Education and Professional Experiences

Education 

• Doctor of Philosophy.  English: Rhetoric and Composition, 1998, The Catholic University of America; Washington, DC 20064.
  • Dissertation: The Characteristics and Effects of Oral and Computer-Mediated Peer Group Talk on the Argumentative Writing Process.  Nominated for 1999 Hugh Burns Computers and Composition Dissertation Award.
• Master of Arts.  English Composition, Language & Literature, 1980 Kansas State University; Manhattan, KS 66506.
  • Thesis: Linguistic Theory and TESL Practice: Some Recent Trends.
• Bachelor of Arts.  English (Honors), Comparative Literature (Honors), & Secondary Education: Magna Cum Laude, 1979, Western Maryland College; Westminster, MD 21157 (Currently McDaniel College)

Current Work:

• Co-Editor. Kairos: Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy, March 2006–Present; Co-Editor CoverWeb, Summer 2001–Spring 2006.
• Independent Scholar and Author:
  • Teaching through Text: Conferencing with Students in Online Settings. MS under review.
  • Good Words: Writing and Delivering a Eulogy. A rhetorical Guide to eulogy writing for the general public. In-progress book. 
• Consultant, Online and Traditional Writing Instruction:
  • NCTE Consulting Network, 2005–Present.
  • Writing coach for dissertation writers, 2000–Present.
  • University of Delaware, January–August 2006. Design/development of Online Writing Lab (OWL).
  • Secondary school English studies, IEP consultant, 2006.
  • Editorial Consultant, World Bank Institute, 2005–Present. 
  • NCTE Cosponsored Speakers Program, 2004–2005.
• Bereavement Support Facilitator and Workshop Leader, 2003–Present.

Teaching and Educational Administration

Assistant Professor of English. Pennsylvania State University—Fayette.  August 2001–June 2003:

• Taught all levels of undergraduate writing courses from developmental writing, rhetoric and composition, and intermediate & advanced business writing.
• Served as "touchstone:" for rehetoric/composition issues in the English Department.
• Assisted the DAA and the Director of the Center for Student Academic Progress (CSAP) in its early stages of development. CSAP’s purposes are to develop a viable tutoring center and to assist students in adjusting to university-level expectations.
• Advised undergraduate students.
• Coordinated the department’s informal listserv to improve communication among faculty members, as well as to be more inclusive of adjunct faculty needs.
• Collected student submissions for the English Division’s 2002 publication Best of Freshman Writing. (Two of my students’ essays were selected for publication, one each in 2003 and 2002.)

Online Writing Program and Online Writing Lab (OWL) Director.  SMARTHINKING, Inc. Washington, DC. February 2000–July 2001; Interim Director (Part-Time) December 2001–August 2002:

• Based on commonly-held contemporary rhetorical and composition principles, developed the writing program philosophy and pedagogy for a for-profit online writing lab (OWL) that provides 24-hour, 7-day learning support to college students nationwide and internationally.  The OWL features an asynchronous Essay Center, synchronous Writing Centers, and interactive learning modules.
• In a “start-up” environment, recruited and selected professional writing tutors and writing consultants. Advertised for positions, reviewed applications, interviewed, and selected a tutorial team of 85 “lead” and “non-lead” tutors.
  • Trained and oriented tutors to SMARTHINKING’s OWL philosophy and technology.
  • Developed training materials for both synchronous and asynchronous tutorials.
  • Developed training/tutorial outcomes and training/tutorial assessment tools.  Evaluated tutorials, providing positive, constructive feedback.
  • Developed training materials and trained non-SMARTHINKING OWL tutors, such as those at Kentucky Virtual University, using the technology and pedagogy developed for the SMARTHINKING OWL.
  • Built collaborative teams where lead tutors train, evaluate, and mentor non-lead tutors.
  • Researched, developed, and implemented professional growth activities and team bonding exercises.
  • Organized the strategic development of the OWL: the vision, training, pedagogical resources, and the building of various divisions (e.g., English for speakers of other languages [ESOL], creative, and business/technical writing).
  • Developed, wrote, and edited genre- and level-specific interactive learning modules for native and ESOL students, as well as instructional materials for tutors.
  • Developed a writer’s gallery for showcasing and modeling strong student writing.
  • Engaged in research and scholarly presentations that address OWL theory/practice and online writing instruction.  Regularly communicated with academicians in rhetoric, composition, and Writing Center learning support.
  • Planned and scripted an animated presentation demonstrating OWL training/tutoring principles.

Director, Writing Program & Writing Center. Assistant Professor. The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), Essex Campus (Baltimore, MD), 1998–2000:

• Directed the Writing Program for one campus of a three-campus, two-year college that offers up to 100 developmental and first year writing courses per semester. Assisted 30 - 50 adjunct lecturers with writing instruction issues.  Prepared semester and annual reports.
  • Developed and facilitated new faculty orientation workshops, grade norming sessions, and special interest meetings, such as “Implementing Technology in the Writing Program.”
  • Moderated the computer-mediated communication (CMC) program, including training instructors and technological planning for future implementation.  Supervised and monitored use of two computer writing classrooms and a computer homework lab.  Assisted in designing two computer classrooms.
  • Committees: (1) Chaired the Writing Program Committee, which reviewed and selected new campus-wide handbook, revised writing course objectives and guidelines, and selected course texts. (2) Chaired the Technology Sub-Committee regarding technology in the Writing Program.  (3) College-wide writing representative to Developmental Education Steering Committee. (4) English Department representative to Developmental Education Coordinating Committee. (5) Campus representative to Statewide Assessment Committee. (6) Campus representative to Statewide English Composition Committee.
  • Read and assessed writing placement samples.  Trained readers.  Devised written rubrics from CCBC and Statewide “C-Standard” end-of-course competencies.
  • Taught two writing courses per semester.  Co-planned and taught the pilot Honor’s English 101/Psychology 101 Learning Community.
• Directed the Writing Center, serving over 500 students annually.  Hired, trained, supervised, and scheduled12 professors who served as writing consultants.
  • Interviewed, hired, and supervised secretary and 6 work-study assistants.
  • Prepared staff training workshops in effective tutoring practices, use of pedagogical and technological resources, and tutoring ESOL and learning disabled (LD) students.
  • Developed a composition-specific instructional resource library.
  • Developed and supervised an OWL that featured email tutoring, hyper-linked resource materials, student and staff writing gallery, and teaching resources.  Approved by College Chancellor as the model for a college-wide OWL.
  • Coordinated with Special Services to open communication for learning and other disabled students.

Adjunct Lecturer.  Western Maryland College (Westminster, MD), 1997–1998:
Taught Composition and Reading I and II.  Developed syllabi and selected texts in keeping with departmental guidelines.  Read and evaluated writing competence tests.

Teaching Assistant.  The Catholic University of America (Washington, D.C.), 1993–1998:

• Taught 6 credit hours of writing, rhetoric, and literature classes each semester.  Developed syllabi and selected texts in keeping with departmental guidelines.  Courses, taught in traditional and CMC environments, include Argumentative Writing, Writing Improvement Workshop, Rhetoric and Composition, Composition and Literature, and a seminar for under-prepared first year students.
• Director, Writing Center (1995–1996).  Trained 7 tutors.  Moved to new location, set up, and administered Writing Center.  Scheduled hours, developed library, evaluated and selected computer software, and arranged training re tutoring ESOL and LD students. Wrote annual reports.
• Piloted and developed Computer-Assisted Writing Program.  Trained Teaching Assistants in CMC software and instructional strategies, 1995–1997.  Served as English Department Coordinator for CMC and Liaison to the Center for Planning and Information Technology (CPIT), August 1994– May 1997.  Assisted in planning and design of a dedicated computer lab for English classes.
• Using a normed, holistic instrument, assessed first year student essays for placement in composition classes, September 1995.
• With a Professor of Architecture, developed a discipline-specific argumentative writing course for junior, senior, and graduate architecture students.

Adjunct Professor.  City Colleges of Chicago (Hanau, Germany), 1990–1992:

• Created and taught a 16-hour graduate-level course, The Teaching of Writing, as part of the continued accreditation of Department of Defense (DOD) middle/high school teachers.
• Reviewed and analyzed English Composition I Video Course.  Completely revised syllabus and assignments.  Wrote and provided Reader/Graders with Instructor's Guides and Grading Sheets for English Composition I & II Video Courses.
• Reviewed and revised course syllabi for Composition I and Composition II.  Reviewed and proposed textbooks for both courses.  Created course syllabi for Sentence Strategies, Paragraph Strategies, and Discourse Strategies.  Read, reviewed, and proposed texts for each course.  Created and wrote diagnostic placement test.

Lecturer IV.  Anne Arundel Community College (Arnold, MD), 1986–1989: 

• Developed syllabi, selected texts, and taught 17 sections of Composition and Literature I and II.
• Taught Preparation for the SAT.

Adjunct Professor.  University of Maryland (Nürnberg & Stuttgart, Germany), 1981–1985:
Developed syllabi and taught 8 sections of Composition I to military studetns. 

Adjunct Professor.  Temple University (Nürnberg, Germany), 1981–1983:
Taught ESL to students of various language backgrounds 20 hours per week.  Developed pertinent vocabulary and sentence structure materials in conjunction with Defense Language Institute (DLI) materials.  Wrote developmental writing instructional materials for and taught Basic English Reading and Writing to adult students.

Instructor.  Central Texas College (Ft. Sill, OK), 1981:
Taught ESL to students of various language backgrounds 20 hours per week.  Developed pertinent vocabulary and sentence structure materials in conjunction with Defense Language Institute (DLI) materials.  Wrote developmental writing instructional materials for and taught Basic English Reading and Writing to adult students.

Teaching Assistant.  Kansas State University (Manhattan, KS), 1979–1980:
Developed syllabi and taught 6 sections of English Composition I, English Composition II, and Composition for Speakers of English as a Second Language.

Freelance Technical Writing/Other Professional Experience

• Online Writing Lab (OWL) Consultant, 2006. University of Delaware.
• Editorial Consultant, World Bank Institute, 2005.
• Dissertation Consultant. 2000–Present.
• Teaching through Text.” WAC Workshop at Hampton University, Norfolk, VA. May 2005.
• Test Item Writer, Grade levels 9–12, Riverside Publishing, March 2004–Present.
• External consultant for Kentucky Statewide High Schools, Online tutoring as preparation for proficiency testing, 2001–2003.
• Consultant and Facilitator.  SMARTHINKING, Inc.  2001–2002:
• Mentored and assisted new OWL Director in rhetoric/composition background and training programs.
• Co-wrote the SMARTHINKING High School Online Writing Program, as well as various student/tutor handbook chapters.
• Consult with Houghton Mifflin to assist teachers in using the SMARTHINKING OWL.
• Developed sub-team leadership plan and new synchronous training plan.
• Served as Interim Coordinator of the Online Writing Lab, part-time (December 2001–August 2002).
• Selected course texts for an online course: Training Teachers for Synchronous Online Instruction.
• Facilitated the orientation of new SMARTHINKING OWL Trainees to asynchronous and synchronous tutorial instruction.
• Consultant.  Comments Interactive Software. Bedford/St. Martin’s Press.  2001:
• Serve as Reviewer and Consultant in the development of interactive software that assists students in online peer response and that may be used for online Writing Center essay reviews.
• Technical Writing Consultant, 1995–2000:
• Develop and facilitate customized workshops and individual coaching program for technical writing in the private sector.  Part-time.
• Technical Editor.  Potomac Hudson Engineering (Bethesda, MD), 1996– 1998:
• Co-edited the U. S. Marine Corps Environmental Compliance and Protection Manual.  Part-time.
• Consultant.  InfoSearch, Ltd. (Silver Spring, MD) 1996:
• Edited and revised International Marketing Brochure, Client Profile forms, and Telecommunications Directory.  Part-Time.
• Career Counselor.  Army Job Assistance Center (Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD & Frankfurt, Germany), 1991–1993:
• Taught seminars, facilitated workshops, and counseled military clients in their career transitions from the U.S. Army to the civilian work force.  Taught resume and cover letter writing.  Full-time.