Registration

Concurrent Sessions I

Enhancing Student Experience through CUNY’s Strategic Technology Initiatives

(Digital Asset Management)

This session highlights current projects that will enhance the academic experience for CUNY faculty, staff and students. Specifically, how the DegreeWorks upgrade will simplify cross-campus transfer evaluations and increase graduation rates; how the CUNY Virtual Desktop provides 24x7 access to high-end software from any device and location; how the upgrade to the fiber optic leads to a state-of-the-art research network connecting users to CUNY’s Data Centers, High Performance Research Center and the internet.

Olga Vega, Project Manager, Computing & Information Services

Steve Willner, Director, Project Management Office, Computing & Information Services

John Bouma, Director of Network Services, Computing & Information Services

Wei Liu, Project Manager, Computing & Information Services

Charbel Mouhayar, Virtualization Manager, Computing & Information Services

Richard Chang, Director of Systems, Storage and Virtualization, Computing & Information Services

Jim Livornese, Project Manager, Computing & Information Services

**************************************

Technology Accessibility Task Force: An Update on Initiatives to Promote IT Accessibility Across CUNY

(Accessibility)

Explores IT accessibility needs at CUNY and recent initiatives to promote accessibility tools and awareness at CUNY. Will highlight the new Accessibility website, recent surveys on needs in classrooms and other spaces, and recent initiatives to make IT more accessible to those with disabilities.

Arthur Downing, VP for Information Services and CIO, Dean of the Library, Baruch College

Caryn Giananti, Senior Research Analyst, Office of Institutional Research, CUNY Central

Carlos Herrera, Task Force Coordinator; Assistant Director, Services for Students with Disabilities, Queensborough Community College

Joseph Sherman, Accessibility Specialist, Office of Computing and Information Services, CUNY Central

**************************************

Librarian/Faculty Collaborations Digital Humanities & Student Research

(Data & Research)

We will discuss how the collaboration between faculty and an embedded librarian in rhetoric and composition has created opportunities for undergraduate research that integrates archival research and digital humanities, changing expectations of what students can accomplish and how they share and publish their research with larger publics. This model creates a new conversation about what undergraduate research (and undergraduate education) is and what support a librarian can offer.

Wendy Hayden, Associate Professor, Hunter College

Iris Finkel, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Hunter College

**************************************

It's Not as Scary as You Think: Dip into the Online Teaching Waters!

(Getting Started)

“We lose personal contact.” “It's too much work.” “It takes the ‘human’ out of ‘humanities.’” When faculty balk at teaching online, the problem might be a conceptualization of what it means to teach online and a limited view of the possibilities of the online format. Aimed at educators with serious doubts about the efficacy of online classes, this talk reframes what it means to teach online and offers best practices.

Mária I. Cipriani, Adjunct Assistant Professor, English, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Pathways in Geospatial Technology – A Model for CUNY

(Getting Started)

Promoting and developing emerging technologies at any institution present many challenges, such as creating awareness, designing workshops and seminars, engaging students and faculty from different disciplines, securing grants and articulating the vision to the administrators and many others. BCC’s Geospatial Center is built on a foundation of demonstrated achievements in student and faculty scholarly activities, scholarship, design of new curricula and programs, external grants, peer-reviewed publications and national and international collaborations.

Sunil Bhaskaran, Professor and Director, BCC Geospatial Center of the CUNY CREST Institute (BGCCCI), Bronx Community College

**************************************

Micro Learning Analytics: Blackboard, Python and Formative Assessment

(Pedagogy)

This research harvested Blackboard data and used Python to perform data analysis of student engagement. Using a big-data approach, this work analyzed student completion of formative assessments and compared these metrics to students’ abilities to produce college-level writing. This comparison determined a correlation between completion of formative assessments and strong college writing skills. This research underscores the importance of formative assessment and the need to monitor micro-level learning analytics.

Edward Lehner, Assistant Professor, Bronx Community College

John R. Ziegler, Assistant Professor, Bronx Community College

**************************************

Lehman 360 Student Portal: The Right Data at the Right Time

(Student Support Systems)

Actionable data is key to harnessing the transformational power of a campus community. The new challenge faced by higher education is to extend analytics beyond an administrative resource to serve as the core of a student-centered, interconnected and integrated platform. This interactive session will describe the experience of Lehman College in designing a single portal to ensure relevant, actionable information for students, faculty and advisors.

Ron Bergmann, VP for Technology/CIO, Lehman College

Edi Ruiz, Assistant Vice President for Technology, Lehman College

David Stevens, Manager, Web Services, Lehman College

**************************************

OERs: An Almost Magical Means of Improving Learning While Saving Money

(Open Educational Resources (OER))

Adopting OERs widely would help reduce the cost of attendance, while improving the quality of the educational experience students have by bringing better materials and digital literacy skill-building into every OER course. We will provide “how-to” resources for a variety of academic disciplines using the SAMR model, with examples of how OERs can be implemented with minimal initial efforts to improve teaching and learning and student engagement, while saving money.

Shawna M. Brandle, Assistant Professor, Department of History, Philosophy, and Political Science, Kingsborough Community College

Jason Leggett, Assistant Professor, Department of History, Philosophy, and Political Science, Kingsborough Community College

Tsubasa Berg, Manager, Kingsborough Center for E-Learning

**************************************

A CUNY Virtual Desktop for Student Success

(Digital Asset Management)

This session will focus on enabling student success by leveraging VDI, or virtual desktop, technologies both in and out of the classroom. A virtual desktop allows for more access of educational programs to students, as well as a traveling profile to move with a student through their course of study. Utilizing either traditional or hyperconverged infrastructure and thin client desktops, universities and professors have begun to understand and incorporate the advantages of VDI into their environments and curriculum. Through case studies and an explanation of the technology, this session will help you use VDI as a tool for success.

James Wilson, Senior Systems Engineer, VMWare

**************************************

Identity Access Management Use Cases at Higher Education Institutions

(Digital Asset Management)

Identity is not simply an IT issue, but a business enabler driven by IT. With 43 percent of data breaches caused by insiders, securing and managing access to data has become critical. Each point of access can easily become a point of exposure. Now, more than ever, securing those identities should be at the core of every enterprise’s security program. This session will present higher education use cases and best practices for the implementation of user access certification processes, automated account provisioning and secure management and data classification for unstructured data, i.e., Windows File Shares, Cloud Storage, SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive and more.

Bill O’Brien, President, IT Security Group, CTI Global

**************************************

Empowering Students Through Feedback with Turnitin Feedback Studio

(Pedagogy)

The hallmark Turnitin service, collectively called Feedback Studio, focuses on providing tools to assist faculty with sharing formative and summative feedback to students in a timely manner, foster peer evaluation skills, as well as tools for educating students about proper citation to avoid plagiarism. Join us to walk through the service and how it can be utilized in the classroom to empower your students in the learning process with feedback. If you are a new user, come with questions; if you are an existing user, bring best practices to share. Appropriate for any discipline, course format or experience level.

Jessica Bright, Institutional Success Manager, Turnitin, LLC

**************************************

Break

Concurrent Sessions II

Redefining ‘Success’ in the Hybrid Course

(Pedagogy)

How have hybrid courses complicated traditional notions of success in a classroom? What are the challenges in comparing the “success” of a hybrid course with the “success” of a traditional course? Current and former Center for Teaching and Learning directors and the faculty liaison at Baruch College discuss how hybridizing has created shifts in assignment design, student learning outcomes and student self-perceptions of learning that challenge and redefine success.

Allison Lehr-Samuels, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Baruch College

Kannan Mohan, Former Director of the CTL, Baruch College

Cheryl Smith, Faculty Liaison to CTL, Baruch College

Laurie Hurson, Hybrid Coordinator at the CTL, Baruch College

Lindsey Albracht, Hybrid Coordinator at the CTL, Baruch College

**************************************

Assistive Technology and Accessibility Methods Used Across CUNY

(Accessibility)

The CUNY Assistive Technology Services and Media Accessibility Project team will be demonstrating the latest software as assistive technology solutions that benefit students with disabilities across CUNY. This workshop will also explore methods on how to create accessible documents and audio/video content for online or hybrid classes.

Tania Kalaitzidis, Assistive Technology Specialist, CATS/MAP

Shivan Mahabir, Assistive Technology Specialist, CATS/MAP

Danny Villaroel, Assistive Technology Specialist, CATS/MAP

David Dalencourt, Assistive Technology Specialist, CATS/MAP

**************************************

Getting Started with Open Educational Resources: A Hands-On Workshop

(Open Educational Resources (OER))

Are you ready to make the transition to OERs but not sure where to begin? In this session, you’ll learn what OERs are, where to find them and how to decipher the Creative Commons licenses often used with OERs. You’ll start with your current course materials (textbook, course module, learning objects, etc.) and leave with related OERs in hand, prepared to replace your textbook and other materials with zero-cost options.

Jean Amaral, Assistant Professor/Outreach Librarian, Borough of Manhattan Community College

Gina Cherry, CETLS Director, Borough of Manhattan Community College

**************************************

Reinventing Remediation: Blackboard in Developmental Reading Courses

(Pedagogy)

This roundtable discussion examines how developmental reading faculty use Blackboard and other technologies to varying extents and capacities – from a hybrid developmental reading course to the use of digital text. While the opportunities that technology offer are enormous, it is also critical to ask what roles do platforms like Blackboard lie in remediation and what is the role of the instructor when he/she introduces technology in developmental reading?

Minkyung Choi, Professor, Bronx Community College

Toni Hernen, Professor, Bronx Community College

Kaemanje S. Thomas, Professor, Bronx Community College

**************************************

iDeclare – Automating the Process to Declare a Major

(Student Support Systems)

To improve the student experience and reduce paper-based declaration requests, we collaborated with Information Technology to automate this process. The former process of declaring an Academic Plan/Sub Plan can present challenges to students, such as navigating college offices, which can be time consuming. Lehman College developed an automated process which provides greater transparency and alleviates the late submission of paper forms, which is critical for financial aid.

Yvette Rosario, Senior Registrar, Lehman College

Denetra Christian, Assistant Registrar, Records & Transcripts, Lehman College

Elkin Urrea, Web Applications Analyst, Lehman College

**************************************

Extending Our Reach: Leveraging Virtual Reality at John Jay College

(Digital Asset Management)

Three years ago, John Jay College of Criminal Justice launched a virtual tour. Now, that tour has been expanded using virtual reality (VR) technology to provide our campus experience anywhere in the world. This session will demonstrate John Jay's VR experience and provide an overview of current VR technologies. Participants will be provided with a VR headset for use with their smartphones during the presentation.

Joseph Laub, Chief Information Officer, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

**************************************

Early Look at CUNYsmart: CUNY’s New Business Intelligence Application

(Data & Research)

How much does a seat in a class cost CUNY? Can we combine enrollment numbers, administrative costs, building overhead and faculty and staff salaries and benefits to generate useful analytics? CUNYsmart provides CUNY’s first comprehensive, easy-to-use analytics structure initially incorporating CUNYfirst financial, HR and student data. See a demonstration of CUNYsmart, learn about its current and proposed contents and find out how to get on board.

Jason Cohen, Director of Special Projects, Computing & Information Services

Zev Jeremias, Director of Technology, Computing & Information Services

Judith Ullman, Manager of Business Intelligence Systems, Computing & Information Services

**************************************

Big Data and the Hybrid Cloud

(Data & Research)

Data is growing faster than our capacity to store it. Although costs can be offset by using the public cloud compute to analyze data, how can you make it easy to move your data to the public cloud, between clouds or bring it back on premises? What data should be kept on site? How can you maintain simplicity and flexibility in a hybrid cloud environment? We will discuss these questions and present a vision and strategy of big data and hybrid cloud and how to take advantage of the benefits of the hybrid cloud while avoiding many of the pitfalls.

Matt Lawson, Principal Architect, U.S. Public Sector – SLED, NetApp

**************************************

Real-Time Insights – Powered by Machine Data

(Data & Research)

Higher education institutions are tasked with multiple IT priorities from providing a fully connected experience to students to securing campus networks. Learn how machine data – which offers definitive records of all activities and transactions that touch an institution – can offer real-time insights into security and IT operations. In this session, you’ll hear how Borough of Manhattan Community College is tapping into the value of machine data to work together across teams and departments to become more secure and troubleshoot problems more quickly to prevent performance slowdowns and issues.

Christopher Cyril, Systems Administrator, Borough of Manhattan Community College

Craig Vincent, Solution Engineer, Splunk Inc.

**************************************

Break

Keynote Presentation – From Teacher to Techpreneur

Jenifer Daniels’ presentation topic will be From Teacher to Techpreneur – a story on how the teacher became the student, upgraded her skills and launched a tech startup.

An award-winning storyteller for brands, Jenifer Daniels transitioned to tech entrepreneur to lead Colorstock, a culturally intelligent stock photo marketplace. She has delivered talks on branding and startups at TEDxCharlotte, IABC World Conference, Charlotte Startup Weekend, PRSA Southeast Conference and Netroots Nation. Jenifer is also the former co-host of #WomensWednesday on SiriusXM Progress’ “Make It Plain” with Mark Thompson. A former university lecturer, she is a member of SheSource, an online brain trust of experts. Jenifer also has made micro investments in more than 80 women-owned ventures.

Jenifer Daniels, APR, Founder and CEO, Colorstock

CUNY Excellence in Technology Awards

Adjourn Day 1

Registration

Concurrent Sessions I

GC Digital Initiatives: Enhancing Student Experience and Access

(Community & Collaboration)

For the past five years, the GC Digital Fellows, an interdisciplinary team of doctoral students tasked with building out communities of digital practice at the Graduate Center, have run a series of successful workshops on digital approaches to research and pedagogy. This panel will present the pedagogical philosophy and curriculum for the GC Digital Research Institute. Topics will include the benefits and challenges of the intensive pedagogical model, best practices for resource management and curriculum development and the future place of the intensive model in the academy. We will conclude by describing the digital project working groups formed by the GC Digital Initiatives to sustain learning beyond the institute.

Lisa Rhody, Deputy Director of Digital Initiatives, The Graduate Center

Matthew K. Gold, Associate Professor of English and Digital Humanities and Advisor to the Provost on Digital Initiatives, The Graduate Center

Patrick Smyth, GC Digital Fellow

Mary Catherine Kinniburgh, GC Digital Fellow

Ian Phillips, GC Digital Fellow

Rachel Rakov, GC Digital Fellow

**************************************

College Students, Technology and Time

(Data & Research)

Our research explores CUNY students’ lived experiences using digital technology in and out of class, on and off campus. Beyond checking grades or emailing a professor, students use digital technology to create space and time for their schoolwork. However, technology can also impede students’ opportunities for making space and time. Understanding how students use digital technology is crucial for colleges and universities to better support students in their academic work.

Mariana Regalado, Associate Professor, Head of Reference & Instruction, Library, Brooklyn College

Maura A. Smale, Professor, Chief Librarian, New York City College of Technology

View Presentation Here

**************************************

Supporting Access to Knowledge by Broadening the Definition of OERs

(Open Educational Resources (OER))

This session explores definitions of Open Educational Resources (OERs) and considers ways to broaden their reach, as evidenced through programs like the Futures Initiative (FI) and Humanities Alliance (HA). Is it necessary for OERs to be digital? Are resources that are not legible for everyone OERs? We argue for the acronym OAER: Open Accessible Educational Resources, and will discuss tools and strategies for advancing accessibility and equity in higher education.

Michelle Renee Morales, Futures Initiative Fellow, PhD Student in Computational Linguistics, The Graduate Center

Jessica Murray, Futures Initiative Fellow, PhD Student in Human Development, The Graduate Center

Kaysi Holman, Director of Administration and Programs, CUNY Humanities Alliance

OER or Traditional Textbooks? An Exploratory Comparative Analysis

(Open Educational Resources (OER))

This exploratory research compares the patterns of use and access of materials provided in Criminal Justice courses. Data from courses taught using a moderately priced traditional textbook is compared to one taught using Open Access textbook material. Both cohorts are provided with alternative resources (i.e., videos, articles, weblinks) via the Blackboard LMS. Additionally, data are derived from both face-to-face and online formats, the assessments for which are online quizzes, essay exams, blogs and short papers.

Brenda K. Vollman, Assistant Professor, Borough of Manhattan Community College

View Presentation Here

**************************************

WiTNY: Programmatic Approach Driving Gender Equity in Computer Science

(Pedagogy)

WiTNY is a unique public/private partnership with a mission to facilitate, encourage and enable a significant increase in the participation of women in both higher education and entrepreneurship in fields related to technology in the New York market. The panel will discuss programs underway across CUNY on computer science introductory curriculum design and pedagogy, glide path programs for rising freshman women, scholarships, internships to strengthen career pathways and community development.

Ann Kirschner, Special Advisor to the Chancellor, Strategic Partnerships, CUNY

Judith Spitz, Verizon Executive in Residence, Cornell Tech

Nakisha Evans, Director, Office of Workforce Partnerships, CUNY

Robert Domanski, Adjunct Instructor, Computer Science, College of Staten Island

Christopher Vickery, Professor, Computer Science, Queens College

Lecia Barker, National Center for Women and Information Technology

**************************************

WordPress Is CMS for cuny.edu

(Digital Asset Management)

WordPress is running cuny.edu with 11 million page views monthly. Learn how the in-house Web Services Team deployed WordPress on the servers, selected/modified plugins and migrated 3,000 pages. This practical workshop will touch on mobile and accessibility strategies and include plenty of time for questions.

Daniel Shure, Manager for Creative and Web Services, CUNY

Sung Lee, Server and Applications Specialist, CUNY

Gerlando Termini, Lead Web Applications Developer, CUNY

**************************************

Caption It Today, Use It Again and Again

(Accessibility)

With the ever increasing number of students with disabilities entering CUNY, along with the increasing use of non-traditional media such as video during hybrid/online courses, Hunter saw the need to use on-demand commercial captioning services to address online and high enrollment courses that may be gateway courses to popular majors, thus ensuring access for students. This presentation uses case studies to illustrate the process learned during this collaborative pilot project.

Sudi Shayesteh, Director, Office of AccessABILITY, Hunter College,

Shiao-Chuan Kung, Educational Technologist, Instructional Computing and Information Technology (ICIT), Hunter College

Nancy Guerrero, Education Technologies, Instructional Computing and Information Technology (ICIT), Hunter College

**************************************

Engaging Students and Using Cost Effective Online Tools

(Getting Started)

To better engage the 21st century student, educators need to adapt and use different technologies to build, manage and deliver content that will keep the students engaged inside and outside the classroom. This presentation will demonstrate various cost-effective technologies and discuss the impact of these technologies on student engagement and learning.

Christina Manzo, Associate Professor, Queensborough Community College

Nina Sarkar, Assistant Professor, Queensborough Community College

Wendy Ford, Associate Professor, Queensborough Community College

Enhance Student Learning in Anatomy & Physiology with Digital Devices

(Pedagogy)

Digital devices are well-suited for delivering Anatomy & Physiology text content, as well as diagrams, videos and photomicrographs. Our research over the past several years indicates that integrating mobile devices into the classroom promotes individualized active learning, increases student enthusiasm and engagement, augments the retention of material, permits 3-D visualization and virtual dissection of anatomical structures and facilitates virtual microscopy, while enabling possible cost savings.

Zvi Ostrin, Assistant Professor, Hostos Community College

Vyacheslav Dushenkov, Assistant Professor, Hostos Community College

**************************************

Resources for a Critical Machine Learning

(Pedagogy)

Machine learning (ML)-related educational resources are increasing, reflecting trends in recent technological developments. As ML increasingly becomes a working mechanism of diverse social areas, discussions also arise around its philosophical and political implications. This workshop aims at surveying existing resources for both technical understanding and critical discussion of machine learning. We will attempt to bridge the two and draft a preliminary material for interdisciplinary pedagogical engagement with machine learning.

Achim Koh, MA Program in Liberal Studies, The Graduate Center

Austere Internet Technology Instruction Delivery

(Pedagogy)

A cost effective, flipped instruction approach to teaching computing concepts using open source resources, low-cost ($35) computers and self-paced CBT learning. Students build responsive websites/apps and are introduced to HTML5, CSS and JavaScript; Version control (GIT); Content Management Systems; Administering a LAMP-based server; Working in an Agile environment; User experience and design concepts; AWS Cloud Computing – IaaS (Infrastructure as aService); Client and Server Frameworks (MEAN and Full Stack).

Michael Lawrence, Lecturer, Queensborough Community College

**************************************

Student Schedule Planning with Stony Brook University and College Scheduler

(Student Support Systems)

With work, sports, family, a commute and up to five courses, students are juggling many responsibilities and creating a class schedule can be extremely challenging. Come learn how Stony Brook University and College Scheduler addressed these challenges, replacing this frustrating process by automatically generating conflict-free schedules that support academic momentum while accommodating life’s obligations. Topics will include identifying the problem, finding and deciding on a solution, implementation and outcomes from Stony Brook University. College Scheduler will provide an overview demonstration and be available to answer questions.

Brian Nucci, Associate for University Systems Analysis, Enrollment Services, Stony Brook University

**************************************

Hyperconvergence Innovation: An Adaptive Infrastructure That Unifies Compute, Storage and Networking

(Data & Research)

Learn about a complete hyperconvergence solution which combines network and compute with a next-generation data platform. This innovative end-to-end solution brings new levels of operational efficiency and adaptability to the data center. Discover how to unify compute, storage and networking to unlock the full potential of hyperconverged infrastructure. This session will include an overview of this innovative architecture and capabilities, with examples of customer success within education.

Michael Hall, Consulting Systems Engineer, Hyperconverged Solutions, Cisco Systems, Inc.

**************************************

Break

Keynote Presentation – CUNYfying Uses of Technology

George Otte was named director of instructional technology for The City University of New York in 2001, then university director of academic technology in 2008 – the year the CUNY Committee on Academic Technology (CAT) was constituted – and he became chief academic officer of the CUNY School of Professional Studies, home of CUNY’s first online degrees. He is on the doctoral faculty of the programs in English, Urban Education and Interactive Technology and Pedagogy at the CUNY Graduate Center. This year saw the publication of Change We Must: Deciding the Future of Higher Education, co-authored/edited with Matthew Goldstein, CUNY Chancellor Emeritus.

George Otte, University Director of Academic Technology, CUNY / Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, CUNY SPS

View Presentation Here

Lunch (until 2 pm)

Concurrent Sessions II

New Connections and Possibilities with the CUNY Academic Commons

(Community & Collaboration)

The CAC team will present new projects such as an integration with CUNY’s institutional repository, the creation of a software package focused on open learning, writing an API for BuddyPress and plans for a federated commons that connects WordPress instances across The City University of New York. The CAC team will detail how ongoing teaching, learning and research partnerships and development will extend past achievements and bring communities together.

Matthew K. Gold, Director, CUNY Academic Commons

Stephen Real, Project Manager, CUNY Academic Commons

Lisa Rhody, Director of Research Projects, CUNY Academic Commons

Luke Waltzer, Director of Community Projects, CUNY Academic Commons

Michael B. Smith, Director of Special Projects, CUNY Academic Commons

Chris Stein, Director of User Experience, CUNY Academic Commons

Megan Wacha, Scholarly Communications Librarian, Office of Library Services

**************************************

Zero Textbook Cost Degree Initiative

(Open Educational Resources (OER))

A consortium of CUNY community colleges received a grant to create three Open Educational Resources (OER) degrees whereby students can earn an associate degree without incurring textbook costs. The short-term goal is to reduce costs and accelerate student progress through college, but an important secondary impact is to change the culture of institutions to create systems and structures for better connecting curriculum and pedagogy to updated student-learning outcomes.

Ann Fiddler, Open Education Librarian, CUNY Office of Library Services

Jean Amaral, Assistant Professor/Outreach Librarian, Borough of Manhattan Community College

Michael Miller, Chief Librarian, Bronx Community College

Madeline Ford, Chief Librarian, Hostos Community College

Jacqueline DiSanto, Assistant Professor and Coordinator, Teacher Education Unit, Hostos Community College

**************************************

Using VDI for Accessibility – Lessons Learned

(Accessibility)

The College of Staten Island had challenges in providing students with accessibility software, which was available only in limited locations. To address this issue and provide for a Universal Design atmosphere, CSI leveraged a VDI environment and made software available from the cloud. Closed captioned video tutorials were created and stored on NJVID to provide additional support. CSI’s challenges and strategies, including communication, documentation and training, will be discussed.

Linda John, Director of Academic Computing, College of Staten Island

Mark Lewental, Director of Library and Media Technologies, College of Staten Island

Patricia Kahn, AVP, Office of Information Technology Services, College of Staten Island

**************************************

CUNY Libraries and Open Source: Wins and Fails

(Digital Asset Management)

This panel presentation will highlight free, open-source projects throughout the libraries. This includes digital display systems, web content management, collections management and more.

Mark Eaton, Assistant Professor, Kingsborough Community College

Robin Davis, Assistant Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Stephen Klein, Digital Services Librarian, The Graduate Center

Junior Tidal, Associate Professor, New York City College of Technology

Leslie Ward, Assistant Professor, Queensborough Community College

Steve Zweibel, Assistant Professor, The Graduate Center (Moderator)

View Tidal Presentation Here

Using Wordpress to Maintain Library Data Sets

(Digital Asset Management)

Since it uses MYSQL, WordPress suits the needs of library websites by aggregating a college library’s complete database inventory. Rather than update several pages, information from vendors can be maintained in a database table and then displayed to students, highlighting available resources and information. The presentation highlights the use of some simple WordPress plugins to manage many aggregators and deliver a modern-looking library website.

Derek Stadler, Web Services Librarian, Assistant Professor, LaGuardia Community College

**************************************

Resurrecting the Alien: A Student Jazz Ensemble Celebrates David Bowie

(Pedagogy)

The speaker is working with the students of the Adelphi University Jazz Ensemble, honoring the recently departed David Bowie. Out of necessity, they have had to work mainly with the recordings Bowie made over the last six decades. There are no published scores, only vocal/piano reductions. This presentation will share the technologically-based approaches the speaker and students have developed to pay tribute to the man who fell to Earth.

Tom Zlabinger, Assistant Professor of Music, York College

Digital Storytelling of My Family’s History

(Pedagogy)

This study focuses on bringing awareness of this country’s diverse cultures to elementary-aged students through the use of multiple modes of learning, including visual, textual and digital resources for the acquisition and production of knowledge. This study engages in an exploration of personal history in a multiethnic urban elementary school. The results of this study may then be used by teacher educators in their classrooms to prepare future teachers.

Sunghee Shin, Associate Professor, Queens College

Beverly Milner Bisland, Associate Professor, Queens College

**************************************

Turning out for Turnitin: Perspectives on Use

(Pedagogy)

Turnitin can be a powerful tool when it comes to providing effective feedback in face-to-face, hybrid and fully online environments. Turnitin can promote academic integrity, improve student work, build grading efficiencies and accommodate diverse learning needs. During this session, several CUNY schools will discuss their experiences working with faculty on adopting Turnitin. Topics will include integrating Turnitin into campus practices; building faculty buy-in; saving time on grading; and campus processes around academic integrity. Bring your experiences to this roundtable to share.

Olena Zhadko, Director of Online Education, Lehman College

Stephen Castellano, Online Teaching and Learning Specialist and Blackboard Administrator, Lehman College

Helen Keier, Manager of Support Services, John Jay Online, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Sylvie Richards, Media and Instructional Technologist, School of Professional Studies

**************************************

Using Technology to Improve Health: Developing the Healthy CUNY App

(Student Support Systems)

We will discuss the participatory process of designing, building and piloting the web-based Healthy CUNY app with a group of CUNY students. The app addresses student needs across four health domains influencing academic success: mental health, sexual and reproductive health, food security and insurance and benefits assistance. We explore how the app can extend the reach and availability of student support and assistance, reviewing preliminary findings from the project’s evaluation. This CUNY resource was built with an initial investment from the CUNY Chancellor’s Strategic Investment Initiative and NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene ThriveNYC.

Sonia K. Gonzalez, Project Director of the Healthy CUNY App, An Initiative of the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy

**************************************

Breaking the Fourth Wall: Arranging Perspectives on Online Education

(Data & Research)

We offer a metaphor that may help break down walls separating us from developing better deliverables in online education. In theater, an invisible “fourth wall” stands between actors and audiences. Students, faculty and administrators responded, offering advice for educators planning online courses, creating a fabric of possibilities around development, delivery, assimilation and assessment. We will view video excerpts and engage the audience in discussion – breaking our own “fourth wall.”

James McElwaine, Professor of Music, Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College

Eva Fernández, Acting Assistant Provost, Professor of Linguistics, Queens College

Michelle Fraboni, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Lecturer in Elementary Education, Queens College

View Presentation Here

**************************************

A Powerful Analytical Model for IR, Enrollment, Student Success and Alumni Relations

(Data & Research)

Modeling the student lifecycle – from prospective applicant to eventual alumni – yields a fresh and powerful analytical solution for several critical areas of university administration. In this session, we will explore how the student lifecycle model delivers true “Data As An Asset” to enhance the student experience across admissions, progress to degree, student affairs, financial aid and alumni engagement. And we will discuss how Informatica solves the data standardization, quality and integration needs throughout the process.

Kurt Rosenfeld, VP Data Analytics and Platform Integration, CTI

Moez Chaabouni, Solutions Architect, Public Sector, Informatica

**************************************

Ransomware: A Growing and Evolving Threat for Everyone

(Data & Research)

Ransomware is one of the latest tools cybertheives are using to try to separate users from their money. A wrong move on a user’s side can lock them out of files and leave a threatening message on their computer demanding a monetary ransom to release them. Some attacks actually encrypt files and can stop an organization from accessing vital data or, worse, loss of confidential information. Over the course of this year, a number of hospitals and schools have come under attack and some paid ransoms to unlock their data so they could continue to operate. This could happen to you!! What’s going on and how can you guard your system?

Deep Acharya, Senior Security Solutions Architect, CDW

**************************************

Break

Concurrent Sessions III

Improving Math Instruction with Open Educational Resources

(Open Educational Resources (OER))

The use of OERs has been growing over two decades. Here at CUNY, Math faculty have been leading the way in adopting, adapting and developing OERs. This panel of Math faculty from BMCC and QCC will share their experiences producing textbooks, videos and other materials. Courses range from Elementary Algebra to Mathematics in Contemporary Society to Calculus. Panelists will explore the challenges, opportunities and impact data.

Jean Amaral, Assistant Professor and Outreach Librarian, Borough of Manhattan Community College

G. Michael Guy, Associate Professor, Queensborough Community College

Jonathan Cornick, Associate Professor, Queensborough Community College

Karan Puri, Associate Professor, Queensborough Community College

Patrick Wallach, Associate Professor, Queensborough Community College

Ke Xin, Lecturer, Borough of Manhattan Community College

Maple Technology for Interactive Calculus Learning

(Getting Started)

The presenter is interested in sharing her experiences on how to use the Maple technology as a valuable and powerful tool that provides dynamic and interactive methods in Calculus learning. Maple projects of Polar Art in 2013, Funny Face in 2014, Geometric Abstract Art in 2015 and Culture Art in 2016 will be presented. These pilot Calculus sequence courses were supported by MSEIP Grant and ELIC Teaching Fund.

Lina Wu, Associate Professor, Borough of Manhattan Community College

**************************************

Sharing Digital Assets: Media Management at CUNY

(Digital Asset Management)

Users of Shared Shelf, a web-based media management platform, will share their experiences and successes adopting the software to manage digital collections. Supporting a variety of media types, Shared Shelf has been used to manage collections for faculty research, teaching, student works, administrative offices, as well as archives and special collections. Learn how you can manage your digital content and bring you collections to life with Shared Shelf!

Ching-Jung Chen, Digital Scholarship Librarian, The City College of New York

Miriam Deutch, Associate Librarian, Brooklyn College

Steven Kowalik, Head, Zabar Art Library, Hunter College

**************************************

Digital Learning in the Arts: IT Methods in Fine Arts and Music

(Pedagogy)

Faculty demonstrate pedagogies in Fine Arts and Music courses. Through digital learning, students advance in creativity, critical thinking and road to degree completion. Professor Tom Dempsey uses ePortfolio and digital platforms for students’ musical compositions and performances. Professor Dahlia Elsayed uses digital technologies in Studio Art courses. Professor Liena Vayzman engages Art History and Urban Study students through WordPress, video assignments, audio files and experiential learning at NYC cultural institutions.

Tom Dempsey, Associate Professor of Music, Humanities Department, LaGuardia Community College

Dahlia Elsayed, Associate Professor of Fine Arts, Humanities Department, LaGuardia Community College

Liena Vayzman, Assistant Professor of Fine Arts, Humanities Department, LaGuardia Community College

**************************************

Accessibility Best Practices for Student Learning and Teacher Training

(Accessibility)

Learn about two CUNY Strategic Technology Initiative funded projects which are developing Universal Design-based best practices for student learning and making on-line teacher training modules accessible.

Leslie Lieman, Educational Technology Coordinator, Lehman College

Naliza Sadik, Educational Technology Assistant, Lehman College

Hilary Sideris, Professional Developer, CUNY Start

Susannah Thompson, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, CUNY Start and Math Start

**************************************

Showcasing Success: City Tech’s OpenLab as Model of Sustainable Growth

(Community & Collaboration)

City Tech’s OpenLab, an open-source digital platform for teaching, learning and collaborating, serves as a model of successful, sustainable growth at CUNY. Our presentation highlights how the OpenLab’s community-focused ethos, flexible infrastructure and commitment to openness manifests in our initiatives and partnerships, including collaborations with students, faculty, administration and cross-institutional alliances. We demonstrate the OpenLab’s capacity to cultivate community and engagement from the ground up, throughout and beyond City Tech.

Jill Belli, OpenLab Co-Director and Assistant Professor of English, New York City College of Technology

Charlie Edwards, OpenLab Co-Director, New York City College of Technology

Kristen Hackett, OpenLab Community Facilitator, New York City College of Technology

M. Genevieve Hitchings, OpenLab Co-Director and Assistant Professor of Communication Design, New York City College of Technology

Phil Kreniske, OpenLab Community Facilitator, New York City College of Technology

Andy McKinney, OpenLab Community Facilitator, New York City College of Technology

K. Andrew Parker, Opening Gateways Co-Director of OER Development and Assistant Professor of Mathematics, New York City College of Technology

Tyler Peckenpaugh, OpenLab Community Facilitator, New York City College of Technology

Jody R. Rosen, OpenLab Co-Director and Associate Professor of English, New York City College of Technology

The Buzz, Student Blogging Team, New York City College of Technology

**************************************

Developing the Next Generation Co-Curricular Transcript

(Accessibility)

BMCC was one of 12 colleges and universities nationwide selected to develop an extended transcript framework. This presentation will highlight our current co-curricular transcript and the process for creating a next generation model, focusing on the cross-departmental development that includes the Registrar, Student Affairs and Information Technology. We will discuss the collaborative process, validating and visualizing student activities and the expected outcomes that include creating an extended digital student record.

Marva Craig, VP for Student Affairs, Borough of Manhattan Community College

Harry Mars, Director, Office of Student Activities, Borough of Manhattan Community College

Joseph Spadaro, VP for Technology, Borough of Manhattan Community College

**************************************

A Good Time to Make a Good Move! – Blackboard (Bb) and CUNY

(Digital Asset Management)

A course management system might be viewed as limiting innovation and integration. In the immediate future, CUNY campus Bb administrators, faculty and the CIS team are considering a move to Bb Ultra Collaborate and other Bb Ultra products. This is an opportunity to ask about integrative possibilities for Building Blocks, Learning Tool Integrations (LTIs), Blogs and Wikis. Presenters are members of the Bb Steering Committee and a Blackboard representative.

Christopher Caprioglio, Director of Application Services, Computing & Information Services

Carlos Cruz, Instructional Design Specialist / Blackboard and Sakai System Administrator, Brooklyn College

Helen Keier, Manager of Support Services, John Jay Online Adjunct Professor, Public Management, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Stephen Powers, Professor, Bronx Community College

Sylvie Richards, Media and Instructional Technologist, School of Professional Studies

Ken Smith, Strategic Account Executive, Blackboard, Inc.

**************************************

Open Educational Resources (OER): Affordability is Just the Beginning

(Open Educational Resources (OER))

This panel assembles a diverse group to showcase innovative OERs created across CUNY, including an introductory guide to ancient civilizations by student/faculty co-authors, an open textbook for an introductory speech course and an introductory biology lab manual. Panelists will discuss how OERs are optimal for creating student-centered and active learning experiences, and share how this work has impacted their pedagogy.

Cailean Cooney, User Services Librarian, New York City College of Technology

Benjamin Haas, Assistant Professor, Borough of Manhattan Community College

Helmut Loeffler, Associate Professor, Queensborough Community College

Arturo H. Enamorado III, Student Co-Author, Queensborough Community College

Jeremy Seto, Assistant Professor, New York City College of Technology

**************************************

CUNY Supporting the Nation of Makers Initiative

(Pedagogy)

What are “best practices” for the Nation of Makers initiative at the college level? Discussion may include: Where at CUNY do we have Maker Spaces that grant faculty and students access? What are best curricular practices? How do we assess success? Let’s advance the dialog on how to build an immersive and relevant experience for today’s students. Findings may suggest commitments the university could make to the White House Initiative.

Jody Culkin, Professor, Borough of Manhattan Community College

Janet Esquirol, Assistant Professor, Borough of Manhattan Community College

Anna Pinkas, Assistant Professor, Borough of Manhattan Community College

**************************************

Build Native Mobile and Responsive Web Apps Fast . . . for Digital Transformation

(Getting Started)

Digital demands are driving universities to transform to new online models. Low-code application development platforms are a proven way to quickly deliver responsive web and native mobile applications demanded by today’s users. Join us for an overview on how to build apps in record time without code! Queensborough Community College has just scratched the surface of this powerful tool and is using it to develop a faculty application accessing data from a variety of sources.

Raj Vaswani, IT Senior Associate, Queensborough Community College

Emil V. Parrinello, Computer Systems Manager, Queensborough Community College

Douglas Crisafulli, OutSystems

Claudio Lichtenthal, OutSystems

**************************************

Break

End-of-Day Drawing

Conference times, agenda and speakers are subject to change.