Brightspace discussion boards do not have to look the same for every student. Each student can customize their own display settings, independently of what their classmates or instructor sees.  

Brightspace lets users customize how discussion boards display. The most useful option is the choice between Reading View and Grid View. Reading View, the default layout, stacks posts one after another, which can mean a lot of scrolling in a discussion of a large class. Grid View shows the same posts in a compact table that is easier to scan. Students can switch between them through the Settings menu on the Discussion page.

Two additional settings are worth knowing about: the Discussions List pane, which adds a sidebar for navigation between multiple boards, and the Preview pane (available in Grid View), which lets students read a post’s full content in a split-screen view without leaving the list.

All three settings can be accessed through the gear icon in the top right corner of the Discussions page and apply across all Discussion Boards in the course once set.

A student-facing guide walking through each of these options is available below. Consider adding it to your course shell or posting it as an announcement at the start of the semester, especially if your course relies heavily on discussion boards.

Student Guide: Customize Your Discussion Board View in Brightspace

Your Brightspace discussion boards might feel cluttered or hard to navigate. The good news is that you can change how they look. Brightspace gives you several display options, and finding the right one can make your experience much easier.

How to Get to Settings

All the options in this guide are controlled from one place: the Discussions Settings page.

To find it, go to your Discussions page (where you see all your forums and topics listed). In the top right corner, you'll see a Settings link with a gear icon. Click it.

This opens the Discussions Settings page, where you'll find the options described below.

The three circled areas are the settings that make the biggest difference. We'll explain each one.

Reading View vs Grid View?

This is the most important setting. Under Default View (See #2 on the Settings screenshot), you have two options: Reading View and Grid View.

Reading View shows every post one after another, flowing down the page. When a discussion board has many posts, this means a lot of scrolling. Each post displays the title, author, a preview of the content, and reply counts – all stacked one after another. Here is what it looks like:

Grid View displays the same posts in a compact table with columns for Subject, Authored By, and Date. You can scan quickly and click on any post to open it. Here is the same discussion board in Grid View:

To switch between these views, go to Settings, find Default View (See #2), select the one you want, and click Save at the bottom of the page. Try both and see which one you prefer.

The Discussions List Pane

If your course has many discussion boards, it can be frustrating to go back to the main Discussions page every time you want to switch to a different board.

The Discussions List pane can help you with quick navigation. It adds a panel on the left side of your screen that shows all the discussion boards in your course. You can click on any board to jump directly to it without leaving the page.

To turn it on, go to Settings and check "Always show the Discussions List pane" (See #1 on the Settings screenshot). Click Save.

Here is what the Discussions List pane looks like when expanded:

The Preview Pane (Grid View Only)

If you are using Grid View, there is one more option that might help: the Preview Pane.

When the Preview Pane is turned on, clicking on a post in the Grid View table shows the full post content in the lower half of your screen — like a split screen. To turn this on, go to Settings and check "Show the preview pane" under Grid View Settings (See #3 on the Settings screenshot). Click Save.

Here is what it looks like:

The top half shows the list of posts. The bottom half shows the full content of the post you clicked on.

All of these settings apply to every discussion board in every course. You only need to set them up once. Experiment with different combinations to find what works best for you. If you don't like a change, go back to Settings and try something else. You can't break anything — these settings only affect how things look on your screen.

Need Technology Help?

When to go to the Office of Educational Technology or the Technology Support and Service Center:

At Queensborough, two of the most commonly contacted departments for technology help are the Office of Educational Technology (OET) and the Technology Support and Service Center (TSSC). While both provide technology assistance, their areas of support are different.

Knowing which office to contact can help you get assistance faster and connect you with the right resources.

Office of Educational Technology (OET)

The Office of Educational Technology supports technologies related to teaching and learning. OET works closely with faculty and students to help integrate educational technologies into courses and support online and hybrid learning environments.

OET Can Help With:

• Brightspace (faculty and student support)
• Online teaching tools and resources
• Educational technology consultations and trainings related to instructions
• Course design and review
• Digication/ePortfolio
• PlayPosit/WeVideo
• VoiceThread
• Respondus LockDown Browser
• Distance learning support
• Accessibility and inclusive learning resources. For general questions about Accessibility, please contact the Office of Accessibility Services.

OET also offers:

• One-on-one and small group training appointments
• Guidance for online teaching
• Learning management system (LMS) support. [For LTI publisher platforms, contact their support team directly.]
•  Resources for remote and hybrid instruction

Contact OET

Email: oet@qcc.cuny.edu
Email: LMSSupport@qcc.cuny.edu

Phone: (718) 281 - 5540

Monday to Friday: 8 30 am to 5 30 pm [In-Person Support M/T/F - L117, T/W/Th - L314]

Website: https://www.qcc.cuny.edu/oet/

Technology Support and Service Center (TSSC)

The Technology Support and Service Center provides technical support for general campus technology and IT-related services.

TSSC Can Help With:

• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) issues 
• Password resets and account access 
• CUNY account activation and login support 
• CUNYfirst access support 
• Administrative computer and software support 
• Hardware and network troubleshooting 
• Campus networking, internet connectivity, and security-related support
• Microsoft 365 (M365) including Outlook email support 
• Dropbox and OneDrive assistance 
• Dynamic Forms SSO login assistance 
• Campus email support for faculty, staff, and students 
• Administrative application and web-based system support 
• Quotes for administrative computers, hardware, and software 
• Wi-Fi access support 
• Multimedia Classrooms support
• General campus technology issues 

Contact TSSC

Phone: 718-631-6348
Email: ServiceDesk@qcc.cuny.edu

Location: Library Building, Room L-115

A Simple Way to Remember

Contact OET if your issue involves:

• Teaching and learning technologies
• Brightspace
• Online or hybrid courses
• Educational technology tools
• Course design or instructional support

Contact TSSC if your issue involves:

• MFA or login issues
• Accounts and passwords
• Computers or hardware
• Microsoft365 applications
• Network or software troubleshooting

What About Technology Training?

One common area of confusion is technology training.

OET provides training specifically focused on educational technologies used for teaching and learning. This includes support for Brightspace and other instructional tools used in online, hybrid, and in-person courses.

For broader technology training, such as Microsoft Office, Outlook, OneDrive, Dropbox, and other enterprise applications, faculty and staff can take advantage of the many professional development resources available through CUNY CIS Training.

CUNY CIS Training offers:

• Live and self-paced technology workshops
• Microsoft Office and Office 365 training
• Dropbox and cloud storage training
• Accessibility and productivity workshops
• Cybersecurity and IT-related professional development

These resources are available to faculty and staff across CUNY and can supplement the support provided on campus.

CUNY CIS Training Resources:
https://www.cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/cis/cistraining/

We’re Here to Help

Both the Office of Educational Technology and the Technology Support and Service Center play important roles in supporting our community. Reaching out to the correct office helps ensure quicker assistance and a smoother support experience.

Whether you need help teaching online, accessing Brightspace, troubleshooting MFA, or resolving a technology issue, the teams are available and ready to help.

The Essential AI Skills and Knowledge that Business Accounting Students Should Acquire

Core Purpose and Methodology

Wilfredo Moran (2025) explores how artificial intelligence is changing the accounting field and calls for major updates to accounting education. The main goal is to highlight the key AI skills and knowledge that business accounting students need to thrive as AI becomes more common in finance. The study uses a systematic literature review, following the PRISMA framework, to bring together insights from professional accounting organizations and academic sources.

Key Arguments

The paper presents several key arguments for adapting accounting education to the age of AI:

• Transformative Impact of AI:AI is fundamentally changing the accounting profession by automating repetitive tasks (e.g., data entry, reconciliation), enhancing accuracy, improving fraud detection, and enabling real-time data analysis. This shift allows accountants to focus on higher-value strategic activities.
• Industry Demand and Skills Gap: There is a growing demand from the industry, including the "Big 4" firms, for accounting professionals proficient in AI. However, a significant gap exists between these industry needs and the skills provided by traditional accounting curricula.
• Necessity for Curriculum Reform: To bridge this skills gap, educational institutions must integrate AI competencies across their accounting programs. This involves moving beyond traditional content to include hands-on experience with AI tools and concepts.

The study categorizes the essential competencies for accounting students into three main areas:

1. Foundational Technical Skills: Students need proficiency in data management, a fundamental understanding of AI and machine learning concepts, basic programming knowledge (e.g., Python or R), and familiarity with AI-specific accounting software.
2. Analytical and Interpretive Skills: Crucial abilities include analyzing large datasets, applying statistical modeling and predictive analytics, and, most importantly, critically evaluating the outputs of AI systems to identify potential biases and ensure accuracy.
3. Professional and Soft Skills: Technical skills must be complemented by strong soft skills. These include critical thinking, professional skepticism, effective communication to both technical and non-technical audiences, business acumen, adaptability, a commitment to lifelong learning, and a robust understanding of AI ethics, data privacy, and responsible AI use.

Main Conclusions

The paper concludes that a fundamental shift in accounting education is not just beneficial but necessary. Educational institutions must proactively reform their curricula to equip students with a blended skillset. This involves integrating foundational AI knowledge, developing higher-order critical thinking and analytical skills, and providing practical, hands-on experience. The author emphasizes that cultivating adaptability and a strong ethical framework is paramount to ensure that future accountants can navigate the complexities of an AI-driven world, leveraging technology responsibly while maintaining professional judgment and skepticism. The ultimate goal is to produce graduates who are not merely users of AI tools but strategic partners in the evolving business landscape.

This summary is based on the paper by Moran (2025). The essential AI skills and knowledge that business accounting students should acquire. Journal of Management and Business Education, 8(2), 147-167.  https://journaljmbe.com/article/view/7563

A few weeks ago, a student was explaining an experience they had in their College Algebra class. They were sitting in class looking around, and feeling really dumb because it seemed everyone around except them was understanding the concepts. They described feeling so defeated that it wasn’t even worth being in school cause they were never going to understand the way other people did. They felt alone, isolated, and deeply frustrated. But this sense of isolation is something I’ve seen play out with many students. Constantly apologizing for not understanding something; or having questions; or an accent; or god forbid, needing more time because life has intruded on learning. And those are just the ones who have shared. How many more students, colleagues, staff, and administration silently feel the same way: the nagging feeling that you don’t belong in the space you find yourself? ACUE’s[1] course “Fostering a Culture of Belonging” provides strategies for battling this and other obstacles for student and faculty success. It also explains this experience as something increasingly common among all campus members: from admin to staff to students to faculty.

The Stanford University Center for Teaching and Learning defines imposter syndrome, or as it has come to be known, imposter phenomenon, as the “internal experience of doubting your abilities.” First identified in 1978 by Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes, this phenomenon undermines participation, risk-taking, and even persistence. Some describe it as feelings of deep inadequacy; feeling like a fraud; or that you are never going to be as smart/accomplished/advanced/competent--fill in the blank for any additional adjectives--than those around you. Tina Jiwa in her article “Imposter Syndrome,” describes it as a nagging feeling that you’re not good enough, and one that impacts women and minority groups disproportionally, and can be especially true in first-generation or immigrant students.[2]Additionally, academia can present as a hostile environment to students of color where they can experience microaggressions, implicit bias, and exclusive models of teaching and learning.

In contrast, Tony Malone defines belonging as the feeling of security that comes from feeling welcomed, known, heard, and valued.[3] There are a few issues in regard to this basic human need of “belonging” that I think are really important for our students, but also for others in higher education. By pulling back the curtain on the “expert in the room” can we reveal that even professors deal with uncertainty, the feeling of “faking it ‘til we make it,” as well as getting stuck in deficit mindset not just about our side of the education dynamic, but about teaching in general. I wonder, if we don’t view ourselves or them through growth mindset, how can we inspire them to succeed in our classes? Working toward belonging in our classrooms through confronting imposter phenomenon and fostering growth mindset are two approaches in this pursuit. ACUE courses are adept at helping with this.

According to the ACUE website, students taught by an ACUE-certified faculty achieve up to 7% higher grades, and experience 16% fewer Ds, Fs, and withdrawals; additionally, instructors report “renewed enthusiasm for teaching,” as well as reduced burnout; finally, ACUE-partnered institutions see up to 6% higher first-to-second-year retention. [4]Accordingly, Dr. Paloma Benavides, and Dr. Elizabeth Lawner report that improvements in the quality of instruction is paramount for equity and student academic success.[5] Their report, “Sustained Impact of ACUE Certification on Student Outcomes at Queensborough Community College” highlights the increase in completion and passing rates, as well as reduction of Ds, Fs, and Ws.[6] While their report does not focus on belonging in the classroom, the faculty who engage in ACUE courses report feeling a renewed sense of purpose, and more receptive students. An inspired professor will better engage with students to promote a trusting relationship, and ACUE can equip educators with evidence-based practices to help both students and faculty in the room, share belonging.

How do we even begin to combat this? According to child psychologist and Stanford professor Carol Dweck[7]—who coined the phrase “growth mindset,”—we need to reframe failure as opportunity to learn and grow. Imposter phenomenon and other negative emotions can severely impact our mental health especially in academic space.

Some tips for confronting imposter phenomenon—in faculty and students—and moving toward belong are:

• Normalize it
  • Share your own places of uncertainty. This humanizes you.
    • I share my experiences of missing deadlines, or failing math, or struggling in college
    • This shows that everyone experiences challenges; no one is alone in missing deadlines, getting it “wrong” or messing something up.
  • Communicate expectations that are clear and transparent
    • Scaffolding offers a pathway to success, not just a focus on the end product.
  • Frame the learning not just the assignment
    • Focus on the Learning Outcomes, but how is this useful to them in life outside the walls of the classroom?
    • Look at places of student success not just misses
    • Being more mindful of the value of this, and it being part of the pedagogy, not an after thought
  • Discussion and collaboration
    • Focus not just on content delivery, but bigger ideas and application.
      • These conversations foster belonging as people can feel seen, heard, and valued.
    • A student mentioned this semester how the class really feels like a Socratic seminar.
  • Mindfulness practices
    • Breathing
  • Know their names

Some tools for developing growth mindset are:

• Developing critical thinking through metacognition:

1. Revision—everything gets a draft process; at least two
   1. Focuses on strategy-based feedback, not just red ink on paper which reframes for improvement, not just failure
   2. Revision also supports effort, strategy, and improvement
2. Reflection—pre/post assignments
   1. Process focused, not end product
   2. Scaffolded work with values that stack rewards the final product
3. Review—peer review all steps; structured peer review with forms and guidelines
4. Rubrics—I encourage them that evaluating others’ work will strengthen their own
5. Response—partner/collaboration; diverse perspectives and strategies; how can they improve—not just what was wrong?

• Teaching Transparency

1. Again, normalize; model self-care and self-compassion
2. Consider their ideas with feedback
3. Reveal your humanness
   1. There is profound connection to be had when you are not the expert in the room

• Teacher Learning and Growing

4. Address our own places of deficit mindset
   1. Our own intellectual curiosity
   2. Assessment is about doing better—not a rote activity for criticism
5. Something as simple as a discursive shift from “office hours” to “student hours”
6. Focusing on the importance of durable skills
   1. How well do we actually just talk to one another with clear ideas?
7. Destabilizing and decentering the power dynamic in classroom through management
   1. Shifting schedule, and late assignments
      1. How much flexibility is possible?
   2. Spatial makeup of class: the configuration determines authority in a space
   3. Listen to their needs and concerns

My student ended up dropping the Algebra course because it was decaying their mental health, and their interest in other courses. They felt no wins, and no hope in the class. Imposter phenomenon creates heavy emotional labor for students and faculty, and often people who struggle with it may not even realize what they are experiencing. It causes stress, anxiety, isolation, and negative mental and physical health. Students who struggle may be scared of failure, and faculty may be dancing with burnout. Fighting for a climate where all campus members feel supported, respected, and valued regardless of who they are, or their prior experiences, helps increase productivity, retention, and overall  educational experience. My hope  is that a clearer focus on cultivating places of hope can help us all toward that place. ACUE training is a wonderful place for that beginning.

[1] The Association of College and University Educators, endorsed by the American Council on Education (ACE)

[2] Jiwa, Tina. “Imposter Syndrome.” http://designby-women.com/imposter-syndrome/

[3] Malone, Tony. The Diversity & Inclusion Glossary. Wagtail Publishing, 2023.

[4] ACUE, “Proven Outcomes, Lasting Impact.” https://acue.instructure.com/accounts/1/external_tools/9794

[5] “Teaching That Changes the Odds: QCC Becomes a Model for Driving Measurable Student Success in Community Colleges.” pg. 4 https://acue.instructre.com/accounts/1/external_tools/9794

[6] pg. 2

[7] “Growth Mindset.” https://ctl.stanford.edu/students/growth-mindset