Rebecca Pope-Ruark earned an MA in Professional Communication from Clemson University and a PhD in Rhetoric and Professional Communication from Iowa State University before joining the Elon faculty in 2007. She is origianlly from Pittsburgh, PA.

PhD Rhetoric and Professional Communication, Iowa State University

MA Professional Communication,Clemson University

BA English, Westminster College PA

Intro to Professional Writing and Rhetoric, Understanding Rhetoric, Writing as Inquiry, Publishing, CUPID Studio, Advanced CUPID Studio

Coordinator, Center for Undergraduate Publishing and Information Design (CUPID)

Coordinator, Professional Writing Studies minor

Managing Editor, Perspectives on Undergraduate Research and Mentoring (PURM)

Director at Large, Association for Business Communication

My research currently focuses on applying the principles of Scrum and Kanban project management methodologies to project-based learning in the classroom. Scrum is an Agile project management methodology used in many web software development companies to streamline complex, on-going development needs. The framework ports very nicely into course and project planning in the classroom in my experience. I have published and presented on using these frameworks in the classroom and am currently completing a two-year CATL Scholars fellowship, sponsored by Elon University’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning to further explore faculty and student understanding of collaboration in the classroom and to pursue implementing Scrum methodology in courses across the university.

Presently I am working on two book proposals related to Agile project management and service-learning.

2012, Community Partnership Initiative grant for service learning project in ENG 313 Grant Writing for Non-Profits, $1000
2012-2014, CATL Scholar Fellowship, “Authentic Collaboration: Using Scrum Methodology in the Project-Based Classroom”
Fall 2011, Community Partnership Initiative grant for service learning project in ENG 397 with Conservators’ Center, $1100
Fall 2011, CATL Teaching and Learning Grant, support for book publications in ENG 311 for service learning partner Family Abuse Services of Alamance County, $300
Summer 2010, FR&D Summer Fellowship funding for project entitled “Publishing-Project Pedagogy and Rhetorical Authority in the Writing Classroom”
Spring 2010, Community Partnership Initiative grant for service learning section of Publishing (ENG 311) with The Conservators’ Center, $1500
Spring 2009, Fund for Excellence grant for CUPID open hours program for 2009-2010, $1000
Fall 2008, “Examining Student Writing Engagement through Book Publishing,” Elon Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL) Teaching and Learning grant, $1000
Fall 2008, “For Students, By Students: A Publication for Elon College, The College of Arts and Sciences, through the Center for Undergraduate Publishing and Information Design (CUPID),” with Professor Michele Kleckner and students Dan Ollen, Caitlin Rantala, and Jennifer Hiltwine; Elon University Fund for Excellence Grant, $3500
 

2013                A Case for Metis in Technical and Professional Communication Programs,” submitted to Technical Communication Quarterly (accepted for publication)

2012                “Back to Our Roots: An Invitation to Strengthen Disciplinary Arguments via the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning,” Business Communication Quarterly 74 December

2012                “We Scrum Every Day”: Using Scrum Project Management Framework for Group Projects,” College Teaching, 60.4 (October)

2012                “Exploring Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Approaches in Business Communication,” Business Communication Quarterly, 74 (September), 237-251

May 2011        “Let’s Scrum: How Scrum Methodology Encourages Students to View Themselves as
Collaborators,” with Elon undergraduate students Michelle Eichel ’10, Sarah Talbott ’11, and Kasey Thornton ’12, Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

January 2011   “Know Thy Audience: Helping Students Engage a Threshold Concept Using Audience-Based Pedagogy,” International Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (11% acceptance rate)

October 2010   “Making the Video: Tips for Successful Library-Class Collaborations,” with Lynne Bisko, College and Research Libraries News

2013                “Writing Transfer from the Classroom to the Community and Back Again,” Mapping Transfer Research and its Potential Impact on Public Life Panel with Jessie Moore and Paula Rosinski, CCCC, Las Vegas, March

2012                “Qualitative Research Methods Panel,” with Jennifer Veltsos and Geoffrey Cross, Association for Business Communication National Convention, Waikiki, Hawaii, October

2011                Team Dreams and Nightmares: Using Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) to
Study Collaborative Writing in Business and Professional Communication Courses, Association for Business Communication National Convention, Montreal, October

2011                “Scrum Up: Using Agile Software Development's Scrum Methodology in the Collaborative Classroom,” with Elon undergraduate students Sarah Talbott ’11 and Kasey Thornton ’12, Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW) Conference, Atlanta, April (Accepted, 35% acceptance rate)

2010                “Developing a Signature Pedagogy to Cross the Audience Threshold,” Lilly Conference on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Oxford, OH, November

2010                “Professional Communication and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Movement: A Necessary Partnership,” Association for Business Communication National Convention, Chicago, October

2009                “Historical Product Meets New Process: Using Publishing to Teach Professional Communication Concepts,” Association for Business Communication National Convention, Portsmouth, VA, November

2009                “Approaching New Media thorough Old Media,” with Paula Rosinski and Paula Patch, Department of English, Elon University, Innovations in Instruction Conference, Elon University, August

2008                “Business and Professional Communication: Why So Much Division?” with Tonya Riney, Love School of Business, Elon University. Association for Business Communication National Convention, Lake Tahoe, October

2008                “Negotiated Communities: How Marketing Communication Agency Writers Integrate Community Memberships to Communicate Rhetorically for Clients,” Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW) Conference, New Orleans, April

2007                “Multiple Identities?: A Case Study of Identity Perception and Stability in Two Marketing Agency Writers,” Conference on College Composition and Communication, New York, March

Fall 2012         Interim Director, Writing Center

2012-present    Student Publication Board, Elon University

Fall 2012         Undergraduate Research Advisory Board, Elon University ex officio member, PURM editor

Spring 2012     Ad Hoc College Committee on Teaching Assistantships (chair Maurice Levesque)

2010-present    Founding Managing Editor, Perspectives on Undergraduate Research and Mentoring (PURM), Elon University Undergraduate Research and the Provost’s Office

2009-present    Marketing and publications consultant, Conservators’ Center, Mebane, NC
Currently creating photo notebook/journal for gift shop sales

2008-2010       University Library Committee, Elon University
Committee Chair for 2009-2010

2007-present    ENG 110/College Writing Departmental Committee, Department of English, Elon
University

2007-present    Professional Writing and Rhetoric Concentration Committee, Department of English,
Elon University

2007-present    Celebrate! Committee, Elon College, Elon University
                        Publications Chair, 2008 to present

2012-present    Advisory Board Chair/Advisor to Chapter President and Executive Vice President, Kappa Zeta chapter of Sigma Kappa Sorority, Elon University

2007-2012       Advisory Board Member & Advisor to Student Vice President of Alumnae Relations, Vice President of Scholarship and Executive Vice President, Kappa Zeta chapter of Sigma Kappa Sorority, Elon University
*Inducted into the Elon Greek Life Hall of Fame for service to Kappa Zeta, May 2012