Research

Much of my scholarship in the field focuses on classroom inquiry and draws upon student voices to understand writing theory and practices. I write on portfolios, response theory, collaborative learning, multicultural pedagogies and visual literacies. I am interested in the multiple layers of language and experiences students bring to their writing lives. I have authored numerous articles in these areas in the field of composition. Much of my ongoing scholarship and teaching focuses on visual literacies and creating English classes for the new world – classes in which students are writing for new purposes, audiences and contexts. This involves the integration of new technology and teaching methods through new media, participatory learning and online composition. My publications and presentations speak to these interests.

Some Publication Highlights: 

Multimodal Mondays - Since 2014 I have been writing and an academic blog as a guest blogger on Andrea Lunsford’s national blog, Multimodal Mondays.   I have revisited many of the ideas and multimodal assignments from my own classes and this teaching website — Acts of Composition — and revised them for this context and audience.   This relationship demonstrates the ways teaching practices, research and scholarship can productively connect for reflective practitioners. The Multimodal Mondays posts introduce and reflect upon flexible assignments for instructors who are looking for “inspiration and guidance for teaching multimodally.” Check out my Multimodal Mondays blog posts. This feature is part of the teaching series: Bedford Bits: Ideas for Composition.

Making Multimodal Meaningful - Forthcoming in the Journal of Student Success in Writing. 

Teaching Seeing and Writing (Bedford-St.Martins 2010) I authored essays, assignments, articles and edited submissions from teachers all over the country. The book also speaks to my ongoing work in the classroom where I wrote many assignments that incorporate visual literacies and new media and guide teachers through the challenges of working with our “digital natives.” This guide accompanies one of the most successful, widely used composition textbooks for first year writing courses emphasizing visual literacy.

Portfolios for Technical and Professional Communicators (Prentice Hall, 2007), co-authored with Herb Smith, reflects our work with students in our professional communication degree programs and celebrates their work in their senior capstone course. The book helps them transition from academic to professional settings as they shape their professional identity and create their professional portfolios. I am also an active member of the associations of my field and present regularly at the Conference for College Composition and Communication and the National Council of Teachers of English.