Student Life and Buffalo State Dining are pleased to present the Weeks of Welcome Iron Chef competition at Buffalo State today from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. We are in search of the next iron chef, and we invite students, faculty, and staff to come and cheer on our contestants.

Teams will race to create one unique and tasteful dish in the timed 45-minute challenge. Ingredients for the dish will be selected from a farmer’s market table, where a variety of fresh ingredients will be available. Teams will be given a top-secret ingredient that must be infused into their dishes. A panel of judges will decide which team deserves the iron chef title.

This lab will be devoted to answering questions and assisting faculty members with making their course materials more accessible. It provides an opportunity for individual assistance on a drop-in basis. Bring your questions and a flash drive with your files. Join us on Wednesday, October 16, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 104.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3279.

Increase your productivity by using the Track Changes feature in Microsoft Office to edit documents or provide feedback to students. Track Changes is a collaborative tool that allows multiple users to make revisions, provides access to the original document, and identifies who made each revision. Learn to make your own revisions and comments and to accept or reject those made by others. Presented by Sue McMillen on Wednesday, October 16, from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. in E. H. Butler Library 318.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3276.

Explore characteristics that define learner-centered teaching and differentiate it from active learning and student engagement strategies. Discuss selecting and designing student learning experiences with learner-centered features. Work with colleagues to make active-learning activities more learner centered. Presented by Sue McMillen on Tuesday, October 15, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Bacon Hall 115. A light lunch will be provided.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3256.

Explore best practices for peer observation of teaching during this professional development workshop on Thursday, October 10, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Bacon Hall 117. Discuss benefits and drawbacks of various approaches to the peer observation process. Examine a variety of peer observation protocols and tools that provide structure, guidelines, and criteria. Leave with a rich collection of resources. Presented by Sue McMillen. A light lunch will be provided.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3246.

Building pull tabs into your SMART Board activities is an excellent way to scaffold students’ learning; to provide formulas, instructions, or other information; and to allow students to check their answers. You will participate in several SMART activities featuring pull tabs, learn how to create pull tabs, and learn how to include them in your SMART Board class activities. Presented by Sue McMillen on Tuesday, October 8, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 318.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3275.

Open content, open data, and open resources, along with notions of transparency and easy access to data and information, has become a popular concept in the higher education field. Come and discuss what this means for teaching, learning, and scholarship at Buffalo State on Wednesday, October 9, from noon to 1:00 p.m. in the Professional Development Center, E. H. Butler Library 181B. Facilitated by Ken Fujiuchi. A light lunch will be provided.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3285.

Buffalo State is engaging in an effort to promote accessibility of course materials in classes, including face-to-face, online, and hybrid. Learn about best practices for creating and providing transcripts or closed captions for audio and video that are used within your courses. Our campus procedures, resources, and expectations will be shared on Tuesday, October 8, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. in Bulger Communication Center 104. This workshop will be repeated on Monday, October 28, from noon to 1:00 p.m. and on Wednesday, November 13, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Register to attend the October 8 workshop.

Register to attend the October 28 workshop.

Register to attend the November 13 workshop.

Faculty and staff members are encouraged to participate in the Homecoming and Family Weekend Food Drive on Friday, September 27. The ninth annual event, part of the weeklong Orange Crush festivities, benefits the Buffalo State Food Pantry. Buffalo State student-athletes will canvas the campus from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. for nonperishable food items, including the following high-need items: cereal, protein foods (peanut butter, tuna fish), canned fruit, canned soups (any variety), pasta, pasta sauce, easy-to-prepare meals, and paper or plastic grocery bags. To schedule a pickup at your office or department, please contact Tom Koller, senior associate athletics director and chair of Orange Crush Homecoming and Family Weekend, ext. 6514.

This lab is devoted to answering questions and assisting faculty members in teaching with SMART Technologies interactive white boards and creating instructional activities using the boards. Labs provide an opportunity for individual assistance on a drop-in basis. Bring your questions and a flash drive with activities or files you would like to use on an interactive white board. Join us Monday, October 7, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 318.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=3270.