JACOB D. RAWLINS
Assistant Professor
Linguistics and English Language
Brigham Young University
EDUCATION
Doctor of Philosophy, Rhetoric and Professional Communication, 2013
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Dissertation: Building Consensus: Workplace Myth-Building as a Unifying Rhetorical Strategy
Committee: Greg Wilson, David Roberts, Ben Crosby, Dometa Brothers, Marc Anderson
Master of Public Administration, 2008
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
Bachelor of Arts, History, 1999
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
PUBLICATIONS
Balzotti, Jonathan, and Jacob D. Rawlins. “Client-Based Pedagogy Meets Workplace Simulation: Developing Social Processes in the Arisoph Case Study.” IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication 59/2 (2016): 140–52.
Lucas, Kristen, and Jacob D. Rawlins. “The Competency Pivot: Introducing a Revised Approach to the Business Communication Course.” Business and Professional Communication Quarterly 78/2 (2015): 167–93.
Lucas, Kristen, and Jacob D. Rawlins. “PechaKucha Presentations: Teaching Storytelling, Visual Design, and Conciseness.” Communication Teacher 29/2 (2015): 102–7.
Rawlins, Jacob D. “Mythologizing Change: Examining Rhetorical Myth as a Strategic Change Management Discourse.” Business and Professional Communication Quarterly 77/4 (2014): 453–72.
Rawlins, Jacob D. and Gregory D. Wilson. “Agency and Interactive Data Displays: Internet Graphics as Co-Created Rhetorical Spaces.” Technical Communication Quarterly 23/4 (2014): 303–22.
Rawlins, Jacob D. “Journal Retrospective: Perspective from the Editors.” The Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 18/2 (2009): 52–57.
Rawlins, Jacob D. “John S. Davis and the Noble Art of Printing.” Welsh Mormon History. Center for Family History and Genealogy, Brigham Young University. December 2008.
Rawlins, Jacob D. “Turning Away.” The FARMS Review 19/1 (2007): 325–31.
REFEREED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
“’Making St. Monday’ vs. ‘Standard Hours of Operation’: Rhetorical Controls of Behavior in Employee Manuals.” Association for Business Communication Annual International Conference, Albuquerque, NM, October 21, 2016.
“Data and Methodological Decisions” (Research Committee Roundtable). Association for Business Communication Annual International Conference, Albuquerque, NM, October 21, 2016.
“An Invisible Pen: The Mediating Rhetoric of the Editor.” Rhetoric Society of America Conference, Atlanta, GA, May 29, 2016.
“Interactivity, Agency, and Innovation: Repurposing Usability Testing to the Study of Rhetorical Agency in Interactive Displays” (with Gregory D. Wilson and Kate Crane). Association for Business Communication Annual International Conference, Seattle, WA, October 31, 2015.
“Business Communication Research: Publish or Perish?” (Research Committee Roundtable). Association for Business Communication Annual International Conference, Seattle, WA, October 30, 2015.
“How Do Users Value Information from Interactive Graphics?” (with Gregory D. Wilson and Kate Crane). Associations of Teachers of Technical Writing Conference, Tampa, FL, March 18, 2015.
“Mythologizing Change: Examining Rhetorical Myth as a Strategic Change Management Discourse.” Association for Business Communication Annual Convention, Philadelphia, PA, October 23, 2014.
“Strategically Social: Promoting Positive Social Media Activity through Communication Competencies.” ABC Technology Trends in Teaching and Communication Conference, Orlando, FL, March 29, 2014.
“The Elephant in the Server Room: Technology as the Not-So-Silent Partner in Business Communication.” Association for Business Communication Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, October 24, 2013.
“Revisioning Business Communication: Benchmarks and New Directions” (with Kristen Lucas and Barrie Olson). Association for Business Communication Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, October 25, 2013.
“Beyond the Idea of a Clear Graphic: Understanding Agency and the Interactive Turn” (with Gregory D. Wilson). Associations of Teachers of Technical Writing Conference, Las Vegas, NV, March 13, 2013.
“Failing to Deliver: When High Expectations and Missed Targets Challenge Workplace Myths.” Association for Business Communication Annual Convention, Honolulu, HI, October 25, 2012.
“Beyond Checking the Boxes: Building and Maintaining Student Engagement in Online and Hybrid Courses.” Association for Business Communication Annual Convention, Honolulu, HI, October 25, 2012.
“Agency in Interactive Data Displays: Learning about Natural Contexts for Agency by Studying Authored Environments” (with Gregory D. Wilson). Rhetoric Society of America Conference, Philadelphia, PA, May 26, 2012.
“Multimedia Online Cases in Technical Fields: Role Playing in Multiple Perspectives across Multiple Courses as Gateway” (with David Russell and Jon Balzotti). Conference on College Composition and Communication, St. Louis, MO, scheduled March 22, 2012.
“A Typology of Interactive Data Displays: Understanding the Balance of Agency between Designer and User” (with Gregory D. Wilson). Association for Business Communication Annual Convention, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, October 21, 2011.
“Setting the Scene: Using Simulated Cases to Teach Communication Online” (with Jonathan Balzotti). Association for Business Communication Annual Convention, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, October 21, 2011.
“Workplace Myth-Building: Rhetorical Strategies in Leadership and Decision-Making.” Association for Business Communication Annual Convention, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, October 22, 2011.
“Who’s Running the Asylum? Student-Led Learning in Business Communication.” Association for Business Communication Annual Convention, Chicago, IL, October 29, 2010.
“Technology and Diluted Identity: Reestablishing Ethos in Times of Technological Transition.” Rhetoric Society of America Conference, Minneapolis, MN, May 28, 2010.
“From Print to Screen: How Publishing Professionals Are Transitioning with Technologies.” Computers and Writing Conference, May 23, 2010.
INVITED PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS
“Using Core Competency Rubrics for Grading and Assessment” (with Kristen Lucas, Jenna Haugen, Stephen Cohen, and Ashley Ludewig). Association for Business Communication Annual International Conference, Albuquerque, NM, October 19, 2016.
“Pivoting Your Business Communication Course: Competency-Based Syllabi, Assignments, and Rubrics” (with Kristen Lucas and Jenna Haugen). Association for Business Communication Annual International Conference, Seattle, WA, October 28, 2015.
“Competency-Based Rubrics: Instruction, Coaching, and Assessment” (with Kristen Lucas and Ashly Smith). Association for Business Communication Annual Convention, Philadelphia, PA, October 21, 2014.
“Technical Communication.” Biological Materials and Processes Research Experience for Undergraduates, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University, July 2012.
“Technical Reports, Poster Presentations, and Oral Presentations.” Microscale Sensing Actuation and Imaging Research Experience for Undergraduates, Mechanical Engineering Department, Iowa State University, July 2012.
“Making Connections: Communication Classrooms and Engineering Workplaces” (with Jonathan Balzotti). Industrial Advisory Council Meeting, Mechanical Engineering Department, Iowa State University, April 2012.
“On the Origin of Theses.” Professor Greg Wilson’s Theories of Technical Communication Graduate Course, September 2011.
“Technical Communication.” Biological Materials and Processes Research Experience for Undergraduates, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University, July 2011.
“Technical Reports, Poster Presentations, and Oral Presentations.” Microscale Sensing Actuation and Imaging Research Experience for Undergraduates, Mechanical Engineering Department, Iowa State University, July and August 2011.
“Effective Written Communication.” Iowa Municipal Clerks Institute, Ames, IA, July 16, 2010.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Business 275: Business Communication (UofL)
This required sophomore-level course prepares students to succeed in the University of Louisville’s College of Business. I developed this course with Dr. Kristen Lucas for an initial offering in the fall of 2013. In this course students are introduced to the two major principles of business communication (goals oriented and receiver-centric), which are expressed through five core competencies: professional, organized, concise/comprehensive, evidence-driven, and persuasive. The principles and assignments scaffold so that by the end of the semester students are able to communicate well in all five competencies in order to meet their goals and connect with their receivers.
English 314XW: Technical Communication, online and hybrid (ISU)
In Spring semester 2011, I developed this online version of English 314 with another graduate assistant to serve members of Iowa State University’s extended campus community. While this course includes the same concepts as the on-campus version (see English 314 below), it is structured around a workplace simulation that helps students make connections between the classroom and their future careers. Each assignment is placed in its context within the simulation, which culminates in a large team project for a real-world client. In Spring semester 2012, I taught a revised version of this course as a hybrid, where the class met in person once each week and conducted the rest of the work online.
English 314: Technical Communication (ISU)
This university-wide service course introduces students to the theoretical and practical aspects of technical communication. Students work extensively in small teams to address ethical issues, describe complex technical processes, and solve workplace communication problems. The course integrates written, oral, visual, and electronic communication throughout all assignments.
English 310: Rhetorical Analysis (ISU)
This required junior-level class for English majors and technical communication majors introduces ways to analyze rhetorical artifacts and texts. Students examine rhetorical analysis as both a scholarly activity and as an activity to help them become wiser consumers of persuasive media. Through readings and discussions on rhetorical techniques, students examine a range of traditional and pop-culture artifacts through written essays and oral presentations.
English 309: Report and Proposal Writing (ISU)
This university-wide advanced communication course introduces students to the theory and practice of writing and analyzing reports and proposals intended for businesses, governmental agencies, and nonprofit institutions. Students work closely in small teams to research grant opportunities, write and design proposals, and deliver multimedia presentations.
English 302: Business Communication (ISU)
This university-wide advanced communication course helps students understand the theory, principles, and practices of effective communication in the workplace. Students analyze and create professional documents in multiple genres, with their work culminating in an end-of-semester “live case” team project. The course integrates written, oral, visual, and electronic communication throughout all assignments.
English 250: The Language of Science (ISU)
This second-year writing course focuses on developing students’ abilities to think critically and communicate well in written, oral, visual, and electronic media. In this course, taught as part of a learning community for biology and science majors, students explore the nature of science, analyze how scientific knowledge is communicated to the public, and begin to understand the role of effective communication in science. Students produce memos, analyses, annotated bibliographies, reports, and visual arguments.
English Language 430: Editing for Publication (BYU)
This senior-level course is the capstone of Brigham Young University’s editing minor. In this course, the students expand and apply the skills they have learned throughout the minor. Students analyze, edit, and write academic documents, culminating in a final team project—a published book that they write, edit, and design.
Management Communication 320: Communication in Organizational Settings (BYU)
This advanced communication course is required for all juniors in Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management. Students learn the theory, principles, and practices of effective business communication. They work individually and as teams to write and design professional documents and to give effective multimedia presentations.
AWARDS AND HONORS
Outstanding Article of the Year in Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, Association for Business Communication, October 2016
Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation on Business Communication, Association for Business Communication, October 2013
ABC Graduate Student Scholarship, Association for Business Communication, October 2012
Graduate College Teaching Excellence Award, Iowa State University, Spring 2011
ABC Graduate Student Scholarship, Association for Business Communication, October 2010
Freda Huncke Endowment Graduate Teaching Fellowship, Iowa State University, Fall 2009
F. Wendell Miller Graduate Scholarship, Iowa State University, 2009–2012
GRANTS
“Workplace Myth-Building: Rhetorical Strategies in Leadership and Decision-Making,” C. R. Anderson Research Foundation Grant ($2,000), Association for Business Communication, Spring 2012
“The Simulated Technical Communication Workplace: Helping Students Connect Advanced Communication Classes with Industry Practice” (coauthored with Jon Balzotti), Iowa State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Computation Advisory Committee Grant ($5,836), Spring 2011
“Developing an Online Version of English 314: Helping Students Connect Advanced Communication Classes with Industry Practice” (coauthored with Jon Balzotti), Iowa State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Center for Distance and Online Learning Grant ($8,000), Spring 2011
SERVICE
Faculty Advisor, Operation Smile Student Organization, University of Louisville, Spring 2015
Mentor, Graduate College First-Year PhD Mentoring Program, Iowa State University, Fall 2012 and Spring 2013
Graduate Student Representative, English Department Rhetoric and Professional Communication Area Committee, Iowa State University, Fall 2010 and Spring 2011
Member, Liberal Arts and Sciences Computation Advisory Committee, Iowa State University, Fall 2009 and Spring 2010
Member, Accreditation Self-Study Editorial Committee, Brigham Young University, Fall 2005 and Spring 2006
WORK EXPERIENCE
Assistant Professor, Linguistics and English Language, College of Humanities, Brigham Young University, June 2015–present
Assistant Professor, Management, College of Business, University of Louisville, July 2013–May 2015
Adjunct Instructor, English Department, Iowa State University, May–July 2013
Project Leader, “The Professional Connection: Videos from Industry Leaders to Improve Student Communication,” Iowa State University, January 2012–May 2012
Editorial and Writing Assistant, Business and Administrative Communication, 10th edition. July 2010–July 2011
Graduate Teaching Assistant, English Department, Iowa State University, Fall 2009–May 2013
Publications Assistant, ISUComm, Iowa State University, Spring 2010–May 2012
Founder and Lead Editor, Gath Publishing Services, LLC, April 2009–April 2010
Production Manager, The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University, October 2000–July 2009
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Association for Business Communication
BYU Management Society
National Communication Association
Rhetoric Society of America
REFERENCES
| Gregory D. Wilson, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of English Iowa State University |
David Russell, PhD Professor, Department of English Iowa State University |
| Donna Kienzler, PhD Professor, Department of English Iowa State University |
David Roberts, PhD Professor, Department of English Iowa State University |