This is the fourth in a series of “Exit Interviews” of CWRL staffers. These interviews are intended to record the value of the lab to professional development. Miriam Schacht will defend her dissertation on mobility and transnationalism in Indigenous literatures this July. She will join the English department at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh this fall.
How long did you teach and/or staff in the lab?
Six years of teaching.
What staffing roles did you fill?
I worked as a developer one year, as editor of Currents. For two and a half years my staffing was covered by my work as Creative Writing and 314 AD. (One and a half years Creative Writing, one year 314). The rest of the time I was a proctor.
How did you present your CWRL experience in your job materials? Did you talk about teaching, service, or both?
Actually, the first time out, last year, I didn’t mention it in my letter at all. It just seemed like something a lot of people did. But then an interviewer mentioned that his department was trying to integrate technology in some classes, so I described what we do in the CWRL. Then a friend who was on a hiring committee told me that they were really hoping for someone who had experience with technology, and so I realized that I really should have been mentioning my CWRL experience all along.
What we don’t necessarily realize—I mean those of us who aren’t in the Computers and English concentration—is that our experience here is unique and important. Like most of us who teach in the lab, I don’t teach technology per se. It’s just a tool for what I do. But the second time out, this year, I made it clear that I did indeed use this tool. I included it in my job letter, and also in the teaching statement, mentioning the kinds of things technology makes possible—the flexibility that comes with an online syllabus, for instance.
So, the second year out, did interviewers ask about the CWRL? What sorts of questions did they ask?
I got quite a few questions about teaching in the CWRL, which again goes to show how unusual our situation is. The question most of them asked was “What do you do there?” So I talked about how I integrate technology in my teaching, and the example I used was a web page assignment I give my students that requires them to describe their relationship to given texts and how their perspectives have changed over time. (I also used this when I was asked for a sample assignment.)
How about your other service, specifically the English AD work?
I got a lot of questions about that. As with the CWRL experience, that kind of administrative experience is rare for graduate programs. I had a separate paragraph about that in my job letter, and was asked about it in almost every job interview. I think that what the search committees saw there was a willingness to do administrative work, take on additional responsibilities, participate in committees, etc.
Do you know if anyone visited your website?
I list it on my CV, and during interviews a few people mentioned that they looked at it, particularly the syllabi for classes I’ve taught. It’s a pretty simple, obvious site, but it’s easy to navigate. Also, if you have your CV online, it’s a good reminder to keep it updated.
Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for people just coming into the lab?
The challenge I faced when I first started was not to let technology overwhelm content, especially since a lot of the technology was pretty unfamiliar to me. I’d encourage people to have their students do a web page—you can teach everything needed for creating a simple page with Dreamweaver in one class period. That’s something you know students will take with them. Also, since a web page is a more public document than a regular paper, they often do their best writing there.
Later, when you go on the market, be sure to mention your lab experience. Even if you’re not in Computers and English, even if you think you don’t do much with technology, you should still mention it, because it’s unusual and because a lot of universities have technology initiatives. They might not list it as a requirement, but it’s something that they are probably looking for.