What We Do
CITRAL is a research hub that promotes and supports inclusive, equitable, and just teaching and learning. We collaborate with others to systematically study teaching and learning and develop evidence-based programs and innovations across campus. CITRAL's activities put into practice UCSB Teaching and Learning Initiatives' Collaborative Principles.
CITRAL is a collaboration between the UC Santa Barbara Office of Undergraduate Education and the UCSB Library.
For more information about any of our programs, please contact us.
Our Team
- Associate Vice Chancellor of Teaching and Learning; Faculty Director; Professor
- Writing Studies
I'm the Faculty Director of CITRAL. I am also Professor of Writing Studies and Associate Vice Chancellor of Teaching and Learning at UC Santa Barbara. I've been a writing teacher for more than 30 years, teaching undergraduate courses like first year writing (aka freshman composition) and writing and civic engagement and graduate courses on writing theory, practice, and assessment. Most recently, I've focused on working with faculty learners on studying their disciplines and creating more equitable, inclusive, and just teaching and learning. In all of these roles I work with faculty and students to study structures and practices associated with knowledge-making (like writing!), and to make those practices more accessible. I do all of this because I'm passionate about creating inclusive and equitable structures and activities for learners and teachers.
My interests in knowledge-making, teaching, and learning are also reflected in my research. The primary audiences for this work are other faculty members in my discipline of writing studies/composition and rhetoric and academic administrators; some of my work also circulates among people interested in teaching and learning across disciplines. I'm author, co-author, or co-editor of 11 books and more than 55 articles and book chapters, including Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies and (Re)Considering What We Know: Learning Thresholds in Writing, Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy. I regularly consult/conduct talks and workshops for faculty, administrators, and others around the country on issues related to writing, learning, and professional/faculty development.
At UCSB, I've been Director of the UC Santa Barbara Writing Program and co-Interim Co-Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education in the College of Letters and Science at UCSB. I'm also the past chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication; a member of the National Council of Teachers of English Executive Committee, and a Past President of the Council of Writing Program Administrators. In these roles I've worked with writing and literacy teachers/faculty pre-K through graduate school on research, policy, pedaogy, and initiatives to support literacy educators and learners around the country and the world. To read more about my professional work, feel free to view the CV attached to this profile.
When I'm not writing, reading, or working with faculty colleagues, I spend time cycling and being outdoors as much as possible.
- Associate Director
I am the Associate Director at the Center for Innovative Teaching, Research, and Learning at the University of California Santa Barbara. I am involved in projects that explore the role of pedagogical innovations on students’ sense of belonging in large universities. My research focuses on the intersection of student academic and social experiences within the context of R1 institutions. I am also the project director for UCSB’s ECoach project, where I work with faculty members and students across the university to contribute to the development of successful learning behaviors of undergraduate students in large gateway courses. I collaborate with faculty across STEM, Social Sciences, and Humanities to develop and implement low-stakes class assignments that foster inclusive learning experiences for students. I received my Ph.D. from the Department of Political Science at the University of California Santa Barbara. My research in Political Science focused on the role of university experiences on the political attitudes of ethnic minority students in Latvia and Kazakhstan.
Throughout my time at UCSB, I have participated in the development of program assessment for graduate and undergraduate programs. My work with the undergraduate assessment program has extended to my research on student learning. I am the co-author of “When are we ever going to have to use this?” Discussing Programmatic Learning Outcomes in the Classroom,” published in the Journal of Political Science Education.
In my free time, I spend my days either wandering through art museums or chasing after my dog on the beach.
