Faculty Development

In addition to the ongoing self-enrollment and other faulty training programs listed below, the Center for Teaching (CTL) and Academic Information Technology (AIT) are scheduling regular workshops throughout the year to support you work in the classroom and beyond. Please take a look!

CTL and AIT Workshop Schedule

Also check out the BC Communities of Practice, an online space for Brooklyn College faculty and community members to discuss pedagogy, share and generate resources, and connect mostly synchronously and occasionally asynchronously. The BC Communities of Practice exist within Microsoft Teams. For information about how to get started, see:

Getting Started with BC Communities of Practice.

Teach in Ten: 10 steps for Effective Online Pedagogy

This course is designed for faculty who have not yet received training in teaching online. Teach in Ten is organized as an asynchronous self-paced course, with optional synchronous sessions and pacing.

The Ten Modules cover...

Course Design,
Determining Course Format and Delivery
Backward Design & Learning Goals
Syllabus and Course Schedule
Assessments & Assignments
Grading & Feedback
Universal Design, Tech Tools, and Platforms
Lectures, Videos, and Instructional Materials
Building a Thriving Online Community
Crafting a Semester Communication Plan
Planning the First Class

Course completers will come away with a completed course syllabus, course schedule, one assignment, and a communication plan. The course is designed to take approximately 10–13 hours and successful completers will receive $500 (for the first 150 faculty who complete the course). Full-time and Adjunct faculty are more than welcome to take the course.

Brooklyn College Guide to Online Pedagogy (BCGO)

BCGO is a four-module, self-paced (fully asynchronous) series intended to give faculty an overview of best practices in online teaching. It provides faculty with core principles, strategies, recommendations, and resources gathered from experienced and critical online educators/resources.

The modules focus on teaching online in the context of COVID-19:

an introduction to online pedagogy and frameworks,
trauma-aware pedagogy,
course and syllabus design,
activity/assessment design and rubrics,
assessment and testing, and
online facilitation, communication, and community-building.

The course modules are not facilitated.

All Brooklyn College faculty—both full-time faculty and adjuncts—are invited to use BCGO as a resource for reference and consultation at any time.

Blackboard Training

Provided by the Library/Academic Information Technology (AIT)

Scheduled/Synchronous Training

Training session topics vary based on the stage of the semester/term and faculty requests.

See the CTL Homepage for the weekly training schedule.

Brooklyn College Blackboard Basics

Brooklyn College Blackboard Basics is a self-paced introductory course to the Blackboard platform. It takes approximately four to six hours to complete for those new to Blackboard. Once you start, we recommend that you complete it within two weeks. Participants will be introduced to the various features and tools of the Blackboard platform for their hybrid and online teaching. Each module will include a short assessment.

Self-Enrollment Instructions (pdf)

This course fulfills the Blackboard Basics training requirements for both the CUNY-wide Online Teaching Essentials (OTE) and the Brooklyn College Guide to Online Pedagogy (BCGO) courses. In order to receive the appropriate stipend, complete this course either before or concurrently with either of the pedagogy courses.

Open Educational Resource (OER,) Zero Textbook Cost Course and Digital Tools for Student Engagement

If you are interested in developing an OER, Zero Textbook Cost course and an opportunity to enrich your course with a myriad of pedagogical advantages, for your Spring, Summer or Fall 2021 course, please consider participating in the OER Initiative, Brooklyn College Created Open Education Resources.

Support for your OER Project Includes:

A dedicated Technologist to assist with building your OER site, Blackboard, or another multimedia rich platform, digital tools such as online discussion software, digital text annotation, audio, video, or map assignments, quizzes, tests, Zoom, PowerPoint narration.
A Librarian to assist with Identifying OER materials and/or Library Licensed Resources for your Course.
To receive a $1,500 stipend, the course must completed by Spring, Summer or Fall, 21.
Course Section instructors will receive training to teach their courses using the OER materials. Compensation: $500.00 per course section..

Please contact Professor Professor Miriam Deutch as soon as possible if you would like to participate in the OER Initiative during 2020/21 or if you have any questions about OER.

CUNY-Wide Online Teaching Essentials (OTE)

Offered by the School of Professional Studies, this fully online three-week course in online pedagogy is a facilitated, asynchronous course and includes faculty from across CUNY. Total estimated time is nine to 12 hours, though times may vary. Take a look at the Online Teaching Essentials Overview (pdf) for more information.

Next Session begins January 5th-25th with sessions coming early Spring 2021.
$500 stipend (upon successful completion, with completion of a Brooklyn College Blackboard Basics Course—see above)
This course is the most comprehensive training available to faculty.

Look for announcements/invitations in your inbox. This training is administered by the CUNY School of Professional Studies. Brooklyn College is collecting the applications, but the final decision about who will be accepted to participate is determined by CUNY SPS and Academic Affairs.

Effective Teaching Practices Online

This grant-funded program is designed for faculty teaching high-enrollment, high-failure STEM and other courses. The goal is to build on strengths and increase success for students at Brooklyn College, with a focus on equity. Funding is available for 60 faculty who will each receive $1,000 upon completion.