This Month on the OpenLab: 1.7.5

a lake setting in the fall where leaves on trees are orange — Image Source: Michael Levine-Clark

We released version 1.7.5 of the OpenLab on November 15, which in addition to a few behind-the-scenes tweaks, included some noticeable additions and improvements.

We added two plugins — AN Gradebook and SyntaxHighlighter Evolved. AN Gradebook replaces KB Gradebook, which is no longer being updated. We think it is easier to use than KB Gradebook, and also doesn’t require an external spreadsheet. Syntax Highlighter allows users to easily post and highlight nicely-formatted code on an OpenLab site.

This release also included a number of bug fixes. One addressed a problem preventing screencast.com videos from embedding properly. We also fixed a bug in the WP Pro Quiz plugin that caused the results of quizzes to not appear properly. Finally, there was an issue with the WP Grade Comments plugin that did not allow users to enter a grade of “0”.

As always, contact us with any questions!

In the Spotlight: Student Kim Mohammed’s ePortfolio

Though many of us may more readily think ‘coursework’ or ‘group project coordination’ when we think of the OpenLab, the platform also offers an important opportunity for displaying individual work in a unique and professional way. City Tech student, Kim Mohammed offers an excellent example of how this can be accomplished. Kim’s site is clear on her professional ambitions – to be a graphic designer – and aims to highlight the various academic and professional stepping stones that are preparing her for and leading her in that direction. For example, Kim has posted a 5-part-series documenting her experience finding and securing an internship (Part 1 here), a link to well-designed resume, and an ‘About Me’ page with a brief overview of her ambitions and link to an external site displaying her design work. Kim has also shared and summarized webinars and interviews with role models in her field and reviewed apps in her blog. In addition to the functionality of the site, Kim’s site is clean and easy to navigate, as well as – with a selected quote, image, and brief professional biography framing each page – unique and personalized. All-in-all, Kim’s site is a great example of how the OpenLab can be used to store one’s work in an organized and presentable manner so that it may be used in the pursuit of larger ambitions beyond your time at City Tech.

In the Spotlight: SADHA

OpenLab affords many opportunities for student-faculty collaboration and professional development for students. For a great example of this, look no further than SADHA. SADHA, short for Student American Dental Hygiene Association, is a site that facilitates the membership of first and second year Dental Hygiene students in an important professional organization – the American Dental Hygiene Association. In addition to coordinating the submission of dues and alerting students to related events, the club cultivates a sense of community and shared identity among those in the Dental Hygiene (DH) field at City Tech. This is accomplished by posting information regarding social and professional-development events, money-making opportunities, articles and videos of interest to those in the DH field, and connecting students with important resources for success in the field. The coordination of these resources is the joint effort of Professor Ana Matthews, a graduate of City Tech’s DH program and now full-time faculty member, and yearly appointed student leaders. With 320 members to date, the usefulness of this site for the DH community at City Tech in undeniable.

OpenLab Statistics: To September 30, 2016

Pageviews (for past quarter):
837,089

Average session duration (for past quarter):
4:44

Number of users broken down by students, faculty, staff:
Students: 17,956
Faculty: 761
Staff: 154

Number of courses, projects, clubs, portfolios:
Courses: 1,468
Projects: 2,211
Clubs: 95
Portfolios: 4,75

OpenLab Statistics: To June 30, 2016

Pageviews (for past quarter):
644,132

Average session duration(for past quarter):
4:22

Number of users broken down by students, faculty, staff (as of July 13 2016):
Students: 16,088
Faculty: 716
Staff: 141
Other: 64

Number of courses, projects, clubs, portfolios (as of July 13 2016):
Courses: 1,301
Projects: 1,946
Clubs: 86
Portfolios: 4,400

OpenLab Statistics: To September 30, 2015

Pageviews (for past quarter):
766,732

Average visit duration (for past quarter):
4:53

Number of users broken down by students, faculty, staff:
Students: 14,233
Faculty: 646
Staff: 123

Number of courses, projects, clubs, portfolios:
Courses: 1,133
Projects: 1,583
Clubs: 75
Portfolios: 3,580

In the Spotlight: Introducing “People’s Choice”

“In the Spotlight,” housed on the Open Road, is a blog series that aims to showcase all the amazing work our students, faculty and staff are doing by featuring a different course, project, club or ePortfolio each week. Specifically, we highlight the unique ways users are designing their sites to meet their teaching, learning, professional, and/or extracurricular needs. Taken together, this collection of sites is a testament to the expansiveness of the OpenLab community and the diverse ways members are using the platform.

In addition to continuing this tradition this semester, we’re also introducing a new feature called “People’s Choice.” People’s Choice calls on all users and visitors of the OpenLab to recommend sites they feel are particularly successful and exemplify the excellence we promote here, “In the Spotlight,” on the Openlab. So start exploring all of the amazing sites on the OpenLab, and use this form to let us know what you like and why!

We look forward to hearing from you soon about which sites are your favorites!

The Month on the OpenLab: OL 1.7.4

6288866486_35a855e652_o — Image Credit: Chris Ford

We released version 1.7.4 of the OpenLab on October 18. In this release, we added a password strength notification on the sign up page. In addition, we retired KB Gradebook, a plugin that is no longer being updated. We’re testing out a few options for a potential replacement, so stay tuned. Other than those two items, it was another small release, with a few additional behind the scenes updates and ongoing accessibility improvements.

In the Spotlight: The OpenLab is Growing!

461976874_92114e4ece_o — Image Credit: ntr23

This week we, the OpenLab team, are proud to announce OpenLab is now home to over 19,000 members! Thank you for joining us!

Given our growing community, we’d like to take a minute to remind you of all of the services available to you:

We offer skill-building workshops tailored to the needs of faculty/staff and students to help you improve the quality and functionality of your sites.

We have office hours where you can ask questions and get one-on-one assistance.

We offer support via email 7 days a week – Openlab@citytech.cuny.edu

We have a student blogging team who populate The Buzz with stories from their everyday lives, their experiences at City Tech, and advice.

Join the Open Road today for up-to-date news about the OpenLab and information about our workshops and events. Also visit “In the Spotlight” Here, we showcase the excellence and innovation of particularly well-done sites, which may spark ideas for other users about their own sites. We may even feature your site! This fall we are introducing a new feature, “People’s Choice”, offering an opportunity for members to recommend sites for recognitions — Stay tuned for more details!

We look forward to working with you,
The OpenLab Team

In the Spotlight: Apply to become an OpenLab Student Blogger or Photoblogger!

Apply to become an OpenLab Student Blogger or Photoblogger!

The Buzz is hiring! We are an Openlab student project dedicated to all things City Tech, where students blog about themselves and/or topics of their choice. We seek enthusiastic student bloggers to join The Buzz and create conversation, community, and engagement on the OpenLab and strengthen the intellectual and social life of the college community.

Why join the OpenLab student blogging team?

Publish your work on the OpenLab and develop a public portfolio of professional writing
Learn best practices for managing an online presence, social media writing professionally, and developing a personal brand
Build your resume and get paid $500/semester

Contact us at openlab@citytech.cuny.edu & jbelli@citytech.cuny.edu if you’re interested. See the full call below and submit the complete application by Monday, October 10th at 12 pm. Interviews will be conducted shortly after.

Download (PDF, 63KB)

The Open Road