Community Members

Hello! Many years ago I substitute taught for a week in a high school art class in Montana. A drawing assignment was due on Friday and I announced, “Hey everybody, your assignment is due today – please turn in work before you leave.” I got disgruntled looks from the students. Then one student said, “What does it matter that’s it’s due today? Our drawings are just going to sit under that desk all semester.” And I thought: That is definitely a good point. Consequently, I have been interested in exploring open pedagogy, UDL (Universal Design for Learning) and other meaningful and equitable educational modalities. I am also a fan of using Automatic writing & drawing as the basis for creating fiction, non-fiction, drama and essays.

Hi! I’m currently on a subline. I’ve been an adjunct at BMCC for 24 years. I teach Speech, Intro to Theatre, Theatre History, and Mass Media. At other institutions I’ve taught film studies. I’m an actor and producer, a member of SAG/AFTRA, and I have a Ph.D. in theatre from the Grad Center.

Hello colleagues! I am interested in this faculty learning community because I believe in the power of collaboration and continuous professional development. I value the opportunity to connect with other educators, share ideas, and learn new teaching strategies. This summer, I am looking forward to exploring innovative teaching methods and incorporating technology into my classroom. I am excited to attend workshops and webinars that will enhance my skills and knowledge as an educator. Currently, I am reading the book “The 48 Laws of Power.” This book explores the nature of power and provides insights into how it can be attained and utilized effectively. It offers valuable lessons that can be applied to various aspects of life. As a full-time lecturer in the English department, I thoroughly enjoy teaching and finding creative ways to engage my students. I believe in structuring my pedagogy in a way that sparks their interest in learning. My teaching philosophy revolves around fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment that encourages active participation and critical thinking.

Hello! I am interested in this faculty learning community because I believe in the power of collaboration and continuous professional development. I value the opportunity to connect with other educators, share ideas, and learn new teaching strategies. This summer, I am looking forward to exploring innovative teaching methods and incorporating technology into my classroom. I am excited to attend workshops and webinars that will enhance my skills and knowledge as an educator. Currently, I am reading the book “The 48 Laws of Power.” This book explores the nature of power and provides insights into how it can be attained and utilized effectively. It offers valuable lessons that can be applied to various aspects of life. As a full-time lecturer in the English department, I thoroughly enjoy teaching and finding creative ways to engage my students. I believe in structuring my pedagogy in a way that sparks their interest in learning. My teaching philosophy revolves around fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment that encourages active participation and critical thinking.

I have been teaching in the English Department at BMCC for a decade and have been teaching within CUNY for even longer. I’ve learned that my students have changed a lot since my first semester teaching, especially post-pandemic, and I value the opportunity to find new approaches. Through the OER programs I have been exposed to new pedagogical approaches that have helped me to be adaptable. With the arrival of ChatGPT, I have found that nontraditional approaches to assignments have been quite helpful in encouraging students to complete their own work and find confidence in their own voices. Outside of teaching I spend a lot of time writing (creatively and journalistically) and reading. I am looking forward to finally having the time to finish the book of essays Creep by Myriam Gurba and going hiking in nature.

I’m curious to learn from others about what’s working best for them in the classroom. I feel like I spend the semester in a bit of a tunnel. I’m also excited to share and generate ideas together. I’ve only taught at BMCC for four semesters, so my syllabus is constantly evolving, as is my approach to teaching writing! This summer, I’m looking forward to finding time to go swimming with my kids and revising my novel before August. My reading list this summer includes Elizabeth Bowen’s The Little Girls, Phillip Roth’s Operation Shylock, Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr!, and as many short stories as I can cram in.

I have been an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Science at CUNY for many years. My commitment to education stems from a deep belief in the transformative power of knowledge. Teaching allows me to continuously improve myself and enhance my instructional methods for the benefit of my students. I am always exploring creative and innovative approaches to foster effective learning experiences. Outside of academia, I am a licensed cycling coach with USA Cycling and CIS The System. I am actively involved in an online community on the Band network, where I train 5-6 days per week and contribute articles related to cycling and training. This blend of teaching and coaching enables me to stay engaged and passionate about both my professional and personal pursuits.

I currently teach Modern and Contemporary Art and I am looking forward to learning more about Open Pedagogy and how I can incorporate an assignment into the museum visits that are an integral part of my class.

Hello colleagues. I am a faculty member in Academic Literacy and Linguistics. I consider myself a foreign language educator. I generally teach the course before the first year writing course – ESL 96 – Intensive Reading and Writing and LIN 100- Language and Culture which is an intro level sociolinguistics course.  I’m interested in integrating OER techniques and resources in the LIN 100 and LIN 100.6 courses by taking the OER workshop this summer. I plan to spend some time with my family in Istanbul this summer. I am collaborating on a manuscript about autoethnography with a COIL professor whom I have team taught previously.  As for reading books, I’m reading a historical fiction titled, Birds Without Wings, by Louis De Bernieres which is about the people in Southwestern Anatolia in the beginning of the 20th century.

Hi there! I’m an adjunct in the Media Arts and Technology Department. Currently teaching my favorite course — screenwriting. It’s an incredible experience to see how revising really improves previous drafts. I’ve been using OpenLab in my screenwriting course for several years now, and I think it’s a powerful and affordable tool — when the students use it. It’s clear who is using it and who is not so one thing I aim to do in this summer session is to streamline it so that it features the basics students need to know without having so much material that students find it overwhelming. (Though, that said, I think some students just don’t log in either because they don’t easily remember their student login info or because they’re just phoning in the class.) This summer, I am looking for and diving into as many writing and music projects as possible. I’m currently in three bands, and looking to maybe start teaching music to children (piano and theory). Also planning to read as much as possible. Would like to read the complete works of Jane Austen maybe. Getting back into shape is on the agenda as well. A little 5k next weekend will kick things off, then I need to get back into longer runs and more consistent running and cycling days. Looking forward to meeting everyone and redesigning my screenwriting course during this seminar!

Hi there! I’m Craig, an adjunct OER librarian at BMCC. I also assist many of the open knowledge initiatives here at BMCC, including the Zine Library and the Library Podcast Booth. I’m so excited to help connect faculty with zero-cost alternatives to textbooks and other educational resources!

Hi everyone. I have been an Adjunct Lecturer in the Music Dept since about 2004. When I am not at BMCC, I am a working musician (violist), as well as teacher. Away from music, I am an avid runner and will be training for my 6th NYC Marathon in November. I’m hoping to help improve my writing assignments — give them some more interactivity for my classes.

Hello Everyone! My name is Chris Moss and I’ve been an adjunct faculty member in the Speech, Com., Gender Studies, and Theatre Arts Department for about 11 years. I am also *checks notes* the Open Program’s Podcasting Fellow. I have run a few podcasts in the past, guested on a few fairly popular programs, and have a general love and appreciation for the format. If you ever have any questions about anything in the realm feel free to reach out! But enough of the work stuff. Let’s answer the fun prompts, shall we? What am I looking forward to this summer? Pool days with my daughter. We join the local pool in my Jersey town and my daughter and I love going and just basking in the sun and playing. Sometimes I’ll swim some laps while she plays with friends and sometimes we’ll make up silly games. It’s absolutely my favorite thing about summer and I can’t wait. I’m really hoping this isn’t the year she decides she’s too cool for Dad. Books I’ll read? I swear I’m going to finish Mary Roach’s latest book, Fuzz this year. It’s all about what happens when nature breaks the law — like what happens to a bear when they break into your house for food? Or an elephant when they knock over your house to grab the freshly made naan? It’s great. I also hope to read a more pop-ish book called You’d Look Better As a Ghost I impulse bought a few weeks ago. Thanks everyone and I can’t wait to see you all this summer!

As an Adjunct OER Librarian, I enjoy working with faculty in thinking about pedagogy and the different ways we and our students can create and share knowledge together in the open. This summer I’m looking forward to running and racing many miles, some of them with my tween and teen boys; going to my favorite lake in New Hampshire; and reading romance novels by the dozen.

I have used Open Lab for other courses, and I find it very practical and useful for ZCT and using OER content. For this workshop, I will be redesigning a WI course in Spanish for heritage speakers. This summer I look forward to swimming more, enjoying nature and visiting my family in Mexico.

Hi there! As y’all know, I’m the open knowledge librarian here at BMCC, and this I believe . . . Knowledge is a public good and a human right. We need to continually develop and defend the knowledge commons so that every human being has access to humanity’s accumulated knowledge. I strive to create spaces that celebrate, spark, and engage the potential of every human being to create knowledge. So many of our students have been taught to be knowledge consumers; at BMCC, they can learn to claim space and raise their voices up as knowledge creators. My book pile is large and teetering; some near the top are The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich; Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women, and Queer Radicals by Saidiya Hartman; and The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe. So happy to be in community with everyone here and look forward to learning with you!