Dr. Christin Phelps

Greetings! As the tagline above indicates, I am the Associate Director of Professional Writing as well as a Senior Lecturer and Academic Advisor in the Department of English at North Carolina State University in the Professional and Technical Writing program (all links on this page open in a new window). I am also a graduate of two programs at NC State: the PhD program in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media and the MS in Technical Communication. These two degrees were a deviation from my undergraduate degree in Computer Information Systems from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC.

I have an extensive background in web design and development and search engine optimization, which is what I intended to pursue as a permanent career after Guilford. I started in web development when the animated .gif was the “next big thing.” However, while completing my Honors Senior project at Guilford I learned more about Technical Communication, and the rest is, as they say, history.

This website serves as an introduction to my research, teaching, and advising philosophies and experiences for those interested, especially my students and advisees. Updated semi-regularly.

I am fascinated by invention and new technologies that claim to improve our lives – but do they really? These products, when successful, often alter our way of thinking, acting, and learning.

I am interested in questions related to “the rhetoric of technological and pedagogical practices,” which is a somewhat fancy phrase for looking at the intersection of pedagogy, emerging and new technologies (especially AI), and rhetoric. Prior to entering academia, I spent many years (re-)developing websites, including a few years at a search engine optimization company which actively worked with start-ups and non-profits. This experience heavily influences what I research. I saw first-hand the impact of AI and new technologies on a field that frequently requires interactions with inexperienced users (some self-proclaimed Luddites, even), and heard the hesitancy towards change that many of these users expressed.

This led to my dissertation, which involved in a broad sense human-AI interaction. I was and am interested in the rhetorical ways in which users of artificially intelligent devices evaluate and explain their opinions of the “intelligence” within these devices. In my current role, I am also interested in how we can teach these technologies to our students, and empower them to in turn advocate for or against the adoption of new technologies in their own work practices and/or companies.

If my research interests you, feel free to view my CV here or below.

The most meaningful comment I ever received on a course evaluation was, and I’m paraphrasing, “Dr. Phelps genuinely cares about her students.” I want my students to feel supported and encouraged in my classroom, to have the confidence to take risks and tackle challenges head-on.

I hope that my students come out of my classes understanding the complex relationships they and their readers will have with the documents that they create. Through relevant, real-world examples, activities, and discussions, students should feel as though each task offers an opportunity for personal and/or professional growth. Students should be able to reflect on what they’ve learned in my courses and identify improvement in their ability to tackle complex and emerging issues related to a given topic. If they are able to do so while also receiving the support they needed along the way, then to me, that is successful teaching.

As a graduate TA mentor, I also frequently work with both Masters and PhD students in their first semester ever teaching a professional writing course, sometimes their first time teaching at all. I am honored and privileged to be able to support, guide, and encourage these students.

The courses that I teach on a regular or semi-regular basis at NC State include:

ENG 331 Communication for Engineering and Technology (taught every semester)
Written communication in industrial and technical organizations, emphasizing internal communication with managers and technical personnel and including external communication with regulators, vendors, and clients. Intensive practice in writing; relationship of writing to oral and visual communication. For students in engineering and other primarily technological curricula.

I also teach an Honors section of ENG 331 for the Honors Program, which emphasizes theory as well as practical application of the knowledge gained in the course.

DSA 220 Introduction to AI Ethics (taught every semester)
Organizations leverage Artificial Intelligence [AI] to make decisions, analyze data, speed up processes, and cut costs. There are frequent consequences [both positive and negative] of the use of AI in this capacity that point to several ethical concerns. Through a semester-long qualitative research project, students will explore the ethical use of AI within their chosen industry or field of study.
I created this course for the Data Science Academy.

ENG 350 Professional Internships (taught in spring)
Directed work for CHASS majors including work-site mentoring and evaluation. Department supervision includes professional development coursework. Students will design application materials and revise writing samples or other portfolio samples. Course content will examine career options and include discussion, mentoring, and reading related to workplace professionalization. Course requires 120 contact hours with the sponsoring organization and a weekly class meeting during the spring semester.
I have taught this course for two years and will be teaching it again by direct request from the Director of the English Internship Program

ENG 425 Analysis of Scientific and Technical Communication (Most recently taught: Fall 2023)
The role of communication in the creation of scientific knowledge and technical designs and artifacts; methods of analyzing texts and of studying their creation and use; relationships between writing and other forms of communication. Field research in a scientific or technological setting.

The college experience encapsulates more than just academics. Although that’s certainly the dominant component, more occurs in the years a student spends on campus than just the accumulation of new knowledge. As an advisor, it is my responsibility to be both a resource and a gateway to these experiences, ensuring students receive the support they need, the guidance they require, and the knowledge of the opportunities available to them.

I make sure from the first time we meet that I know that student’s goals and expectations as well as any barriers or difficulties they may be facing. We then work together to identify potential campus resources and/or solutions to any hurdles they may face or opportunities they wish to pursue. I will also offer suggestions to ensure they graduate having taken full advantage of the curricular and extracurricular opportunities that interest them.

As students exit my office they cannot avoid seeing a moderately sized piece of artwork directly adjacent to the door. It’s of a scene from the start of the video game “The Legend of Zelda” where the main character, Link, is greeted with a sword and the words “It’s dangerous to go alone, take this.” Besides showcasing my perhaps overly nerdy personality, the art reinforces ultimately what I hope students take away from an advising session with me: the knowledge that they’re not alone throughout this college journey, and that I will always be available to support them.

In October 2023, I was honored to receive the 2023 Global New Faculty Advisor award from NACADA, the Global Community for Academic Advising.

If you happen to be one of my advisees and found yourself here looking for my website of resources, here you go!