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Education

Ph.D., English, Purdue University (expected 2004)

Primary area: rhetoric and composition
Secondary areas: rhetoric, technology and digital writing, professional writing
Dissertation title: "Ordinary people do this”: Rhetorical examinations of novice web design
Committee: David Blakesley (chair), Patricia Sullivan, Samantha Blackmon, Johndan Johnson-Eilola
Summary: Using a case study of designers in the Department of English, my research focuses on eliciting the rhetorical and composing choices that beginning web designers make as they learn to create web pages for personal and professional use, and considers the implications of these choices for learning, teaching, writing documentation, and professionalization.

M.A., English, Purdue University (2000)

Specialization: rhetoric and composition

B.A., Writing and Spanish, Loyola College in Maryland (1998)

Honors: summa cum laude
Minor: French

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

Technology Maven Award, Computers and Writing Conference, 2003
Kairos/Lore TA/Adjunct Award for Distinguished Service, 2003
First Finalist, Janice M. Lauer Dissertation Fellowship, 2003
Information Technology at Purdue Digital Content Development Grant (Dr. Linda Bergmann, Principal Investigator), 2003
Teaching Assistantship, Department of English, Purdue University, 1998-present
Dean's List, Purdue University, 1998-present
Dean's List, Loyola College in Maryland, 1994-1998
Renk Spanish Medal (awarded by Loyola College in Maryland, 1998)
Writing and Media Department Medal (awarded by Loyola College in Maryland, 1998)
Phi Beta Kappa, 1997
Phi Delta Pi (national French honor society), 1997
Sigma Delta Pi (national Spanish honor society), 1996

Teaching Experience

Department of English, Purdue University

English Composition I (Fall 1998)

Designed syllabus and course materials for an expository, argumentative, and research-based writing course, conferenced with students, incorporated computer technology and created a course Web page.

English Composition II (Spring 1999)

Designed syllabus and course materials for a research-based argumentative writing course, conferenced with students, incorporated computer technologies and created a course web page.

English Composition I (Fall 1999, Spring 2000)

Designed syllabus and course materials for a computer-based research and exploratory writing course (projects included research papers, annotated bibliographies, personal web pages, group Web research projects), taught all classes in computer networked classroom, conferenced with students, created course web site and electronic and print course packs.

Technical Writing (Fall 2002)

Designed syllabus and course materials for technical writing course, using a case-based approach with three major projects (analyzing professional documents, revising professional documents, and writing, testing, and revising documentation), taught all classes in computer networked classroom, conferenced with students, created course web site.

Professional Writing Practicum (Fall 2000, Spring & Fall 2001, Spring & Fall 2002)

In conjunction with various professional writing staff members, assisted in course planning, created course materials for learning about computer classroom technologies, taught sessions on using computer technologies, lead discussions related to professional development and pedagogical strategies, worked one-on-one with instructors, contributed materials to course web site.

Rassias Foundation, Dartmouth College

Assistant Teacher of Spanish, Advanced Language Program (Summer 1999)

Conducted language drills with beginning Spanish learners, and participated in one-on-one tutoring sessions with individual students.

Administrative and Support Experience

Online Writing Lab (OWL) Technical Coordinator (May 2000-present)
Purdue University Writing Lab

OWL administrative/support tasks

Administered two web, mail, and file servers which served as http://owl.english.purdue.edu (Purdue's Online Writing Lab/OWL), which received approximately 23 million hits during the 2002-2003 academic year. Administered electronic mailing lists. Created documentation and templates for online writing lab tutors to use in replying to over 1500 online tutoring requests per year. Designed materials (web pages, quizzes, graphics, workshops, and PowerPoint presentations) for the OWL website and revised existing materials. Redesigned the entire site in August of 2000. Hired and managed OWL consultants. Corresponded with OWL site users via email and phone; tutored users via e-mail. Handled requests related to permissions for use of materials. Created and produced the Purdue OWL News, a weekly email newsletter with over 10,000 subscribers. Generated yearly reports on OWL use. Promoted OWL at on and off-campus workshops, conferences, and other venues.

Writing Lab administrative/support tasks

Purchased, installed, configured and maintained computers and peripherals for the Writing Lab. Provided technical support to Writing Lab faculty and staff. Updated and maintained database for user tracking. Generated statistical analyses and reports. Answered grammar hotline calls. Collaborated with the Department of Child Development and Family Studies to develop print and online materials for a Writing Across the Curriculum initiative funded by an ITaP Digital Content Development Grant. Helped convert over twenty volumes of the Writing Lab Newsletter from print to digital format and made them available over the World Wide Web.

Technology Coordinator (August 2000-present)
Purdue University Professional Writing Program

Administrative tasks

Helped run orientation sessions for new teaching assistants and provided mentoring. Provided technical support to program faculty and staff. Assisted the director with purchasing technology for the program. Provided support to staff using technologies in their classrooms. Helped coordinate the Technology and Pedagogy Showcase for 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003, which included recruiting participants, creating publicity, and providing technical support. Redesigned the program's website in August of 2000.

Technology-related tasks

Administered three servers (linnell.english.purdue.edu, desiato.english.purdue.edu, flansburgh.english.purdue.edu) which provide web, mail, and file service as well as other networked applications (MOO and web-based bulletin boards) for the Purdue University Professional Writing Program, the Purdue University Rhetoric and Composition Program, the Computers and Writing 2003 Conference, and The Writing Instructor (a digital journal). Upgraded and configured the Instructional Multimedia Production Lab (IMP), a small lab of Macintoshes, PCs, printers, and scanners, and the Electronic Publication Lab (EPL), a small electronic publication lab. Created MOO spaces, wwwthreads boards, and mailing lists for staff in the program and in other areas of the department. Generated statistical analyses and reports on server use.

Technology Coordinator
Virtual Environments for Writing (ViEW) Project
Purdue University May 1999-May 2000

Designed and created a MOO (Multi-User Dimension, Object Oriented) to serve as a synchronous networked conference/writing environment for thirty sections of professional writing delivered partially via the World Wide Web. Installed, configured, maintained, documented, and upgraded the MOO database and server. Assisted teachers in constructing distance education modules in the MOO and provided technical support to instructors and students using the MOO for distance learning. Provided accounts, MOO spaces, and technical support at the Writing at the Interface online conference (Fall 1999), which was held on the MOO.

Publications and Presentations

Publications

Karper, Erin. Encore MOO Guide (2nd Ed). 2003. <http://pw.english.purdue.edu/technologies/MOO/guide>.

Karper, Erin. "Web Usability and Creating an OWL." in The OWL Construction and Maintenance Guide, ed. James A. Inman and Clint Gardner. IWCA Press: 2002.

Karper, Erin. The New Technologies Project Workbook. (Co-authored with David Blakesley and Jeffrey Hoogeveen). (Forthcoming from Heinle Publishers).

Bates, Jonathan, Ianetta, Melissa, and Erin Karper. Review of David Coogan's Electronic Writing Centers: Computing the Field of Composition. The Writing Lab Newsletter 22.8 (2001): 3.

Huffman, Debrah, Karper, Erin, and Julie Woodford. "A Reading from The Book of Academics: Or, A Creation Story." The Writing Instructor. 2001.<http://www.writinginstructor.com/digresso/creationstory.html>.

Conference Presentations

Computers and Composition

"Disciplinary Identity and WAC on the Web." 2003 Computers and Writing Conference. Purdue University.
"Writing Underfoot: Using Sidewalk Chalk To Expand on Students’ Understandings of Genre." 2002 Conference on College Composition and Communication.
"Creating Virtual Spaces and Real Opportunities for Digital Publication." (full-day workshop with David Blakesley et.al). 2001 Computers and Writing Conference. Ball State University.

Professional Writing

“Student-Teacher Communication in Professional Writing.” 2003 Pedagogy and Technology Showcase. Purdue University.
"PW Program Technologies." Professional Writing Program Technology and Pedagogy Showcase." Purdue University. October 2002.
"Past, Present, and Future PW Program Technologies." Professional Writing Program Technology and Pedagogy Showcase. Purdue University. December 2001.
"The ViEW Project." 2000 Teaching Learning and Technology Showcase. Purdue University.
"Professional Writing Program Technologies." Professional Writing Program Technology and Pedagogy Showcase. Purdue University. December 2000.

Writing Labs

"The Who, How, and Why of OWL Access." 2002 Computers and Writing Conference. Illinois State University.
"OWL Are You?: Uses for and Users of Purdue's Online Writing Lab." 2001 Computers and Writing Conference. Ball State University.
"Purdue's Online Writing Lab: Reaching New Frontiers." 2003 Teaching Learning and Technology Showcase. Purdue University.
"Purdue's OWL and Multimedia." 2002 Teaching Learning and Technology Showcase. Purdue University.
"The Purdue OWL: PowerPoints and Multimedia." 2001 Teaching Learning and Technology Showcase. Purdue University.

Curriculum Development

Purdue OWL Pages

"Annotated Bibliographies" (with Geoff Stacks). Available at <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_annotatedbib.html>. August 2001.

"Practice Exercises." (22 Interactive Online Exercises) Available at <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/interact/index.html>. May 2003.

"Resources for Documenting Sources." Available at <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_docsources.html>. June 2001.

"Using THOR." PowerPoint presentation. Available at <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/pp/thornew.ppt>

"Writing A Thesis Statement." Available at <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_thesis.html>. August 2002.

Campus Workshops

Presented in-lab workshops at the Purdue University Writing Lab and in-class workshops on research and the Internet, using THOR (Purdue University Library Catalog), APA style, and using the Purdue Online Writing Lab.

Documentation

Accessing Your Career Account From Non-ICS Machines (Windows)
Accessing Your Career Account From Non-ICS Machines (Macintosh)
Creating ProNoun accounts
Defining Sites in Dreamweaver
Dreamweaver MX Cheat Sheet
FTP with WS_FTP
FTP with Fetch
Mac Lab Basics
MacOS X in ICS Labs
PC Lab Basics
Updating and Deleting ProNoun Accounts
Using Sethomes to Assign Students to Rooms
Using WWWthreads

Professional Experience

Educational Consulting

Longman Publishers (2003)

Developed a chapter on visual and document design for Academic Research: Fields of Study and Inquiry.

Houghton Mifflin (2001)

Reviewed textbooks and other composition materials.

Prentice Hall (2000)

Developed a chapter on document design and web design for the Simon and Schuster Handbook for Writers 6/e.

Pearson (formerly Allyn and Bacon) (1999-2000)

Created content and edited web pages for Professional Writing Online, a web-based online textbook.

Web Site Consulting

Purdue University Jewish Studies Program (2003)

Redesigned entire program web site, including graphics, edited content, produced digital versions of print materials, trained program staff to update site

Bill Walker Kte'pi (2003)

Designed professional web site for artist and writer Bill Kte'pi, including graphics. Set up online weblog. Taught author to update his own pages.

Colloquium on Violence and Religion (COV&R) (2002)

Developed conference website, including graphics, digital versions of registration forms, and digital archive of conference papers. Created and edited page text.

Michelle Dockrey: Illustration and Graphic Art (2002)

Designed website for freelance illustrator Michelle Dockrey, including graphics and digital image galleries and displays. Created and edited page text.

Midgard Studios (2002)

Created web site for small independent film production company. Designed menus, templates, graphics, and style sheets. Created and edited page content.

Purdue Professional Writing Program (2002-2003)

Created web pages, updated resource pages, created online forms for showcase proposal submission and technology request submissions. Uploaded content to the web site.

Computers and Writing 2003 Conference (2002-2003)

Created e-mail accounts, mailing lists and weblogs for the conference staff and attendees. Designed and wrote documentation on using the mailing accounts. Updated web pages and created resource pages and digital image galleries.

GYRE Reduced Gravity Robotics (University of Washington) (2001-2003)

Designed web site for use by the GYRE research team as well as the general public. Created graphics and web pages. Produced digital image galleries and electronic versions of print documents. Created and edited page text.

Technology Experience

Knowledge base

Professional Service

Conferences

Reviewer (2003)
Computers and Writing 2004 Conference

Technology Maven (2002-2003)
Computers and Writing 2003 Conference

Web Development Committee (2002-2003)
Computers and Writing 2003 Conference

Communications Management Committee (2002-2003)
Computers and Writing 2003 Conference

Moderator (2001)
Computers and Writing 2001 Online Conference

Journals

Communications Editor (2001-present)
Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy

Technology Maven (2000-present)
The Writing Instructor

Relevant Coursework

Rhetoric and composition

Introduction to Composition Studies
Issues in Composition Studies: Classical
Issues in Composition Studies: Modern
Issues in Composition Studies: Postmodern
Empirical Research Methods in Composition
Seminar: Writing Across the Curriculum

Computers and Composition

Computers, Language, and Rhetoric
Theories and Practices of Distance Education
Cybercultures and Rhetoric
Issues in Technology
Linguistic Interfaces

Professional Writing

Professional Writing Theory
Visual Rhetoric
Critical Qualitative Methodologies
Rhetoric & Design

Teacher Preparation

Practicum in Teaching First-Year Composition
Practicum in Teaching Computer-Based First-Year Composition
Practicum in Teaching Professional Writing

Professional Memberships

Alliance for Computers and Writing
Council for Programs on Technical and Scientific Communication
Online Writing Center Consortium
Society for Technical Communication
Modern Language Association
National Council of Teachers of English

References

Dr. David Blakesley, Director, Professional Writing Program and Associate Professor of English
Department of English
500 Oval Drive
West Lafayette, IN 47906
blakesle@purdue.edu
Phone: (765) 494-3772
Fax: (765) 494-3780

Dr. Linda Bergmann, Director, Purdue Writing Lab and Associate Professor of English
Department of English
500 Oval Drive
West Lafayette, IN 47906
lbergmann@sla.purdue.edu
Phone: (765) 496-2814
Fax: (765) 494-3780

Dr. Muriel Harris, Founding Director, Purdue Writing Lab and Professor Emerita of English
Department of English
500 Oval Drive
West Lafayette, IN 47906
harrism@omni.cc.purdue.edu
Phone: (765) 494-3723
Fax: (765) 494-3780

Dr. Patricia Sullivan, Director, Rhetoric and Composition Program, Professor of English
Department of English
500 Oval Drive
West Lafayette, IN 47906
nvo@omni.cc.purdue.edu
Phone: (765) 497-1432
Fax: (765) 494-3780

Dossier

Julie Henderson, Credentials Coordinator
Department of English
500 Oval Drive
West Lafayette, IN 47906

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