teaching experience

MBA 610 Writing in the Workplace. Advanced overview of the production and management of workplace communication ranging from memos and reports to business plans and websites. Topics included research presentations, documentation, and management of communication projects appropriate to their industry or business concerns. Required course in the MBA program.
Traditional format Spring 2010, Fall 2010. Asynchronous online format Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020.

ENG 271w Technical Communication. Theory, principles, and processes of effective written, oral, visual, and electronic communication of technical information. Assignments include writing and presenting proposals, reports, and documentation. Emphasis on rhetorical analysis, computer applications, collaborative writing, and usability testing to complete technical communication tasks in the workplace. Traditional and synchronous online formats. Spring 2004, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2016.

ENG 272w Business Communication. Theory, principles, and processes of effective written, oral, visual, and electronic communication with an emphasis on genres typically encountered in workplace contexts. Assignments include correspondence, proposals, informal reports, document design, and job application materials. Traditional and synchronous online formats. Fall 2007, Spring 2009, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013., Spring 2015, Fall 2016.

ENG 462/562 Document Design. Addresses theories of design and teaches students design strategies in typography, graphics, tables, color, and information architecture that will subsequently be applied to documents. Traditional format. Fall 2016.

ENG 469/569 Project Management for Technical Communicators. Introduction to technical project management through participation in a simulated project management experience. Assignments include standard documentation associated with project management and reflective writing. Online course designed but not taught due to scheduling change.

ENG 471/571 Visual Technical Communication. Theory and practice of visual design in technical and professional communication. Topics include typography, color, Gestalt theory, visual rhetoric, and graphical displays of quantitative and technical information. Traditional and synchronous online formats. Fall 2010, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Spring 2014.

ENG 472 Topics/Marketing Communication. Exploration of the foundations of marketing and with a focus on the textual and visual elements of effective, persuasive marketing messages. Similarities and differences with technical communication were emphasized. Students created a variety of typical marketing communication documents to promote a variety of university majors using the theme “What’s the value of a humanities degree?” Documents included a product sheet, a brochure, a white paper, a web communication strategy, and a sales presentation. Synchronous online format. Spring 2011.

ENG 472 Topics/Instructional Design. Examination of the process of designing instruction using the ADDIE model, issues involved in working with clients, and the challenges of designing instruction that will be presented by others. Readings in the topics course were drawn from a variety of mainstream books (Made to Stick, slide:ology, What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy) as well as traditional instructional design texts. Students designed a collection of training modules about the responsible conduct of research for the Director of Research and Sponsored Programs at Minnesota State Mankato. Synchronous online format. Spring 2010.

ENG 472 Topics/Data-based Storytelling. The benefit of data visualization is to “place data into a human context” (Jer Thorpe) and to construct a narrative that helps readers understand what they are seeing. In this five-week online course, students learned about creating attractive, informative data displays and using them within documents to help readers understand the story within the data. Activities and demonstrations explored examples of “big data,” created data displays using principles of good design, and constructed an information graphic (aka infographic) that tells a story based upon quantitative and qualitative data. Synchronous online format. Summer 2014.

ENG 474/574 Researching and Writing Technical Reports. A research methods course for undergraduate and graduate students. Includes secondary data collection, writing literature reviews, primary data collection and analysis, and reporting results in a variety of workplace and academic genres. Students develop plans, collect and analyze data, and interpret results for a variety of audiences and purposes. Traditional and synchronous online formats. Fall 2009, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Fall 2012,Fall 2014.

ENG 673 Research and Theory in Technical Communication. Seminar for students conducting a major research project in the technical communication field. Emphasizes theoretical approaches to research, development and implementation of research projects using a variety of methods, and presentation of the students’ work. The course has traditionally been used as a steppingstone to completing the thesis or the APP. By the end of the semester, students have a research proposal that can be developed into their capstone projects. Synchronous and asynchronous online formats. Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013.

ENG 674 Topics/Organizational Communication. Rhetorical analysis of the ways that organizations communicate with the general public and with internal and external stakeholders. Topics included identity creation and maintenance, visual identity, issues rhetoric, crisis rhetoric, and rhetoric about risk. Synchronous online format. Spring 2013.

ENG 676 Instructional Design for Technical Communicators. Examination of instructional design principles and models, including research in theory and practice of instructional design for technical communicators in academic and industry settings. Quality Matters certified in 2015. Synchronous and asynchronous online formats. Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2016.

ENG 680 Proposals. Theory and practice in the development and production of proposals, focusing on the researching writing, and management of proposals by technical communicators. Students have the opportunity to develop two proposals, one for their own purposes and one in response to an RFP. Synchronous online format. Spring 2012, Spring 2014, Spring 2015.

ENG 696 Capstone Course in Technical Communication. Students research and write an article-length document that may serve as the basis of a professional publication or presentation. All documents will go through a formal review process including peer review, SME review, and editorial review. Prerequisites include Research and Theory of Technical Communication (Eng 673) and at least 28 credits completed in the technical communication MA degree program. Synchronous online format. Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2017.

COMS 101 Introduction to Microcomputers. An introductory course in personal computer use for business majors: what personal computers are, how they are controlled, and how they are used in the business world. Assignments included basic proficiency in word processing, spreadsheets, presentation packages, electronic communication, web pages, and graphics. Large lecture format. Falls and springs 1999-2003.

COMS 202 Computers and Society. A writing intensive course that addressed complex social and ethical issues associated with computers. Discussions, readings, and analysis of dichotomous viewpoints helped students understand the complexity of technology-related problems and the lack of simplistic solutions. Traditional seminar format. Falls and springs 2000-2003.

Iowa State University

Business Communication. Introducing the theory, principles, and processes of effective written, oral, visual, and electronic communication with an emphasis on genres typically encountered in workplace contexts. Traditional/workshop format. Fall 2006, Spring 2007.

First Year Composition II. Development of college-level writing strategies with emphasis on arguing a position, analyzing texts, and using primary and secondary sources. Traditional format. Fall 2005, Spring 2006.

First Year Composition I. Introduction to college-level writing strategies with emphasis on critical reading and thinking skills. Traditional format. Fall 2004.