S. David Grover

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Curriculum Vita

You can view my curriculum vita and resumé by clicking the images below, or scroll down to see my CV in webtext form (with useful links and additional details).

my CV

Curriculum Vita

my resume

Resumé

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Education

PhD in Technical Communication and Rhetoric

Texas Tech University

2017

Preparing Graduate Teaching Assistants to Teach Writing Online:
A Nationwide Assessment of Research and Practice

Committee

Kelli Cargile Cook, chair

Susan Lang

Rebecca Rickly

Abstract   

In the absence of any widespread assessment to determine how much and what kind of online writing instruction (OWI)-focused teacher preparation is being offered to graduate teaching assistants, this dissertation presents the results of an empirical, mixed-methods study that maps the field’s current research and practice and then interrogates that map to identify paths for better meeting the needs of the field’s stakeholders. The study’s first phase employs a content analysis of the professional literature and finds that research into OWI preparation is minimal and dominated by too few voices, while the second phase reports on the results of an online questionnaire focused on local OWI preparation program practice and finds that OWI preparation is only sparsely practiced nationwide. The final phase synthesizes these results and provides WPAs a heuristic for the design and evaluation of OWI preparation programs.

Selected Coursework

  • Technical Editing
  • Writing Program Assessment
  • Research Methods
  • Instructional Development and Design
  • Accessible Rhetoric: Web Accessibility and Disability Studies
  • Rhetoric of Scientific Literature
  • Teacher Training

MA in English

Creative nonfiction emphasis

Ohio University

2009

Journey to the East: Essays

Committee

Dinty Moore, chair

Janis Holm

Nicole Reynolds

Abstract   

This thesis is a collection of seven personal essays written by the author and headed by a critical introduction. The introduction presents a common theme among the essays—that they represent a “journey to the East”—and points out the function of memory in the essays and the necessity for some distance between the speaker and the protagonist in each, even though those two may in fact be the same person. Such distance, the author claims, allows valuable discoveries to be made and justifies an otherwise purely egotistical venture. The introduction also expresses the author’s desire that his essays promote empathy—between author and reader, between reader and the world, and between the reader and the reader’s self.

BA in English, with honors

Minor in Korean

Brigham Young University

2007

To Point B: Essays

Advisor

Patrick Madden

Abstract   

This capstone project is a collection of five personal essays prefaced by a critical introduction. The introduction analyzes the nature of the essay as record of the writer’s thoughts and explorations in a given topic or memory. It points out that in an essay, as in life, the end of the journey is rarely known at the outset. Additionally, the introduction records the actual writing of this project, the difficulties and successes experienced by the writer. The essays themselves are on a variety of topics, as evidenced by the titles.

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Enabling Instructor Presence for Non-Designer Instructors: Using Page-Level Course Design to Improve Student Satisfaction and Success

Quarterly Review of Distance Education 25(2)

S. D. Grover, G. Lester, & H. A. Johnson

Learning to Incorporate Source Material with a Full Menu of Options: Developing a Discrete Skill in Isolation

Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Activities & Assignments Archive

S. D. Grover

Immersion, Reflection, Failure: Teaching Graduate Students to Teach Writing Online

Technical Communication Quarterly, 26(3), 242–255, 2017

S. D. Grover, K. Cargile Cook, H. Skurat Harris, & K. E. DePew

The Bedford Bibliography of Research in Online Writing Instruction

Bedford/St. Martin’s online resource, 2017

H. Skurat Harris, et al. (eds.), S. D. Grover (contributor)

Bridges of Friendship: The Richard L. Evans Chair for Religious Understanding

The Religious Educator, 9(2), 61–72, 2008

Open Educational Resources

Grover's English

S. D. Grover (ed.)

Grover's English is a repository of articles and resources related to writing instruction as well as general student advice, composed primarily with university students in mind. As of Fall 2024, the site contains over 40 articles and videos, comprising over 75,000 words and several hours of video content.

Creative Writing

Mixed Blessings

Euphony, 11(1), 24–32, 2011

The Missionary

Irreantum, 12(1), 93–114, 2010 Eugene England Essay Contest honorable mention

Sing, Dear Gemini

Black and White, 3, 2010

On Trembling

Artful Dodge, 48/49, 2009 AWP Intro Journal Award

Second Coming

JuiceBox, 2, 2008

Name

Inscape, 26(1), 2007

Fair Exchange

Insight: BYU Honors Magazine, 2007

Other

The Journalism Continuum

Inspiring Change: Advanced Writing and Research (textbook), BYU–Idaho, 2018

Interview with Scott Russell Sanders

River Teeth, 9(1), 87–98, 2007

P. M. Madden, et al.

Presentations

Academic Conference Presentations

Beyond Simple Compliance: Using Design Principles to Enable NDIs to Establish an Authentic Instructor Presence

ATTW Annual Conference, online, 2023

S. D. Grover, G. Lester, & H. A. Johnson

The Two-Thirds Slump: Helping Students Regain Hope by Reframing Their Expectations

CCCC Annual Convention, Chicago, IL, 2023

S. D. Grover & E. N. Gilliland Grover

No More Kids’ Menu: Helping Students Realistically Incorporate Source Material

CCCC Annual Convention, online, 2021

#working: Using Slack to Extend the Online Classroom and Increase Accessible Interactions

Enhancing Teaching & Learning Conference, KC Professional Development Council, online, 2021

Teacher 2 Teacher presentation (cancelled due to COVID)

CCCC Annual Convention, Milwaukee, WI, 2020

Good Guys, Not Goblins: Teaching Multiple Documentation Styles for Greater Understanding

CCCC Annual Convention, Pittsburgh, PA, 2019

Ethos in Cook’s Illustrated: An Examination of Rhetoric in Recipe Writing

Symposium on Applied Rhetoric, Provo, UT, 2018

The Current Event Coverage Report: A Synthesis Assignment

CCCC Annual Convention, Kansas City, MO, 2018

At the Crossroads: How We Prepare Graduate Students to Teach Writing Online

GSOLE Online Conference, 2018

Preparing Graduate Students for Excellence in the Online Classroom: A Heuristic for Augmenting Existing Teacher Preparation

CWPA Conference, Knoxville, TN, 2017

How and How Much? The Need for Online Writing Instruction Preparation for Graduate Teaching Assistants

CCCC Annual Convention, Houston, TX, 2016

Choose Your Own Adventure: Agency as Constitutive Rhetorical Vision in Web 2.0

Rhetoric Society of America Conference, San Antonio, TX, 2014

NonfictionWow: An Audience-Participation Game Show

NonfictioNow, Iowa City, IA, 2010

P. Madden, S. D. Grover, A. L. Scott, J. Franklin, D. W. Moore, & M. Martone

The Long and Short Of It: The Evolving Shapes of Creative Nonfiction

AWP Conference, Denver, CO, 2010

Workshops, Seminars, & Public Presentations

Just-in-Time Professional Development for Online Adjuncts

OWI Community Symposium, online, 2024

Beyond the Discussion Board

ParkWrites seminar, online, 2024

Using Course Design to Enable Instructor Presence for Non-Designer Instructors

Faculty Center for Innovation Fellowship Shareout, Park University, Parkville, MO, 2023

Blurring the Edges: Using Slack to Enable and Extend Class Interactions

Global Society of Literacy Educators Webinar Series, online, 2023

I Know What Not to Do But Not How to Do It: Teaching Source Incorporation to Help Students Avoid Plagiarism

Professional Development Workshop, Park University, Parkville, MO, 2022

S. D. Grover & A. Mecklenburg-Faenger

Lock and Key: Resumes for Work and College

Deep Dives Program, Notre Dame de Sion High School, Kansas City, MO, 2022

S. D. Grover & E. N. Gilliland Grover

Designing an Online Course: Pedagogical Principles to Guide Your Actions

Blended Learning: Preparing for Fall and Beyond, Park University, Parkville, MO, 2020

Angles of Deflection, Degrees Of Separation: Toward More Natural Interactions in Hybrid Classrooms

Faculty Center for Innovation Faculty Dialogues Series, Park University, Parkville, MO, 2020

“They seek him here, they seek him there—those Frenchies seek him everywhere": Superheroes, Fops, and Secret Disguises in Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel

Madison County Library, Rexburg, ID, 2019

S. D. Grover & E. N. Gilliland Grover

The Current Event Coverage Report: A Synthesis Assignment

Professional Development Workshop, BYU–Idaho, Rexburg, ID, 2018

Understanding Graduate School Options in Literature, Rhetoric and Composition, Technical Communication, and Creative Writing

Pre-Professional Conference, BYU–Idaho, Rexburg, ID, 2016

S. D. Grover, S. Meeks, & J. Franklin

Former Graduate Student Q&A

Pre-Professional Conference, BYU–Idaho, Rexburg, ID, 2009

S. D. Grover & E. N. Gilliland Grover

Grad School Q&A

English Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 2008

Author Readings

English Department Faculty Reading Series

Brigham Young University–Idaho, Rexburg, ID, 2018

Dogwood Bloom Reading Series

Ohio University, Athens, OH, 2009

English Department Reading Series

Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 2007

Teaching Experience

Park University

Assistant Professor: 2019–present

  • English 105: Critical Reading, Writing, and Thinking Across Contexts
  • English 106: Academic Research and Writing
  • English 204: Writing for Online Environments
  • English 205: Introduction to English Studies
  • English 207: Professional and Technical Editing
  • English 304: Special Topics in Writing and Rhetoric
  • English 306A: Scientific and Technical Writing
  • English 306B: Business Communication
  • English 307: Professional Writing in English Studies
  • English 384: Professional Experience in English
  • English 485: Senior Portfolio
  • English 490: Capstone Seminar
  • Lib Ed 100: First-Year Seminar

Brigham Young University–Idaho

Adjunct Instructor: 2009–2010, 2015–present

Online Adjunct Instructor: 2010–2014

  • Foundations of English 101: Writing and Reasoning
  • Foundations of English 301: Advanced Writing and Critical Reading
  • English 252: Fundamentals of Research and Presentation

Texas Tech University

Full-time Lecturer: 2010–2011

Graduate Part-time Instructor: 2012–2014

Online Adjunct: 2015–2017

  • English 1301: Essentials of College Rhetoric
  • English 1302: Advanced College Rhetoric
  • English 2311: Introduction to Technical Writing

Ohio University

Graduate Teaching Assistant: 2007–2009

  • English 151: Writing and Rhetoric I
  • English 308J: Writing and Rhetoric II

Academic Service

Service to the Field

CCCC Online Writing Instruction Standing Group, member

2023–present

Peer Review Board, InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching

2020–present

AP English and Composition Language Exam, reader

2010–present

Association of Mormon Letters Awards, creative nonfiction judge

2016

Service to the University

Park University

Title IX, Investigator

2021–present

Program Coordinator: First-Year Writing

2021–present

Liberal Education Subcommittee, member (3 terms)

2020–present

Independent Pathway Development Review Team, member

2022–present

Course Developer, various courses

2019–present

Student Persistence and Completion Committee, member

2023–2024

Professional and Technical Writing Course Coordinator

2019–2024

Independent Pathway Development Review Team, member

2022–2023

Ad Hoc Senate Committee for LE Reform, member

2020–2023

Social Media Coordinator, Department of English and Modern Languages

2019–2023

Rapid Summer Development Faculty Review Team, member

2020

“Blended Learning: Preparing for Fall and Beyond,” faculty seminar organizer

2020

Brigham Young University–Idaho

Book History Field Trip, organizer

2018

Visiting author David Wanczyk reading and class visits, organizer

2018

Jane Austen Yule Ball, contributor

2016–2017

Foundations of English 301 Assessment Committee, member

2015–2017

Service to the Community

Editor (pro bono), job and school applications

2010–present

Additional Relevant Experience

(Click for details)

, 2011–present

As a freelance technical editor, I've worked on some major projects including dissertations in accounting and linguistics, an NIH grant proposal, and a proposal for a $30M construction project to benefit a remote Alaskan community endangered by global warming. I'm currently working with a tabletop game company on ensuring the instructions and materials for their upcoming release are clear and correct. As a self-employed technical editor, I engage in the following activities:

  • I work with my clients to set clear expectations of the proposed work, timeline, and payment, agreed upon in a carefully worded editing agreement. I use the concept of levels of editing both to communicate with the client about what needs to be done and to save the client time and money.
  • I provide consistent updates of my progress and involve the client in editing decisions, and I compile a stylesheet for each job to ensure consistency and to save the client time on future projects.
  • I keep a detailed work record to show the client exactly what I'm doing and when.

In addition to the standard tasks of substantive editing, copyediting, and proofreading, I have taken on jobs that call for expertise in document design, so I have become skilled at Adobe InDesign and have developed as a typographer and visual designer.

Visit my freelance editing website, Grover’s Editing, for more details.

, Texas Tech University Writing Center, 2011–2012

During my doctoral program I spent several semesters working as a tutor at the University Writing Center (UWC). Under Kathy Gillis's leadership, the UWC specializes in working with EFL students, an important mission since TTU has been designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and attracts many international students to its petroleum engineering program, among others. As a tutor, I developed my skills working one-on-one with both undergraduate and graduate students and their writing — a great counterpoint to working collectively with students in a classroom. Additionally, I received training in and gained experience with online tutoring.

, Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction, 2008–2010

As a master's student, I worked as the managing editor of Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction, one of the best known literary magazines devoted to creative nonfiction. Founded by Dinty W. Moore, Brevity has weathered the turbulent literary publishing scene for nearly two decades. As managing editor, I oversaw the submission and acceptance process, and I also worked with accepted authors to hone their brief essays for publication. I also presented on my experience and insight as an editor at the 2010 AWP Conference in Denver.

, BYU Religious Studies Center, 2006–2007

As an undergraduate, I completed an internship with and then continued to work for the Religious Studies Center, the publishing arm of BYU's School of Religious Education, where I became familiar with scholarly editing, professional printing, and group editorial processes. I worked as part of a team of copy editors, typesetters, research assistants, and senior editors as we guided manuscripts from acceptance and review to fact-checking, editing for clarity, and proofreading and on through typesetting, galley-proofing, and publication. During my time with the RSC, I worked on monographs, anthologies, scholarly editions of historical texts, and an academic journal, The Religious Educator. I was even asked to research and write an article for the journal detailing the history of an endowed chair at the university, noted above under Publications.

(peer mentor), Brigham Young University, 2005–2007

The BYU Writing Fellows program promotes writing across the curriculum and writing in the disciplines by pairing peer mentors with students in courses that are typically not writing intensive and by working with the instructors of those courses to design better writing assignments and assessments. As a fellow, I peer mentored thirteen to sixteen students each semester on two major writing assignments each. For each assignment, that included written feedback to each student's first draft and a subsequent 20-minute face-to-face meeting to discuss further revisions. As a senior fellow, I also coordinated my team's interaction with the course instructor and worked closely with program administrators to fulfill the objectives of the program. Additionally, I researched and delivered presentations on peer mentoring-related topics during regular program workshops.

, BYU Student Association, 2004–2006

As the concert series program manager for two years, I was responsible for overseeing the organization and production of two major on-campus concerts, each one a two-night event with multiple artists. I volunteered hundreds of hours of my time to ensure the success of the events by completing the following:

  • Each year, I recruited, trained, and coordinated a small team of assistant program managers who in turn were responsible for coordinating dozens of student volunteers leading up to and on the days of the events.
  • I worked with campus offices and officials to secure permissions, venues, and artist accommodations.
  • I personally liaised with the professional musicians and their agents, managing the negotiations and signing of their contracts.
  • With my assistant program manager for publicity, I oversaw campus-wide advertising campaigns that involved posters, flyers, and promotions.
  • I was personally responsible and had to account for the use of over $24,000 of school funds.

When I took on the position, the yearly concert was a one-off, but my team's goal was to prove that a concert series was financially and practically possible. In addition to planning our events, we kept detailed records and put in place protocols that would enable future organizers to save time and effort. We were successful in creating an ongoing concert series of several shows each year.

Concert Poster

, Boy Scouts of America, 1995

As a teenager I was involved with Boy Scouts and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Over seven years of activity I performed hundreds of hours of service projects and took on various leadership positions. I also completed week-long specialized leadership training camps — Junior Leader Training Conference (JLTC) at the regional level and National Junior Leader Instructor Camp (NJLIC) at the national level — and later twice staffed my region's JLTC. As an adult I spend a year as an assistant scout master.

Honors and Awards

  • Park University Faculty Newcomer of the Year Award, 2015
  • Helen DeVitt Jones Part-Time Graduate Fellowship, 2015
  • Charlotte and Eugene England Personal Essay Contest, honorable mention, 2009
  • Intro Journal Award, AWP 2006
  • Robert Thomas Honors Scholarship, 2006
  • Elsie C. Carroll Informal Essay Contest, first place, 2006
  • Edwin M. and Dessie W. Thomas Award for Excellence, 2006
  • BYU ORCA Mentoring Grant, 2005
  • BYU Honors Program Scholarship, 2005
  • Robert K. Franklin Scholarship, 2005–2006
  • George H. Brimhall Essay Contest, second place, 2005
  • BYU Korean Speech Contest, first place, 2004

Fellowships

Faculty Center for Innovation Scholarship Fellow

Park University, 2022–2023

Grants

Faculty Development Endowed Funds Grant, Park University, 2024

Amount: $650

Use: Purchase books for scholarly research project

Curricular Exploration Grant, Park University Faculty Center for Innovation, 2024

Amount: $1,000

Use: HFund independent research, planning retreats, and focus groups leading to first-year writing course sequence redevelopment

Faculty Development Endowed Funds Grant, Park University, 2021

Amount: $4,068.85

Use: Hire editorial interns, purchase computer hardware, enroll in Codecademy

Faculty Development Endowed Funds Grant, Park University, 2019

Amount: $712.44

Use: Purchase professional and technical writing reference books

Professional Affiliations

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