Education

1996 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, B.A.
2003 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, M.S.
2007 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Ph.D.

Courses Taught

Information Design
Technical Writing
Writing and Inquiry
Writing and Research

Career Specialties

Whiteside specializes in technical communication, information design and first-year writing. Formerly a technical writer and an information design consultant for various organizations in the Minneapolis area, she offers students her industry experience as well as an authentic and experiential approach to improving their writing and communication skills and knowledge. Whiteside researches social presence, technology-enhanced learning and learning environments.

Professional and Community Activities

Whiteside’s research on social presence, learning environments, technology-enhanced learning and instructor reflection has been featured in EDUCAUSE Review, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, and SLOAN-C’s Best Practices, which are all leading international organizations devoted to quality, technology-enhanced learning. Whiteside co-authored two book chapters in 2011 and 2012, respectively:

• “Leveraging the Technology-Enhanced Community Partnership (TEC) Model to Enrich Higher Education” for Higher Education, Emerging Technologies, and Community Partnerships:Concepts, Models, and Applications
• “Maximizing Multicultural Online Learning Experiences with the Social Presence Model, Course Examples, and Specific Strategies” for Computer-Mediated Communication across Cultures: International Interactions in Online Environments

Whiteside continues to engage in research that explores her Social Presence Model (Whiteside, 2007) in the North Carolina Virtual Public School system and plans to explore her Model in local and regional K-12 and higher education venues in the future. She serves as a member of the Council on Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication (CPTSC) and recently reviewed conference proposals for the programs committee for the 2011 annual conference.

Honors and Awards

Whiteside has received multiple honors and awards for her work, including a 2010 “Best in Track” award for her proposal to the 16th Annual SLOAN-C International Conference on Online Learning titled, “Strategies to Maximize Online Interactions Using the Social Presence Model.” Her Social Presence Model is also featured within SLOAN-C’s Best Practices.

She received a service award from the University of Minnesota’s Office of Information Technology in 2009. She was also awarded the prestigious President’s Award for service to the Twin Cities Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) for her work developing regional undergraduate and graduate scholarships, adopt-a-book programs for schools and coordinating student conference volunteers.