I have been teaching at the university level since Fall 2008, but I have been engaged in tutoring and mentoring activities for far longer. I come from a family dedicated to teaching, and I was honored to receive the Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award for Illinois State University during the 2010-2011 academic year; I currently serve as the graduate student representative on Illinois State’s University Teaching Committee, which administers that award. I submitted an electronic portfolio for this contest that will tell you more about my teaching at that time. Although my pedagogical philosophies and practices continue to evolve since the development of that portfolio, my dedication to reflective teaching remains. In addition to teaching, I also tutor regularly at Heartland Community College in order to strengthen my one-on-one teaching skills.
Courses I have recently taught include:
ENG 101: Composition as Critical Inquiry
(View course website)
Illinois State University
Developed and taught this liberal arts requirement for all freshmen, which includes study of basic composition, the modes of rhetoric, revision practices, peer review methods, MLA formatting and style, and beginning critical theory.
ENG 101.10: Composition as Critical Inquiry
Illinois State University
Developed and taught this alternative to English 101. This course differs from English 101 in that it provides extra support for students by meeting five days per week rather than two or three days per week.
WGS 120: Women, Gender, and Society Inquiry
Illinois State University
Developed and taught this elective for students of all levels. This course examines how systems of gender shape societies around the world and how individual and collective actions transform the gender system of a society.
ENG 145: Writing in the Academic Disciplines (View course website)
Illinois State University
Developed and taught this introduction to research-based writing for multiple academic audiences.
TWC 200: Impact of Communications Technologies on Society
Arizona State University (online delivery)
Developed and taught this course, which focuses on organizational issues and the historical development of technical communication.
ENG 249: Technical and Professional Writing I
(View course website)
Illinois State University
Developed and taught this introduction to technical and professional writing. This course includes study of manuals, reports, proposals, audience analysis, formatting and style. I have taught this course with special emphases on the relationship between form and content, the importance of feminist perspectives, and the necessity of ethical considerations.
ENG 283: Rhetorical Theory and Applications
Illinois State University
Developed and taught this course, which is a critical and analytical examination of the nature and historical development of rhetorical theory and its applications to contemporary discourse. I have taught this course with special emphases on feminist perspectives.
TWC 361: Writing for Health Care Management
Arizona State University (online delivery)
Collaborated with nursing faculty and taught this course for nursing professionals looking to study strategies, formats, and techniques for effective writing and presentation of information. I have taught this course to a wide-range of student audiences, including community college students enrolled in a special program with ASU as well as many non-traditional students returning to college after years of workplace experience.
TWC 401/501: Principles of Technical Communication
Arizona State University (online delivery)
Developed and taught this course, which explores information design principles to produce effective written, oral, and electronic technical communication as well as developing in students an understanding of rhetorical and audience analysis.
TWC 421: Principles of Writing with Technology
Arizona State University (online delivery)
Developed and taught this course, which focuses on understanding the historical and social impact of technology on writing, with emphasis on multimedia design, computer-mediated communication, and hypertext.
TWC 431: Principles of Technical Editing
Arizona State University (online delivery)
Developed and taught this course, which introduces students to the basic principles of technical editing (for print and electronic media) including copyediting, reviews, standards, style, and project management.
TWC 451: Copyright and Intellectual Property in the Electronic Age
Arizona State University (online delivery)
Developed and taught this course for both graduate and undergraduate students. This course explores issues related to copyright and intellectual property laws, with emphasis on electronic environments and authorship studies. This class moves from development of a historical understanding of copyright and intellectual property law to theoretical and practical examinations of its intersection with electronic media.
