

Melody Bowdon
- Associate Professor
mbowdon@mail.ucf.edu
407-823-6234
Office Hours: Summer 2009: Mondays from 7-8:30 in Adobe Connect Chatroom (through June 30)
Campus Location: CNH307B
Education
- Ph.D. in English: Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of English from University of Arizona (1999)
- M.A. in English: Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of English from University of Arizona (1995)
- B.A. in English Literature; Secondary Education from Oklahoma City University (1991)
Research Interests
- Technical and Professional Communication
- Gender and Technology
- Service-Learning and Higher Education
- Distance-Learning
Selected Publications
Books
- Scholarship for Sustaining Service-Learning and Community Engagement: Volume Eight of Advances in Service-Learning Research. Ed. with Shelley Billig and Barbara Holland. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, 2008. (Authored substantive introductory essay.)
- Service-Learning in Professional Communication. Co-edited with James Dubinsky. Special issue of Reflections on Community Based Writing Instruction. Spring 2005. (Co-authored substantive introductory essay.)
- Service-Learning in Technical and Professional Communication. With J. Blake Scott. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2003.
Articles/Essays
- “Feminist Civic Engagement and the Role of the Bureaucrat: Graduate Education, Distance-Learning, and Community Action.” Role Play: Distance-Learning and the Teaching of English. Ed. Jonathan Alexander, et al. Creskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 2005. 147-162.
- “Virtual Networks: Community-based Collaboration and Professional Writing.” Internet-Based Workplace Communication: Industry and Academic Perspectives. Ed. Kirk St. Amant and Pavel Zemlianski. Hershey, PA: International Idea Group, 2005. 107-129.
- “Technical Communication and the Role of the Public Intellectual: A Community HIV Prevention Study.” Technical Communication Quarterly 13.3 (Summer 2004): 325-340.
- “Public Schools, Private Ethics: Rhetoric and Service in Composition.” Professing Rhetoric: Selected Papers from the 2000 Rhetoric Society of America Conference. Ed. Frederick J. Antczak, et al. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002. 171-177.
- “A Rhetorical Stance on the Archives of Civic Discourse.” With Thomas P. Miller. College English 61.5 (May 1999): 591-598.
Book Reviews
- “A Practical Ethics for Professional and Technical Writing Teachers, or A Millers’ Tale.” Technical Communication Quarterly 11.2 (Spring 2002): 222-224. (Review essay.)
Conference Papers/Presentations
- "Conscious/Conscientious Identification: Cognitive Theory andService-Learning Reflection." Conference on College Composition and Communication. San Francisco. March 2009.
- Forthcoming "Strategies for Comprehensive Service-Learning Assessment: A Dynamic Model." With Kerry Purmensky, John Schell, and Amy Zeh. International Research Conference for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement. New Orleans. October 2008.
- “What Makes Good Service-Learning Writers: Results from a Statewide Study.” Conference on College Composition and Communication. New Orleans, LA. April 2008.
- "The Next Step: A Statewide Study of Community Impacts of Service-Learning in Writing Courses." Conference on College Composition and Communication. New York. March 2007. With Margaret Boreman.
- "Professional Communication in the Nonprofit Sector: How Service-Learning Makes a Difference." International Association for Research in Service-Learning and Community Engagement. Tampa, FL. October 2007.
- "Professional Writing in the Nonprofit Sector." Conference on College Composition and Communication. Chicago, Illinois. March 2006.
- “The State of Collegiate Service-Learning and Civic Engagement in the State of Florida.” International Conference on Civic Education: Research and Practice. Orlando, FL. January 2006.
- "Virtual Communities: Research on Service-Learning in the Digital Age." International Conference on Advances in Service-Learning Research. East Lansing, MI. November, 2005.
- “When the Radical Becomes Familiar: The Pros and Cons of Institutionalizing Service-Learning.” Conference on College Composition and Communication. San Francisco. March 2005.
- “Creating a Virtual Community through Web-Based Service-Learning.” Conference on College Composition and Communication. San Antonio. March 2004.
- “Putting Service-Learning to the Test: A Comparative Study of Technical and Professional Writing Students’ Performance and Attitudes.” Conference on College Composition and Communication. New York. March 2003.
- “User-Friendly vs. User-Centered Web Course Delivery: Implications for Technical Communication Programs.” With Blake Scott. Association of Teachers of Technical Writing. New York. March 2003.
Miscellaneous Publications
- "What We Did Last Summer: Tips and Tricks for Teaching Online." UCF Faculty Focus. August 2008. http://www.fctl.ucf.edu/Publications/FacultyFocus/
- “Service-Learning on the Web.” UCF eFaculty Newsletter. October 2006. http://www.cdl.ucf.edu/wordpress/efaculty/?m=200610
- “Who Makes a Good Service-Learner? Preliminary Results from a Statewide Study.” UCF Faculty Focus. January 2006. http://www.fctl.ucf.edu/Publications/FacultyFocus/
- “Building Community on the Web Through Service-Learning.” UCF Faculty Focus. September 2003. http://www.fctl.ucf.edu/Publications/FacultyFocus/
Awards
Research
- Award for Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. University of Central Florida. 2009.
- Regional Scholar for the Campus Compact Network Meeting: Advancing the Work. New Mexico, 2006. (One of four scholars from around the country chosen to participate in a think tank on research and service-learning.)
- Senior Faculty Fellow for Research. Florida Campus Compact. Serve as a research mentor for service-learning faculty and practitioners around the state. 2005-present.
- Gulf South Summit Award for Outstanding Contributions to Service-Learning in Higher Education. $500. April 2005.
- National Finalist, Thomas Ehrlich Faculty Award for Service-Learning. Award sponsored by Campus Compact. 2005 and 2006.
- Award for Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. University of Central Florida. 2004.
- Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching. University Central Florida College of Arts and Humanities. $2000. 2009.
- Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. University of Central Florida College of Arts and Humanities. $2000. 2008.
- Outstanding Service-Learning Faculty Award for Florida. Florida Campus Compact. $500. 2007.
- Teaching Incentive Program Award. University of Central Florida College of Arts and Sciences. 2004.
- Outstanding Service-Learning Faculty Award. UCF Office of Service-Learning. Spring 2005.
- Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. University of Central Florida College of Arts and Sciences. $2000. 2004.
- University Award for Excellence in Professional Service. University of Central Florida. $2000. April 2006.
- Member, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Inducted Fall 2006. National all-discipline honor society in higher education with an emphasis on academic excellence and community service.
Activities
Fall 2009 Activities
- Senior Research Fellow, Florida Campus Compact
- Coordinator, Graduate Certificate in Professional Writing, UCF Department of English
- Chair, Advisory Board for UCF Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning
- Alternate Member, UCF Institutional Review Board
Spring 2009: Sabbatical
Fall 2008 Activities
- Senior Research Fellow, Florida Campus Compact
- Coordinator, Graduate Certificate in Professional Writing, UCF Department of English
- College of Arts and Humanities Representative, UCF Graduate Council, Policies and Procedures Subcommittee
Funded Research:
- Collegiate Service-Learning and Civic Engagement in Florida: Research Models. Statewide project investigating the impacts of service-learning and providing leadership to a team of service-learning researchers around the state. Sponsored by Florida Campus Compact. FIPSE sub-contract. May 15, 2007 to September 1, 2008. $27,510.
- The State of Collegiate Service-Learning and Civic Engagement in Florida. Statewide research project investigating the impacts of service-learning. Sponsored by Florida Campus Compact. June 1, 2005 to December 31, 2006. $27,488. Final report delivered to FCC and portions shared with Florida legislature December, 2006 (176 pages). FIPSE sub-contract.
- Community Impacts of Service-Learning in Writing Courses: What We Know, What We Need to Know. National Council of Teachers of English. December, 2005 to August, 2006. $5000.
Program Development Grants:
- The Ivey Lane Dream Center: A Proposal to Enhance the Future of Youth through Community Action. Melody Bowdon, PI. January 2006 to June 2006. The Corporation for National and Community Service. $6000 plus UCF Match.
- Web-based Reflection on Service-Learning: A Course Model. Melody Bowdon, Co-PI. January 2004-June 2004. American Humanics Cohen Grant. Co-funded by UCF Burnett Honors College. $4000 plus UCF Match.

