The Power of Artists’ Books: Catalysts for Creative Thinking Across the Curriculum

Abstract

While remote and hybrid learning experiences aren’t new to higher education, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, we witnessed a more pervasive presence of these types of learning environments, which came with the potential for higher levels of disengagement among students. Even with in-person synchronous learning experiences, there seems to be a rise of students texting away or glazed over by a preponderance of PowerPoint slides. Students want and need to connect with one another and with course content in meaningful and innovative ways. Teaching and pedagogy literature abounds with examples looking for ways to engage students and create a sense of belonging.

Our advice is to advocate for the use of unique primary resources in the classroom. The use of primary source materials provides students with a hands-on, haptic experience, away from the screen or mobile electronic devices. When students work with primary sources, whether historical or contemporary, they make a connection with the artifact. In this article, we explore our use of one type of primary source material, artists’ books, as a tool for student engagement.