Welcome to a new academic year! City Tech is welcoming even more new students and faculty members–so welcome to everyone new, and welcome back to everyone returning!
The OpenLab team is excited to work with you this semester as you do great things on the OpenLab–and to help you learn more about using the OpenLab and working in an open community.
This summer, there were some exciting new features added to the OpenLab, and some updates in response to members’ needs. You can read about them in the August 2023 edition of This Month on the OpenLab. The option to have different course templates is a great innovation that will make it easier for instructors to build a course site tailored to the course’s needs.
As the Fall 2023 semester begins, check out the OpenLab’s synchronous support:
- Open Hours: students, faculty, and staff can sign up for open hours, one-on-one appointments to ask specific questions or ask to learn more about topics ranging from getting started to using a tool to implementing pedagogical approach.
- Workshops: All are welcome for our calendar of workshops, plus any group can request a workshop on a topic or technique!
- Co-working sessions: for quiet working time with others, with the option to move to a breakout room for conversation or questions.
There are also great asynchronous options for support:
- The Help materials on the OpenLab are extensive, guiding members through creating and working in Courses, Projects, Clubs, and Portfolios. For example, our help documentation will walk instructors through step-by-step how to add students in bulk to your course by using a list of student emails. Being able to add students to courses this way is so convenient, we even spotlighted it!
- Faculty members with any questions about getting your course site ready for the semester can refer to the helpful tips posted in the Teaching with the OpenLab module.
- Students getting ready to use the OpenLab this semester can use the helpful OpenLab for Students module.
- Everyone can get inspired by what this community has done on the OpenLab by looking through our past In the Spotlight posts or by navigating directly to what interests you through this helpful index of spotlights.
- And you can also contact us with questions: openlab@citytech.cuny.edu!
Wishing everyone a safe, healthy, and inspiring start to the semester. See you on the OpenLab!
