JEFFREY M.

GERDING
Heavilon Hall, 500 Oval Dr., West Lafayette, IN, 47906
www.jeffreygerding.org | jgerding@purdue.edu | jeffrey.gerding (Skype)

E DUCATION
Ph.D. in English, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (Expected May 2018)
Primary Area: Rhetoric & Composition
Secondary Areas: Professional and Technical Writing; Rhetoric, Technology, & Digital Writing
Dissertation: Advocating for Users, Engaging Citizens: Analyzing User Experience Research and the Rhetoric of Civic
Engagement in Public Sector Digital Service Design
Committee: Michael Salvo (Chair), Patricia Sullivan, Bradley Dilger, Harry Denny

M.A. in English, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (August 2013)

Concentration: Rhetoric & Composition
Thesis: Gamecraft: Theory and Practice of Rhetorical Gaming for Composition Instruction
Committee: Samantha Blackmon (Chair), Michael Salvo, Thomas Rickert

B.S. in English, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI (April 2010)

Concentration: Technical Communication

A WARDS , G RANTS , & H ONORS

Hayhoe Fellow Award IEEE Professional Communication Society (2017)
Graduate Research Award Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (2017)
Professor Patricia Sullivan Scholarship in Rhetoric & Composition Purdue University (2017)
Finalist for the Janice M. Lauer Award for Dissertation Excellence Purdue University (2017)
Purdue Graduate School Summer Research Grant Purdue Research Foundation (2017)
Emerging Professional Writing Scholar Award Purdue Professional Writing (2017)
Excellence in Teaching Award Purdue University Department of English (2016)
PROMISE Graduate Student Research Award Purdue University College of Liberal Arts (2016)
Tutor Leadership Award East Central Writing Centers Association (2016)
Promising Professional Writing Scholar Award Purdue Professional Writing (2014)
Excellence in Teaching Award Purdue University Department of English (2013)

P UBLICATIONS
Gerding, J. M., and Vealey, K. P. (2017). When is a Solution Not a Solution?: Wicked Problems, Hybrid
Solutions, and the Rhetoric of Civic Entrepreneurship. Journal of Business and Technical Communication 31(3),
Special Issue on the Rhetoric of Entrepreneurship. (29 pages).

Gerding, J. M. (2017). Examining the Rhetoric of Civic Engagement in Government Digital Service Design:
Case Study of the Federal Source Code Policys Use of GitHub in a Public Comment Period. Proceedings of the
2017 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference. (5 pages).

Vealey, K.P., and Gerding, J. M. (2016). Rhetorical Work in Crowd-Based Entrepreneurship: Lessons Learned
from Teaching Crowdfunding as an Emerging Site of Professional and Technical Communication. IEEE
Transactions on Professional Communication 59(4), Special Issue on Entrepreneurship Communication. (21 pages).
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Gerding, J. M., and Johnson-Sheehan, R. (2016) What is Technology? In R. Malenczyk (Ed.), A Rhetoric for
Writing Program Administrators. (2nd ed.). Anderson, SC: Parlor Press. ISBN: 978-1602358461. (20 pages).

Vealey, K. P., and Gerding, J. M. (2013). Designing Accidents: Advocating Aleatory Research Methods in
New Media Pedagogy. Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy. (22 pages). Retrieved from:
https://jitp.commons.gc.cuny.edu/designing-accidents-advocating-aleatory-research-methods-in-new-media-
pedagogy/

C ONFERENCE P RESENTATIONS
Examining the Rhetoric of Civic Engagement in Government Digital Service Design: Case Study of the
Federal Source Code Policys Use of GitHub in a Public Comment Period. IEEE International
Professional Communication Conference. University of Wisconsin. Madison, WI. (July 2017).

When is a Solution Not a Solution?: The Rhetorical Work of Civic Entrepreneurship in Solving Wicked
Problems. Conference on College Composition & Communication. Portland, OR. (March 2017).

Advocating for Users, Engaging Citizens: Analyzing User Experience Research and the Rhetoric of Civic
Engagement in Public Sector Digital Service Design. Association of Teachers of Technical Writing Conference.
Graduate Research Award Presentation. Portland, OR. (March 2017).

Everyday Activism: Writing Centers as Spaces for Sustained Public Engagement. Conference on College
Composition & Communication. Houston, TX. (April 2016).

Bean-Counting Revived & Revisited: Coding Other Responses from the WCRP Survey. IWCA
Collaborative at the Conference on College Composition and Communication. Houston, TX. (April 2016).

Our Civic Responsibilities: Lessons Learned from Teaching Crowdfunding as a Site of Civic Rhetoric.
Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English. Minneapolis, MN. (November 2015).

Lessons from Partnering with an On-Campus LGBTQ Center. International Writing Center Association
Conference. Pittsburgh, PA. (October 2015).

Curating Cultural Participation in Multimedia Webtexts. Computers and Writing Conference. University of
Wisconsin Stout, Menomonie, WI. (May 2015).

Extending Writing Center Infrastructures to Support the Work of Student Activists. East Central Writing
Center Association Conference. University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN. (April 2015).

Preparing Business Writing Consultants for Interdisciplinary Contexts. Council of Programs in Technical and
Scientific Communication Conference. Colorado University Colorado Springs, CO. (September 2014).

Of Databases and Administrators: Starting a Pedagogical Database in a Composition Program. Association of

Teachers of Technical Writing Conference. Indianapolis, IN. (March 2014).

Visualizing Dissent: Analyzing the Role of Posters in the Occupy Movement. Conference on College Composition
& Communication. Las Vegas, NV. (March 2013).
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Composing with Portals: Integrating Games and Play in the FYC Classroom. Conference on College Composition
& Communication Digital Pedagogy Poster Session. Las Vegas, NV. ( March 2013).

Aleatoric Composition: Exploring Accidents of New Media Writing. Being Undisciplined: Interdisciplinary
Graduate Student Conference. University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH. (March 2013).

Game Design and Play as Composition Pedagogy. WIDEEMU (Un)Conference. Michigan State University.
East Lansing, MI. (October 2012).

T EACHING E XPERIENCE
Writing for the Health and Human Sciences (ENGL 422, Purdue University, 1 section fall 2017)
Developed specifically for students in Purdues College of Health and Human Sciences, this upper-level writing
course provides an overview of key genres, rhetorical skills, and ethical debates important to students seeking a
career in medicine. Assignments are built around the different audiences to which health professionals might
write, including patients (health education materials), colleagues (case notes), and other practitioners (in-service
presentations, scientific research posters). Focusing on contextual writing, rather than on generalizable genres,
allows students from diverse backgrounds to adapt what they learn to fit a range of healthcare contexts.

Internship in Professional Writing (ENGL 488, Purdue University, 1 section spring 2017)
This course provides students with a continuous period of on-the-job experience as a writer in a professional
setting, while participating in a weekly seminar in applied rhetoric. The seminar is designed to contribute to
the internship by preparing students for future workplace experiences and by giving them an opportunity to
discuss observations, problems, and accomplishments that arise on the job. The course utilizes a workshop
approach in which students apply theories of workplace writing to their own experiences, share internship
progress and goals during class, and work on a portfolio to develop their identity as future professional writers.

Writing for High-Technology Environments (ENGL 424, Purdue University, 1 section fall 2016)
In this course, students will learn how to create documents that more effectively engage users within high-
technology environments, which can include the workplace, the classroom, the community, and online spaces.
This class will teach students to advocate for needs of diverse users; pose problems, conduct background
research, and design iteratively; collaborate across backgrounds and disciplines; and propose solutions that are
flexible, accessible, and sustainable. Major projects include designing a serious game, writing a grant for a
university technology conference, and conducting accessibility design research for community partners.

Technical Writing Online (ENGL 421Y, Purdue University, 2 sections summer 2016, spring 2017)
This course is a distance learning version of Technical Writing, offered as both a traditional sixteen-week course
and a condensed and accelerated eight-week version during the summer. Taught entirely online using
Blackboard Learn, the course is not self-paced or self-study, but requires students to engage with the instructor
and their peers on issues of writing in technical and scientific contexts.

Technical Writing (ENGL 421, Purdue University, 3 sections fall 2015, spring 2016, fall 2016)
Technical Writing is a course designed for students training for professions that require conciseness, clarity,
and brevity in workplace communication and gives them practical experience producing effective technical
documentation. The technical writer is constantly placed in the challenging position struck between the
inherent messiness of language and the objective ideals of scientific professions; as such, this course focuses on
the role writing must play in mediating purposes of the writer, needs of the audience, and goals of institutions.
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Business Writing (ENGL 420, Purdue University, 2 sections fall 2014, spring 2015)
This course focuses on workplace writing in networked environments for management contexts and emphasizes
organizational context, project planning, document management, ethics, research, and team writing. Genres
include management memos, reports, letters, email, resumes, and presentations. The majority of the course was
spent creating an original crowdfunding campaign, which required students to partner with a community
organization or campus group to identify a need or exigency, conduct primary research, create a crowdfunding
campaign proposal, and then develop the materials for a Kickstarter campaign, including a video, budget, and
accountability statements.

Practicum in Tutoring Business Writing (ENGL 390B, Purdue University, 3 sections fall 2014 to fall 2015)
This course provides undergraduates with theories of individualized instruction and tutoring of writing skills.
Practicum experience is offered in the Writing Lab, tutoring undergraduates enrolled in Business Writing or
Technical Writing and clients working on resumes, cover letters, and statements of purpose. The course is a
prerequisite for applying to work as a Business Writing Consultant in the Writing Lab.

Introductory Composition (ENGL 106, Purdue University, 6 sections fall 2011 to spring 2014)
This course is grounded within textual composition, writing concerns, and rhetorical appeals. Students focus
on questions of access, literacy, play, invention, genre, medium, and fair use. These questions will apply both
to the students themselves and their audiences as they work with both new technology and new digital spaces,
such as games, wikis, blogs, and podcasts. This course does not aim to study digital rhetorics as cultural studies
separate from ourselves, but as the ability to find, interpret, and use information in the digital age.

A CADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
Assistant Director (Purdue Professional Writing Program, fall 2016 present)
Support the Director of Professional Writing and Professional Writing Mentor with training and administrative
responsibilities. In charge of planning, organizing, and supervising annual Professional Writing Showcase.
Liaison between Professional Writing program, graduate TAs, and limited-term lecturers.

Summer Assistant Director (Purdue Writing Lab, summer 2015)

Helped lead the summer Writing Lab staff and tasked with drafting and revising the Writing Labs Annual
Report, which provides an overview of the Labs services, activities, and metrics for the previous year.

Business Writing Coordinator (Purdue Writing Lab, fall 2014 spring 2016)
Taught the required training practicum for all new undergraduate Business Writing Consultants, oversaw
mentoring for returning consultants, served as liaison to the Professional Writing program, and collaborated
with other programs across campus on various projects, workshops, and events.

Graduate Writing Tutor (Purdue Writing Lab, fall 2013 spring 2016)
Provided one-on-one writing consultancies for graduate students, undergraduate students, faculty, and staff,
both online and in-person. Led invited workshops, ESL conversation groups, and tours for writing classes.

Graduate Teaching Assistant (Purdue University Department of English, fall 2011 present)
Taught courses in professional writing, introductory composition, and tutoring in the writing center.
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S ERVICE TO THE F IELD & U NIVERSITY

Purdue Writing Showcase Leadership Committee (fall 2016 present)
Coordinate with Assistant Director of Introductory Composition and Writing Lab-Introductory Composition
Liaison to plan for annual writing program student showcase.

Proposal Reviewer, Association of Teachers of Technical Writing Conference (November 2016)

Read and evaluated conference proposal submissions for the 2017 ATTW Conference.

ESL Conversation Group Leader, Purdue Writing Lab (spring 2015 spring 2016)
Led a weekly discussion group for graduate student and visiting scholars for whom English is not a first
language. Focus on improving confidence, understanding idiomatic expressions, and increasing vocabulary.

Graduate Tutor Hiring Committee, Purdue Writing Lab (fall 2014)

Met several times during the semester to review hiring materials, discuss position needs, deliberate on
applicants, and make hiring decisions for incoming cohort of graduate tutoring assistants.

Coordinator Committee, Purdue Writing Lab (fall 2013 spring 2016)

Convened once a month to provide updates on various events or activities, assist with ongoing projects (such
as the Labs Strategic Plan), and represent the needs and interests of graduate and undergraduate tutors.

Syllabus Approach Leader, Purdue Introductory Composition (fall 2012 spring 2014)
Organized approximately thirty Introductory Composition instructors in the Digital Rhetorics approach and
ensured that changes to policies were understood, syllabi were submitted, and web materials were current.

Introductory Writing Committee, Purdue Introductory Composition (fall 2012 spring 2013)
Served as the representative from the Pedagogical Initiatives Committee. Assigned specific projects (such as
evaluating the program website) and contributed to broad discussions about the Composition program.

Pedagogical Initiatives Committee, Purdue Introductory Composition (fall 2012 spring 2014)
Acted as a representative for instructors in the Digital Rhetoric syllabus approach. Discussed changes to
policies, upcoming mandatory events or training sessions, and procedures for maintaining Approaches.

SELECTED GRADUATE COURSEWORK

Professional and Technical Writing
Professional Writing Theory Patricia Sullivan (fall 2014)
Professional Writing Teaching Practicum Michael Salvo (fall 2014)
Qualitative Research Dwight Atkinson (fall 2014)
Methodological Praxis Patricia Sullivan (fall 2015)

Rhetoric, Technology, and Digital Writing

Computers, Language, and Rhetoric Michael Salvo (fall 2013)
Rhetoric, Games, and Play Samantha Blackmon (spring 2014)
Memory Practices and Technoscience Nathan Johnson (fall 2013)
Gender and Technology Samantha Blackmon (spring 2013)
Visual Rhetoric Michael Salvo (spring 2012)
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Writing Across the Curriculum

WAC + Learning Transfer Bradley Dilger (spring 2015)
Writing Center Theory Harry Denny (spring 2016)
Rhetoric of Access and Disability Michael Salvo (fall 2015)

Required Rhetoric and Composition Courses

Empirical Research in Writing Patricia Sullivan (spring 2015)
Postmodernism and Composition Studies Jennifer Bay (spring 2014)
History of Rhetoric: Classical Period Richard Johnson-Sheehan (spring 2013)
History of Rhetoric: Modern Period Patricia Sullivan (fall 2012)
Introduction to Composition Theory Samantha Blackmon (fall 2011)

WORKSHOPS & INVITED LECTURES

User Research in the Federal Government. Invited lecture for Usability and User Experience. North Dakota
State University. (Upcoming).

Conducting a Qualitative Dissertation in Professional Writing and Experience Architecture. Invited lecture
for Professional Writing Theory. Purdue University. (Upcoming)

Tutoring Veteran Undergraduate Students. Invited lecture for Accelerated First Year Composition at Purdue
University. (January 2016).

Introduction to the Purdue OWL for Non-Traditional Students. Invited workshop for Purdue Polytechnic.
Purdue Polytechnic Lafayette at Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., Lafayette, IN. (August 2015).

Writing Effective Cover Letters. Invited workshop for the Krannert School of Businesss Masters program.
Purdue University. (August 2015 and August 2016).

Writing Scientific Proposals and Abstracts. Invited workshop for the Purdue Language and Cultural
Exchange program. Purdue University. (July 2015).

Business Writing for Administrative Professionals. Invited workshop for Purdue Clerical and Administrative
Assistants Mentoring program. Purdue University. (October 2014 and April 2015).

Designing Academic Posters. Invited workshop for the Undergraduate Research Internship program. Purdue
University. (March 2014).

Teaching Podcasts & Audio Assignments. Invited workshop for the Purdue Introductory Composition
program. Purdue University. (October 2013).

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Association of Teachers of Technical Writing
Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication
IEEE Professional Communication Society
Conference on College Composition and Communication
National Council of Teachers of English
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RECOMMENDATIONS
Michael Salvo, Associate Professor of English, Purdue University
Director, Professional and Technical Writing Program
301B Heavilon Hall, 500 Oval Dr., West Lafayette, IN 47907
salvo@purdue.edu | (765) 494-4425

Patricia Sullivan, Professor of English, Purdue University

Director, Rhetoric and Composition Graduate Program
401 Heavilon Hall, 500 Oval Dr., West Lafayette, IN 47907
sullivanatpurdue@gmail.com | (765) 494-3768

Bradley Dilger, Associate Professor of English, Purdue University

Director, Introduction Composition Program
303B Heavilon Hall, 500 Oval Dr., West Lafayette, IN 47907
dilger@purdue.edu | (309) 259-0328