Adapting a Research Tool for Teaching in a Post-Pandemic World: Textual Communities and Critical Digital Pedagogy in the Context of a Comprehensive Liberal Arts Research University

This article examines the pedagogical adaptation of Textual Communities, a digital tool originally developed for collaborative research in textual scholarship, to teach paleography at the undergraduate level within a liberal arts context. Prompted by the exigencies of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and the broader framework of critical digital pedagogy, the course-design reimagined the tool’s primary research-focused function — edition-making — as a dynamic teaching and learning environment emphasizing transcription, engagement, and student autonomy. The article presents a specific example of the use of a digital tool in teaching paleography, detailing its purpose and impact on student learning and engagement. The article offers a concrete case study of hybrid- and flexible-by-design pedagogy, showing the value of using scholarly digital tools in undergraduate settings.