Instructor Information

You have permission to use my first name: Keri. I am giving you permission to use my first name as a sign of respect to you. I want us to build a learning community, and I want you to feel comfortable working in our virtual classroom. 

If you need to use a title, use my professional title: professor. I do not use gendered titles, such as Ms. or Mrs. You can refer to me either as Keri or Professor Withington.  

As a sign of respect to you, I will use your chosen name and correct pronouns, as well as letting you use my first name. As a sign of respect to me, you can learn to spell my name and use my correct name and title. As a sign of respect to your peers, you can address them by the names they use, pay attention to spelling their names, and use respectful language. 

At the beginning of the semester, my default is to refer to people by the names listed on the Brightspace roll and to use gender neutral pronouns (they/them).

I will gladly refer to you by whatever name and pronouns you prefer. If you go by any name other than what is on the official roll--including abbreviations, nicknames, etc.--please let me know. You can let me know your name and pronouns on the syllabus survey at the beginning of the semester. If your name or pronoun changes during the course of the semester, please let me know.

You can also change your first name on Pellissippi's records. Look in MyPellissippi to change your name on Pellissippi's records. Click here for instructions on this process.

This policy supports student confidence, to enable progress towards all student learning outcomes.. 

I have student time scheduled when you can meet with me. 

• Mondays  1:30-2:30 pm on Zoom

• Tuesdays  6:30-7:30 pm at the pond* (Come walk around with me and one of my dogs, or we can sit at one of the picnic tables to chat.) *Weather permitting: alternate availability on Slack in case of bad weather

• Wednesdays  1:30-2:30 in the Academic Tutoring Center (3rd floor of the ERC on HV campus)

• Thursdays 12:00-1:00 on Slack

• Fridays I do not have set student time on Fridays, but I will respond to emails and Slack messages throughout the day. 

Click here for your instructor's full schedule. If I ever need to change my schedule, I will post a notice on my full schedule.

You do not need an appointment to meet with me during student time. If you want to meet with me at another time, or if you want to meet in a modality other than the scheduled one, contact me to schedule an appointment by email or Slack.

In order to promote a professional, equitable learning environment and to promote both the physical and mental well-being of both instructors and students, this class will follow certain boundaries. Following these boundaries is both an act of self-care and an act of respect for each other.

• I have a professional Facebook page, which you are welcome to follow. However, I will not accept you as a friend on my personal FB page, nor will I engage with you on other social media platforms. 

• I am available by email, on Slack, and, at scheduled times, on Zoom. I am generally not available by phone, and I do not provide students with my phone number. I also will not contact you by your phone number except by appointment or in rare, urgent cases. 

• I will use Pellissippi's official email (Outlook) and messaging (in Brightspace) for communication. I encourage you to use your official Pellissippi accounts for communication and to review the email policy.

• If we cannot use Pellissippi's official email for any reason, we will continue to communicate via Slack. 

• I respect your time, and I recognize that we may not all have the same work times. I know that you have many demands on your time, such as other classes, work, family responsibilities, etc. I also need to prioritize time for me to prepare lessons, provide feedback on assignments, sleep, spend time with my family, etc.

  • I have set due dates and scheduled  the class review time to be during normal school/work hours. 

  • I have scheduled student times at a range of times from morning to evening to try to accommodate as many of your schedules as possible. 

  • I will not schedule appointments before 8 am or after 8 pm. 

  • I try to minimimize notifications outside of business hours; however, I may post grades, etc. either early in the morning or late at night. Posting at these times does not mean that I expect you to be online at these times, nor do I expect you to immediately log on when you get a notification from Brightspace/Pulse. (I do, however, expect you to log on to the class website and work on the class at least twice a week.)

  • I will answer emails within 24 hours during the normal school week. However, I am not obligated to check emails overnight, and I will not regularly check emails over the weekend. If you email me over the weekend, I will respond on Monday.

  • I do expect you to regularly check your Brightspace messages and Pellissippi email, but I do not expect you to check them daily. You should respond to any messages from me (or other Pellissippi faculty/staff) within three business days.

• I started my college career as a Pellissippi student. I went on to get a Bachelors in English, Masters in Writing, Graduate Certificate in Gender Studies, and to take additional doctorate level classes in literature, writing, and research. I hope to go back to school eventually. 

• I have been teaching at Pellissippi since 2012.

• Before teaching at Pellissippi, I taught in other settings, as well as working in marketing, printing, customer service, and more. 

• I write and publish regularly. 

• I call TN home, but I've also lived in many other areas of the US, as well as in both England and Austria. I love to travel. 

• I'm married and have three kids: two high schoolers and a college student! Nothing you say or do is going to phase me. Also, I have been a parent who works outside the home and a student while parenting, so if you have kids and/or younger siblings at home, I really do get it. 

• I love animals. I have cats, dogs, a giant snail, and fish. (I love seeing your pets in discussion board photos or on Zoom.)

• I'm vegan and gluten-free. I have some serious food allergies.

• I love gardening, hiking, and kayaking. 

• I enjoy board and card games. My family plays them a lot. 

• I believe that you are all smart and capable of success. 

I truly believe in the value of knowledge, and I am passionate about teaching. 

My goal is not to tell you what to think, but to help you learn how to think, especially how to think and communicate as academics.

My teaching practice is rooted in expertise on the material, many years of experience as both a student and instructor, and principles of social justice. Reading choices and classroom practices are grounded in college policy, established learning objectives, and an emphasis on representation within a respectful culture. We will study a variety of voices within this course. You do not have to agree with anyone, but you do need to learn to engage with facts, research, and other materials as an academic. In order to cultivate an academic voice and prepare for professional roles, you must treat each other, the instructor, and course materials with respect. 

I believe that all of you are capable of success. You all bring unique experience, knowledge, and strengths with you to this class.