Why is this Tenure Application in a Digital Format?

Please view the video I created to explain why I chose a blog to present my tenure portfolio. (Note: This video is a DRAFT that I presented at CCCC 2009.)

Instructions for Reading and Navigating This Site

This site contains summaries of and supplemental materials showcasing my work in Research and Creative Activities, Teaching, and Service. Here is a breakdown of where you can find information regarding each of these areas within this site–all of which are found by using the navigation menu to the right of the screen.

• Application (top-right) lists the five public sections as taken from the Tenure and Promotion Guidelines Application form for 2008-09 (blank copy linked here for your reference). You are reading the Introduction page now; the first paragraph of this page includes all information found on the 1. Introduction section of those guidelines. (Note: I am using the previous year’s application since I am preparing this portfolio in advance of the 09-10 application distribution.) Each of these pages contains a summary/overview of my work in those areas.

• Keywords (upper-right) is an animated graphic composed of categories and tags (to be explained momentarily) from the supplemental materials that support my tenure case. This graphic is useful in two ways: (1) It groups and highlights key ideas from my portfolio–that is, you can search and read supplemental materials that are related but wouldn’t necessarily appear together (on the same page) by clicking on one of the keywords. For instance, by clicking on the word “co-authored,” this animation would retrieve a listing of all of my co-authored works. (2) Because the graphic is in constant motion, it reiterates the way I think about the shared importance of teaching, research, and service, in that the animation does not privilege one category over the other.

• Supporting Materials (middle-right) includes links to all of the scholarly/creative, teaching, and service artifacts for my tenure case. These materials are listed according to the terms used in the guidelines and indicate how many entries I have for each. These materials are listed in alphabetical order (which is how the blog-interface I am using distributes them). When a category, such as Major Speeches, is clicked on, it will take readers to a listing that includes all instances of that artifact (i.e., titles of each speech, citation and description of speech/location/context, copy of artifact if available - such as an MP3 digital audio file of a speech and/or PowerPoint from it, and any other relevant information).

• The final two menu sections–Recent Publications and Post-Pub.(lication) Reviews–are not specific to the T&P application, but are useful for me and my non-tenure-readers of this portfolio in foregrounding my most recent activities in teaching, research, and service (Recent Publications) and comments that readers have left under each of those entries (Post-Pub. Reviews), which indicates another level of review/readership for my work.

(Note to T&P readers regarding the Materials section: I have included more materials for teaching and service than required. This is because I am jointly using this portfolio for tenure as well as for my electronic vita, in which I include and reflect on every item in my career. Since the tenure application only asks for five teaching examples, I have included those specific links in the Applications>Teaching section at the top-right of this menu.)

Dr. Cheryl E. Ball (at Hardware Ranch in Hyrum, UT)

THIS APPLICATION WILL NOT BE COMPLETE UNTIL SUMMER 2009.

I am currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Illinois State University. My initial date of appointment at ISU was August 15, 2007, when I was brought in as an advanced Assistant Professor. I am not yet tenured and had three years credit toward my tenure & promotion application when I was hired. My contract tenure year, as specified in my Tenure Year Designation Form, is 2010-11. I serve on a 9-month appointment, and I am seeking Tenure and Promotion to the rank of Associate Professor. This is NOT an application for early tenure. Please accept this web portfolio, of which I am sole password-holder, as indication of my electronic signature in verifying this application.