Robert E. Cummings

Education

University of Georgia. Ph.D. English, 2006.
Areas of Concentration: Rhetoric and Composition, Twentieth-Century American Literature, Literature of the American South.

University of Mississippi. M.A. English, 1999.
Thesis: Seven Facets of One Field: Land, Ownership, and Identity in Faulkner's Go Down, Moses.

University of Tennessee. B.A. English (Technical Writing), 1990.

Academic Positions

2007– present
Assistant Professor of English, Director of First-Year Composition, and QEP Writing Specialist.
Columbus State University.

2006 – 2007
Assistant Professor of English and Director of First-Year Composition.
Columbus State University.

2004 – 2006
Assistant Director. First-Year Composition Program.
University of Georgia. Athens, Georgia.

Publications

Book

Lazy Virtues: Teaching Writing in the Age of Wikipedia. Vanderbilt University Press: 2009.


Co-Edited Book

Wiki Writing: Collaborative Learning in the College Classroom. Ed. Robert E. Cummings and Matt Barton. digitalculturebooks (an imprint of University of Michigan Press): 2008.


Journal Articles

“Reflection, Revision, and Assessment in First-year Composition ePortfolios.” (with Christy Desmet, Deborah Church Miller, June Griffin and Ron Balthazor). JGE: The Journal of General Education 57.1 (2008): 15-30.

“Coding with Power: Toward a Rhetoric of Computer Coding and Composition.” Computers and Composition 23.4 (December 2006): 430-43.

“Writing (with) XML.” (with Ron Balthazor, Christy Desmet, Alexis Hart, and Angela Mitchell). Readerly/Writerly Texts. 11.1/2 and 12.1/2 (2005): 29-46.

“<emma>: Re-forming Composition with XML.” Literary and Linguistic Computing (with Christy Desmet, Ron Balthazor, Alexis Hart, Nelson Hilton, and Angela Mitchell). 20 (Suppl 1 2005): 25-46.

“Thoreau’s Divide: Rediscovering the Environmental Activist / Agriculturalist Debate in Walden’s ‘Baker Farm.’” Nineteenth-Century Prose. 31.2 (Fall 2004): 206-229.


Chapters in Books

“What Was a Wiki, and Why Do I Care? A Short and Usable History of Wikis.” Wiki Writing: Collaborative Learning in the College Classroom. digitalculturebooks (an imprint of University of Michigan Press): 2008. 1-16.

“Re-visioning Revision with ePortfolios in the University of Georgia First-year Composition Program” (with Christy Desmet, June Griffin, Deborah Church Miller, and Ron Balthazor). Electronic Portfolios 2.0: Emergent Research on Implementation and Impact. Ed. Darren Cambridge, Barbara Cambridge, and Kathleen Blake Yancey. Stylus Publishing, 2008.

 “Performing the Personal in On-Line Writing Classes” (with Christy Desmet, Alexis Hart, and William Findlay). Role Play: Distance Education and the Teaching of English  Ed. Jonathan Alexander and Marcia Dickson. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 2006. 21-45.

“Student-Teacher Conferencing and the Graduate Instructor: Searching for Balance and Style in Conferencing Pedagogy.” In Our Own Voice: Graduate Students Teach Writing. Ed. Tina Lavonne Good and Leanne B. Warshauer. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000. 212-220.


Reprints

“Thoreau’s Divide: Rediscovering the Environmental Activist / Agriculturalist Debate in Walden’s ‘Baker Farm.’” In More Day to Dawn: Thoreau’s Walden for the Twenty-first Century. Ed. Sandra Harbert Petrulionis and Laura Dassow Walls. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2007. 189-210.


Encyclopedia Entries

“John Maynard Keynes,” “Andrew Marvell,” “John Stuart Mill,” “Adam Smith.” Encyclopedia of British Literature. Ed. Steven R. Serafin. New York: Continuum, 2003.

“Charles [Bernard] Nordhoff, ” “José Antonio Villarreal, ” “William T. Vollmann.” Encyclopedia of American Literature. Ed. Steven R. Serafin. New York: Continuum, 1999.


Notes, Abstracts, Reports

“Negotiating the Teaching-Assessment Cycle in Writing Programs with XML.” (with Christy Desmet). E-Learn 2004 Conference Proceedings (2004): 274-79.

“<emma>: Electronic Markup and Management Application” Online Proceedings for Rock Eagle 2003: University System of Georgia Annual Computing Conference (2003).

“<emma>: English Markup and Management Application” (with Ron Balthazor, Christy Desmet, Alexis Hart, and Angela Mitchell). In Proceedings that Matter: A Collection of Papers Presented at the Inaugural Teaching Matters Conference, Gordon College (2003): 45-62.

“<emma>: Reforming Composition with XML; <emma> at Work in the Writing Classroom.” ALLC/ACH Conference Abstracts (2003): 23-25.

Teaching experience

Columbus State University

English 1101: First-Year Composition. Fall 2006, Fall 2008.

English 1102: First-Year Composition. Spring, Summer 2007.

English 3157: Advanced Exposition. Fall, Spring, Summer 2007.

English 3166: Composition Theory. Spring 2007.

English 5585: William Faulkner. Summer 2007.

English 3176: The Electronic Writer. Fall 2008.

English 5585: Cormac McCarthy. Spring 2008.


University of Georgia

English Composition 1101.
“Writing for College and the Commons-Based Peer Production Environment.” Fall 2005.

English 3600: Advanced Composition.
“Letter from Birmingham Jail Project: Ethics, Rhetorics, and Southern Culture -- Wired.” Summer 2005.

English Composition 1102. Spring 2005.

English 2340: American Literature Since 1865. Spring 2005.

English Composition 1101.
“Aristotle, Machines, and Machine Languages: Learning to Write for High-Stakes Environments.” Fall 2004.

English Composition 1101.
“Aristotle, Machines, and Machine Languages: Writing for the College Audience and Beyond.” Summer 2004.

English Composition 1102.
“Invisible (Wo)Men Writing: Individual and Collaborative Writing for Literary Projects.” Spring 2004.

English Composition 1101:
“What if Aristotle Had Had a Computer? Learning to Write for College and a Machine: XML and First- Year Composition.” Fall 2003. University of Georgia, Oglethorpe House Computer Lab.

English Composition 1102.
Spring 2003. University of Georgia, Oglethorpe House Computer Lab.

English Composition 1101.
Fall 2002. University of Georgia (Pilot class for UGA XML software application).

English Composition 1102 Online (Synchronous online MOO environment).
Spring 2002. University of Georgia.

English Composition 1101 Online (Synchronous online MOO environment).
Fall 2001. University of Georgia.

English Composition 1102. Spring 2001. University of Georgia.

English Composition 1101. Fall 2000. University of Georgia.


Anna Maria College

Introduction to Southern Literature. Summer 2000. Anna Maria College.

Reading and Writing Argument. 1999 - 2000. Anna Maria College.


Franklin Pierce College

College Writing II. Spring 1999. Franklin Pierce College.

College Writing I. Fall 1998. Franklin Pierce College.


University of Mississippi

English Composition 102. Spring 1998. University of Mississippi.

English Composition 102. Fall 1997. University of Mississippi.

Grants and Awards

CSU Online Course Development Grant:
For Development of English 1101 and 1102 Synchronous Online Courses. 2008. ($3000)

Phi Kappa Phi. Columbus State University.

Kairos/LoreTA/Adjunct Award For Excellence in Teaching Writing with Computers. 2004.

University of Georgia Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award. 2004.

Computers and Writing / Graduate Research Network Travel Award. 2004.

University of Georgia Graduate School Travel Award. 2004.

Conference Presentations

Invited Speaker: Campus Technology 2008. “Avoid a Wiki Wasteland: Learn How Wikis Work in Higher Education.” Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston, Massachusetts, July 2008.

Invited Speaker: Computers and Writing 2008 Opening Town Hall Forum Moderator. “Open Source Format Wars.” University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, May 2008.

“Does Collaborative Writing Sacrifice Style? An Inquiry into the Readability of Wikipedia Pages.” Computers and Writing 2007, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, May 2007.

“Open Source Chewing Gum.” Panel Title: Open Source is Ready and Waiting for Composition. Panelists: Jim Brown, Charles Lowe, Judith Kirkpatrick. The Fifty-Eighth Annual Conference on College Composition and Communication. New York, New York. March 21-24, 2007.

“Shallow Play: Notes on a Social Network.” Panel Title: Improving ePortfolio Assessment and Design: What Can We Learn from Myspace and Facebook? Panelists: Robert Cummings, Darren Cambridge, Michael Day, Todd Vanek and Kathleen Blake Yancey. The 2006 Assessment Institute. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.  October 29-31, 2006.

“Where Do We Go from Here? Developing Wikis for the Classroom and the Academy.” Computers and Writing 2005, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, June 2005.

Invited Speaker: “Town Hall I: Open Source Opens Thinking.” Computers and Writing 2005, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, June 2005.

“Instructor Reactions to Teaching with a New Rubric.” Panel title: Transitions: Re-envisioning First-year Composition Ethos with an Assessment-Friendly Grading Rubric. Panelists: Alexis Hart, Deb Miller, and Ron Balthazor. 7th Annual Student Success in First-Year Composition Conference, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia, February 2005.

“Negotiating the Teaching-Assessment Cycle in Writing Programs with XML.” By Proxy. With Christy Desmet. E-Learn. Washington, D.C. November 2004.

“Teaching First-Year Composition with Computer Programming Languages: XML and <emma>.” Panel title: New Developments in Reading and Writing with <emma>. With Ronald Balthazor, Christy Desmet, and Alexis Hart. Computers and Writing 2004, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, June 2004.

“Revisioning Composition with XML and <emma>. A Day-Long Workshop Teaching the Fundamentals of XML and Examining the Impact of Markup Languages on Composition.” With Ronald Balthazor, Christy Desmet, and Alexis Hart. Computers and Writing 2004, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, June 2004.

“The Machine as Reader: How (and Why) to Put Coding at the Heart of the Composition Classroom.” Conference on College Composition and Communication. The NCTE/CCCC Mobile Technology Center Computer Connection. San Antonio, Texas, March 24–27, 2004.

“From Analysis and Composing to Publication with <emma>.” With Ron Balthazor, Anita DeRouen, Christy Desmet, and Alexis Hart. Sixth Annual Student Success in First-Year Composition Conference. Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia, February 6, 2004.

“<emma> at Work in the Writing Classroom.” Panel Title: Re-forming Composition with XML. With Nelson Hilton, Ron Balthazor, Alexis Hart, Angela Mitchell and Christy Desmet. Association for Computing in the Humanities/Association for Literary and Linguistic Computing Conference. University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, May-June 2003.

“<emma>: From Composing Markup to Marking Up Compositions.” With Christy Desmet, Alexis Hart, Ron Balthazor, and Angela Mitchell. Computers and Writing 2003, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, May 2003. By Proxy.

“Pedagogical Applications for <emma>.” Panel title: Re-markable Texts: Transforming Student Writing with EMMA. Panelists: Ron Balthazor, Christy Desmet, Alexis Hart, and Angela Mitchell. Teaching Matters. Gordon College, Barnesville, Georgia, March 2003.

“Ingrid Bergman, Joan of Arc, and The Role of the Immigrant in the Short Stories of Langston Hughes.” Twentieth-Century Literature Conference. University of Louisville. February 27, 28 & March 1, 2003.

“White and Trash in Contemporary Southern Literature.” Southern Writers, Southern Writing Graduate Conference. University of Mississippi. July 17 - 20, 2002.

Invited Panelist: “What Are We Doing Here Anyway? A Discussion on the Future of Scholarship in Southern Literature.” Southern Writers, Southern Writing Graduate Conference. University of Mississippi. July 17 - 20, 2002.

“Who is the (Institutional) Subject of On-Line Education?” A Roundtable Discussion. With Christy Desmet and Alexis Hart. Computers and Writing 2002. Illinois State University. May 16 - 19, 2002.

“Faulkner's Go Down, Moses: Joining ‘Pantaloon in Black’ to ‘Delta Autumn.’” “Coming Nearer the Ground”: An Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment Symposium on the South. University of Mississippi. October 24-27, 2001.

“The Pastoral Matriarch: Self-Construction of O'Connor's Female Land Owners.” A Flannery O'Connor Roundtable: Problems and New Approaches in O'Connor Studies. Convention of the Northeast Modern Language Association. Buffalo, New York. April 7-8, 2000.

“The Curious Seam of John Crowe Ransom.” Southern Writers, Southern Writing Graduate Conference. University of Mississippi. July 1997.

Department, University, and System level Presentations

 “Teaching in the Synchronous Online Environment” Simon Schwob Memorial Library Faculty Development Forum on Distance Education. Columbus State University. September 23, 2008.

“Principles of Storytelling for Computer Game Programming.” Computer Science 3175: Object-Oriented Design. Columbus State University. April 4, 2008.

“Let’s Make Our Work in FYC Transparent.” University System of Georgia Board of Regents Advisory Committee on English. Kennesaw State University. January 25, 2008.

“Evaluating Levels of Cognition in FYC Writing.” Georgia State University Assessment Symposium. Georgia State University. October 26, 2007.

“Mentors and Writers: Our Institutional Capacity for Change.” VPAA Faculty Forum on College Teaching. Columbus State University. April 12, 2007.

“Using ePortfolios Effectively for Learner-Centered Assessment.” Invited Speaker for POSSE Book Study Group. Columbus State University. February 23, 2007.

“Open Writing: Wikis, Commons-Based Peer Production, and the Composition Classroom.” Invited Speaker for UGA Main Library. University of Georgia. July 14, 2005.

“Open Writing: Wikis, Commons-Based Peer Production, and the Composition Classroom.” Invited Speaker for Office of Instructional Support and Development's Distance Education Interest Group. University of Georgia. May 26, 2005.

WAC, WID, and Quality Enhancement Plan Program Creation, Workshops, and Presentations

“A Faculty Writing Workshop with Nancy Sommers.” Columbus State University. October 7, 2008.

“Developing and Evaluating Writing Rubrics for Nursing – A Workshop.” CSU Nursing Strategic Planning Retreat. Columbus State University. September 14, 2007.

“QEP AY 06-07 Progress: Collection of Baseline Data for FYC Writers.” Academic Affairs Planning Retreat. Columbus State University. July 31, 2007.

First Annual Celebration of Student Writing. Columbus State University. April 13, 2007.

Academic Service

Co-creator (with Christy Desmet and Ron Balthazor) of Georgia E-portfolio Consortium, a consortium of first-year composition programs across the University System of Georgia promoting the use of electronic portfolios for teaching and assessment (2007).

Chairperson. NCTE/CCCC Computer Connection Session M. The Fifty-Eighth Annual Conference on College Composition and Communication. New York, New York. March 24, 2007.

Representative and Researcher for the UGA Department of English on the National Coalition for the Development of Electronic Portfolios, 2005 - present.

Free and Open Source Software Position Statement for NCTE/CCCC. Drafting Group Member.

Member, <emma> Software Development Team at UGA (part of a FY2001 Learning Technologies Grant) 2001-2006.

References

Available upon request.