Teaching Portfolio - Kristin Winet

Rhetoric & Composition

PH.D. | RHETORIC & COMPOSITION
152 SANTA ANA AVE., LONG BEACH, CA 90803
KRISTINWINET@GMAIL.COM
WWW.KRISTINWINETCV.COM
Statement of Teaching Philosophy ................................................................................................................................. 2
Description of Courses Taught ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Teaching Awards & Grants ............................................................................................................................................... 7
Sample Syllabi
Course Policies .................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Sample Syllabus: Technical Writing .............................................................................................................................. 11
Sample Syllabus: First-Year Composition + Studio ...................................................................................................... 19
Course Proposal: Travel Writing & New Media ............................................................................................................ 28
Sample Assignment Sheets
Cultural Literacy Narrative ............................................................................................................................................ 31
Multimodal Public Argument ........................................................................................................................................ 31
Workshop Proposal & Outline ....................................................................................................................................... 35
Teaching Evaluations
Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness .............................................................................................................................. 37
Student Letter of Recommendation .............................................................................................................................. 45
Sample Teacher Course Evaluation Report .................................................................................................................. 46
Formal Teaching Evaluation .......................................................................................................................................... 47

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Statement of Teaching Philosophy

I believe that higher education should prepare students for understanding the plurality of their lives: as
students, writers, critical thinkers, global citizens, and future professionals, and, perhaps more importantly, as
dynamic members of these communities with the power to change the world around them. Whether I am
teaching technical and professional writing, rhetoric and research, or developmental reading and writing to
international students, I am committed to what I have come to call a pedagogy of travel, a pedagogy based on
composition scholar Mara Lugones theory of world-traveling as coalition-building through playful
interaction, recognition of our subjectivities, and allowing ourselves to see and be seen from multiple
perspectives. It is grounded in feminist praxis and focuses on creative inquiry, rhetorical awareness,
community engagement, and active listening.
As I have grown as a teacher of writing, I have come to see creative inquiry at the heart of playa skill that asks
students to step outside their comfort zones and allow themselves to make mistakes, go through multiple
drafts, and ask uncomfortable questions. In all of my first-year writing courses, I often begin a lesson by asking
students to write in a journal in order to declutter their minds and allow them a creative space to think. In my
technical writing classes, I help students overcome their fear of using unfamiliar technologies by asking them
to play with a new software or program, such as Piktochart, or I will ask them to create purposefully
unconventional designs in order to expand their ideas about design. I have found that by emphasizing creative
inquiry, students are much more willing to engage in lessons, create connections in class, and open up during
discussion.
No matter which course I teach, I always encourage a high level of rhetorical awareness, asking my students to
critically examine the way rhetoricwhether print or digital, textual, visual, or spatialworks in the world. In
a first-year writing course on genre awareness, for instance, I took students to our Student Union and asked
them to critically analyze the way education is portrayed inside the walls of our bookstore and decide if a place
could be considered a genre. This lesson, which brought up conversations about consumerism and visual
design, inspired my students to travel to another space, both literally and theoretically, in order to rethink
their assumptions about the neutrality of space.
Community engagement is a central feature to my pedagogical foundations as well, because I believe it teaches
students to be more empathetic, connected citizens to their community and to see themselves as writers
through others eyes. For three years, for example, I volunteered in the University of Arizonas Wildcat Writers
program, pairing my students with local high school classes and asking them to collaborate, listen, learn from,
and also mentor their partners. In a first-year rhetoric class, my high school teaching partner and I asked our
students to write and exchange autobiographies with a partner and then create a creative artifact. The
exchange was inspiring: students crafted such multi-modal artifacts as paintings, maps, dioramas, 3-D collages,
posters, and playlists. This activity embodied the idea of traveling as coalition-building, because by sharing
their writing, our students were able to understand a little bit more about who they were as well as how they fit
into a larger community.
Lastly, I advocate for active, mindful listening in everything we do, from in-class discussion to peer review to
working in the community. Listening requires students to be literate in many ways, from knowing how to write
for different audiences needs to accepting other points of view and ways of life. Last semester, for instance, I
partnered my students with the national Head Starts adult literacy program, and we collected stories and
photographs from refugees and immigrants whom the program serves in order to design a new website, social
media campaign, and pamphlets for interested volunteers. This intimately brought to life a kind of traveling
into other worldviews and communities, inspiring many of my students to continue writing and volunteering
after our semester together. No matter what I am teaching or to whom, my commitment to praxis, selfreflexivity, and compassion are now and always at the heart of the classroom.
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Description of Courses Taught

The following are brief descriptions of each course I have taught. I am currently teaching courses at
Marymount California University's developmental reading/writing program to eventually offer suggestions for
course revisions to the Core Redesign Task Force. At the University of Arizona, all graduate students are first
given the first-year composition sequence (English 101 + English 102) and then are encouraged to apply to
teach additional sections. These applications are ranked according to our Teacher Course Evaluations and the
strength of our proposals. If you are interested in seeing more, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Marymount California University

Lower-Division Courses
English 106, Developmental Reading (1 section)
This course, which will introduce you to college-level reading and critical thinking, will also introduce you to a
number of reading strategies that will help you become a faster, more critical reader across all modes and
genres of writing. We begin our course by learning how to read like a writer (or, to read for rhetorical
purpose, organization, and style) and how to understand unfamiliar vocabulary words in context. From there,
we move on to isolating topics and main ideas (summary), details and transitions (rhetoric), and then to
inferences and arguments (analysis). This genre-based course will prepare you for your composition and
writing courses as well as other reading- and writing-intensive courses.
English 108, Developmental Composition (2 sections)
This course, which will introduce you to college-level writing and critical thinking, will also introduce you to
the world of San Pedro and the surrounding Los Angeles area through experiential-based writing assignments
aimed at helping you engage critically with your world and your words. In the first unit, we will explore
notions of literacy and multilingualism, and you will write a reflective narrative (expressive) about your
experiences as a language user, speaker, and writer in a global city. In the second unit, we will move into a local
observation (informative), whether that be visiting a new restaurant, highlighting an interesting or unusual
person you meet, or studying someone doing something. In the third unit, you will write a concept explanation,
in which you enlighten your readers about something specific to your culture or knowledge and connect that
to a larger cultural idea (persuasive). In the last unit, you will craft a process portfolio and accompany this with
an insightful writers statement about what youve learned about your personal writing patterns (reflective).

University of Arizona
Graduate Courses
English 696: Gender (B)lending Rhetorics and the Rhetorical Canon
(research/planning with Dr. Adela C. Licona)
In this course, we read and interrogate every entry in Bizzell and Herzbergs Rhetorical Tradition attributed to a
woman rhetor (from Aspasia to Anzalda) as well as those entries attributed to anonymous to question the
idea of an included, embodied, and belonging wo/man rhetor as well as to unsettle the normative conflation of
gender, sex/uality, and anatomy. We read and discuss these canonized texts alongside feminist, transgender,
and posthuman theories and disability studies to reconsider the im/possibilities of feminist projects of
recovery and the promises and the perils of the politics of inclusion and to interrogate the assumptions that
inform such recuperations and practices of belonging. Throughout, we engage the production of (bodies of)
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knowledge as a process with material consequences that have served to normalize and legitimize some while
de-legitimizing and dehumanizing others.

Upper-Division Courses
English 308: Technical Writing
English 308 offers junior- and senior-level students the opportunity to develop their use of the rhetorical
strategies and communications technologies appropriate to technical writing situations. Students plan, create,
and user-test a range of individual and collaborative projects including, but not limited to, technical
documentation, proposals, reports, job materials, and other technical genres. Project management,
documentation plans, style guides, and usability testing are just some of the topics studied in English 308.
Through client-based projects, simulations, and/or case studies, students analyze and reflect upon the role of
communication practices in a range of technical settings. This is a service-learning course.
Click here to see my award-winning lesson plan, Intersections Between Poetry, Page Design, and Technical Writing, which I
co-authored with Sarah Kortemeier, or visit the UA Poetry Center's website to view our lesson and all materials online.

Lower-Division Courses
English 101A: Textual Analysis + Studio Component
English 101A is a writing intensive course designed to help students practice the skills of close reading and
critical analysis, as these skills are necessary for the improvement of ones writing abilities. Each week,
students are required to read assigned texts and respond to these texts through informal writing and class
discussions. Three times during the semester, students write well-developed essays that will each go through
an extensive process of peer revision before the completion of the final draft. In addition to the regularly
scheduled classes, students are also required to attend a Studio Session once a week. Studio sessions provide
further guidance on issues of craft, such as invention, drafting, and revision.
English 101: Genre Analysis (Pilot)
This course emphasizes writing in variety of genres and modes including print, non-print, and hybrid
forms. Through both formal and informal writing assignments, students practice both composing and
analyzing a wide range of texts; they learn to identify and engage with the assumptions, values, and purposes of
varied formats. Students make careful use of research and learn to locate, evaluate, and employ sources
strategically for a range of genres. The emphasis here is on genre awareness which emphasizes the ability to
recognize patterns, see similarities and differences across genres, and articulate ideas within and against these
genres for specific purposes.
English 101: Textual Analysis
This course emphasizes close reading and written analysis of a wide range of texts such as short stories, poems,
novels, plays, and film. Through both formal and informal writing assignments, students practice a variety of
methods for examining these texts. For example, they consider how personal experience shapes a readers
understanding and how the language of a text reflects the values of the culture that has produced it. Students
make careful use of research to examine connections among texts. For the final unit, they revise one of their
analytical essays and compose an essay about the changes that went into their revision, reflecting on specific,
practical applications of learning over the course of the semester.
Click here to read a variation of this course syllabus, co-authored with Marisa Sandoval Lamb, that pairs this class with the
Crossroads Collaborative, a university and community-wide effort to educate citizens in the areas of youth, sexuality,
health, and rights.

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English 102: Rhetorical Analysis & Persuasion

Building on the close reading, focused research, and reflective writing done in English 101, English 102
emphasizes the skills of rhetorical analysis, research, persuasion, reflection, and revision. It is designed to help
students learn to write for varied audiences and situations, find and evaluate sources, and make critically aware
decisions about how best to achieve their purposes at the university and beyond. The immediate goal of this
course is to prepare students for further research and writing in their future fields of academic work. This is a
service-learning course.
Click here to read my award-winning service-learning lesson plan, Meet Your Mentee: Getting-to-College Panel Discussion,
Breakfast, and Paired Writing Assignment.
Spanish 102: Second-Semester Spanish
Spanish 102 is a second-semester foreign language exploration course: that is, it is a course designed not to
make students fluent in a foreign language, but rather to expose them to the many facets of the Hispanic world
while also increasing their proficiency in the four key areas of foreign language acquisition: reading, writing,
speaking, and listening. It is a class that challenges expectations, increases awareness, and asks students to think
critically about their native languages as well as Spanish. The goal, though, is to also develop the ability to
communicate in Spanish in real-life situations as well as increase reading and writing skills.
Traditions & Cultures 103: Arts & Politics of Latin America
(with Dr. Beatriz Urrea)
This course centers on Latin Americas socio-political history and its connection with various arts forms. The
course begins with an historical overview of the region, focusing on economic and political patterns, as well as
social dynamics. It continues with the study of four specific countries: Mexico, Argentina, Cuba and Brazil. We
discuss in some depth the socio-political history of each country, and then analyze artistic movements or
genres as they reflect what we have discussed about that countrys history. The artistic forms we analyze are:
Mexican Muralism and Literature, the Argentinean Tango, Cuban film and Brazilian music.

University of Phoenix Online

Lower-Division Courses
English 101: Effective Essay Writing
In this course, students develop academic writing skills. Students use the writing process to construct an
expository essay with an emphasis on coherence and correctness in written communication. Students also
conduct basic research for the expository essay. Selected readings provide the basis for discussion regarding
the difference between fact and opinion. Grammar exercises focus on verb tense and form, subject-verb and
pronoun-antecedent agreement, and pronoun case. Students also complete exercises covering topic sentences,
paragraph development, citations, and formatting guidelines.
Communications 155: Introduction to College-Level Writing
This course addresses the key elements necessary for effective academic writing in college. The course begins
with a focus on prewriting strategies and builds to drafting and revising essays. In addition, the course includes
skill development at the sentence and paragraph level.
Communications 156: Introduction to College-Level Writing II
This course builds upon the foundations established in COM/155. It addresses the various rhetorical modes
necessary for effective college essays: narration, illustration, description, process analysis, classification,

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definition, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, and argumentation. In addition, requirements for
research essays, including the use of outside sources and appropriate formatting, are considered.

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Teaching Awards & Grants

The following is a brief list of teaching awards and grants I have received. I am including a short description
with each award, but please feel free to contact me if you would like more information.

Teaching Awards
Tilly Warnock Fellowship for Summer Writing. 2014.
This fellowship honors the contributions of Professor Tilly Warnock to the Writing Program and the
Department of English upon her retirement in 2004. The fellowship provides distinguished teachers of
composition with support over the summer so that they can work toward publishing their creative and
scholarly work. To submit, applicants must put together a research proposal, a CV, a writing sample, and a
teaching philosophy, and applicants are then ranked according to the scholarly merit of the project and its
feasibility of completion over the summer.

Professional & Technical Writing Teaching Award. 2014.

This teaching award is given to an outstanding Professional and Technical Writing instructor in the Writing
Program at the University of Arizona. Applicants must submit a memo aligning their submission (a lesson plan)
with the SLOs for English 307/308. Then, applications are ranked and a winner is chosen based on how well the
lesson meets the course goals and the instructors teaching philosophy. Materials are then published on WIRe,
the UAs online teacher resource website.

Wildcat Writers Service-Learning Teaching Award. 2011.

This award recognizes the contributions of teacher collaborations in the Wildcat Writers service-learning
program at the University of Arizona. Applicants must submit a lesson plan with a statement describing its
relevance to the goals of Wildcat Writers, how the plan fits in with the course objectives, and the intent of the
lesson in terms of SLOs. Assignment sheets and samples of student work are also required.

Teaching Grants
Wildcat Writers Service-Learning Grant. 2013.

This grant, which was provided by the Wildcat Writers program, allowed me to secure transportation, drinks,
snacks, and materials for my students, who were invited to a local high school in order to mentor their high
school partners during a live debate on a local controversial issue.

Student/Faculty Interaction Grant, Student Affairs. 2012.

This grant, provided by Student Affairs, allowed me to purchase enough soda and pizza for a reception I hosted
with my students and their Wildcat Writers partners at the end of the semester.

Wildcat Writers Service-Learning Grant. 2012.

This grant, which was provided by the Wildcat Writers program, allowed me to host a meet-and-greet between
my college students and the local high school class with which we were paired. I was able to secure enough
funding to rent a large classroom space, offer fresh juice and lots of snacks, and buy materials for the games
and activities.

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Course Policies
The University of Arizonas Writing Program provides department-wide course policies that all
instructors and graduate teachers must uphold. Here is a sample of the Advanced Writing Course
Information and Policies document that I include with all upper-division courses I teach:
Course Information and Policies Document
Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism
All University of Arizona (UA) students are responsible for upholding the Code of Academic Integrity, available
through the office of the Dean of Students and online at
http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/codeofacademicintegrity.
You must do your own writing for all the assignments in this class and have a full understanding of all terms
and concepts you have used. If your instructor questions whether the work you have submitted is your own, he
or she may test you on its content. Submitting an item of academic work that has previously been submitted
without fair citation of the original work or authorization by the faculty member supervising the work is
prohibited by the Code of Academic Integrity.
Attendance:
Attendance is mandatory. Missing one or more days in the first week of classes will mean you are dropped, and
missing after the first week may lead to an administrative drop, grade penalty, or even a failing grade in the
course. Writing courses are workshop classes that include in-class writing, peer group work, and conferences.
Therefore, students should not be late and should not miss class. Any class work missed as a result of tardiness
or absence is the students responsibility to make up, if the instructor allows make-up work.
First-week Attendance Policy
In accordance with the university's policy for high-demand classes, the Writing Program drops students for
non-attendance as follows:
Students enrolled in a traditional sixteen week semester cannot miss more than a week of classes without
penalty. For example, if your class meets one day a week, you may miss only one class meeting, two days a
week, only two, and three days a week, only three. For each class meeting missed thereafter, your final course
grade will be reduced by 5%.
Students who exceed the allowed number of absences during the first eight weeks of a semester may be
dropped with a W. Students may fail during the second half of the semester for excessive absences.
Class Conduct
All UA students are responsible for upholding the Student Code of Conduct, which can be read online at
http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/studentcodeofconduct.
Class Etiquette
Cell phone and other electronic devices may not be used in class, unless your instructor allows you to take
notes with such equipment. Food and drink are not permitted in most classrooms. Please plan on staying in
class for the whole class period unless it is urgent for you to leave or you have made prior arrangements.

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Conferences
Writing program instructors may cancel a class session to host individual or small group conferences. Students
should come to conferences prepared to discuss their work. If your class has been cancelled to hold studentteacher conferences and you miss your assigned conference time, it may be counted as an absence by your
instructor.
Course Content
If any of the course materials, subject matter, or requirements in this course are offensive to you, speak to your
instructor. Further, some advanced composition courses require service-learning as part of the curriculum, and
thus, you may have responsibilities to work with a university or community partner to fulfill requirements in
the course. If the content or requirements cannot be met, the resolution may be to drop the course promptly.
Email submissions are unacceptable unless prior arrangements have been made between you and your
instructor. You should never assume that emailing your paper as an attachment means you have met a class
deadline.
Grades
Students cannot receive a passing grade in advanced composition courses unless they have submitted
all drafts and final versions for all major assignments as well as the final required in the course.
Incompletes are awarded 1) in case of extreme emergency; 2) if, only if, 70% of the course work has been
completed at the semesters end; and 3) the instructor has the approval of the Director of the Writing Program.
More on Grades & Credit
An E is assigned to an essay that has been completed but falls short of acceptable college-level work.
A zero is recorded for work not handed in at all.
Failure to hand in a major assignment automatically results in a failing grade for the course.
You are required to keep electronic copies of all of your work to resubmit in case an assignment is
misplaced and hard copies of graded work if you elect to file a grade appeal at semesters end.
Instructors will not evaluate an essay or assign credit for it without first seeing the required drafts.
Late Work
Late work will not be accepted without penalty unless students make arrangements for an extension before the
due date. Major assignments that are turned in late will incur a 5% penalty per 24-hour period.
Library Research
All students are required to conduct and document their research. For more on research, see also the Main
Library web page.
Students with Disabilities Accessibility and Accommodations
It is the UAs goal that learning experiences be as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience physical
or academic barriers based on disability, please let me know immediately so that we can discuss options. You
are also welcome to contact Disability Resources (520-621-3268) to establish reasonable
accommodations. Please be aware that the accessible table and chairs in this room should remain available for
students who find that standard classroom seating is not usable.
Submitting your Work
In-class and out-of-class writing will be assigned throughout the course. Students not in class when
writing is assigned are still responsible for completion of the assignment when due.
It is your responsibility to submit your work by the published assignment deadline.
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It is your responsibility to submit the correct version of your assignment.

Students are required to keep copies of all drafts and major assignments until after the end of the
semester.
Drafts must be turned in with all essays. Drafts should show significant changes in purpose, audience,
organization, or evidence.
Final copies should be typed and follow the appropriate style guidelines for the assignment (MLA, APA,
or other citation style) or as determined by your instructor.

Syllabus
Each instructor will distribute a course syllabus during the first week of class. Instructors will review the course
syllabus and policies with students. Students should talk with the instructor if they anticipate a need for
alternative assignments or readings.
Textbooks
Advanced composition instructors select their own required textbooks, and each section of advanced writing
courses may have different required or suggested materials. Please be certain you know which texts are
required for your sections.
Writing Support
The Writing Center is a free resource for UA undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty and staff.
At the Writing Center, a trained peer tutor will work individually with you on your writing, at any point in the
process from brainstorming to editing. Appointments are recommended but not required. For more
information or to make an appointment, call 626-0530 or visit http://thinktank.arizona.edu/.
The Writing Skills Improvement Program (WSIP) offers free professional writing assistance to students in
any course or discipline. WSIP also offers three series of free Weekly Writing Workshops for which no prior
registration is necessary. For more information, call 621-5849, visit their office at 1201 E. Helen Street, or their
website at http://wsip.web.arizona.edu.
Information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policies, may be subject
to change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

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Sample Syllabus: Technical Writing

Instructor Information
Instructor: Kristin Winet
Office: UITS #236, Office H2
Office Hours: Tuesdays 9-11 a.m.
Phone: 626-5325
Email: kkm@email.arizona.edu

Course Information
English 308, Technical Writing
Location: UITS
Time: Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Web: http://www.D2L.arizona.edu

Required Texts
Markel, Mike. Technical Communication.
10th ed. Bedford/St. Martins, 2012.
Print.
Articles & links posted on D2L

Required Materials
$15-20 for printing and producing
documents (Fast Copy)
Storage space (USB)
UA Net ID
Computer access with a printer,
internet access, Adobe Reader, and MS
Office

Course Description
English 308 offers junior- and senior-level students the opportunity
to develop their use of the rhetorical strategies and
communications technologies appropriate to technical writing
situations. Students will plan, create, and user-test a range of
individual and collaborative projects including, but not limited to,
technical documentation, proposals, reports, job materials, and
other technical genres. Project management, documentation plans,
style guides, and usability testing are just some of the topics studied
in English 308. Through client-based projects, simulations, and/or
case studies, students will analyze and reflect upon the role of
communication practices in a range of technical settings. Students
can expect to engage in reading discussions, daily assignments, onand off-campus research, technology use, and oral reports.
Prerequisite: Completion of first-year composition or its
equivalent.
Course Objectives
The approach of this course is a decidedly rhetorical one. That is, in
each course project, you will consider the purposes, audiences, and
your role(s) as writers. The course emphasizes the changing
technical writing environment and its role(s) within the workplace.
From the variety of majors represented in this course to the
inclusion of more electronic media in workplace environments,
technical writing as a category is marked by diversity. Keeping in
mind this diversity, in our course you will learn to:
Apply rhetorical concepts and principles that focus on audience,
purpose, and context; document design; organization and
structure; and tone and style.
Produce effective documents that use format and layout to
enhance readability; apply software mechanics effectively; and
develop strategies for revising, editing, and proofreading.
Collaborate as a means of sharing information and ideas, solving
problems, and working in group-style environments similar to
those in your chosen professions.
Exhibit professionalism at all times by using careful, effective
communication and presentation skills.
Translate technical information in ways that are appropriate
and interesting within a rhetorical context.

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English 308 Class Policies & Information

Assignments:
Pre-Unit 1: Introductory Email & Personal Infographic (individual)
Unit 1: Quick Reference Card Project (individual or collaborative)
Unit 2: Redesign Project (collaborative)
Oral Presentation
Unit 3: Informational Report (individual)
Unit 4: Reflection Project (individual)
Discussion Posts & in-class Quizzes (individual)
Professionalism: Emails, Participation (individual)

5%
15%
40%
3%
20%
10%
5%
2%

Because genres will vary widely across projects, formatting guidelines will be given for each of the major assignments.
Grading:
Grades will consider the following aspects of writing, in the context of a particular assignment: purpose,
audience, content, expression, organization, development of ideas, document design, mechanics, and maturity
of thought. You must complete all of the projects and their components to pass the course. Further, I will not
accept a paper for a grade without first seeing a draft.
Rounding: Grades that calculate out to .5 or above may be raised to the next point if the student has
shown initiative and professionalism in class. Otherwise, please do not ask for me to round your grade.
Appeals: I will not accept emails about your grades. If you would like to discuss your grade with me,
please send me a detailed e-memo describing your situation and ask to schedule a meeting either
during my office hours or at another convenient time.
Professional Quality of Work:
You are expected to produce high-quality professional documents that are appropriate for specific business
situations. As stated in the requirements for writing outlined in the course policies statement, your documents
should have appropriate margins, spacing, and formatting for the type of document you are turning in. Because
genres vary widely across projects, formatting guidelines will be given for each of the major assignments.
Additionally, your assignments should be printed at least in a minimum standard of 300 dpi.
Collaborative Work:
Collaborative work is a major element of this course. In fact, many projects will require you to act as either codeveloper and/or co-author. You and your team members are responsible for updating one another and me
about assignment progress. In addition, you are responsible for negotiating all aspects of your work, including
planning, drafting, revising, file managing, and scheduling of tasks.
You will also evaluate your own and your peers participation in collaborative projects, and thus, you should
maintain detailed daily notes and records about your work. I will use these evaluations in my determination of
individual grades for collaborative projects. In general, all members of a team receive the same grade. There
are instances, however, where one or team members are otherwise unprofessional and/or unproductive.
Should these cases occur, I reserve the right to lower grades for poor performance.
Professional Decorum:
Think of this class like a jobjust as in the workplace, it is extremely important that we maintain a high level of
respect for each other while collaborating on projects, reviewing each others work, and discussing
assignments.
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In addition, you are not to use your cell phoneat any timeduring class. This means no calls, no text
messages. Please turn off or silence your phone before each class. If there is an emergency and you need to take
a call, please step outside and politely make your call. If you are using your phone in class, you will be asked to
leave and you will receive an absence for the day.
Technology Responsibilities:
Because the exchange of information and materials in this class will be largely electronic, familiarity with
certain technologies is crucial for participation and success in the course. You must:

Know how to up drafts of all files (hard drive or in the cloud)

Know how to send and receive email and upload attachments, use Microsoft Office, and upload files to
D2L
Learn basic applications of Publisher, Adobe Illustrator, and/or web programs
Learn how to create a basic website

Computer Etiquette:
This class meets in a computer classroom, which means you will often have the advantage of working on
assignments in class. However, this does not mean that you have free reign to check your email, post on
Facebook, or shop onlineas in the workplace, you will receive consequences for this. If I find myself having to
compete with a computer screen for your attention, you will be asked to leave and you will receive an absence
for the day.

Daily Class Schedule

Week One: Pre-Unit 1
S 8/30/2014
In Class:
Class Introductions
Review course syllabus, policies, and D2L
Introduce the field of technical writing
Write and send Introductory Email to me at kkm@email.arizona.edu
Begin Personal Infographic
For Homework:
Markel, Technical Communication, 10th Ed.: Ch.1, Introduction to Technical Communication, pg.2-14
Markel, Technical Communication, 10th Ed.: Ch.20: Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions,
pg.584-594 (instructions)
Customer Magnetism, What is an Infographic?
Complete Personal Infographic
Write and post Weekly Reading Summary to D2L (and every week up through Week 13)

Week Two: Unit 1

S 9/6/2014
In Class:
DUE: Personal Infographic (Dropbox & printed color copy on nice paper)
Infographic activity measures of excellence
Introduce Unit 1: Quick Reference Card (QRC)
Activity: instructions/directions & examples of QRCs
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 Begin worksheet and Documentation Memo (Ch.14: pg.385-387)

For Homework:
Markel, Technical Communication, 10th Ed.: Ch.5, Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose, pg.85-94
Markel, Technical Communication, 10th Ed.: Ch.7, Organizing Your Information, pg.152-175 (arrangement,
display, patterns of organization)
Sketch This! Do Thumbnail Sketches
Quick Reference Guides: The Poetry of Technical Writing
Quick Reference Card Collection: Pinterest
Work on Documentation Memo

Week Three: Unit 1

S 9/13/2014
In Class:
Review memo genre and introduce thumbnail sketches
Lesson on instructions (in prep for Poetry Center visit)
Poetry Center visit: Intersections Between Poetry, Page Design, and Technical Writing (10:00-11:30)
For Homework:
Write weekly reflection on our visit to the Poetry Center: How did the visit inform your understanding
of technical communication?
Finish Documentation Memo
The Principles of Design: http://desktoppub.about.com/od/designprinciples/

Week Four: Unit 1

S 9/20/2014
In Class:
DUE: Documentation Memo (Dropbox)
Introduction to Design Templates
Work on Design Template worksheets in class
For Homework:
Watch Youtube tutorial on Microsoft Publisher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IWbXkQWdG0
Peruse the following sites & reflect on how you will use these concepts in your designcite what was
useful in your weekly reading summary:
o Infographic/QRC Design (applies to QRCs, too)
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/10/14/the-dos-and-donts-of-infographicdesign/
http://idratherbewriting.com/2008/12/31/quick-reference-guide-formats-tips-forfinding-attractive-layouts/
o Basic Color Theory
http://www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory
http://www.designmantic.com/blog/infographics/the-10-commandments-of-colortheory/
http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=color%20scheme
http://tympanus.net/codrops/2011/12/08/25-examples-of-perfect-colorcombinations-in-web-design/
o Fonts
Winet | 14

http://www.designmantic.com/blog/infographics/ten-commandments-oftypography/
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/07/19/best-free-fonts-designers/
http://www.creativebloq.com/typography/best-handwriting-fonts-12121527
Begin working on QRC bring a working electronic copy to work on in class next week

Week Five: Unit 2

S 9/27/2014
In Class:
Discussion on design elements (design, color (color theory), font)
Continue working on QRCs and crafting final Style Guide on computers
Peer review of QRC (design + content)
For Homework:
Print a basic copy of your QRC for usability testing
Prepare materials for user-testing next week (get supplies, bring laptop, etc.)
Markel, Technical Communication, 10th Ed.: Ch.13, Conducting Usability Evaluations/Tests, pg.357-362
Creating Usability Tests that Really Motivate Users:
http://www.userfocus.co.uk/articles/testtasks.html

Week Six: Unit 2

S 10/4/2014
In Class:
Introduction to Usability Testing
Create & administer usability tests
Read through participant tests, assess results, list revisions
Introduction to Unit II: Redesign Project
For Homework:
Markel, Technical Communication, 10th Ed.: Ch.16, Writing Proposals, pg.439-449 (logistics) and pg.449-453
(structure of proposal)
Writing for the Web: http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/
The Difference Between Print and Web Design: http://www.onextrapixel.com/2012/03/01/thedifference-between-print-and-web-design/
Prepare Unit 1 materials to turn in next week! Submit all final materials, rough drafts, and peer reviews
in a professional manner: clear/plastic cover or tabbed folder (not a binder). The final QRC should be
printed double-sided on paper with a good, thick stock or laminated. Please include the following in
your portfolio:
o Cover Page with title, nice graphic, names, date
o Table of Contents
o Documentation Memo (final)
o Design Template (final)
o QRC (final printed on thick paper (matte or glossy), card stock, or laminated)
o Usability Tests (both)
o Rough drafts and peer reviews (doc memo, QRC template drafts and peer reviews)

Week Seven: Unit 2

Winet | 15

S 10/11/2014
In Class:
DUE: Unit I Portfolio!
Write Rhetorical Rationale Memo for QRC (Dropbox)
Discuss from print to web
Sample rhetorical analysis of a website
Write up & sign Group Contract
Meet with Client
For Homework:
Markel, Technical Communication, 10th Ed.: Ch.4, Writing Collaboratively, pg.56-68
Markel, Technical Communication, 10th Ed.: Ch.8, Communicating Persuasively, pg.182-198
Markel, Technical Communication, 10th Ed.: Ch.9, Writing Coherent Documents, pg.203-221

Week Eight: Unit 2

S 10/18/2014
In Class:
IN-CLASS: Rhetorical Analysis Memo (Dropbox)
Introduce sample proposals
Work on Proposals
Introduce website software
Prep materials for small group conferences with me next week
For Homework:
Complete a rough draft of your proposal and bring an electronic copy to class next week
NO weekly reading summary!

Week Nine: Unit 2

S 10/25/2014
In Class:
Examining real-world proposals
Proposal peer review
Small group conferences
Website and deliverables work time
For Homework:
Work on your website design
Markel, Technical Communication, 10th Ed.: Ch.21, Making Oral Presentations, pg.578-602
15 Strategies for Giving Oral Presentations: http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/professorsguide/2010/02/24/15-strategies-for-giving-oral-presentations

Week Ten: Unit 2

S 11/1/2014
In Class:
Winet | 16

 DUE: Proposals (Dropbox)

Developing a digital style guide for website & deliverables
Giving Oral Presentations
Introduction to Unit III: Informational Report
For Homework:
Complete a working draft of your website and deliverables
Complete design template & style guide
Six Ways to Ask Better Questions in Interviews: http://thewritepractice.com/six-ways-to-ask-betterquestions-in-interviews/
Markel, Technical Communication, 10th Ed.: Ch.6, Researching Your Subject (pg.140-144)
Send me your Email of Intent for your Unit III interview via email (to kkm@email.arizona.edu) with the
following information:
o First, explain your field and ideal profession (to the best of your ability). Please describe your major, year
o
o
o
o
o

in school, and future professional ambitions.

Then, explain your research process, telling me which sites you considered and how you came to select
your chosen site.
Provide a description of your final chosen site and offer me details about the organization.
Provide a URL (if possible) for the site and a URL to the person youd like to interview at the site (if the
person has a visible web presence within the company).
Outline the professional and project benefits of working with your contact and his or her organization.
Tell me what you intend to learn from this client and how you may establish rapport with him or her.
Finally, include the email address of this person and ask for approval to move forward.

Week Eleven: Unit 2

S 11/8/2014
In Class:
Review of website design
Create & administer website usability tests
Work on presentations: outlining & creating visuals
Conducting Interviews & practice writing interview questions (using The Write Practice)
For Homework:
Revise your website according to your usability tests
Complete your Client Presentation for next week
Complete interview questions
Set up your Unit III interview for next week
NO weekly reading summary due!

Week Twelve: Unit 2-3

S 11/15/2014
In Class
Prepare for presentations
DUE: Deliver Client Presentations
Secondary research: work on conducting research for report
For Homework:
Prepare Unit II materials for submission:
Winet | 17

Cover Page
TOC
Site Visit Memo
Screenshots of Final Website (enough to give us a sense of the content/design) IN COLOR with
URL + log-in information
o Final Newsletter IN COLOR
o Style Guide IN COLOR
o Site Map
o Usability Tests
Complete and transcribe your interview
Markel, Technical Communication, 10th Ed.: Ch. 17, Writing Informational Reports, pg.458-475
Markel, Technical Communication, 10th Ed.: Ch.12, Creating Graphics, pg.305-338
o
o
o
o

Week Thirteen: Unit 3

S 11/22/2o14
In Class:
DUE: Unit II Materials!
Personal and Group Assessment
Style Tips in writing reports
Analyzing sample reports
Creating graphics (charts, graphs, pictographs, diagrams)
Draft thank-you emails or letters to Unit III contact
For Homework:
Work on your Informational Report and please bring an electronic copy to class next week
Review your resume and bring to class next week for peer review
NO weekly reading summary due!

Week Fourteen: Unit 3

S 11/29/2014 Thanksgiving Holidays No class!
Week Fifteen: Unit 3-4
S 12/6/2014
In Class:
Course Evals
Peer review Informational Report
Revise report
Introduce Unit IV assignment: workshop, outline, resume
Resume vs. CV writing workshop & cover letter genre
For Homework:
DUE: Complete Unit III materials. Submit all final materials and peer reviews (as one file) to the
Dropbox by Wednesday, 12/10/2014 by the end of the day.
DUE: Final Exam due to Dropbox by Saturday, September 13 th, at 9:00 a.m.!

Winet | 18

Sample Syllabus: First-Year Composition + Studio

English 101A: Summer 2014
Consuming/Consumed: Our Literate Lives
Section: / Sec. 062 / MTWThF 7:30-10:30 / Harvill 452

Reading is not walking on the words; its grasping the soul of them.
Paolo Freire, educational theorist
Instructor: Kristin Winet
Instructors Email: kkm@email.arizona.edu
Office: Think Tank @ Bear Down Gym
Office Hours: by appointment
Course Web Site: http://d2l.arizona.edu
Tutor: Marisol Allen
Tutors Email: marisolallen@email.arizona.edu
Tutoring hours: MWTh 1-5 @ Bear Down Gym (go in front doors and walk toward back of gym)
English 101A Course Description
This course emphasizes close reading and written analysis of a wide range of texts such as short stories,
poems, novels, plays, and film. Through both formal and informal writing assignments, you will
practice a variety of methods for examining these texts.
Embracing the process of writing is a major emphasis for this course. Class activities may include forms
of prewriting such as brainstorming or outlining. Workshopping drafts of your essays with classmates
will be an integral feature of each unit as you practice strategies for revising and editing your essays
according to academic expectations. You will pay special attention to language and grammar as you
compose final versions of your essays in Standard Written English.
In English 101A, you will learn to:
Analyze texts through close reading.
Develop strategies for analyzing texts for particular purposes, audiences, and situations.
Analyze the ways in which authors use textual conventions to achieve their purposes in
specific contexts.
Write essays that develop analyses with evidence drawn from the texts you read.
Incorporate other writers interpretations into the analyses you write.
Practice research, reading, writing, and revision strategies that can be applied to work in other
courses and in different professions.
Create multiple, meaningful revisions of your writing and suggest revisions to other writers.
Analyze and reflect on your progress as an academic writer.
New Start 2014 Theme: Consumption
This years New Start theme is Consumption, so will begin our course by thinking about literacy, which
is not only the ability to read and write, but rather an individuals capacity to read the word and the

Winet | 19

world (to quote educational theorist Paolo Freire). Genuine literacy is about the way we consume, are
consumed, and resist being consumed in the world.
In this course, we will examine our and others relationship to literacy and consumption through
various print and digital media, including stories, articles, advertisements, and film. In the first unit,
the Literacy Analysis unit, we will ask questions such as: What is my relationship to literacy? How do I
define myself through my literacy practices? What memories, experiences, or strange encounters have
I had with literacy that have shaped who I am/wish to be? How do I consume/am I consumed by words,
images, and media? In the second unit, the Textual Analysis unit, we will complicate these ideas by
reading a number of short stories and essays and asking questions such as: What is cultural identity and
how is it learned? How does consumption fit in with the ways we live our ways? In what ways do
people express themselves through what they consume? Then, in the third unit, the Contextual
Analysis unit, we will turn to film and examine the ways consumerism plays an important role in our
relationship to society. Then, at the end of our course, the Reflection unit, we will work on a reflection
essay that either contextualizes your conference presentation (will be discussed) or explains a revision
you do of a previous essay.
*Note on Studio Component: English 101A is a writing intensive course of four credits. With additional
studio instruction (1 unit), 101A provides extra support to students by offering small group class time
with the instructor. Like art studio, studio creates a learning play space for students to work creatively
on projects while becoming mindful of effective writing habits. All students are expected to come
prepared to every studio session with an open mind, paper and pen to write with, and a willingness to
share their work and ideas.
o
o
o
o
o
o

Required Texts & Supplies

Alvarado, Beth, and Barbara Cully, eds. Writing as Revision, 4th edition. Needham Heights:
Pearson Custom, 2011. Print.
Szabady, Gina, Kristin Mock, and Stephen Pallas, eds. A Students Guide to First-Year Writing, 34th
ed. Plymouth: Hayden-McNeil Publishing, 2013. Print.
Additional articles on D2L
Pens & highlighters (for note taking)
A folder (to keep handouts, drafts, in-class notes, etc.)
A lined Writers notebook (for in-class writing exercises)
Required Course Work
Assignment

Due Date

Percentage

Essay 1: Textual Analysis or Literacy Narrative

Week 2

20%

Essay 2: Textual Analysis

Week 4

20%

Essay 3: Contextual Analysis

Week 5

25%

Final Project: Revision and Reflection OR Academic Conference

Presentation + Reflection

July 8-9 & Week

6

15%

New Start Academic Conference: Proposal

5%

Winet | 20

Studio Sessions + Journals

10%

Workshopping + Peer Review

5%

Total

100%

2014 New Start Summer Program: Administrative Policies

Program Expectations:
New Start participants receive and sign a contract when they are accepted into the New Start Summer
Program. As stated in the contract, every student is required to do the following:
1. Students must attend and participate in classes. If the student must be absent because of illness
or family emergency, s/he should contact their course instructor(s) before 9:00 a.m. on the day of the
absence. Students are responsible for their instructors tardy policy as stated in the course syllabus.
2. Students must be on time to all other meetings and workshops when attendance is required.
All activities held between 7:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 1:00 p.m. on Friday,
for the duration of the Program are mandatory. Tardiness to activities/events where attendance is
taken by the Peer Advisors counts as 1/2 of an absence.
3. Students must meet with their Peer Advisor, individually, twice during the six weeks of the
program. The peer advisor will schedule these meetings after 12:00 p.m. based on mutual
convenience.
4. Students are expected to come prepared for classes. Students are expected to read and
understand their course syllabi and bring all required textbooks and materials to class.
5. Students are expected to attend drop-in tutoring sessions at least ONCE for each major
assignment for the duration of the Program.
Attendance Policy:
Because of the short length of the program and the University of Arizonas financial investment in the
program, each student must attend all classes and required meetings. Attendance is important. It is
more than a matter of discipline; it is a matter of learning. If the student is absent more than 2 times,
his/her continued enrollment in the Program is in jeopardy, and the student risks being
administratively dropped from class and from the Program.
If the student is withdrawn from the Program and is living in the Residence Hall, s/he is required to
vacate the residence hall room within 24 hours. The student will receive warning of attendance
problems as follows:
1 absence: Discussion with the student by instructor. Absence is submitted to New Start office
by the instructor.

Winet | 21

2 absences: Verbal warning and written notification signed by the Director of the Program
stating that one more absence may result in withdrawal from the Program (Students instructor
and peer advisor are copied on the letter). Absence is submitted to New Start office by the
instructor.
3 absences: Student will meet with the peer advisor/instructor and Program administrators
regarding possible withdrawal from the Program. Absence is submitted to New Start office by
the instructor.

Grades:
New Start students will receive two grades. At the end of the first summer session, Student Link will
list the course in which they are enrolled with a grade of "K," which indicates that the course is in
progress. At the end of the second summer session, students will receive their final grades.
Each instructor will submit a mid-term grade report by the end of Week 3 to the Program Director via a
Mid-Semester Grade Form. The New Start Summer Program will then provide each student with a
written mid-semester grade report.
Late homework will not be accepted unless students make arrangements for an extension before the
due date. Major assignments that are turned in late will incur a 10% penalty per 24-hour period.
Academic Conference:
The Academic Conference is an important Program component for all members of the New Start
Summer Program community. New Start Summer Program students and staff are expected to attend.
The 2014 Academic Conference will be held on July 8th and 9th. Classes will meet briefly on both days
prior to the opening sessions, and the conference will go until about 12:15 p.m.

English 101A: Summer 2014

Consuming/Consumed: Our Literate Lives
Reading is not walking on the words; its grasping the soul of them.
Paolo Freire, educational theorist
Grammar Grinds: (every Wednesday)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Writing Vivid Description: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, & Adverbs

Clauses (Dependent, Independent)
Active Sentences
Writing with Quotes & Paraphrases
Concision Saying What You Mean
Frags, Splices, and Run-Ons

Studios: creative & critical sessions focusing on the craft of writing (every Friday)
Field Trips: (throughout course)
UA Museum of Art, Library Scavenger Hunt, Turtle Pond, Student Union bookstore and food court

Winet | 22

Course Calendar
SG = A Students Guide to First-Year Writing
WR = Writing As Revision
RW = Rules for Writers

Week One
DATE
Sun. 6/8

IN-CLASS
-Meet & Greet, hand out syllabus, icebreaker
game, walk around campus

Mon. 6/9

-Morning roundtable (assign groups)

-Fill out index cards
-Introduction to course (SG)
1.1 Writing at the UA: An Overview
1.2 A Guide to the Guide
1.7 Overview of English101A with a
Writing Studio Component
-Review syllabus, D2L, tutors policies,
resources
-Icebreaker
-Freewrite & small group work: Writing
Process
-What is writing like at the UA?
-Instructions for discussion posts
-Writing as Re-Vision (in-class discussion)
-Cultural artifact study (group work)
-Observations vs. inferences
-Discussion: What is the connection between
literacy & consumption? (show video & PP)
-What is a literacy narrative? Introduce Unit
#1 assignment

Tue. 6/10

Wed. 6/11
Thur. 6/12

Orientation Day! No class!

-Discussion of Baca
-Reading for craft discussion: How to read
like a writer?
-Annotating a text
3.1 Close Reading: An Overview
3.2 Annotation and Close Reading
-Personal literacy inventory
-Grammar Grind: Writing Vivid Descriptions
The Non-Prescriptivist Approach

HOMEWORK
-Print a small thumbnail-sized photo
-Print syllabus
-Get textbooks
-Buy your Writers Notebook
-Read Stories Matter, Jacqui
Banaszynski
-Write: Considering what you read
and your own experiences, please
reflect on what the word literacy
means to you (in any/every way you
understand the word). Be anecdotal
and honest with yourself! Post your
reflection to the D2L Discussion Board
and bring a copy to class (please do
this for every discussion post).

-Read Jimmy Santiago Baca, Coming

into Language
-Read Mike Bunn, How to Read Like a
Writer
-Write: After reading Bacas piece and
the article, think about the power of
storytelling. What did you find
powerful or effective in Bacas piece?
Read like a writer.
-Read Amy Tan, Mother Tongue
-Write: Now that youve read Tans
essay, think about how she develops
the claim that language constructs
identity. Using her work as a
springboard, reflect on how you have
consumed/resisted consumption of
your own language practices.

Winet | 23

Fri. 6/13

-Discussion of Tan
-Narrative theory (What makes a good story?):
Narrative Theory & Stories That Speak to Us
-Samples of literacy narratives
-Brainstorming & organizing ideas: develop
three possible topics & exchange with peers
for feedback
-Studio: Imagery & Description

-Read Tanya Barrientos, Se Habla

Espanol
-Listen NPR, Growing Up Brown in a
Border Town
-Write: Having now read Barrientos
piece and listened to her story, think
about the relationship between
language and power. What is the
connection between literacy, power,
and identity? How could you use her
work as inspiration for your own?

DATE
Mon. 6/16

IN-CLASS
-College round-table with Marisol
-Discussion of Barrientos
-Literacy narrative round-table readings from
Telling True Stories
-Introduce Academic Conference & look at
CFP

Tue. 6/17

-Discuss & construct rubrics

-Self-assessment of 1st draft
-How to construct good feedback exercise
(improve these 101/107 comments @ bottom:
http://iteslj.org/Articles/GoussevaLiteracy.html)
-Peer workshops round #1: Global (structural,
thesis & topic sentences)
-SG 4.4 Receiving and Making Sense of
Comments
-Craft Box: Crafting Effective Feedback
(p.91)
-Brainstorm topics for CFP, get into groups
-Peer workshops round #2: Local (content,
word choice, expression)
-Small group conferences with instructor &
tutor
--CFP Proposal writing workshop
-Grammar Grind: Clauses (Dependent,
Independent)

HOMEWORK
-Read A Students Guide to First-Year
Writing, Getting the Most from Your
Workshop Experience and
Understanding the Rhetorical
Situation
-Write: Work on your literacy
narrative and bring a printed copy to
class on Tuesday (Label it Draft#1)
-Write: Revise your literacy narrative
and bring a new copy to class
tomorrow (label it Draft#2)

Week Two

Wed. 6/18

Thur. 6/19

-Self-assessment of Unit 1
-Intro to Unit 2
-What is textual analysis?

-Write: Revise your work again and

please submit your final draft to D2L
by class time tomorrow morning.

-Read Aurelie Sheehan, Mascara

and Purse
-Write: Reflect on Sheehans short
fiction pieces and the relationship of
Winet | 24

Fri. 6/20

-Field trip to Student Union bookstore &

food court (A Students Guide, pg. 156-157)
-Discussion: What is consumption?
--Brainstorm panels for CFP

gender to our course theme,

Consumption.

-Discussion of Sheehan
-Introduce Unit#2 assignment
-Studio: Genre of Academic Writing (creative
vs. critical)
--Work on CFP (due Monday to me)

-Read Jenny Boully, A Short Essay on

Being
-Write: Think about the relationship
between Boully and food. How does
our consumption of food
create/rupture identity?
Write: Revise your groups CFP and
please submit your final draft to D2L
by class time Monday morning for
review.

Week Three
DATE
Mon. 6/23

IN-CLASS
-Discussion on Boully
-What does a textual analysis look like?
3.4 Invention
Textual Analysis Essay Template Outline
(p.67)
-Library Scavenger Hunt Field Trip

Tue. 6/24

-Develop paper topic possibilities

-Drafting exercises
3.5 Drafting
-Thesis statements
-In-class writing time
--CFP revision discussion

Wed. 6/25

-Writing a conference proposal mini-workshop

- Outlining ideas
SG Craft Box: Drawing Ideas from a
Quotation in PIE Paragraphs (p.108)
-Grammar Grind: Active Sentences (with
Marisol)

Thur. 6/26

Mini-workshop on quotes/paraphrases:
5.1 Working with Sources: An Overview

HOMEWORK
-Read Sherman Alexie, Because My
Father Always Said
-Write: The media is a large part of
what we consume. Write a reflection
in which you think about the
importance of media literacy &
consumption in Alexies story.
-Read A Students Guide, Tips for
Writing Introductions & Tips for
Writing Conclusions
-Write: Write 2 versions of an
introductory paragraph and bring to
class tomorrow.
-Read Anne Lamott, Shitty First
Drafts
-Write: Complete your rough outline;
write topic sentences for all
paragraphs; list pieces of evidence
under each paragraph that you will
use.
-SUBMIT your individual or group CFP
to this email address:
newstartacademicconference@gmail.c
om
-Write: Complete your first draft,
print, and bring 2 copies to class
(Label them both Draft#1)

Winet | 25

5.2 Summary: Main Ideas, 5.3

Paraphrase: Specific Ideas, 5.4 Quotation:
Sources Words
-Field Trip to UA Art Museum: Thoughtprovoking and pensive, the Fate & Fulfillment
exhibition challenges the viewer to question life, the
material world, and even ones own existence on this
earth.
http://www.artmuseum.arizona.edu/events/ev
ent/fate-fulfillment-selections-william-smallcollection (SG 150 as ex. of analysis questions)
Fri. 6/27

-Analyze sample essays

-Peer workshops #1 and #2
-Creating a revision list
-Mid-Semester Grade Checks to Program
-Studio: Structure & Paragraphs

-Write: Revise your work again and

please submit your final draft to D2L
by class time Monday morning!

Week Four
DATE
Mon. 6/30

Tue. 7/1

Wed. 7/2

Thur. 7/3

Fri. 7/4

IN-CLASS
-Self-assessment of Unit#2
-Discussion of conference presentations
-How to give a good presentation
-Conference presentation work time
-Introduction to Unit #3 assignment
-Film analysis vocabulary & practice
SG, Analysis of Films, pg.151-155
-Introduce film
-Watch American Beauty
-Discuss film
-Discussion: Secondary Texts & Sources
-Grammar Grind: Writing with Quotes &
Paraphrases

HOMEWORK
-Read A Students Guide,
Analysis of Films

-Discussion on Barthel
-Writing an annotation of a critical text
-Applying a lens text
-Practice with Toothbrush &
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience
/features/general-article/tupperwareconsumer/
-Studio: Character Sketches
Happy 4th of July! No class!

Read Levine, Why I Hate Beauty

-Find on the internet one movie

review of American Beauty.

-Read Barthel, A Gentleman and a

Consumer

-Read American Beauty: An

Interview with Alan Ball, from Alan
Ball: Conversations

Winet | 26

Week Five
DATE
Mon. 7/7

Tue. 7/8
Wed. 7/9
Thur. 7/10

Fri. 7/11

IN-CLASS
-Discussion on Levine and Alan Ball:
Conversations
-Brainstorm topics and get into groups based
on interest areas
-Round table drafting ideas
Academic Conference
Academic Conference
-Reflections on conference
-Pre-writing and outlining
-Thesis statement workshop
-Grammar Grind: Concision: Saying What
You Mean
- Mini-presentations on Unit#3 essay topics
-Weaving texts together
-Balancing summary with analysis (PIE)
-Studio: Integrating Voices

HOMEWORK
-Get a good nights sleep, eat a good
breakfast, and look your best for the
conference!

IN-CLASS
-Sample essay analysis
-Peer workshops #1 and #2
-Revision list
-In-class work time
-Reviewing local concerns from throughout
semester
-Self-assessment of Unit#3
-Introduction to Unit#4 assignment
-How to write about writing?
-Essay planning in class
-Grammar Grind: Frags, Splices, and Run-Ons
-In-class work time
-Studio: Reflective Writing
In-class reflection essay & Awards
Ceremony

HOMEWORK
-Write: Revise your essay and bring a
new copy to class tomorrow (label it
Draft#2)
-Write: Revise your work again and
please submit your final draft to D2L
by class time tomorrow morning!
-Read: A Students Guide, Ch.12:
Reflective Writing

(see last nights homework )

-Write: Craft your introductory
paragraph and one body paragraph,
print, and bring to class tomorrow.
-Write: Complete your first draft,
print, and bring to class (Label it
Draft#1)

Week Six
DATE
Mon. 7/14
Tue. 7/15
Wed. 7/16

Thur. 7/17
Fri. 7/18

-Write: Submit your reflection!

**Have a fantastic summer and well see you in the fall!

Winet | 27

Course Proposal: Travel Writing & New Media

Kristin Winet
Course Proposal
Upper-Division Undergraduate
This course proposal blends together important discussions on ethics, representation, and the politics of tourism with
practice in travel writing across a number of genres. As an upper-division writing course, it requires students to compose in
multiple genres as well as to reflect on a specific content (contemporary travel writing) through a critical lens (colonialism,
discourse, imperialism). It also requires students to engage in both experiential writing and consider the rhetorical
opportunities/constraints used by contemporary travel writers. In this proposal, I have briefly sketched out a course
description, sample list of texts, potential assignment scope/sequence, and a breakdown of each weeks themes.
Course Description:
In this course, which blends theories of contemporary tourism with composition and digital media, we will
become familiar with various genres of nonfiction and media platforms that are used to tell digital travel
stories. By calling on the work of such theorists as Mary Louise Pratt and her work on contact zones, Dean
MacCannell and John Urry (the tourist gaze), and other critical texts that grapple with travel writing and new
media (Holland & Huggan), students will critique, celebrate, and look for the potentials of travel writing as a
criticaland politically importantgenre for shaping public knowledge about space, cultures, and personal
experiences. Through a number of guest speakers, critical and creative texts, and the students own work, we
will grapple with the difficulties inherent in writing about place and others as we work to craft our own
compelling travel stories (print-based and multimodal). We will learn about the state of contemporary travel
writing and publishing and hear from a number of successful practitioners in the field and prepare our own
work for publication.
As a writing-intensive course, students will keep journals throughout the semester and participate in a number
of field trips that will help them document their experiences around the city (and, if they wish, beyond). These
journals and documents will turn into travel narratives (loosely-defined; print and/or digital) for the final
portfolio. Because the nature of contemporary travel writing requires writers to wear many hats (writing,
photography, video, social media, design/layout), the assignments are staged and are designed to introduce
students to the media-rich world of contemporary travel discourse. As such, we will move from imitation
exercises to long-form narrative to multimodal projectsall of which will be revised as the semester progresses
in the hopes of submitting for publication.
Throughout, we will engage the production of knowledge via travel writing as a raced, gendered, and contested
process with material consequences that has served to normalize and legitimize some cultures, civilizations,
and spaces while de-legitimizing and even dehumanizing others. Students will have the opportunity to practice
multimodal forms and genres of writing, rhetorical analyses, critical thinking, and communication skills.
Required Course Texts: All texts will be provided as .pdfs or links on our course management site
Travel writing texts will include such voices as:
Susan Orlean, When Donkeys Deliver
Elizabeth Gilbert, Long Days Journey (+ clip from Eat, Pray, Love)
David Sedaris, Tasteless
Sarah Mendekirk, Love en los tiempos del Spanglish
Jamaica Kincaid, A Small Place
Matadors collection of photo essays
Winet | 28

New York Times Welcome to Thotchke Town photo essay

Multimedia travel stories

Excerpts/chapters will include such voices as:

Adrian Franklin, Tourism: An Introduction
Holland & Huggan, Tourists with Typewriters: Reflections on Contemporary Travel Writing
Debbie Lisle, The Global Politics of Contemporary Travel Writing
Mary Louise Pratt, Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing & Transculturation
Edward Said, Orientalism
Lisa M. Heldkes Exotic Appetites: Ruminations from a Food Adventurer
Mara Lugones, Pilgrimages/Peregrinajes: Theorizing Coalition Against Multiple Oppressions
Roland Barth, Image, Music, Text
Assignment Scope/Sequence:
Travel Journal (throughout)
Unit 1: Rhetorical Analysis of a Travel Text
Unit 2: Imitation Travel Narrative Assignment
Unit 3: Print and Visual Travel Writing Assignment
Unit 4: Multimodal Final Project to a Public Audience + Oral Presentation
Final Exam: The State of 21st Century Travel Writing/Publishing
Documentation of Site Visits
Guest Speakers:
Lavinia Spalding, Author, Writing Away, & Series Editor, Best Womens Travel Writing series
Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Assistant Professor / Author of Around the Bloc
Sarah Mendekick, Editor-in-Chief, Vela Magazine
Shannon ODonnell, Blogger/Speaker on global citizenship and ethical travel
Course Overview:
Week 1: Travel Writing Today: Its Complicated
Week 2: Ethical Documenting & Journaling & Site Visit #1
Week 3: Empire, Subjects, and Subjectivity: The Patriarchal Tourist Gaze
Week 4: Globalization After Empire: The Temptation to Exoticize the Other
Week 5: Counternarrative and Travel Writing: What is Truth? Whose Truth is True?
Week 6: Considering Gender/Race/Class in the Travel Narrative
Week 7: Digital Documenting, Metawriting, Hashtagging, & Social Media & Site Visit #2
Week 8: Through the Lens of Our Bellies: Travel Writing and Food
Week 9: People, Places, and the Photographic Gaze
Week 10: What Counts As Culture?
Week 11: Introducing Concepts of a Feminist Gaze and Ethical Travel
Week 12: Immigration, Intersectionality, and the Observable Other & Site Visit #3
Week 13: Digital Storytelling and the Multimodal Gaze
Week 14: Travel Media 101: Writing, Pitching, and Revising
Week 15: Travel Writing, Blogging, and Social Media Outreach in the 21 st Century
Week 16: Presentations of Final Projects
Weekly Course Requirements:
Weekly Journal:

Winet | 29

Due at the beginning of each week, this weekly writing exercise will document your experiences and
observations at the conclusion of each day (at least 10 pages a week). There is no particular format or objective
for this assignment, beyond documenting and reflecting on your day-to-day happenings. You may handwrite
(recommended) or type your entries, and all entries must be stored and submitted as hardcopies in a book or
folder. Think like a travelerbe observant, notice interesting cultural realities, document when/where its
ethical, become a food critic (its entirely up to you). Entries that reflect or incorporate course themes and
discussion are a plus, and although these are your personal journals, please still consider your audience.
Questions and Quotes (Q & Qs):
Each week, you will submit 1 typed question and 2-4 typed quotes from the assigned readings to help stimulate
class discussion. You should pose open-ended questions that generate conversation and cannot be answered
with a yes or no. Your question should address a specific reading or a theme running through several
readings. Quotes may be anything from the readings that resonate with you. Along with the quote, write a
paragraph or two explaining why you find the quote significant. Personal reflections that are connected with
the readings/discussions are perfectly appropriate for this assignment.
Documentation of Site Visits:
At the end of the semester, you will submit documentation and analysis of your site visits through a medium of
your choice: a short essay (3-5 pages), a zine, a blog, or another format that you may propose. Think about this
exercise as a way to examine what its like to think like a travel writer and include all of your site notes and
story ideas.

Winet | 30

Cultural Literacy Narrative

Kristin Winet
Developmental Writing Assignment
This assignment asks students to reflect on a number of literacy narratives read in class and develop their own cultural
literacy narrative. It works in a developmental writing classroom because it values students diverse literacies and home
communities and helps empower them to see their worlds and cultures as both valuable and worth writing about.

Writing Project #1: Literacy Narrative

Final Draft Due: Monday 9/28 in the appropriate Dropbox folder, by 11:59 p.m.
Specifications: 3-4 pages, MLA format (name/date/Dr. Winet/Eng108 in top left), double-spaced, 1-inch
margins, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, numbered pages (top right), and an engaging title (centered)

Purpose:
We all tell storiesto teach others about ourselves and the world around us, to share experiences that bind us
as a community. An effective story does more than merely entertain: it reaches out, making the writers
personal experience significant to readers. The literacy narrative genre follows in this tradition. This first
writing project asks you to explore some aspect of your literate life. You will consider your own literacy
story. Ideally, you will share an event, person, or moment in your life from your past, either positive or
negative, and then explore it with the purpose of offering a kind of statement or insight about literacy.
Therefore, you want to tell a good story, with plenty of concrete detail, vivid scenes, and reflection. The idea
showdont tell! is one to follow here. Be detailed, specific, and focused. But you also want to hang the
details on some larger idea that emerges as you brainstorm and draft your essay. That is, you want to widen
the scope of your essay by shedding light on something beyond the experience itself. To varying degrees, you
can opt to analyze and comment on some cultural aspect of language and literacy, such as Baca does in
Coming into Language or like Barrientos does in Se Habla Espaol. Or, you may choose a deeply personal
approach, as Tan does in Mother Tongue.
Remember, this is your story, so it needs to be some of your truth about literacy. It is not intended to be only
about the joys of literacy. Some of our experiences are traumatic rather than joyous. Most importantly, it is
supposed to depict an experience of yours in your own voice. Be creative and honest! No other outside
sources are required for this assignment.

Getting Started:

What is your definition of the word literacy? How did you arrive at this definition?
Who is an influential person or people who helped or impeded your progress as a reader or writer?
When did you have a significant event in your life related to literacy? What was it?
What are your cultures attitudes toward literacy and do you agree/disagree with them?
Have you ever been judged or judged someone else for not being literate enough?
Are you part of a subculture or group that has its own lingo? How did you learn it?
What makes your story unique?

Evaluation:
Winet | 31

1. Content: How well your essay describes a literacy experience and its significance; how well you rely on
showing versus telling; how you use details to strengthen the narrative
2. Organization: How strong your introduction is; how well organized your ideas are (PIE); how
structured and connected your ideas are
3. Expression: How well you exhibit an awareness of style & tone; how unique your voice is
4. Mechanics: How well you revised your work across drafts; how well proofread and formatted it is
(basic MLA)

Winet | 32

Multimodal Public Argument

Kristin Winet
First-Year Writing Assignment
This assignment asks students to reflect on the research they did on a particularly controversy in the public media and to
add their own perspective by creating a multimodal public argument for a real audience. It also requires them to present
their work to their classmates as if they were speaking to a community for whom the argument is relevant.

Writing Project #3: Multimodal Public Argument

Purpose: In this third unit, you will look at the issue you researched in a new way through a new lens.

You
will work on re-envisioning your papers theme from a new perspective. In this unit, we will take the idea of
revision to a new level, envisioning a completely new form for your work by transforming it into something
altogether different. You will take a stand on the issue you explored in Unit II, define the kind of visual/spatial
public argument you wish to make, and execute it in a way that best suits the audience and rhetorical situation.
You will present your work with a 10 minute in-class presentation.
For this assignment, your primary job is to turn your unbiased analysis into an argument and create a kind of
text that targets a real, tangible audience for a specific purpose. You could choose to create a new type of
written text, such as a set of t.v. advertisements, a magazine article, a seminar on a college campus, a multimedia presentation to a special interest group or PTA meeting, a website or blog, or a lesson plan for a students,
or, you could explore a new medium of interest to you, such as a short film or documentary, a childrens book, a
collection of photography, a sculpture, a piece of art, or some other kind of performance. Be creative and take
risks! I will not accept a simple uncontextualized Powerpoint for your argument.
The portions of this unit include:
1. Various mini-writings and assignments to help you generate material/propose ideas
2. Final portfolio:
a. A multi-modal text/component. Depending on the kind of argument you create, you will
have to provide a representation of it in your portfolio. For example: Films will need a
summary or DVD disc, advertisements will need physical copies, websites will need
printouts of each page, etc.
b. A 2-3 page rhetorical analysis of your text. This analysis will serve as the introduction
to your thought process behind the public argument. Your reflection will explain why and
how you made certain choices and used particular strategies or appeals for your target
audience based on your purpose and context.
3. An oral presentation to a real audience. This presentation is your opportunity to share the
work you did with your research and the re-envisioned analysis with your peers. When you present
in class, you will need to pretend that we are your audience and that you are presenting your
argument. The format for the presentation will depend largely on the project youre working with.
For example, if youve decided to create an ad campaign for a body-image workshop at the U of A,
you might put together a short presentation in which you pitch the idea to the U of A health center
board of directors. If youre doing a series of lesson plans for a kindergarten class on why more
exercise classes are critical for elementary-aged children, use us as your students and make us do a
portion of your lesson plan. If youve developed a website, pitch it to your boss and show him/her
Winet | 33

why itll work so well for your target audience. Think of interesting ways you can use your
audience to your benefit. Youll have 10 minutes for your presentation.

Evaluation:
Because this assignment requires that you make a specific argument for a specific audience and rhetorical
context, your grade will largely be based on your ability to make a convincing and effective argument. Ill
upload the rubric to D2L. The presentation of your portfolio will also be factored in. In addition, your peers will
be grading you, as your audience, on your oral presentations, and these comments will also go into the final
grade.

Free technologies for multi-modal presentations:

To help you find the right technology to use, here is a list of programs, software, and apps that are easy to learn
and intuitive to use. All of the programs listed here are completely free, have free options, or have free trial
periods, so make sure to double-check before you purchase anything!
Presentations &
Brochures
Powerpoint: This
software is part of
the Microsoft Office
Suite.

Prezi.com: Prezi is
similar to
PowerPoint, but it
has a different
spatial orientation.
SlideRocket.com:
This program is
similar to
PowerPoint, but a
fun and different
option if you want to
try a cloud-based
program.
Microsoft Word
Templates: Once in
Word, click on File
and then Project
Gallery. You can
alter all templates.
Brother.com: You
can choose from
existing templates,
but the options for
editing are
somewhat limiting.

Web-Based Texts

Websites/Blogs

Slideshows/Movies

Graphics/Cartoons

Zeen.com: Zeens are

web-based texts that
can be posted and
shared anywhere. It
can include words,
images, photos, links,
music, videos, maps,
and audio files.
Storyjumper.com:
Create online books
that users can flip
through. This is a great
program for creating
interactive childrens
books.
Glogster.com: Glogs
are interactive posters
loaded with text,
graphics, music, video,
and other elements.

Weebly.com: This is a
very easy and intuitive
drag-and-drop website
creator.

Slide.com: A cloudbased program that

allows you to upload
photos, add text, and
create graphics in a
presentation format.

Powtoon.com: A DIY
animated
presentation tool that
is really user-friendly
and intuitive.

Wix.com: Drag-and-drop
website creator that also
allows for Flash
animation.

Smilebox.com:
Another cloud-based
program that allows
you to create visuallystunning slideshows.

XtraNormal.com:
Another choice for
making storyboards
and cartoons.

Blogger.com: This is a
very easy to use blog
creator, and you can use
your U of A Net ID to
create one.

iMovie or Windows
Movie Maker: Great
choices for creating
and editing video on a
PC or MAC.

ToonDoo.com:. Click
on Toons and then
create toons.

MuseumBox.com: This
is an online app that
allows users to create
an online display of
artifacts collected in a
virtual box.

Wordpress.com: Many
professional blogs use
Wordpress to host their
sites, and it is easy to see
why: it is intuitive and
has more design options.

Masher.com: This
cloud-based program
allows you to create a
video by mixing
together video clips,
music, and photos.

Easelly: You can

create charts, graphs,
and infographics with
this beta site.
(http://www.easel.ly/
)

Meograph.com: A site
that allows you to
create fourdimensional stories
using different media.

Yola.com: Another
drag-and-drop website
creator that is used by
many small businesses.

Animoto.com: This
cloud-based program is
similar to Masher but
gives additional
options.

Wordle.com: You can

use this to create
word clouds with key
words and phrases.

Winet | 34

Workshop Proposal & Outline

Kristin Winet
Upper-Division Writing Assignment
This assignment asks students to take what theyve learned all semester about a professional discourse community they
hope to join and requires them to construct a writing workshop proposal based on an area of perceived need. They imagine
themselves as new members of the discourse community and have the chance to teach others about what they learned in
their technical writing course about the composing needs in various professions.

Writing Project #4: Final Exam: Workshop Proposal & Outline

Goals

Develop a proposal for a writing workshop for a group of your future peers
Synthesize course materials
Reflect on your growth as a technical communicator & writer

Rhetorical Situation
Imagine that you have just landed your first job after college/grad school. Your employer has identified a need
for a writing workshop in your department and you, as the technical writing expert, have been asked to
write a memo/cover letter, include your resume, and develop an outline for a half-day technical writing
workshop. Using what you have learned this semester, you will put together a formal cover letter proposing
the workshop, include an updated version of your resume or CV, and create a detailed outline with
justifications for your choices using what youve learned this semester.

Project Components
All project components should be integrated into one professional document.
1. Memo or Cover Letter
2. Resume
3. Workshop Proposal Outline

Project Components:

1. Memo or Cover Letter: Proposal for Workshop

This memo/cover letter provides you with the opportunity to contextualize your resume and to make a case
for yourself as a professional. Remember, you have been asked to submit this internal proposal to your
employer, so it should be professional, convincing, and engaging.
1. First, you should introduce yourself, thank your employer for the opportunity to propose this
workshop, and tell your employer why you are a good candidate to lead this workshop.
2. Then, you should offer a compelling case for how the workshop will benefit your peers at the
company/institution. This discussion will briefly synthesize your proposal justifications and explain
your purpose for this workshop. As part of this, you must identify your connection to the rhetorical
situation, especially your purpose and audience within your given context.

Winet | 35

3. Then, you should wrap up your memo or cover letter with a recommendation item, i.e., what you
would like for your employer to do next after reading your materials.
For your cover letter, follow formatting and style appropriate for the genre and audience.
2. Resume
A rsum is, first and foremost, a persuasive document. It should be aesthetically pleasing, organized logically,
and rhetorically savvy (i.e., designed with a specific audience in mind). For your rsum, use an appropriate
style for your particular industry or careers.
3. Detailed Outline for Workshop
As an attachment to your proposal, please include a detailed outline of your proposed 3-hour writing
workshop. Your outline should include (but is not limited to):
A clear plan and/or chronology of your workshop
Details of specific workshop activities (e.g., writing prompts, group work, discussion, etc.)
Justifications for those activities (e.g., topics covered, activities, etc.)
o Include either a section highlighting why youve chosen the activities you have or write a miniparagraph under each main part
o Direct your reasoning at your future employernot your ENGL308 class!

Winet | 36

Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness

At the end of each semester at the University of Arizona, students complete a comprehensive evaluation in
order to rate and evaluate the level of instruction they received (Teacher Course Evaluations, or TCEs). They
use a five-point Likert scale to rate categories such as Overall Teaching Effectiveness, Overall Instructor
Comparison, and Overall Rating of This Course, and they follow with qualitative written comments at the
end.
In my TCEs, students often note my approachability and creative instruction and the thoughtful feedback that I
offer on their writing. I consistently receive exceptionally high scores for treating students with respect
(typically 4.7 or above) and valuing different opinions, and students often remark that I create a classroom
environment that is both inviting and challenging.
Please see the sample TCE I have included at the end of this portfolio. Full comprehensive reports, including all
data, can be provided upon request.

Empirical Data
Here is a sampling of data from some of the most recent courses I have taught:

Teaching Effectiveness and Instructor Comparison Chart (past 6 semesters):

Course & Semester
English 308: Technical Writing,
Spring 2014
English 308: Technical Writing, Fall
2013
English 102: Rhetoric & Persuasion,
Spring 2013
English 308: Technical Writing,
Summer 2012
English 102: Rhetoric & Persuasion,
Spring 2012

Overall
Department Overall
Department
Teaching
Average
Instructor
Average
Effectiveness
Comparison
4.4
4.2
4.2
3.9
4.3

4.2

4.0

3.9

4.2

4.2

4.2

3.9

4.7

N/A

4.5

N/A

4.5

4.2

4.1

3.9

Figure 1. Comparison data between my ratings and the departmental average for the past five
semesters.
Here is a more detailed analysis of my most recent course taught:

Summary and Analysis of Student Feedback from Teacher-Course Evaluations (TCEs), From
Most Recent Course Taught
Question
1. Overall teaching effectiveness
2. Overall instructor comparison
3. Overall rating of course

Instructor
4.4
4.2
4.2

Comparison
Group
4.2
3.9
3.9
Winet | 37

4. Amount learned
5. Usefulness of in-class activities
6. Students Treated with respect
7. Difficulty of the course
8. Value of time spent on course
Average Score

3.6
4.3
4.7
3.1
4.2
4.09

3.9
4.1
4.6
3.4
4.1
4.01

Figure 3. Comparison data between my ratings for all major areas and the departmental average
As you can see in Figure 3, I scored higher in all areas except for perceived level of difficulty. I attribute this, to
a large degree, to the kind of class I was teaching (upper-division Technical Writing), a course that is heavy on
praxis and practical skills (writing in/for the community).
Students leave written comments on their TCEs as well. Here are some comments I have received on my
evaluations from Spring 2014 (all comments are anonymous and unedited) so you can see how I read and
interpret them. For easy reference, I have grouped them according to the areas of my teaching that they
address:

Enthusiasm for the Course:

Comments like this, while not necessarily useful, are positive reinforcement that tell me I am reaching my
students through my lesson plans and curriculum design:
I loved it! It takes a good teacher to make engineers good at being creative with design!

Mrs. Winet was always upbeat and positive! This class was very helpful and I will use the skills I have learned
throughout my life.

Transferability & Usefulness:

Many of the comments I receive mention the transferability, usefulness, and applicability of the activities and
assignments we do throughout the semester. For example, in these comments, one student wrote that [e]ach
assignment [she or he] learned a new skill that will help in the future such as; word publishing, creating a website, graphic
design, quick reference cards, and many other forms of technical writing. Here are some other comments that
specifically speak to the usefulness of the activities and projects I assign:

Loved it will use it everyday in my career. No one at my job can believe this isn''t required for Engineers. This class
isn''t as technical as it could be, but after being in Industry most Engineers struggle to send out a simple email. I
used everything from this class and it has dramatically increased my performance on projects, papers, and labs by
a simple matter of formatting and visual inclusion.

Senior Design would''ve been insanely easier with these skills. Enjoyed the group activities as it was no pressure
and we were allowed to be creative. Has completely changed the way I technically write, and the software I use to
do it.

This class was great, the projects were things that I will actually need in the future and the instructor was very
engaged and enthusiastic as well as knowledgable.

Cant believe this class isnt required for Engineers! I used everything from this class and it has dramatically
increased my performance on projects, papers, and labs by a simple matter of formatting and visual inclusion.

My Teaching Style/Classroom Instruction:

Winet | 38

Another positive pattern I notice in my TCEs is that students appreciate my inviting demeanor and
collaborative teaching style. In the comments from this particular course, students mentioned that they liked
the scope and sequence of the course, especially because, as one wrote, [c]lass was well organized and structured.
D2L [our course management system] was utilized to help students organize assignments and provide additional learning
tools. Instructor was easily accessible and knowledgeable. Other positive comments that I enjoyed reading were:

I liked that this class incorporated both individual and group work. I learned several different forms of writing
that I previously had no experience with, including proposals, design templates, memos, and QRCs.

Apart from waking up on Saturday mornings, this was one of the most fun and engaging courses I''ve taken at the
U of A. The group work and class participation really took me back to the days in high school when learning wasn''t
just about sitting in a lecture hall for an hour.

Assessment Techniques:

Students often remark that I am a fair and consistent grader and that they know what is expected of them in
their assignments. I attribute this to the emphasis I put on process, collaboration, and individual and small
group conferences/check-ins. I also include detailed and personalized end comments for each student on each
of their major projects. Here is a comment that specifically addresses assessment:

Mrs. Winet is a great teacheralways passionate! You could tell she cared. She was a very fair grader and very
reasonable.

Perceived Areas for Improvement:

Not all comments are positive, of course, but I like to use these comments to help me assess areas where I might
improve. For instance, one wrote that she didnt respond to email as quickly as she should have. As I make it a rule
to respond to all student emails within 24 hours, Im not sure how I could have better served this student, but
this semester, I emphasized my rule more clearly on the first day of class. Another area that warrants attention
is the rating I received for perceived level of difficulty, as my average here was lower than in previous courses.
There could be a few explanations for this, including: the class only met once a week on the weekend; much of
the work was on the students own time; and some of the students did not always pull their weight during the
collaborative projects. Similarly, another student mentioned that she/he didnt like our group work; while this
is an inevitable difficulty of group work, I have responded to this comment by talking openly to students about
the difficulty of working in groups, ensuring that students complete group agendas, do weekly check-ins, and
hold each other accountable for their tasks and responsibilities. My hope is that by bringing these discussions
front and center, students will feel like a meaningful and integrated part of their group, thus alleviating any
potential for feeling left out or overburdened.

Written Comments
Students leave written comments on their TCEs as well. Here are some from recent courses (all are completely
anonymous and unedited). Printed copies of these can be provided upon request.
English 308, Technical Writing, Spring 2014

I loved it! It takes a good teacher to make engineers good at being creative with design!
Mrs. Winet is a great teacheralways passionate! You could tell she cared. She was a very fair grader
and very reasonable.
This class was great, the projects were things that I will actually need in the future and the instructor
was very engaged and enthusiastic as well as knowledgable.
Winet | 39

Cant believe this class isnt required for Engineers! I used everything from this class and it has
dramatically increased my performance on projects, papers, and labs by a simple matter of formatting
and visual inclusion.

English 101A (New Start Summer Program), Summer 2013

I enjoyed discussing structuralism and fragmentation; also cultural backgrounds.She is an amiable

person with convivial enthusiasm.
Mrs. Winet is a really great teacher and extremely nice. She is a great English teacher and can help in so
many ways. Going to miss her.
I liked the discussions they were interesting and the stories were very useful to get ideas.She is a great
instructor. She has helped me a lot. I will use her advice wisely.
I enjoyed the literacy narrative! Very fun!

English 308, Technical Writing, Fall 2013

This class was very helpful and I will use the skills I have learned throughout my life!
I liked that this class incorporated both individual and group work. I learned several different forms of
writing that I previously had no experience with, including proposals, design templates, memos, and
QRCs.
The way the course was broken down into units helped me to better understand different aspects of
technical writing. An adequate amount of time was given for each unit which really allowed me to take
the time to work more on and improve my writing.

English 102, Rhetoric and Persuasive Writing, Spring 2013

Miss Mock1 is the sweetest lady and her positive attitude made every morning class a joy.
Strong, relevant tasks that really did help me improve my writing. Always enthusiastic, very helpful &
flexible. Did a good job of explaining.
Ms Mock always provided very helpful feedback and was always available to help with any questions.
One of the best teacher Ive had. Ms Mock really went the extra mile.
Ms. Mocks curriculum was challenging but well-thought out. She made certain that we all learned
everything we needed to but in an interesting and thought-provoking manner. Ms. Mock is enthusiastic,
involved, and a great teacher in general. I enjoyed her immensely, and would recommend her in a
heartbeat.

End-of-Semester Reflections
In every course I teach, I require some form of active reflection throughout and at the end of the semester.
Here, I offer a sampling of comments from students end-of-term reflection essays and/or reflection memos
that demonstrate critical thinking, active reflection, and student accomplishment.
Technical Writing (ENGL308)
Spring 2015
I thought this class was going to be based strictly on resume design, or different types of internet design layout. Boy was I
wrong! Though we did learn a lot of these things, there was so much more! In this course we were given a handful of
assignments that required us to learn new programs, and combine our knowledge in a group setting to reach a goal. I never

Just for reference, Mock is my maiden name I changed to Winet in Fall 2013.

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thought that I would be a part of a team that was responsible for redesigning the web appearance of a cat shelter, but this
class provided that for me. Karly C.
In all honesty, I did not know what to expect when entering the classroom for the first day of ENGL 408. I assumed, naively,
that the majority of the semester would involve writing lengthy cookie-cutter documents, constrained to overly formal
blueprints. I was wrong. Immediately, Mrs. Winet put my fears and assumptions to rest. Technical Communication and
Technical Writing is so much more than words on a page. It encompasses design principles and relies heavily on the
presentation of materials. The best writing and sentence structure can fail miserably if the reader doesnt read the text.
Bernard D.
Technical writing has really affected me as a student as well. At first I thought I had to use very formal and straight,
colorless, looking tables or graphs to get my point across. But as the course went on, I learned that I could provide the same
amount of information in a very professional manner, but adding a little color into it. Now when I create documents and
presentations I think: what colors will go best with which? What fonts should I utilize? And how can I use infographics? And
actually have been using the technics we learned in class for a couple of class presentations and projects I had to do. English
308 taught me to think outside of the box: that being creative can be formal and to always establish a purpose and an
audience. I think that this is probably the most important thing we can do when it comes to writing because if we are not
writing to a specific audience, who will read it? Stephanie G.
Previously, my idea of a writer consisted of a person who hammered out essays and long publications; now, my
understanding of a writer has broadened enormously. I now think of myself as a writer when working on a range of
projects from posters to video projects. I have become the person in other group projects that is in charge of the design and
editing portion because this class has turned me into the best editor in comparison to public health students who havent
taken this class. Nicole L.
Now that Ive taken this course, being a writer means anyone who composes documents for use. There are all forms of
technical communication, and all forms of writers. There are computer coders who can write code, and in turn create
technical communication documents. I would now consider these people to be writers because they use their knowledge and
communication skills to pass along information. I view technology as more of a tool, and have an easier time seeing how I
can utilize different programs for different assignments, such as the use of Microsoft publisher for unit one. I hadnt
previously realized how many aspects of design filled my everyday life. Now when I walk down the street, and see the street
sign, I think that sign is sans serif so its easier to read. I now notice that design is incorporated into everything, and the
better the design the more appealing it will be.
--Tim G.
After all we have learned from color theory to graphic design, my opinion about what technical writing means has
completely changed. I never thought about technical writing in ways that the writer could use imagination and creativity in
their work. The definition of technical writing expanded to QRCs, resumes, proposals, web design and field reports. I have
now realized that technical writing is less about being limited, and more about using technology to your advantage when
creating a variety of documents. For example, when we were discussing design principles such as color and font choices, I
learned that decisions that you make when designing your documents have just as much significance as the content itself.
Molly M.
Prior to this course, I would have never considered myself a writer. But now, I can say with confidence that I am
comfortable writing memos and creating technical documents such as brochures, graphs, and splash pages. I have realized
that although technology sometimes frustrates me, I enjoy toying around with it and creating something new. Also, team
projects have never been my favorite part of school, but this course has helped me realize that if each person takes on a role
they are comfortable with, the team thrives and produces great work. Plus, I will never be able to escape from team projects
unless I move to a deserted island. As far as design goes, I think that I am a lot better at it than I ever gave myself credit and
I actually find it quite fun! Jenna R.
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Fall 2014
What this class taught me is that although you have a clear endpoint you must consider the view in different angles. That
just because you view something a certain way doesnt mean everybody else does, and in order to be a successful writer
you must have compassion for other opinions and ways of knowing. Kevin Y.
Thinking back through the semester, I had the assumption that technical writing would be the method of creating written
documents of a highly technical (and boring) nature. Things such as exhaustive manuals, lab reports, and other things that
people dont truly read unless their professional interests or responsibilities call them to.I was pleased to find out I was
wrong, and that technical writing is instead how to make such information accessible to people; and not just people
with a technical background who understand the report language, but communicating those details to anyone.
Technical writing is not based around the technical issues. Its based on the people who need to communicate technical
information to. Matthew B.
Every assignment was full of new material, and that was my favorite part of taking this class. I enjoyed learning
about color, font, WHITE SPACE (everyones favorite term), and especially the golden ratio. One of the funniest
things about being in school, is utilizing the skills you learn in class and applying them to real situations. In my math class, I
talked about the golden ratio, in biology I designed a beautiful presentation about the human genome, and in epidemiology I
wrote a paper that utilized the things we read in the class book. When you can use new knowledge in this way, it provides a
beautiful opportunity to flourish.Overall, this semester has been a blast, and even though Ive had to get my butt out of
bed on a Saturday, I wouldnt change my experience for the world. Savannah C.
Now that I have taken this course to me being an effective writer contains many elements to it. A writer first obviously has
to have something useful to talk about, but they also have to be concerned about how to document looks to a user, whether
it be font and color scheme, or the placement of certain items and the amount of white space that it used. All these things
play a huge part in the success of a piece of technical writing. Plus, all the new uses of programs and technology that I
have been introduced to have helped me greatly, I no longer need to be confined to the Microsoft Office programs!
Myls M.
Stepping into the poetry center and actually seeing examples in which technical writing was similar to poetry was
incredible this semester. I had never actually made the connection between something so rigid and professional and
something that I perceived to be just free flowing and with a lack of structure. The lack of consideration for poetry was most
likely fueled by misconceptions I had of it - Carla

First-Year Composition (ENGL101A/101/102)

Ms. Mocks English 101 class has really pushed me over the threshold into the realm of being a college level writer. This class
has taught me better grammar, totally new forms of essays, and how to properly format my body paragraphs. These mains
things along with other knowledge that I have acquired from this class will help me in my other writing classes. It has also
given me faith in my own writing ability and trust that I can produce quality essays. Casey W.
In high school I was able to construct an entire essay on a subject that I had no previous knowledge about, not do any
research on it and still receive an A because I made it sound like I knew what I was talking about. I could make up
everything about it and as long as I sounded confident in my writing, that was enough. However that is not how I wanted
things to be in college. This English course with Ms. Mock has helped to change that and improve my potential to be a great
writer..Overall I have learned much more in this English course than I ever expected. I am thankful to have had
Ms. Mock to help me through the difficult times and to always be there for me. --Kylie D.
After taking this class I have started to take into consideration all of these visual and spatial analysis techniques
when watching movies, looking at art, among other things that we see every day, I especially started to notice more
things in movies, since I tend to watch a couple a week. Instead of just listening and watching what the characters are doing
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I start to notice everything in the background and how things are set up. I usually watch movies where they are trying to
solve crimes so all of this comes in handy when competing with my sister on who can solve it first, because I notice things
that she doesnt. Yaxaira D.
I have also found myself analyzing things in my everyday life, especially on the bus. When I ride the bus I view people so
differently now. How did they get there? Where are they going? Why do they have two different shoes on? I analyze
everything about them; I make up the stories of their past and sometimes their future.this class has made me wonder
why? How?.and has made me want to know who people really are. Kristen S.
I have definitely become a stronger writer after taking this course. Not only do my grades over the course of the semester
reflect this but in my mind this class has made me a better writer. I feel more confident in understanding a prompt and
writing with a purpose, rather than aimlessly writing. Marcos G.
Since learning at the beginning of the semester the definition of rhetoric, I have been seeing it everywhere I go. Signs on
buildings, commercials on television, posters on campus, everywhere my eyes turn, I see rhetoric. At the beginning of the
class, I thought nothing of rhetoric & after the first day everything changed. Tyler B.

First-Year Spanish (SPAN102)

I really loved this class! Kristins class gave me insight into other countries of the world that Id never considered
before: it really opened my eyes. I am so happy that I took this course. Mya S.
Different cultures arent so different, even though we speak different languages! I have progressed so much this year,
and am very proud. Thank you, Srta. Kristin, for teaching me! Craig S.
I can still remember with clarity the first day of Spanish 102.I felt so tired because it was like 100 degrees outside. When
Kristin said that the class was based in immersion and began to speak in Spanish, I went from sleepy to terrified. However, I
am very happy that I decided to remain in her class, because I have learned more here than in any other Spanish class
Ive ever taken in the past! Kristin did a great job explaining things simply and clearly that might otherwise have
been really frustrating. Sarah H.
I have gained so much respect for the diversity of other cultures that we studied and I see how other cultures affect my own
culture.my experience in this class has inspired me to go to Chile to learn Spanish and experience the culture of
Chile. Amanda P.

First-Year Communications (University of Phoenix online course) (COM155/156)

I have to admit I was skeptical about this course when I first began, since I have not written an essay in over 15 years.
Thanks to the way the course was presented through the syllabus and the instructor, I feel more confident about
my writing skills and I am looking forward to future essays. I also have to thank my classmates for the ideas and
different points of view by way of the replies to the discussion questions. This course has been a pleasure. Thank you! Dan
H.
Shortly after the start of this class I realized that when people read your writing, they will not process the message your
trying to portray unless your spelling is correct. I usually read my Facebook news feed at night before I go to sleep. Now I
find myself picking out spelling and grammar mistakes! I think I can speak for everyone when I say that Facebook
started off as a social network for you and your friends, but now thanks to this class I realize its is a virtual
representation of yourself. Dolores C.

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One thing I have very much enjoyed about the feedback you give, Kristin, is you give positive feedback as well as
mention areas that need work. That way I know what I am doing right which keeps me on the right track in those areas!
--Melissa D.
When I said, I honestly feel that I have acquired valuable tools that I will need if I am to become a well polished writer., I
meant every syllable! I have Com 156 to look forward to now, and I hope that Kristin is my instructor in that class as
well. Kristin, as a professor is very professional, and I believe she cares about her students. I would welcome her as a
professor in Com 156. She has been instrumental in helping me to realize the real writing ability that I have within
myself. If it wasnt for her I would continue to believe that I was the greatest writer in the world. And I would
have been wrong. I welcome her input as well as her criticism. Warren R.

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Student Letter of Recommendation

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Sample Teacher Course Evaluation Report

To offer a more visual representation of what our teaching evaluations look like, here is the first page of my
Spring 2014 TCE report. This complete report (as well as reports from other semesters) will be gladly provided
upon request.

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Formal Teaching Evaluation

This formal teaching evaluation was recently conducted in Summer 2014 by the English Coordinator for the
University of Arizonas New Start Summer Bridge Program, Ms. Alison McCabe. This program is run through
the Office of Academic Success and Achievement. She observed my Textual Analysis + Studio class (syllabus is
included in this portfolio). For more information, you may contact her at afm@email.arizona.edu.
-----

NEW START INSTRUCTOR REPORT

Instructor

KRISTIN WINET

Coordinator

Semester

SUMMER 2014 Course(s)

ALISON MCCABE

ENGL 101A

Overall Rating: This rating includes both the instructors involvement in training and effectiveness in
the classroom.
Superior

Satisfactory

Unsatisfactory

Class Visit Comments:

Kristin fosters a very warm learning environment. Her teaching persona is both confident and composed,
and the energy she brings to her class helps nurture students while also challenging them. Kristin is
extremely approachable. She makes herself available to students both in and outside of class, and she
encourages learning through inquiry. When talking with students, Kristin is generous with her
explanations and her time. She is a comforting presence in the classroom, and I have no doubt her
students benefit greatly from her positive attitude.
During my class visit, Kristin had student share portions of their essay drafts through a roundtable
discussion. The focus of this activity was to explore the different ways students might successfully
integrate quotes into their body paragraphs. After, student worked in small groups to revise a paragraph
of a sample student essay. This was followed by a class conversation about PIE structure and
organization.
As a facilitator, Kristin seeks ways to engage every student in her classroom. By conducting a
roundtable discussion, she provided a comfortable space where each student was able to have his/her
voice heard. Kristin is also very skilled at keeping her class focusedits clear her students know what
is expected of them, and they are eager to complete tasks. By asking students to first critique a sample
student essay, Kristin is able to instill in them the confidence to later critique each others work. This
encouragement seems to be at the core of Kristins teachingshe approaches her position as an
instructor with enthusiasm and grace, and she fully understands the importance of motivating students to
succeed. Kristin is a great asset to New Start, and a true pleasure to have as a colleague.

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