by Eve Dunbar, CWRL Instructor (from Fall 2003 newsletter)

Because the start of the semester is always a hectic time for CWRL instructors, creating a stylish and informative professional Web page is probably the furthest thing from your mind. However, developing an electronic public interface is important: as its name suggests, your professional Web page provides outsiders their first glimpse of who you are and what you're doing in the CWRL--and in graduate school for that matter. From students to potential employers, your professional Web page is the starting point of your relationship with the world.

Acting as a "foyer" of sorts to both your teaching and academic work, your Web page allows you to gather, link, and display for public perusal relevant information about your academic and professional accomplishments. And if updated often, your site can become an archive of the classes you've taught in the Lab. This publicly accessible catalogue of teaching materials will be priceless as you begin to think about assembling a teaching portfolio for going out on the job market.

In addition to displaying your teaching materials, your professional site may also be used to highlight your academic work. Many of your CWRL colleagues have created Web sites containing materials ranging from curriculum vitae to dissertation précis. And apart from informing possible employers, a public display of your academic work can serve as a way to network with others outside the University. One never knows when a publication opportunity may arise.

Although I've talked about teaching and academic work as separate entities, what should not be overlooked is the way a professional Web page links your academic work to your teaching. By placing an archive of course materials alongside a dissertation précis, you make apparent that your teaching and academic work are constitutive components of an overall academic career. For example, stepping back to survey your professional Web site, you may begin to ask yourself whether or not your teaching interests reflect your academic interests, or vise versa. And if they don't, you may begin to strategize ways to make them mesh. This type of retrospection can be crucial to developing a more accurate sense of your professional growth.

Additionally, since translating one's work for a general audience is often difficult, a professional Web page encourages you to consider how to talk about your work in a way that will make sense to outsiders.

Because you'll probably want to include a URL to your professional site on your printed CV or other academic materials that you'll send out into the world, you'll want your site to be aesthetically pleasing. And while aesthetics are always subjective, I've selected a small group of sites created by a few of our colleagues in the Lab as representative of professional sites that combine form and function in interesting and productive ways.
screen shot of Bill Wolff's homepage

"I wanted to get some of Austin into the page, and thought the picture I took of the street would do just that (it's downtown Austin at night). I chose the photo because I like the idea of movement."
--Bill Wolff, CWRL Assistant Director and Ph.D. student in Computers and English
screen shot of Jennifer Williams' homepage

"I chose this look because I wanted my page to be professional but also reflect my personality. The colors are really mellow. My narrative gives readers some background info about me, which I hope will present me as an interesting person as well as someone they'd consider for a job."
--Jennifer Williams, CWRL staffer and Ph.D. candidate in African American literature
screen shot of David Barndollar's homepage

"While designing the site, I tried to keep in mind two main elements: accessibility and simplicity. I tried to be mindful of what potential visitors would be coming for (to learn about my professional background and interests) and what I would be able reasonably to provide them and hold their attention for."
--David Barndollar, CWRL Program Coordinator and Ph.D. candidate in poetry and poetics