The SUNY Faculty Advisory Council on Teaching and Technology (FACT²) is an advisory body to the SUNY provost, advocating and acting as a resource for university stakeholders at the nexus of technology, pedagogy, and research.

Buffalo State representatives are Carlos Jones, department chair and associate professor of theater, and Melaine Kenyon, director of instructional technology in Instructional Resources.

FACT² has evolved over more than two decades to become a well-established venue to foster collaboration and consensus within a highly diverse university community. FACT² governance includes representatives from faculty, librarians, and IT across individual campuses from all Carnegie sectors. FACT² also serves as an umbrella organization, distributing information from other systemwide governance and advisory organizations. It provides a forum for addressing forward-thinking teaching and learning issues. Well known and widely respected throughout the SUNY system, FACT² reports to the SUNY provost and has a history of working productively with SUNY system administration.

Our purpose is to

• improve the learning environment and expertise of faculty and instructional support staff;
• enhance the teaching and learning process through the use of technology;
• increase networking, collaboration, and sharing of best practices;
• advocate for appropriately equipped and designed learning spaces.

FACT² is involved in the Innovative Instruction Technology Grants (IITG) and the Conference on Instruction and Technology, to be held May 26–29 at SUNY Geneseo.

This was the inaugural year for the Excellence in Instruction and Excellence in Instructional Support Awards. Winners will be announced at CIT.

When issuing a student a non-passing grade, i.e., an E, F, U, I, or N, you must also report the student's last date of attendance when entering the grade online. This assists the Financial Aid Office in determining whether a student unofficially withdrew and whether the student is able to retain the aid he or she received.

The last date of attendance is the last date the student sat in class, took an exam, handed in homework, or actively participated in an online course. If assigning an I or N grade, the last date of attendance is the last date you met with the student to discuss progress in the course. If you have no record of the student attending, do not enter a date. Instead, use the grade EV, which indicates the student never attended the course.

Questions regarding this policy or procedure should be referred to the Financial Aid Office, 878-4902. The grading guide (PDF) on the Financial Aid website may also assist you.

Buffalo State faculty and staff members are invited to participate in the 2015 SUNY Buffalo State Pedagogical Institute: Engagement, Inclusion, and Success, on campus May 18–22.

The institute will offer an array of helpful workshops to give faculty and staff members new ideas for the upcoming semester. The Pedagogical Institute is sponsored by University College and the Professional Development Center, with the participation of the Buffalo State College Senate.

You may attend as many or as few sessions as you'd like. Please register through the CyberQuad Workshop Registration System. Contact Lauren Turner, professional development assistant, 878-3841, with questions.

The schedule is as follows:

Monday, May 18

• 1:00–1:50 p.m. One Buffalo State: Community Roundtable (Butler Library 210)
• ?2:00–3:50 p.m. Carnegie-Engaged Campus (Butler Library 208)
• 4:00–4:45 p.m. Shared Values and Common Goals (Butler Library 181B)
   

Tuesday, May 19

• 9:00–9:50 a.m. SCARF: A Framework for Student Success (Butler Library 181B)
• 10:00–10:50 a.m. Creative Learning: Models and Methods (Butler Library 181B)
• 10:00–10:50 a.m. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Helping Students Reach Financial Success (Butler Library 208)
• 11:00 a.m.–noon In the Spirit of Inclusion: Students with Cognitive Disabilities (Butler Library 181B)
• 1:00–2:50 p.m. Reaching All Learners (Butler Library 181B)
• 3:00–3:50 p.m. High-Impact Practices in the Classroom (Butler Library 181B)

Wednesday, May 20

• ?10:00–10:50 a.m. Assessing the Bengal Community of Scholars Program (Ketchum Hall 200)
• 11:00 a.m.–noon The Benefits of Co-Curricular Activities: Using My Name Is Asher Lev in First-Year Programs (Ketchum Hall 200)
• ?1:00–1:50 p.m. How John Draeger Made Me a Better Teacher: Or, Thinking about Thinking about Teaching (Ketchum Hall 200)
• 2:00–2:50 p.m. Promoting Higher-Order Thinking through Just-in-Time Teaching (Butler Library 181B)
• 3:00–4:30 p.m. Where Do We Start? (Ketchum Hall 200)

Thursday, May 21

• 9:30 a.m.–noon Using Your Service-Learning as Research and Scholarship (Butler Library 181B)
  One-on-one afternoon sessions are available; e-mail Lauren Turner if you are interested.

Friday, May 22

• National Coalition Building Institute.
  E-mail Lauren Turner for details.

Jeremiah Grabowski, online programs coordinator at the University at Buffalo, will present "Gamification in the Classroom" in the next SUNY Fellow Chat on Tuesday, May 12, at noon. The live online 20-minute lunchtime chat will be followed by a real-time online session in which participants are invited to ask questions, share resources, and discuss what they know about the topic.

The Emerging Learning Environments theme is intended to showcase and share innovative research from members of our community and to support networking, interaction, and excellence in online teaching and learning practices.

This event requires registration but is open to all and free of charge.

Register for the Fellow Chat.

View the recording.

Follow the event on Twitter through @OpenSUNY and the hashtag #COTEchat.

About Fellow Chats
The Fellow Chat speaker series is a signature event produced by the Open SUNY Center for Online Teaching Excellence (COTE) for Open SUNY fellows in the COTE Community of Practice.

Open SUNY fellows have committed to sharing their knowledge for the benefit of all members of the community. Each Fellow Chat features original work, effective practices, research, and innovations of Open SUNY fellows. The event is open to all.

If you are interested in sharing what you know with the COTE Community of Practice, please submit a proposal.

About the Presenter
Jeremiah Grabowski has over a decade of experience in instructional design and online learning. At the University at Buffalo, his primary responsibility is to collaborate with faculty members to deliver engaging online or hybrid courses to their students. His background is in instructional design, educational technology, and faculty development. He was the instructional designer on the Practice Facilitators Certificate Program, which was recently cited in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Case Studies of Exemplary Primary Care Practice Facilitation Training Programs.

In addition, he serves as co-chair for the Online Learning Collaborative (OLC) at UB. He holds an M.Ed. in instructional design and development from the University of Georgia and currently teaches traditional and online courses. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in curriculum, instruction, and the science of learning at UB. His research interests include integrating gamification, which is the use of game design elements in non-game settings, into the classroom. Specifically, he is interested in how gamification can be used to alleviate perceived weaknesses in online courses.

Buffalo State’s Fashion and Textile Technology (FTT) Department hosted its annual fashion extravaganza, Runway: Innovation, on April 25 to a sold-out audience. Runway is an entirely student-run event; this year's show combined the efforts of 35 designers, 100 models, and 50 student volunteers.

Outstanding student designers were awarded as follows: Hannah Kea received best in show. Elizabeth Knights received first place and Francine Saternus won second place for senior collection. Jose Moscoso received best student collection; Mary Ann Tran was awarded the Optitex Award for Textile Design. The Marimekko Award for Textile Design went to Merlina Hernandez. Breanna Morelli received the Erica Paige Hoerner Scholarship.

FTT senior Kaitlyn Emminger won the Buffalo State plaid competition. Her design will be in Scotland’s official Register of Tartan and available for purchase at the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore starting in fall 2015.

This year was the most successful show to date thanks to presenting sponsor the Eastman Foundation and the many others who support the event's fundraising efforts. Save the date for next year’s Runway fashion show on April 16, 2016. For more information, visit the Runway website.

The Travel Services Office invites and welcomes the campus community to our training sessions. Sessions are held during Bengal Pause beginning promptly at 12:30 and ending at 1:30 p.m.

Please see our website for our list of available training dates; contact office assistant David Lysiak, 878-4118, to RSVP.

The Professional Development Center and the Change Leadership Collaborative are pleased to announce the upcoming workshop in the Leading Edge Series, "Leading and Supporting Change," on Friday, May 29, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Butler Library 210.

This interactive session will allow participants to learn and practice skills that can lead to increased levels of performance and motivation. This topic has been consistently identified as an area of interest by Buffalo State faculty and staff members and by alumni of past leadership development programs. Professional development opportunities are free to all employees of Buffalo State.

For more information or to register, please visit the Continuing Professional Studies website. Contact Tim Switalski, director of leadership development, or Lauren Turner, professional development assistant, with questions.

Ram Rai, associate professor of physics, and Som Dhital, president of the Nepali Student Association, will speak about the recent earthquake that devastated Nepal during a special presentation on Tuesday, May 5, at noon in Bulger Communication Center East. This event will include a traditional Nepali ceremony and is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Readers see your writing as a reflection of how you think. The academic style of writing requires clarity and conciseness. Knowing the guidelines to write more clearly and concisely will help keep your writing direct and logical. Increase your writing power and communicate effectively with these tips for polished annual report writing during this workshop on Tuesday, May 12, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in the Professional Development Center, E. H. Butler Library 181B.

Lunch provided. Register online through the CyberQuad Workshop Registration System.

Please contact Lauren Turner, professional development assistant, with questions.

The Conversations in and out of the Disciplines lecture series will conclude its 2014–2015 season today, May 8, when Tim Bryant, assistant professor of English, presents "Will You Play with Me? The Pleasures of Paranoia from the Cold War to Contingent Culture" from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320. An informal wine-and-cheese reception will follow. All faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend the event.