Your learning journey
About this course
This course approaches artifact analysis as an inquiry-driven, student-centered practice that positions physical and digital objects as entry points into deep historical thinking. Rather than treating artifacts as static illustrations of the past, we frame them as dynamic evidence to be questioned, interpreted, and debated. By shifting from passive observation to active investigation, educators can help learners develop essential social studies skills, including critical thinking, research, and communication.Educators will explore diverse methods for sourcing artifacts, ranging from museum digital collections to innovative tools like 3D printing. A central pillar of the course is culturally responsive teaching; participants will learn to evaluate objects for cultural sensitivity and religious significance, ensuring that the stories of people from the past are told with respect and accuracy.
The course empowers teachers to serve as facilitators who design intentional learning experiences and scaffold systematic analysis. You will learn how to guide students through historical synthesis, where they analyze multiple artifacts to construct complex interpretations of the past. Additionally, the course addresses practical classroom implementation, including management protocols for artifact handling and the use of narrative assessment to evaluate student growth.
This course is available at no cost to educators through the We the Teachers initiative, made possible by a U.S. Department of Education grant.
Details
Includes
Shareable PD Certificate
Aligned With
Assessment Types
Course accessibility
What you’ll learn
Master Core Concepts
- Define artifacts with a focus on classroom application.
- Explain the benefits of integrating artifacts into your teaching practice.
Develop Facilitation Skills
- Evaluate a range of artifact analysis frameworks and protocols.
- Acquire hands-on experience through practical exercises designed for your classroom context.
Apply Your Skills in Context
- Design impactful classroom activities around historical synthesis through artifacts.
- Learn how to implement and assess these activities in line with curriculum goals and learning objectives.
Demonstrate Your Learning
- Complete assessments that demonstrate your new capabilities and document your progress.
- Leverage a diverse range of supplementary resources.
Skills you’ll gain
Strategies & frameworks you’ll encounter
Ready to transform your classroom conversations?
Join educators building the skills to facilitate meaningful, respectful dialogue with students of all ages.
Modules
Welcome to the course! In this module, you will meet your instructor, Allison O’Connor, learn about key elements of the course including how to navigate the modules and how the course will be assessed.
This module focuses on defining artifacts and objects in an educational context. Explore how these items can be used as entry points for historical inquiry to improve student outcomes and help learners develop essential social studies skills like critical thinking and research.
Learn practical methods for sourcing artifacts, including digital collections and 3D printing. In this module, you will also consider how to evaluate objects for religious or cultural significance to ensure they are presented with respect and accuracy.
This module introduces specific frameworks designed to help students analyze sources systematically. Practice using thinking routines and inquiry organizers from the National Archives to scaffold student observation and evidence-based reasoning.
Learn how to facilitate activities where students analyze multiple artifacts simultaneously to construct complex interpretations. This module also covers practical classroom management during artifact handling and the use of instructional tools like Artifact Choice Boards.
The final module summarizes what you have learnt in the previous sections and prepares you for the narrative assessment, which is your final step before completing the course.
Featured course resources
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A microcourse is a short, focused learning experience designed to be completed in manageable segments — so you can fit professional development into your actual schedule, not just your PD days.
Course length varies, but most microcourses are designed to be completed in five hours — and you can pause and return whenever it works for you.
All courses are developed by teachers in collaboration with William & Mary faculty researchers, museum professionals, and other experts. Courses are grounded in learning science and backed by William & Mary’s decades of leadership in civic education. Content is designed to be rigorous and immediately applicable in the classroom.
Five courses are available for free during the public beta:Artifact Analysis, Civil Discourse, History Inquiry, Nonfiction Reading Strategies, and Podcasting in the Classroom. More courses will be added soon.
When you complete a lilyPD course, you’ll receive a downloadable certificate worth 5 hours of professional development, accredited by William & Mary’s School of Education.
We ensure all our courses meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This includes:
- Behind the scenes: semantic HTML, full keyboard (tab) navigation, and screen-reader compatibility.
- In the user experience: transcripts for non-text content, ALT text for images, and clear, comprehensible site navigation.
If you have concerns or suggestions for how we can improve our accessibility features, we’d love to hear from you. Please email us at lilypd@wm.edu with the subject line “Accessibility.”
Discover more courses
Continue your professional development journey with these related courses.
The Horizon of Independence
As the first course in our three-part series on the American Revolution, the Horizon of Independence helps educators deepen their understanding of early America and the build up to the American Revolution (1607-1776) by exploring inquiry-driven, primary source-based strategies for teaching the complexities and enduring significance of the founding of the United States of America.
Artifact Analysis
Transform your classroom into a site of active, inquiry-driven discovery with this course on artifact analysis. Use artifacts as dynamic evidence that empowers students to question, interpret, and debate history. Through a focus on culturally responsive teaching and practical sourcing—including museum digital collections and 3D printing—you will gain the tools to make history feel tangible and engaging for every learner.
Civil Discourse in the Classroom
Transform your classroom into a microcosm of democracy with this course which positions civil discourse as a foundational teaching tool, proven to enhance content knowledge and literacy skills for all students. You will develop a diverse toolkit of strategies to guide students through complex conversations with academic rigor and emotional safety. In the processes, you will equip them with lifelong skills: the ability to listen deeply, reason together, and disagree constructively and respectfully.
Podcasting for Educators
You don’t need to be a technical wizard to run excellent podcast projects with your students. This course covers the basics — from using podcasts to deepen learning, to guiding students through creating their own — enhancing engagement, deepening learning, and developing your students’ listening skills along the way.
Historical Inquiry in the Classroom
This course provides social studies educators with the practical tools and structures needed to shift from delivering a set of information to facilitating deep, student-led investigation. You will walk away with a comprehensive plan and ready-to-use resources that make meaningful research a daily reality in your classroom, ensuring every student has the skills to analyze information and thoughtfully develop their own conclusions.
Nonfiction Reading Strategies
Pull back the curtain on the reading process by equipping your students with a permanent toolbox of practical strategies to navigate any text with purpose, confidence, and clarity. By turning invisible mental work into visible, repeatable routines, you will empower your students to move beyond literal retelling and start making real meaning from everything they read.
