout in January 2022.

SUNY Cortland has been selected to be in cohort 2 for the move to D2L Brightspace Learning. We are still waiting to hear from the SUNY implementation team for detailed next steps, but here is an overview of the timeline for this rollout:

The rollout will involve 3 phases. In total, the rollout will take between 11 – 13 months:

• Phase 1: Planning with IT and Instructional Designers May – August 2022
• Phase 2: Pilot – Early Adopter Faculty September – December 2022
• Phase 3: Production Cutover “Go Live” – All courses/faculty January – April 2023

In preparation for SUNY Cortland’s rollout, Information Resources (IR) has put together a Technical Implementation Team consisting of several technical staff and the three instructional designers. Our three instructional designers are also members of various SUNY DLE implementation committees. We will be working with the provost and deans to put together two campus DLE implementation teams, a DLE Advisory Group and a DLE Migration Team. We will reach out with more information on these groups in a few weeks.

You can find additional information about D2L Brightspace Learning and the SUNY-wide DLE initiative at Cortland’s DLE Information page. This page also includes access to the DLE Brightspace Sandbox if you want to explore the new course management system.

We recognize that this is a big change for our students, faculty, and staff. We appreciate your patience through this process, and we will continue to keep you informed as we learn our next steps as a campus.

Sincerely,
Lisa Kahle
Associate Vice President for Information Resources
Director Campus Technology Services
SUNY Cortland
Academic Affairs
Library, 304
607-753-5942

Dear faculty and staff,

We are reaching out to inform you that in 2022 SUNY Cortland will begin a transition from Blackboard to a new digital learning environment. After a broad request for proposal process, SUNY system has selected Desire2Learn’s Brightspace Learning Management System.

This is an exciting new opportunity to unify all SUNY campuses under a single environment and allow for a central architecture with common data structures, templates and online tools.

The transition from Blackboard will not begin immediately. The process, which will begin at some point in 2022, will take about one year and happen in three stages. The shift to Brightspace will have its challenges but it is an essential step forward for SUNY Cortland, and the entire SUNY system, to better serve its students.

Most importantly, faculty and staff should know that they will receive extensive communication, training and support from SUNY system, campus implementation teams and Information Resources.

SUNY system will set up a Brightspace environment for you to preview shortly. For more information, visit Desire2Learn and the SUNY Digital Learning Environment websites.

We want to thank in advance Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer Lisa Kahle and her team for all the work they will be doing this transition. They will be communicating many more details to you in the months ahead.

All the best,

Erik J. Bitterbaum
President

Mark Prus
Provost