Service
Service represents 30% of my appointment and evaluation for promotion. Below is a list of committees, initiatives, and activities I worked on between January 2014 and Fall 2018, organized to demonstrate how my contributions to the program and university meet expectations for quality performance across six categories of service. Some work applies to two or more criteria and some administrative work didn’t fit neatly into the boxes, but each activity is listed only once, where it seems most appropriate. Please follow the links to relevant artifacts.
For more detail and additional service work, see my combined Annual Review Service Statements.
Consistent and substantive work on program standing committees and related ongoing events and efforts
Reappointment and Promotion Review Committees, 2015, 2017, 2018
So far, I have reviewed four teaching assistant professors for promotion to teaching associate professor, and will review four associate professors for reappointment or promotion this year.
Hiring Committee, 2017
We reviewed applications, conducted interviews, and assisted with campus visit logistics as part of a successful search for two new teaching assistant professors, Aubrie Schiavone and Zoe Tobier. I had previously conducted individual interviews with all candidates who visited campus in the spring of 2014 in my role as Assistant Director.
Curriculum and Assessment Committee, 2012-2016
We conducted assessment, including a new portfolio assessment pilot; studied assignments; facilitated professional development, guided refinement of course features, recommended textbooks, etc.
Adjunct Lecturer Hiring and Orientation, 2011-2014
As Assistant Director, I reviewed all applications and selected adjunct lecturers in consultation with the Executive Director. I also designed and facilitated several full-day orientation sessions and mentored several colleagues as they transitioned to full-time positions.
Substantive work on events or initiatives beyond those hosted by standing committees
Co-organized and Created Materials for Douglass Day Transcribe-a-Thon, 2018
Juli Parrish and I coordinated what I hope will be the first annual Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon. I created instruction sets for transcribing the Freedmen’s Bureau Papers, a flyer with examples of how we use archival research in WRIT 1133, and slides with apropos Frederick Douglass quotes and images to run in the background. I also shared these materials with Liz Kleinfeld to support the event at Metropolitan State.
Editing and Event Support for Many Voices, One DU and Encountering Stories, 2016-2017
I served on the selection committee for the first MVOD and the planning committee for its launch, my students participated in Encountering Stories in 2016 and 2017, and I have helped with set-up, take-down, and video of events.
Copy Editing for WRIT Large, 2015-2017
I do the nit-picky work at the end.
COMPosium, 2015-2017
My students were first required to participate and then offered extra credit to remediate their primary research projects for a poster session. I have also assisted with in-the-moment practical matters during preparation and events (working on broadsides, set-up/take-down, etc.).
ASEM or FSEM teaching
Taught FSEM in 2011, 2015, 2016, and 2017
FSEM Syllabus, Assignments, and Evaluations
Using our BRAINS: An Interdisciplinary Study of Zombies in Popular Culture has been a popular section for students and a rewarding teaching experience. In addition to class time, faculty guide students through several aspects of their orientation week and arrange extra events throughout the year. I have developed strong advising and mentoring relationships with FSEM students (discussed below), as illustrated by course evaluations regarding advising and student letters of support.
Significant work on university committees and initiatives
ePortfolio Initiative, 2017 - Prompts and Shared Materials
Participated in the FSEM/ASEM ePortfolio pilot directed by Kara Taczak and Megan Kelly. Attended meetings with interdisciplinary faculty to design shared prompts, developed portfolio prompts integrated through the quarter, and wrote assessment questions.
FSEM Assessment Workshops, 2015 and 2016
I attended a series of meetings devoted to assessment and professional development for the FSEM program; WRIT faculty represented our program well with active engagement and sharing new ways to use writing in FSEM classes.
MIND Initiative, 2015
A former student invited me to participate in a panel and video devoted to informing students about mental health in academia, reducing stigma, and seeking treatment. The edited video is included in the Mental Health module of the Discover DU Canvas course for all new students. I have participated in a number of student- and faculty senate-sponsored events about mental health.
Summer Link Program Short Course, 2016
Former students nominated me to teach a week-long short course based on my FSEM for the VIP Program, which brings first-generation, minority, and refugee students to live on campus for a week to learn about DU and college life.
Advising for Fall and Winter Registration and Winter Transfer Student Orientation, 2014
I organized and attended events and created documentation to promote WRIT courses and effective selection/registration.
Research projects that advance the program mission
Off-Track and Transfer Research, 2015-Present
April Chapman-Ludwig and I were awarded a Faculty Research Fund Grant for $2,610 in 2015 to support mixed-method research about student and faculty experiences with off-track classes. We participated in the Qualitative Research Forum to share and develop our work, conducted surveys, interviews, and focus groups, and presented quantitative findings at the Writing Futures Symposium. Our research has already informed changes in our pedagogy and served as a springboard for April and Rob Gilmor’s transfer class pilot and their grant-funded research on transfer students. Because this research directly applies to our individual classes and improved curricula and teaching in our program, this work combines teaching, service, and scholarship.
As Assistant Director and member of the Curriculum and Assessment Committee, I coordinated Program Assessment for 2014-2015, which included development of a new common curriculum assessment and pilot portfolio group assessment. I wrote the formal report and a presentation for faculty.
Ongoing, structured mentoring of colleagues and others
This review period begins with my final year as the first Assistant Director for First-Year Writing. In this role, I conducted observations and wrote letters for all lecturers, mentored new and existing faculty, and conducted orientation and answered questions for adjunct lecturers. I also mentored Richard Colby as he transitioned into the role and created documentation for future use.
FSEM New Faculty Mentor, 2015
I have served as First-Year Advisor for 53 students, with several taking WRIT classes with me and visiting office hours in addition to required advising.
In less structured, but certainly ongoing, meetings and casual conversations, I have mentored and been mentored by a number of colleagues, particularly a group of us who cluster in or near the break room; April Chapman-Ludwig, Rob Gilmor, David Riche, LP Picard, Zoe Tobier and I have undeniably improved one another’s professional (and often personal) lives.
Last year, I frequently met with three first-generation students, two of whom are minority women in STEM, to discuss things like managing workload, navigating different bureaucracies on campus, and other aspects of college life as first-gen, first-year students.