is a project based on the Domain of One’s Own initiative that originated at the University of Mary Washington and has spread to several colleges and universities. It  provides learners with the opportunity to take control of their digital identities while designing and hosting their own web presence. Access the CU Arts & Sciences domain at .
What
BuffsCreate gives all learners in Arts & Sciences the opportunity to own a sub-domain and server space to freely design a web page to host their academic, research, professional, and/or creative works via a panel of open source applications such as Wordpress, Drupal, Omeka, Scalar, or Media Wiki.
Why
We inhabit digital spaces in all aspects of our lives: professional, academic, civic, social, and personal. For many of us, our activities in those spaces occur with platforms and tools that we do not control. What if we invited learners to think critically about broader questions of how they use these spaces, how to develop a digital identity, who owns that identity, and how that identity is shared and circulated? This reflection invites exploration of how information is authored and circulated and how identities are constructed and mediated.
BuffsCreate presents the opportunity for learners to experiment with and practice essential digital and information literacies while designing a digital identity that represents them and their ongoing goals. With BuffsCreate, learners take ownership and control over their digital content rather than forfeiting control and freedom to corporate entities.
How
In partnership with the University Libraries, ASSETT is piloting this project over a two-year period. Pilot testing begins in spring 2019 and in fall 2019, all Arts & Sciences learners will have access to BuffsCreate, where they can register and design their sub-domain.
For more information
Do you want to learn more and get started with BuffsCreate? Contact Amanda McAndrew at ASSETT.
