Christopher Eaton

Chris brings together two areas in his pedagogy and scholarship: education and writing. From the education side, he has expertise in curriculum development, multimodality, and emerging pedagogical technologies. On the writing side, he is a rhetorician who has a keen interest in writing transfer. Both come together in fascinating ways in his classrooms (though the “fascinating” part may only apply to him). These lenses also inform the vast majority of his scholarship.

The connection between emerging technologies, multimodal assessment, and curriculum has featured prominently in Chris’s recent work. He has been working on several projects related to artificial intelligence in pedagogy. This work has also extended to considering how various multimodal tools (e.g., audio, virtual reality, infographics, large language models) come together to support learning and text design. He is interested in examining how learners “stitch” together various modes and digital tools to support their education. The results of some of this work can be seen through the multimodal ensemble he developed for threshold concepts of writing, through the 1-9-2 Chronicles, a podcast series showcasing student podcast episodes developed in his utmONE Scholars classes, and at Pedagogies across Modes, a space to highlight thoughts on multimodal pedagogies through a blog that may always be labeled as “fledgling.”

Most of his work involves students in some capacity. Students are central to everything Chris does as a teacher and as a scholar, so it is only fitting that they have a bigger place not just as students in a classroom but also as co-constructors of knowledge. Student involvement in projects is essential—if students are not offered a seat at the table, what’s the point of academia?

When he is not teaching, researching, creating new projects, or avoiding email, Chris loves to hike, trek through mountains, read, and enjoy time with friends and family. His door is always open, so please stop in and say hello.