About computers and technology...Computers & You
Computer technology is an integral part of the 21st century workplace - especially in a STEM department such as ours. In the past, we have had adjunct and full-time faculty on campus who, for whatever reason, were unwilling to use, or learn to use, computers, email, etc. This is no longer acceptable. All faculty must submit electronic copies of documents like their Course Outlines, enter course attendence and grade information in Banner (see below), and read and respond to SUNY Ulster email in a timely fashion. We will not renew adjunct instructors in our Department who do not utilize these technologies.
Computers are available in the Adjunct Faculty Office (BUR 103) as well as the Library and Hasbrouck 220 Computer Lab. There is also a computer lab at the SUNY Ulster Kingston Center on Marys Avenue (KSU 115).
The Portal
The Portal, at my.sunyulster.edu, is the interface that allows you to access Banner, your sunyulster.edu email, and Brightspace (see below). All faculty, staff, and students are able to login to the Portal (contact the Office of Information Technology OIT helpdesk at 687-5169 if you require assistance). The Portal also provides important Campus-wide announcements (e.g. weather closures), information about College events and activities, library resources, access to forms and documents, and information about your classes and students. Take some time to explore all that's available to you on the Portal.
Be sure to also use the Portal to sign up for SUNY Ulster Alerts (link on main page of the Portal) which will voice or text messages directly to your phone when the campus is closed due to weather or other emergency.
Banner
Banner is the College's information management system which you can access through the Portal. All of the course schedules, grades, student information, employee information, financial data, etc. is kept in Banner. There are two "flavors" of Banner, one is referred to as Banner Web or Banner Self-Service (SSB) and is what you will use as a faculty member to enter last dates of attendance and student grades (you can also view student information, your pay stubs, and other useful data). This form of Banner is available from the Employee Resources tab of the Portal. It uses a relatively straightforward point-and-click interface. Another form of Banner is called Internet Native Banner (INB) which is much more powerful but requires specialized training and knowledge to use (but you don't have to, so don't worry about it!).
Email
All faculty and students are assigned an official sunyulster.edu email address which may be accessed through the Portal. Full-time and adjunct faculty are expected to regularly read and respond to their email since important information is routinely communicated electronically which you will miss if not regularly checking your account. Adjunct faculty who do not regularly read and respond in a timely fashion to emails from SUNY Ulster employees and their students will not be renewed.
In addition, all email contact with students should be through the faculty and student's official sunyulster.edu email accounts (or through Brightspace - see below). Faculty must not provide students with a different email address to use and must not send anything to a student's private email address. This is both to protect faculty and students from inappropriate email communications and to ensure that no FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act - a federal law) privacy regulations are violated.
Brightspace
D2L Brightspace is the College's course management system which you can also access through the Portal. All online courses are taught in Brightspace but, in addition, all face-to-face courses are also automatically set up with a Brightspace course shell. We strongly encourage all faculty to learn how to utilize the Brightspace shells for their courses. It's relatively easy, for example, to upload course documents (such as your Course Outline) to Brightspace so they are always available to students. You can also incorporate discussion boards, quizzes, assignments, etc. and utilize the Brightspace gradebook to keep track of student grades (which they can also check). Brightspace also has its own email system that you can use to communicate with individual students or the entire class.
Talk to your Program Coordinator or the STEM Department Chair if you would like training in Brightspace.
Specialized Software & Equipment
If you require specialized software or equipment in teaching your class, please speak with your Program Coordinator and/or the Department Chair as soon as possible. If feasible, we will do all we can to make those resources available to you. Keep in mind that new purchases require the availability of funds in the department budget and significant lead time for requisitions to be created and approved.
Technology Training & Issues
While the Portal, Banner Web, and email systems are mostly, but not entirely, intuitive to use, some adjunct faculty may want training to learn how to use, or become more proficient in, these programs. We are happy to provide that for you. Simply ask your Program Coordinator and/or the Department Chair and we'll set you up with someone who can sit down with you for individualized training.
If you're having problems with campus computers, the network, phones, or other technology, you can always contact the Office of Information Technology (OIT) Help Desk at 687-5169 for assistance (immediate assistance if it's during a class). |
