Calculating the homotopy class of a smooth map between manifolds

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For instance, it is a known result that:

$$\pi_3(SU(N))\simeq \mathbb{Z}, N\ge2 $$

How do i calculate the element of $\mathbb{Z}$ associated to, say, a smooth map $f:S³\rightarrow SU(N)?$ What are some general results or references on such formulas?