I knew I had to do it. For too long I’d sat planted in front of my computer and wallowed in my old-quilt routine: writing, eating, tv-ing, sleeping, client manuscripts, gym, occasional grocery stocking, writing, eating, clients, tv-ing, sleeping. But I couldn’t deny that edge of vague dissatisfaction.
What do the gurus say? Stretch yourself, challenge yourself, get out of your comfort cocoon. It was time to get out and teach a writing workshop.
TAA member Drew A. Curtis is an Assistant Professor and Director of the M.S. Counseling Psychology Program at Angelo State University and both a textbook and academic author in the psychology discipline.
His most recent publications include Abnormal Psychology: Myths of ‘Crazy’ (2nd ed.). and Foundations of Abnormality: Myths, Misconceptions, and Movies (in press), both published by Kendall Hunt. Other recent publications include 1 chapter and 8 articles.
TAA member Kevin Patton is a professor and textbook author in the human anatomy & physiology discipline.
The 10th edition of his textbook, Anatomy & Physiology, will be released in February 2018. This two-semester textbook for health professions training recently won a Texty award (2016). He also has several one-semester books: Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology, Structure & Function of the Body, and The Human Body in Health & Disease. Besides some lab manuals, he has also authored the reference book Mosby’s Handbook of Anatomy & Physiology and student manual Survival Guide for Anatomy & Physiology.
TAA Member Cheryl Poth is an Associate Professor of Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Methods at the University of Alberta and both a textbook and academic author in the education discipline.
Her most recent publication is the 4th edition of Qualitative inquiry & research design published by Sage.
What is a mentor? Merriam-Webster defines a mentor as “a trusted counselor or guide”. As writers, much of our efforts are completed individually, and even when contributing to a larger body of work, the relationships are more often collaborative in nature than one of a mentoring type, but few successful authors have reached that level of success without the guidance of one or more who came before them and guided their efforts. We asked several TAA members about their experiences, either as a mentor or a mentee. Five of the responses received are below.
An EdTech company is seeking subject matter experts in biology, physics, chemistry, and math to review content for virtual reality modules. Qualifications include: experience writing content, reviewing textbooks, designing curriculum, or developmental editing.
The scripts for these virtual reality modules need to be reviewed for pedagogy, accuracy, and general writing style. There are two phases to the review process: a Preflight, which requires an evaluation of an outline, and a Blueprint, which requires reviewing a complete script. Each preflight requires about 2 hours; each blueprint 4-5 hours. The turnaround time is 2 days.
