Developed by Laurie Hurson This workshop will walk through the steps to building a WordPress site on the CUNY Academic Commons. Explanations and paired activities walk the user through the dashboard, how to create pages, posts, and menus, adding media, and customizing the site with header images, themes and plugins. Learning Goals Utilize the basic functions of the Dashboard Gain familiarity with the difference between pages and posts Strengthen ability to add content and media to a course site Introduction Many professors teach with a site on the CUNY Academic Commons, welcome to the club! We are happy you’re here. …
Tag: ed tech
Building a Course Group on the CUNY Academic Commons
Developed by Laurie Hurson This workshop walks participants through the steps for customizing their course Group on the CUNY Academic Commons. Explanations and activities walk the user through group areas and adding content. Learning Goals Familiarity and use of the group areas Ability to add content and media to a group library Introduction The CUNY Academic Commons provides several options for hosting courses. By now, you have probably created a Commons account, determined you would like to build a group, and used the Commons Creation Portal to create your group. If you haven’t done any of those things, go through …
Getting Started on the CUNY Academic Commons
Developed by Laurie Hurson The CUNY Academic Commons, a WordPress teaching and learning platform based at the Graduate Center, is being used by faculty in a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses across CUNY. This workshop will go over the basics of teaching on the CUNY Commons, introduce several course models, and provide guidance for getting a course up and running. Learning Goals Understand the basics the CUNY Academic Commons Register as a Commons user Explore teaching models Begin developing course website and/or group Introduction Founded in 2009, the Commons was created to “support faculty initiatives and build community through …
Introduction to Open Digital Pedagogy
Developed by Laurie Hurson What do we mean by “open” teaching? And how does “open” relate to “digital pedagogy”? This workshop will introduce the foundations of open digital pedagogy and provide examples from The CUNY Academic Commons, a WordPress teaching and learning platform used by faculty in a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses across CUNY. Learning Goals Explore the terms “open” and “digital” as they relate to teaching Understand the basic tenets of open digital pedagogy and “open” uses of digital tools Demonstrate familiarity with several models for teaching on the Commons Introduction Open digital pedagogy has been defined …
Using Online Polls to Promote Active Learning and Student Engagement
Developed by Fernanda Blanco Vidal fblancovidal@gradcenter.cuny.edu “Technology doesn’t inherently improve learning; it merely makes possible effective pedagogy, and only when it is consonant with an instructor’s educational philosophy and beliefs and reinforced by other components of the total course” (Beatty, 2004, p. 08) Have you ever introduced a new concept in your classroom and asked the students what they think about it, but they have remained quiet? Or have you assigned an excellent reading that you’re sure will promote interesting discussions, but your students don’t connect with the content? As educators, many of …
Series on Teaching with the CUNY Academic Commons (WordPress)
Reframing the Final Paper: Alternative & Creative Assignments
Developed by Inés Vañó García Description Writing is a central aspect of academic life. As instructors, we regularly assign essays, compositions, proposals, annotated bibliographies, and final papers. There are, however, alternatives or accompaniments to these written assignments that may accomplish similar goals, or facilitate additional ones. Podcasts, zines, timelines, and other creative assignments allow students to produce artifacts with audiences beyond their instructor in mind, and to acquire knowledge, experience, and transferable skills that they can use throughout their lives and careers. These approaches also can invigorate the writing that students do in their courses and by allowing alternative paths …
