Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University
Time really flies when you are having fun. We are back already with the second issue of our Iowa State University English department magazine, Between the Lines. We received lots of positive feedback from many of you about the first issue and hope that you will enjoy reading this second issue as you gear up for the summer of 2025. As a reminder, the goal of Between the Lines is to build the English department community by sharing the stories of our students, faculty, and alumni. Many of the stories in this issue reveal how faculty and students are working with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).
GenAI was the main attraction at our 21st annual Technology for Second Language Learning Conference. Read about the most recent conference in October of 2024 when over 1,700 participants registered to share research about GenAI in language learning, assessment, and second language research. You can also learn about the open book that faculty members Carol Chapelle, Gulbahar Beckett, and Jim Ranalli published based on the 2023 conference. The book, Exploring AI in Applied Linguistics, has been downloaded over 18,000 times, a visible sign of the interest in the work of the linguistics faculty and students.
One month after the famous GenAI tool ChatGPT was released in November 2022, Abram Anders was recognizing the tectonic impact such tools would have on our writing program. He immediately got to work on a proposal to teach a course that allows students to explore the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and writing as they complete a variety of projects. Read more about the course and its impact on students in English and beyond.
Ana McCracken is one of our successful alumna. She graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing and the Environment in 2020 with a concrete goal: to support writers. Her experience in writers collectives in the west coast shaped her view of what is needed to support writers. She was determined to bring this support network to Iowa and established in 2021 the Ames Writers Collective. The article serves as an inspiration to how our graduates carefully implement their ideas and advance their dreams.
Brian Gillette graduated with an MA in Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Communication in 1993 and spent the next 30 years in industry. After “retiring” as Vice President of Sales at Blue Cross Blue Shield, he rejoined the department three years ago. The energy, enthusiasm, and successful business ideas Gillette brings to the classroom and to the department are palpable and infectious. In three years, he has become a driving force within the department, driving innovation and excellence in the classroom. Gillette always has a story to tell. Read about his drive and eagerness to give back to the department in the article in this issue.
Eric York, who joined the faculty in fall 2024, also sees the impact of GenAI on teaching writing. Based on his many years of experience with AI and technology tools, Eric advocates for our students to be thoroughly acquainted with AI tools as they enter the job market. Identifying how to build students’ capabilities is a task that York views as critical in his teaching and research. Read about Eric’s characterization of AI as a “junior team member” with good ideas who still requires supervision and how this view of AI affects his teaching.
This issue also features three of our students who are about to embark into the world after graduating in May 2025. Meghan Agnew, a linguistics major with a hunger for traveling, studying abroad, and languages, is hoping to live and teach in Spain after her graduation. She describes how her intensive language course in Trieste, Italy, paved her way from studying advertising to majoring in linguistics.
Danielle Black (S’25, Technical Communication) found her calling in to be a technical communicator in some of our classes. She also joined the efforts to put this second issue of Between the Lines together and to use her technical communication and content creation skills. When I reached out to technical communication instructors to learn about students who could help revive the department magazine, Din Keserovic (S’25, Technical Communication) was highly recommended.
GenAI has also expanded opportunities for research. Assistant Professor Sinem Sonsaat Hegelheimer’s work on pronunciation training is a prime example of current efforts to determine if and how AI-powered tools might be employed effectively in improving English language learners’ pronunciation. Read how she sought help with her study by teaming up with undergraduate linguistics student Isidro Gonzalez, who served as an integral member of a research study while gaining valuable research experience working with a faculty member.
Din was instrumental for the first issues of this magazine, and he is mentoring other students who are helping with this issue. He utilized the skills he learned as a content creator and technical communicator and oversaw the print and electronic production of the first issue. We are lucky to have excellent students in our department who are eager to put their skills to work. We wish them all the best for the next step in their lives as we confidently send them on their way with a set of skills they can use at their next job.
There has been a recent emphasis to seek an expanded audience for scholarly work. Two of our top faculty members, Jo Mackiewicz and Matt Sivils, rose to the occasion and published in The Conversation. Their efforts epitomize a significant shift in the department, recognizing that it is valuable and important to share research findings and experiences with a wider audience.
We know how valuable the ability to read and synthesize is for students now and for their developments in their career. Recognizing this importance, Professor Rochelle Zuck developed a brand-new course titled Read Like a Boss.. This course will be offered for the first time in fall 2025 and is aimed at a broad audience of college students from all majors. Knowing how to read critically and learning from and about reading habits of highly successful people will give our students invaluable skills for their careers.
We are always interested in learning how studying literature, linguistics, creative writing, and technical communication in our department may have paved the way or accompanied your path toward a fulfilled and successful life.
I hope the stories in this issue will prompt you to reconnect with us. Please let us know where life has taken you and what you are doing. You can send us a note at chair_engl@iastate.edu. We plan to send out two issues of Between the Lines per year, one in print and electronic format (in November) and the other in electronic format only (in May). I hope you enjoy our second issue.
Best,
Volker Hegelheimer
Chair, Department of English