This session discusses how New York City Technical College (City Tech) and the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) use customized WordPress Multisite/BuddyPress application known as Commons-in-a-Box (https://commonsinabox.org/) to build out a localized, institution-focused social learning network for its students and faculty. Jodie Rosen (City Tech), Chris Stein (BMCC), and Charlotte Edwards (City Tech) not only share the history and impressive uptake of this truly unique open source software project, but also share examples at their respective schools that point to a broader moral imperative around providing a technical framework for connecting that is not predatory when it comes to faculty and student data.

It’s open source. It was dreamed up over a decade ago at CUNY and continues to be maintained there. What’s more, it’s freely available to anyone else who wants to implement it. It’s just another brick in the open educational infrastructure Wall brought to you by the largest, most diverse urban college system in the USA!