Karen A. Wink, Ph.D.

Professor of English
United States Coast Guard Academy
Dept. of Culture and Languages
15 Mohegan Ave.
New London, Connecticut 06320
E: karenwink2023@yahoo.com

Education

Ph.D. Magna cum laude, May, 1999; English Education. Dissertation: Examining Perceptions:  A Teacher and Students Negotiate Meaning of the Rhetorical Situation in an Advanced Composition Class.

Ma.Ed.  Summa cum laude, May, 1989; Reading Education. Thesis:  The Effectiveness of Reading Tutoring Programs

B.S., Cum laude, May, 1985; English, Speech, and Journalism Education.

Honors, Awards, And Assistantships

Awarded, Bears Coin and Recognition, for series of opportunities to coach Distinguished Graduates and Admirals for their Graduation Speeches, spring, 2022. 

Awarded, Center for Advanced Studies Scholarship, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, summer, 2014.

Awarded, Outstanding Leadership, Associate Chair for College Level, National Council of Teachers of English, 2013.

Awarded. Ten-year Service Commendation for Public Service, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 1999-2009.

Awarded. Excellence in Teaching Award for Exceptional Achievement in the Teaching of English/Language Arts, New England Association of Teachers of English, 2008.

Awarded, Outstanding Teacher Fellowship Grant, The Cambridge England Teacher Seminar, 1997.

Awarded, Outstanding Contributions and Dedication, Sylvan Learning Systems, 1993.

Professional Experience

Full English Professor
Develop curriculum and assessments, deliver instruction, tutor students, and manage freshmen remedial and honors composition and literature courses. Additionally, co taught a multi-disciplinary Romanticism course and an advanced English class in Greek and Roman Classics. Serve as course coordinator for Introduction to Composition, which involves standardizing the curriculum, leading meetings, and training fellow professors who teach different sections of the course. Created a full rhetorical curriculum for students in an honors composition and Cultural Perspectives: Gender and Sexual Orientation in Literature course. Developed numerous student-centered classroom for their development as college writers and critical readers. Very active in section, department, and academy professional activities. Continue to serve in various leadership capacities: Director of English Placement Process for Incoming Freshmen; Speech Coach for Distinguished Graduate (Valedictorian) and Admiral’s graduation speeches; credentials committee/sabbatical sub-committee, Fulbright writing coach, curriculum committee for new Culture and Language department; co-writer (with ADM Charlie Ray) of public-speaking booklet for CG officers, co-leader of Senior Research Symposium featuring creative writing; coordinator of Class of 2009 Revision and Creative Writing awards, and more. Founded and serve as advisor to cadet creative writing journal, id est, since 2007. 

Consultant, Writing and Reading Center
Work in consultation with Director of the Hewitt Writing and Reading Center, which offers tutoring for technical and nontechnical courses across the curriculum. Have lead workshops for Reading Effectiveness, Commenting on Student Papers, and Instructional Strategies for International students. Consult on various instructional strategies for diverse courses and attend workshops on teaching and learning to continually improve practices in own courses.

Chief, English and Foreign Language Section
Lead section of four permanent faculty, two rotating military officers, and several adjunct faculty. Supervise curriculum in English studies; consult on curriculum in Spanish studies; ensure learning objectives and outcomes are consistent and rigorous across multiple sections of fourth-class remedial, standard, and honors composition and literature courses; coordinate assessments of course content as core-courses and situated within all majors; serve as “voice” of the Section in departmental meetings; advocate for resources, including adjunct faculty to ensure high quality and national English guidelines for class sizes; provide counsel for Section members on variety of academic and personnel issues; and coordinate morale events.

Assistant English Professor and Director of Reading Program
Served in a dual position in English and Academic Resources departments:  (1) Instructed two fourth-class (freshmen) Composition and Speech or Introduction to Literature courses each semester; and (2) Directed an advanced reading program for cadets who needed assistance with improving their comprehension and rate of reading college texts. As an English professor, developed curriculum, participated on a textbook adoption committee, assisted with a writing portfolio project, tutored cadets in writing, mentored adjunct writing instructors, and served as course coordinator of a freshman writing course. As Director of the Reading Program, conducted strategic reading workshops for many cadets, conferred with humanities faculty, tutored individual cadets, coordinated mini-courses in rapid reading and note taking; and co-supervised and trained 70 peer cadet tutors.

English Teacher
Instructed English classes in grades 9-11 for students of all ability levels: remedial, honors, and gifted-and-talented. Developed and delivered instruction in literature, writing, grammar, and vocabulary to classes of 24-34 students in a high school noted statewide for its “excellence in education.”  Other community responsibilities included:  proctored administration of SATs, participated on a ninth-grade team as an advocate for students in their transition to high school, and served on a National Honor Society ethics committee.

English Adjunct Instructor
Instructed Introduction to Academic Writing for freshmen students.  Delivered instruction relative to persuasive writing assignments, rhetorical exercises, language skills, and audience analyses using a course curriculum informed by rhetorical theory. Provided invention exercises, conducted draft workshops, designed peer response activities, and assessed drafts.

Graduate Assistant
Instructed undergraduate course, Introduction to Education, for 25-35 pre-service teachers during two semesters.  Designed curriculum, delivered instruction, facilitated group activities, and monitored students’ field placements via conversations with field placement teachers.  Conducted two half-day workshops on multicultural education and classroom observation practices as part of the course. Observed, evaluated, and conferred with 27 student teachers in middle-school and high-school placements during two semesters. Designed and facilitated eight workshops on lesson planning, pedagogy, classroom management, and career search for student teachers.

Coordinator                                                                                        
Supervised six graduate students in reading education in their preparation phase for a Clinical Practicum and coordinated their diagnostic screening procedures for children, K-6. Observed, evaluated, and conferred with graduate students who delivered instruction to small groups of students in a summer reading clinic that featured reflective teaching and an integrated approach to literacy.

Educational Trainer; Program Manager
Researched, designed, and developed educational curriculum for center training programs. Conducted on-site trainings for new Sylvan Learning Center franchisees and directors as well as off-site seminars and regional trainings throughout the U.S. and Canada for educational directors.  Developed curriculum, managed pilot testing, and monitored “roll out” and usage of Sylvan’s SAT/ACT College Prep and “Early World of Learning” Readiness Programs for use within the franchise centers.

Consulted with members of Sylvan Learning Systems’ Education and Training Departments on issues relating to the upgrade of the language arts program for students, K-12 and the Beginning Reading Program for students, K-3. Designed reading and writing curriculum, researched standardized tests, edited writing program for gifted-and-talented students, and developed a Beginning Reading Program Implementation Guide for use within the Sylvan Learning Centers.

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College Courses Taught

University of Maryland

• Introduction to Education (sophomore required)
• Introduction to Academic Writing (freshmen standard)

U.S. Coast Guard Academy

• Introduction to Communications (freshmen remedial)
• English Composition and Speech, now College Composition (freshmen standard)
• The Art of Effective Writing (freshmen honors)
• Writing About Literature (freshmen standard)
• Writing About Literature (freshmen honors)
• Cultural Perspectives (CP): Gender and Sexual Orientation in Literature (freshman standard; choice among several diverse CP courses)
• Romanticism:  Dreaming, Daring, and Despairing (junior and senior elective)
• Humanities in World Literature: Greek, Roman, and Other Classics (junior and senior government major required; elected content in rotation, spring, even numbered years)
• Literature of Humanity and Conflict: Epics and Myths of Global Cultures: Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Native American, Japanese, and others (junior and senior government majors)

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Scholarly Presentations

Writing Pedagogy

Reading Pedagogy

Scholarly Publications

Scholarly Professional Service

Professional Associations

* College Composition and Communication (CCC)

* Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)

* National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)

* New England Association of Teachers of English (NEATE)