Are you trying to copy content to your new section or make your course available and you just can't remember how? All you need to get ready for the new semester in Blackboard is available on the RITE Self-Service Portal.

Please visit these links for answers to the three most frequently asked questions:

• Merge Course Rosters
• Copy a Course in Blackboard
• Make Your Course Available in Blackboard

The following Blackboard professional development workshops will be held in August and September:

Blackboard Learn 9.1: Introduction
Blackboard Learn 9.1: Open Lab Drop In Session
Blackboard Learn 9.1: Assessments
Blackboard Learn 9.1: Grade Center
Blackboard Learn 9.1: Collaboration Tools

Detailed descriptions of each workshop session (PDF, 66 KB) are available on the RITE website. All sessions will be held in Bulger Communication Center 122 or in an online webinar format. Workshops can be taken independently or as part of the Blackboard Specialization Certificate Series.

All workshops are suitable for instructors teaching face-to-face, hybrid, or online courses. All workshop presentations will be one hour and are limited to 10 participants. The instructor will be available for an additional 30 minutes after each workshop for questions and discussions (optional).

Please register online through the Workshop Registration system.

RITE Instructional Design and Training offers a four-workshop Blackboard Specialization Certificate.
A new cohort begins in August. The workshops do not need to be taken in sequence or all at once.

Blackboard Learn is the official learning management system (LMS) at Buffalo State College that allows for dynamic learning to occur in the online environment. Earning a Blackboard Specialization Certificate will demonstrate your ability to enhance student learning and foster better engagement, interaction, and quality learning. This certificate is suitable for instructors teaching face-to-face, hybrid or blended, or online courses.

You may also earn an Advanced Blackboard Specialization Certificate by attending an additional four workshops.

Please download the Blackboard Training Workshops page (PDF, 193 KB) to learn more about these professional development opportunities. For more information, please contact Michael DiFonzo, education systems coordinator.

Office 365 group training sessions are now scheduled through the month of August. Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

August Workshops
•  What's New in Mail and Calendar? Office 365 (Outlook)
•  Microsoft Office in the Cloud (OneDrive, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel online)
•  Delving Deeper into Office 365 (OneNote, Delve, Yammer)
•  Office 365 Groups

If you'd like more information on these sessions or online alternatives, please visit the Office 365 training page.

Individual and department or office-specific training sessions can be requested through the RITE Self-Service Portal. Trainings can also be scheduled for smart boards, Ensemble Video, Blackboard Collaborate web conferencing, and more.

Please contact Todd Benzin, educational technology specialist in Instructional Design and Training, or visit the IDT home page.

Training sessions for the Bengal Success Portal (powered by Starfish), the new web-based intervention and advising tool, are now available. The Bengal Success Portal will enable efficient communication among students, faculty, advisers, support staff, and administrators to support student success and retention. The program encourages students to become active in their academic lives by connecting them to the campus resources and support services they need to succeed at Buffalo State.

The Bengal Success Portal has been in beta testing this summer and will undergo a full rollout in fall 2017. Instructors and advisers will be the primary participants, and additional student services will be added during the fall semester. Please register for Bengal Success Portal training sessions through the Workshop Registration System.

Buffalo State’s University Police Department, working with the Buffalo Fire Department, Residence Life, and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), will conduct its annual fire safety training exercise for Residence Life staff on Friday, August 18, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Tower 4.

For this exercise, you may see fire trucks along Tower Road, police action, simulated smoke, and actors portraying victims. Please do not be alarmed; this is a simulated event.

If you have questions, please call University Police at (716) 878-6333 or ext. 6333 from an on-campus phone.

As part of phase one of the deployment of Microsoft Office 2016 on campus, RITE has made Office 2016 available for faculty and staff members to install on their campus workstations via self-service. Please note: When installing Office 2016, previous versions of Office will be removed.

Employees who are interested in upgrading their computers from Office 2013 to Office 2016 can do so now by following these instructions:

• PC instructions
• Mac instructions

Please note: Some older Windows and Mac laptops may require a wired Ethernet connection to the campus network. Most newer laptops running the latest OS will be able to download and install applications over a wireless connection.

During the second phase of deployment, Office 2016 will be installed on any campus computers that have not received the upgrade via self-service. More information to follow.

RITE has made select software applications available to install via self-service on faculty and staff campus workstations. Follow the links below for instructions on how to view and install software titles available for your computer. 

• PC instructions
• Mac instructions

Please note: Some older Windows and Mac laptops may require a wired Ethernet connection to the campus network. Most newer laptops running the latest OS will be able to download and install applications over a wireless connection.

Buffalo State’s annual New Student Convocation will be held on Friday, August 25, as part of “Orientation 102: Academic Welcome Day.” Two ceremonies will be held in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall: students from the School of Arts and Humanities and the School of the Professions will participate in convocation from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., and students from the School of Education and the School of Natural and Social Sciences, as well as students who have not yet declared a major, will participate in convocation from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Both events will be simulcast in Bulger Communication Center.

This event requires the enthusiastic participation of our campus community to succeed. All departments and offices are encouraged to allow their staff members to support this event as a work assignment for that morning by allowing personnel to march in convocation or volunteer to assist with the event. Faculty and staff members are urged to process in regalia to demonstrate Buffalo State's commitment to incoming students. Please register online if you are interested in marching or volunteering for the event.

The Buffalo State Alumni Association and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company will offer a defensive driving course for faculty, staff, alumni, and students on Saturday, September 9, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Caudell Hall 209.

Class participants are eligible for a 10 percent discount on liability insurance in New York State, regardless of their auto insurance provider. This course will also remove points from a participant's driver's license.

The cost is $22 per person. Please contact Damien Lawrence, Buffalo State’s local representative, (716) 984-9111, by Monday, September 4, to register for the course.

Learn more about the defensive driving course on the Alumni Association website.