Debra Purdy
Lecturer,
Internship Coordinator
LA-211H
Debra Purdy is a lecturer at Boise State University where she teaches undergraduate and graduate technical communication courses. In addition to 25 years of teaching experience, Debra has worked as a practitioner and consultant in the field of technical communication, working with corporations in the medical device and semi-conductor industries, governmental organizations, and non-profits. She is also an active community and campus volunteer where she has focused on leadership development and strategic planning.
As a member of the Technical Communication faculty, Debra focuses on teaching practical skills for writing in the workplace, collaboration and project management, audience analysis, and visual design. As a lecturer in the program for more than twelve years, Debra’s scholarly research has been entirely student-focused, seeking opportunities to learn how she can better support student engagement, persistence, and success in the classroom.
Education
- M.A., Technical Communication, Boise State University
- B.A., English, University of Idaho
Interests
Audience analysis; usability testing; oral presentation materials; resume writing; visual rhetoric; information design; proposal development; technical writing; workplace writing; internal business communication; nonprofit leadership
Recent Presentations
- Engaging Pedagogies for Student Success in Undergraduate Service Courses: Using Practical Wisdom to Make Good Courses Great. Computers and Writing, George Mason University, Fairfax VA, May 2018.
- Creating Conditions for Collaboration in a Tech Comm Service Course. Intermountain Teaching for Learning Conference, Nevada State College, Henderson, NV, March 2018.
- Interventions for Improving Student Retention. Poster Presentation, Great Ideas in Teaching Symposium, Boise State University, Boise, ID January 2018.
- Conscientiously Creating Conditions for Successful Collaboration in a Technical Communication Service Course. Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), Portland, OR, April 2017.
- Proactive Interventions: Course Design to Increase Student Persistence and Retention. Computers & Writing, University of Wisconsin, Menomonie, WI. May 2015.
Courses
- ENGL 202 Technical Communication
- ENGL 302 Technical Rhetoric and Genres
- ENGL 314 Proposal Development
- ENGL 511 Introduction to Technical Communication
- ENGL 515 Visual Rhetoric and Information Design