Open Educational Resources

We’re excited to share the Spring 2025 schedule of workshops, community events, and drop-in co-working sessions for the CUNY Manifold digital publishing platform, presented by Robin Miller, Open Educational Technologist for Digital Initiatives at the Graduate Center. Below are the details for each event:

WORKSHOPS

Introduction to Manifold

February 14, 2025, 12–2 PM

February 14 registration link

March 14, 2025, 12–2 PM 

March 14 registration link

Please join us for a 2-hour workshop. In the first hour, we will provide an overview of the Manifold digital publishing platform and explore how it is being used at CUNY to create beautiful, dynamic, multimedia digital projects and Open Educational Resources (OER) such as custom versions of public domain texts, multi-text course readers, class projects, and journals. The second hour of the workshop will be hands-on, and participants will create their own Manifold projects, learn how to customize the landing page layout, add text, and create a resource. We will provide all the digital materials needed but participants are welcome to use their own EPUBS, Word (.docx) files, Google docs, images, YouTube videos, etc. No prior experience with digital publishing is required. A Manifold Project Creator account is required for this workshop. Please sign up for a Manifold Reader account first (click the SIGN UP link) and then request to become a Project Creator (click the Project Creator Request link) on the CUNY Manifold home page before you register for this workshop.

Customizing Your Manifold Project Layout with Markdown Content Blocks

February 19, 2025, 12–1:30 PM

February 19 registration link

Level up your Manifold game with Markdown Content Blocks! Join the Manifold Team for a 1.5-hour workshop where we will show you how to use Markdown and a little bit of HTML to add content to your Manifold Project home page, including adding images, audio, video, lists (bullets and numbers), bold, italic, and URLs. Prior attendance in an Introduction to Manifold workshop and experience creating a Manifold Project are strongly encouraged.  

A Manifold Project Creator account is required for this workshop. Please sign up for a Manifold Reader account first (click the SIGN UP link) and then request to become a Project Creator (click the Project Creator Request link) on the CUNY Manifold home page before you register for this workshop.

Teaching with Manifold: An Overview

March 17, 2025, 11 AM–12:30 PM 

March 17 Registration link

Discover the possibilities of teaching with Manifold! This workshop will provide an overview of how Manifold has been used in the classroom, featuring examples that cover creating syllabi and course readers; building course readers with existing projects; utilizing Manifold’s annotation tools and reading groups; designing assignments around resource collection; and publishing students’ work on the platform. 

No prior experience with digital publishing is required. Signing up for a Manifold Reader account prior to the workshop is strongly encouraged.  

Customizing your Manifold Text with Stylesheets

April 4, 2025, 12–2 PM

April 4 registration link

Have you created a Manifold Text and thought, some things look wonky, how can I make them look better? Are you curious about Microsoft Word Styles? Are you curious about how to use Microsoft Word Styles in Manifold? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then this workshop is for you! Join us for a 2-hour workshop where we will teach you how to style your Manifold Text using Microsoft Word Styles and Manifold Stylesheets. Prior attendance in an Introduction to Manifold workshop and experience creating a Manifold Project and Text are strongly encouraged. 

A Manifold Project Creator account is required for this workshop. Please sign up for a Manifold Reader account first (click the SIGN UP link) and then request to become a Project Creator (click the Project Creator Request link) on the CUNY Manifold home page before you register for this workshop.  

LUNCHTIME COMMUNITY EVENTS 
Location: The CUNY Graduate Center, 5th Floor, Room 5307 (feel free to bring your lunch!)

February 5, 2025, 12–1 PM

Join the Lost & Found team to explore how they publish the CUNY Pedagogy Series on Manifold. Dr. Kendra Sullivan (Center for the Humanities, CUNY Graduate Center) and Roxanne Shirazi (Mina Rees Library & CUNY Digital History Archive) will share how they use Manifold to digitally preserve and share archival and teaching materials from Audre Lorde, June Jordan, Toni Cade Bambara, and Adrienne Rich. Explore how Manifold’s multimedia support and collaborative annotation features help sustain a “living archive” and foster dialogues among poets, thinkers, and their broader historical and cultural contexts. 

March 5, 2025, 12–1PM 

Interested in publishing digital dissertations on Manifold? Join us for a community event with Dr. Wendy Barrales (NYU), a former Manifold Graduate Fellow and the author of the first digital dissertation published on Manifold, searching for mami and abuelita: reimagining ethnic studies praxis through women of color feminisms, art, and archiving. Wendy’s dissertation showcases new possibilities for how the Manifold platform can support academic, oral history, and archival work. Learn how Wendy used Manifold’s features to design a unique interface and structure for her dissertation, facilitate peer review, and engage with public audiences!

April 2, 2025, 12–1PM  

Curious about building resource-rich projects on Manifold? Stefano Morello (American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning, CUNY Graduate Center) will share insights from his work on two projects: Let My People Know and the Italian American Studies Open Syllabus. Discover the collaborative process behind these digital publications—from initial conception and curating materials to creating media-rich, interactive collections. Learn how Stefano leveraged Manifold’s features to bring these projects to life and gain actionable strategies to develop your own project!    

Note: These community events are open to all CUNY students, staff, and faculty. If you’re not based at the Graduate Center, you’ll need to present a current ID at the security desk to enter the building.

MONTHLY MANIFOLD CO-WORKING SESSIONS  
Location: The CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, 5th Floor, Room 5307
February 21, 2025, 12–2 PM
March 21, 2025, 12–2 PM
April 25, 2025, 12–2 PM
May 16, 2025, 12–2 PM 

Join us for monthly in-person co-working sessions! Whether you’re starting a new digital project and want to test out Manifold, need expert guidance to overcome roadblocks in an existing project, or simply want focused co-working time with opportunities to ask questions and share Markdown or CSS tips, these sessions are for you! Our CUNY Manifold team will be on hand to provide support, answer questions, and collaborate with you. Feel free to join for the full two hours or drop in when it best suits your schedule.  

Note: If you’re not based at the Graduate Center, you’ll need to present a current ID at the security desk to enter the building.