Through National Student Exchange, students have the opportunity to study for a semester or an academic year at one of 200 participating colleges or universities at affordable tuition rates. Please contact Christine Cali, ext. 4328, to schedule a class visit. Provide your students with this possibility for enriching their college experience and let them know about the upcoming information session on Tuesday, February 5, during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in Classroom Building B118.

Through National Student Exchange, students have the opportunity to study for a semester or an academic year at one of 200 participating colleges or universities at affordable tuition rates. Please contact Christine Cali, director of special programs, ext. 4328, to schedule a class visit. Provide your students with this possibility for enriching their college experience and let them know about the upcoming information session on Thursday, January 31, during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in Classroom Building B118.

The Buffalo State College Literacy Center (Bacon Hall 227) offers free one-on-one literacy tutoring (strategy instruction) for children of Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff in grades K–12. Sessions are held on Tuesdays from 5:00 to 6:45 p.m. There are nine sessions and one parent conference. Sessions begin in February and spaces are limited. Please e-mail garasyka@buffalostate.edu to register.

The Small Business Development Center presents “Survive and Thrive: Essentials for Starting Your Own Business,” a workshop covering all the essential information needed to start a business, on Wednesday, February 13, from 8:30 a.m. until noon in the Burchfield Penney Art Center (second floor). Specific topics will include creating a business plan; competition analysis; and tax, legal, and insurance issues. The workshop is free for faculty, staff, students, alumni, and U.S. military veterans and $20 for all others.

Registration will take place immediately before the workshop, from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. To register in advance, call the SBDC at ext. 4030. For further information, please visit www.buffalostate.edu/sbdc.

A make-up orientation session will take place on Wednesday, January 30, beginning at 5:00 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center South. The program is scheduled to last until about 9:00 p.m. Students with questions regarding orientation should call the Orientation and New Student Programs Office at 878-5336.

OER-101: Locating, Creating, Licensing, and Utilizing OERs is a self-paced online community course that has been built to demonstrate how to find, adapt, and develop open educational resources (OERs) step by step. These OERs may then be licensed via Creative Commons, printed and bound, and integrated into any type of learning environment.

The course is organized into five “pursuits,” each of which represents one facet of the world of OERs. Participants are encouraged to complete all pursuits by following the suggested course progression, but each pursuit can also be completed individually.

For evaluation and feedback, OER-101 will employ a badging system powered by Mozilla Open Badges. The exploration of badging within the course is funded by a SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology Grant. Participants will earn badges by completing the course pursuits and will receive a ‘master badge’ for course completion. Additionally, OER-101 will use a community learning model informed by a facilitation method established by Phylise Banner at the American Public University System.

The results from this course will be documented within the SUNY Learning Commons.

Accessing the Course
The course is offered through Blackboard’s CourseSites. Enrollment in the course is open and continuous. Participants may self-enroll beginning on Wednesday, January 16; the course content will be available to participants after Wednesday, January 23. Additional information on the course and a link to registration can be found at https://OpenSUNY.coursesites.com.

Then this is just what you need—the Tools of Engagement Project (TOEP): On-Demand Discovery Learning Professional Development.

What Is TOEP?

• A web-based discovery learning activity designed to help faculty learn about instructional technologies that are engaging and functional.
• Hands-on experience with online instructional technologies including blogs, wikis, and podcasts that you can explore at your own pace.
• Discovery exercises designed to help you explore and reflect on innovative and creative uses of online instructional technologies.

The deadline to register is Thursday, January 31. TOEP runs through spring 2013 and can be completed in as little as 30 minutes a week. All activities must be completed by April 5. Everything you need to know to participate can be found in the FAQs on the TOEP website.

Three faculty members, selected through peer review, will receive SUNY CPD Training Points (valued at $200). Other incentives, including iTunes gift cards, will also be awarded.

Visit the TOEP website and register today. For more information, contact your TOEP campus liaison (see below) or the TOEP Team.

TOEP Campus Contacts
Beth Burns – Buffalo State
Kathleen Gradel – SUNY Fredonia
Shufang Shi – SUNY Cortland
Tom Sinclair – Binghamton University
Roberta "Robin" Sullivan – University at Buffalo
Cindi Tysick – University at Buffalo
Cherie van Putten – Binghamton University

TOEP is funded through a SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology Grant (IITG).

A group of Buffalo State students and faculty will be traveling to Washington, D.C., on Sunday, January 20, to attend the Presidential Inauguration. The trip is being organized by Muhammed Sumbundu, College Council student representative, and is sponsored by the offices of Campus Life, Student Life, and the Vice President for Student Affairs. Contact Sumbundu for more information.

After you have completed (and saved) your grades, go back into your roster and double-check that all grades have been entered as you intended. When you go back into your roster, Banner will note if you have entered an invalid date format for the last date of attendance. If you have grading questions, please call the Registrar’s Office at ext. 4811.

The J-Term faculty grading window closes at 9:00 p.m. Sunday, February 3.

The grading window for January Term will close at 9:00 p.m. Sunday, February 3. Detailed documentation for entering grades is available at http://buffalostate.edu/banner/documents/grading.pdf. Assistance is also available by calling the Computing Help Desk at ext. 4357 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

If you have questions about grading, please call the Registrar's Office at ext. 4811. We have provided a grading tip sheet so that your J-Term session grading will be smoother and more successful.