Hello, I’m Sarah Dillon, an art historian in Kingsborough’s Art Department. I have been teaching with Open Education Resources (OER) for a while now, thanks in large part to the efforts of Smarthistory, an OER with the mission of making “public art history.” I mention this at the outset because I am extremely grateful for resources like this, which have helped me move away from the traditional textbook model, but also because such resources put art historians like me in a somewhat unique position. With such an abundance of high-quality material available, I often find myself focusing more on curating and presenting the information in ways that best support my course goals, rather than on finding the resources.

To that end, I am interested in learning how to use the CUNY Academic Commons to present my content in efficient and engaging ways in order to create a positive class experience for my students. I would also like to learn about the ways of using the Commons to create assignments that interest, inspire, and excite my students. Ultimately, I want my students to gain confidence in their abilities to think creatively and voice their ideas, both in my class and beyond.