Biography
Teaching Philosophy
Throughout my teaching career, I have focused on discovering ways to make writing more interesting – and fun – for students. Oftentimes students believe writing is a mysterious, esoteric process that they just don’t “get.” My primary focus is helping them realize that it is neither mysterious nor impossible. Other goals for my class include encouraging students’ confidence in their writing and speaking, helping them develop voice and style. They also learn how to do deep revision of ideas and content, as well as sentence level revision. They work together in workshop groups to further understand that writing is not solitary, but can involve many others from their peers’ authentic audience feedback to “expert” suggestions from me.
To accomplish these goals, I create courses that address the class’s defined learning outcomes, but I also leave a space to construct an individualize-able course for each student. Therefore, I approach class time with a variety of writing exercises, both solitary and group, both public and private, as well as discussions with the in small groups and with the class as a whole. I insist on continuing self-evaluation from the students and teach them how to think more (constructively) critically about their own writing. I employ a variety of evaluation methods ranging from comments-only drafts to portfolios to achievement-based grading.
Research Interests
My research interests include writing evaluation pedagogy and methods, science and rhetoric, and how to utilize different personality assessment instruments in the writing classroom.
Research
Presentations
Association for Business Communication 87th Annual International Conference (2022) Information Literacy in the Business Writing Classroom: A Scaffolded, Progressive Approach to Professional Research
Conference on College Communication and Composition (2022) Designing Peer Review, Reflective Writing, and ePortfolios for Inclusion and Metacognition: “Feedback Filtering: Empowering Student Writers for the Uncertainty of Workplace Feedback”
ABC Midwestern/Southeastern Business Communication Symposium #3: Asking the Right Questions: Laying a Strong Foundation for Qualitative Business Communication Research (2021) Why Are Students and Instructors So Disappointed with Peer Feedback?: Developing Question-Seeking Pedagogy for Business Communication Peer Feedback
Conference on College Composition and Communication (2020) Writing for Work: Pedagogical Places for Student Preparation: “John Swales Walks into a Business School: Theory Meets Aspiring Supply Chain Analysts (and their Peers)”
Association for Business Communication 84th Annual International Conference (2019) Active Listening: Using Structured Dialogue to Support Inclusivity
Association for Business Communication 83rd Annual International Conference (2018) Blind Portfolio Grading: Success & Challenges from One Program’s Perspective
Association of Business Communication 82nd Annual International Conference (2017) The Writing Workshop Method in the Business Communication Classroom
Rhetoric Society of America Biennel Conference (2010) Narrative and Public Health Policy: Three Ways We’ve “Storied” the Artificial Fluoridation of Water Debate
Rhetoric Society of America (2010) Rhetorical Uses of Public Science: “Narrative and Public Health Policy: Three Ways We’ve ‘Storied’ the Artificial Fluoridation of Water Debate”
Composition and Rhetoric Colloquium (2006) Composition, Rhetoric and In(ter)vention: “Narratives of Artificial Fluoridation and The Antagonist William J. Hirzy”
Rhetoric Society of America (2004) The Need for a Change in Pedagogical Decorum: On Teaching a Generation of Hyper-Rhetorical Students: “Returning Pathos to the Communication Classroom: Why This Generation Demands Expressivism”
Conference on College Composition and Communication (2004) Making Composition Matter: Students, Citizens, Institutions, Advocacy: “A Century of Change: The Politics of First-Year Composition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1900 to 2000: ‘Composing Character: Writing Instruction at UW-Madison in the Early 20th Century’”
Teaching
Undergraduate Courses
Workplace Communication (BUS 360), Fall 2020.
Develop and practice three aspects of successful communication: writing, presenting, and listening. A theoretical foundation provides a method of deep audience analysis; apply that analysis when producing a variety of written genres and when preparing content for formal presentation. Through a collaborative workshop process, revise your own written work. Enroll Info: None
Workplace Writing and Communication (BUS 360), Spring 2021.
Develop and practice three aspects of successful communication: writing, presenting, and listening. A theoretical foundation provides a method of deep audience analysis; apply that analysis when producing a variety of written genres and when preparing content for formal presentation. Through a collaborative workshop process, revise your own written work. Enroll Info: None
Workplace Writing and Communication (BUS 360), Fall 2021.
Develop and practice three aspects of successful communication: writing, presenting, and listening. A theoretical foundation provides a method of deep audience analysis; apply that analysis when producing a variety of written genres and when preparing content for formal presentation. Through a collaborative workshop process, revise your own written work. Enroll Info: None
Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2020.
Expository writing relative to written communications used in organizations: letters, factual memoranda, brief reports, technical research reports. Development of skills in oral and graphic communications; committee reports, staff presentations. Enroll Info: None
Graduate Courses
Ph.D. Communication for Disser (BUS 975), Spring 2013.
Review of research writing and presentation strategies and practice drafting, editing, and presenting proposal and/or dissertation sections for feedback and revision. Seminar/workshop designed for post-prelim dissertators: focuses on advanced structural a
Service
Professional Organizations
Association for Business Communication