Service

Teaching

Research

Department and Institutional Service

Portfolio Director, ISUComm, 2003-2004.

For the past year, I have served as the ISUComm representative in discussions about a campus-wide electronic portfolio system. The streaming video clip on the left is from a talk I gave at a campus conference in October 2002 about technological issues surrounding development of electronic portfolios. This conference, entitled Electronic Portfolios and Student Learning, was hosted by the Instructional Technology Center and led to several groups on campus pooling their efforts to win a $67,000 internal grant for development of an ePortfolio system. Design of this system began in summer 2003 and will continue during the fall semester.

Faculty Advisor, ISU student chapter of
the Society for Technical Communication, 2001-2004

Helped revitalized student chapter by working with student officers to boost membership and sponsor fun and interesting programs on various topics in technical communication.

Member, RPC Graduate Exams Review Committee, 2001-2003

Evaluated 15 comprehensive exams and 15 portfolio exams. Also helped write a proposal restructuring the entire graduate exams process for Rhetoric and Professional Communication.

Member, ad hoc Curriculum Development Committee, 2000

Helped design curriculum for a new Bachelor of Science Degree in Technical Communication. Work included research of other programs, development of technology-related courses, and technical consulting on program application.

Member, Committee on Science and Society,
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 2000-2001

Served briefly during the formative year of this committee investigating ways in which to promote connections between LAS science initiatives and the larger community.

Disciplinary Service

Editorial Board Member, 1996-2005
Kairos: A Journal for Teachers of Writing in Webbed Environments

I began service on the editorial board of this journal beginning at its inception. I contributed book reviews and reviewed regular submissions, but I stepped down in 2005 due to administrative duties within our department.

Associate Chair, Bakhtin/Vygotsky SIG, 1998-2000
Conference on College Composition and Communication

Arranged talk by noted Bakhtin scholar Caryl Emerson that was subsequently published in Rhetoric Review.

Manuscript Reviewer

I have reviewed manuscripts for the following projects:

• Bedford-St. Martin’s Press, July 2002 (10-page section of The Bedford Handbook dealing with Web site composition)
• Journal of Business and Technical Communication, November 2001 (1 article)
• Allyn & Bacon/Longman, September 2001 (Janice R. Walker and John Ruszkiewicz’s book writing@online.edu)
• Written Communication, July 2001 (1 article)
• Proposals, Society for Technical Communication, August 2000
  (16 presentation proposals for the 2001 national conference in Chicago).
  
• Yale University Press, May 2000 (book Web Teaching Guide.)
  

 Community Service

Iowa Renewable Energy Association website

I've been a fan of renewable energy since the 1970s, so when I first moved to Iowa, I hooked up with these fine people to promote renewable energy issues within the state. My volunteer efforts focused mostly on web site development, having designed and maintained the current site and two event sites for the annual Energy Expo. All three jobs were a challenging effort in information architecture that helped my understanding of web site design immensely. Working with I-RENEW has been a rewarding experience, but because of work demands, I had to give up the position a few years ago, though I hope to contribute at some point in the future. Their current site contains very little of my original code or design work.

Story City's Scandinavian Days website

Worked with local graphic designer Mike Marti on new site prototype to serve as a basis for the 2004 festival site. Also developed new information architecture and wrote many of the underlying pages.

Story City Main Street Application

Conducted research and helped write an application that was successfully submitted in 2000 to the national Main Street preservation organization. Since then, the local Main Street office has helped fund renovation of several historic buildings and has hosted numerous events adding to the quality of life in this community.