Bill Hart-Davidson

hartdav2@msu.edu

300 Linton Hall
479 West Circle Dr
East Lansing, MI 48824

FacultyWriting, Rhetoric, and CulturesResearch and Graduate EducationExperience ArchitectureRhetoric and WritingFirst Year WritingProfessional and Public WritingDeans Administration

Associate Dean, Research & Graduate Education
Professor

ORCID: 0000-0001-8147-1610

Biography

Google Scholar

Profile

Bill Hart-Davidson earned his Ph.D. in 1999 in Rhetoric & Composition from Purdue University. He is a Senior Researcher in the Writing in Digital Environments Research (Center) center and Associate Dean of Research Graduate Education in the College of Arts & Letters. He has published over 75 articles and book chapters and is co-inventor of Eli Review, a software service that supports writing instruction.

In 2023, MSU awarded Hart-Davidson with the William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award that honors faculty for their sustained recorded of scholarly excellence in research and creative activities, instruction, and outreach.

Research Areas

Writing & Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Humanities, Experience Architecture, Technical Writing, Science & Medical Writing, Computational Rhetoric

Education

Ph.D. Rhetoric & Composition, Purdue University, 1999

M.A. Writing and Rhetoric, Bowling Green State University, 1994

B.S. Education, Bowling Green State University, 1992

Research or Academic Affiliations

Senior Researcher, WIDE Research Center

Affiliated Researcher, MATRIX Affiliated Researcher, Center for Ethics in Humanities in the Life Sciences

Institutional Liaison, Humanities Without Walls Consortium

Fellow, Association of Teachers of Technical Writing

Secretary, Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW)

Projects


Sight, Sound, and Practice: An Exploration of the Ways Visualizations Can Support Learning to Compose

Hart-Davidson, W. & Lauren, B. (2020). Sight, Sound, and Practice: An Exploration of the Ways Visualizations Can Support Learning to Compose. Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, & Pedagogy. http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/25.1/topoi/lauren-hart-davidson/index.html.

Behavioral Indicators of Writing Improvement: Feedback Analytics for Peer Learning

Hart-Davidson, W. & Meeks, M.G. (2020). Behavioral Indicators of Writing Improvement: Feedback Analytics for Peer Learning. In N. Elliot & D. Kelly-Riley (Eds.). Improving Outcomes: Disciplinary Writing, Local Assessment, & the Aim of Fairness. New York: MLA.

Extending the Work of Writing Stewardship: Managing Texts, People, & Projects

Hart-Davidson, W. & Lauren, B. (2020). Extending the Work of Writing Stewardship: Managing Texts, People, & Projects. In T. Bridgeford (Ed.). Teaching Content Management in Technical and Professional Communication. Routledge.

The Primary Care Clinic as Writing Space

Opel, D. S., & Hart-Davidson, W. (2019). The Primary Care Clinic as Writing Space. Written Communication, 0741088319839968.

Rhet Ops: Rhetoric & Information Warfare

Ridolfo, J. & Hart-Davidson, W. (Eds.) (2019). Rhet Ops: Rhetoric & Information Warfare. University of Pittsburgh Press.

Hedge—O—Matic

Omizo, R. & Hart-Davidson, W. (2016). Hedge—O—Matic. Enculturation 7 http://enculturation.net/hedgeomatic.

Finding genre signals in academic writing

Omizo R., & Hart-Davidson, W. (2016). Finding genre signals in academic writing. Journal of Writing Research, 7(3), 485-­‐509.

The Turn to Learning: A View of UX Project Management as Organizational Learning Practice

Hart-Davidson, W. (2015). The Turn to Learning: A View of UX Project Management as Organizational Learning Practice. International Journal of Sociotechnology and Knowledge Development (IJSKD), 7(3), 49—52.

Rhetoric and the Digital Humanities

Ridolfo, James & William Hart-Davidson. (In press for 2014).Rhetoric and the Digital Humanities. Chicago: U of Chicago P.

Media Mentions

Michigan educators voice concerns regarding AI use in schools

WILX-TV Online | Lansing, Michigan

August 11, 2023

Read Now »

Awards and Honors


2023 MSU William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award

2020 Diana Award presented to Liza Potts, William Hart-Davidson, & Jeff Grabill by the Association of Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Design of Communication (ACM SIGDOC)

2016 Fellow of the Association of Teachers of Technical Communication. This award recognizes career contributions and leadership in the field of technical communication

Computers & Composition Distinguished Book Award, given to the outstanding book published in the previous year. Awarded to Rhetoric & the Digital Humanities, Ridolfo & Hart-Davidson (Eds.)

2015 Conference on College Composition and Communication Technology Innovator Award. Awarded to the WIDE Research Center. (Grabill, Hart-Davidson, Potts)

Courses

XA 375: Information Architecture

WRA 320: Technical Writing

WRA 420: Content Strategy

WRA 482: Information and Interaction Design

WRA 210 & 410: Web Authoring, Advanced Web Authoring

WRA 453: Grant and Proposal Writing

WRA 841: Professional Writing Theory and Research

WRA 885: Research Colloquium

WRA 870: Research Methodologies

AL 881: Teaching with Technology

Videos

How Can AI Support Writing and Student Learning?

University News

Experience Architecture Student Awarded Bradbury Scholarship for Entrepreneurial Excellence
Published November 8, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
A close-up photo of someone looking to their right.
The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is delighted to announce Mutunga Mukeku as the first recipient of the prestigious Bradbury Scholarship for Entrepreneurial…Read now »
Exploring the Role of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education
Published November 3, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
Educators and students currently are trying to figure out how to make room in the classroom for a third kind of learner. While large language models (LLMs) like Chat GPT are not capable of learning…Read now »
Ask the Expert: How Can AI Support Writing and Student Learning?
Published September 14, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
MSU Associate Dean and Professor Bill Hart-Davidson pictured with a background of shifting blue light.
With the start of the school year approaching, educators are wondering how artificial intelligence, or AI, may be used in learning environments, including by students for writing papers. Bill…Read now »
College of Arts & Letters Part of National Blueprint for Advancing College Equity and Excellence
Published January 13, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
As a member of the Boyer 2030 Commission, Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Director of Digital Humanities and Professor of English at Michigan State University, participated in the development of a national…Read now »
New Scholarship Encourages Entrepreneurship Among Creative Career Paths
Published December 7, 2022 in College of Arts & Letters
It’s not often humanities professors transform an idea into a successful business venture, but that’s exactly what Bill Hart-Davidson and Jeff Grabill did 10 years ago thanks to the vision and…Read now »
Doctoral Student Named King-Chavez-Parks Future Faculty Fellow
Published March 3, 2022 in College of Arts & Letters
Jerrice Donelson, Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC), has been selected for the 2022 King-Chavez-Parks (KCP) Future Faculty…Read now »
MSU Joins Coalition to Support Diverse Career Pathways for Humanities Ph.D. Students
Published September 28, 2021 in College of Arts & Letters
Michigan State University has received funding from the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) to support the development of a pilot program for Ph.D. students in the humanities that will offer…Read now »
MSU to Collaborate with Comic Studies Society on Conferences and Scholarship 
Published September 14, 2021 in College of Arts & Letters
Michigan State University and the Comics Studies Society (CSS) are pleased to announce the formation of an ongoing, multiyear collaboration that will begin with the 2022 CSS conference taking…Read now »
Planning for the Future of Work
Published June 10, 2021 in College of Arts & Letters
green trees with a brown brick tower in the background and a blue sky
Dear College of Arts & Letters Staff and Faculty, With intention and care, we in the College of Arts & Letters (CAL) are beginning to emerge from what has been a somber and…Read now »
Return to Campus Pre-Planning
Published May 21, 2021 in College of Arts & Letters
Brown brick building with blue sky and clouds in the background and trees with changing fall leaves in front
Dear College of Arts & Letters Staff and Faculty, As you have read recently in President Stanley’s e-mail of May 17 “Bringing More Employees Back to Campus,” the state of Michigan as…Read now »
Expectations of Another COVID Summer
Published May 5, 2021 in College of Arts & Letters
brick building with a blue sky surrounded by trees
Dear College of Arts & Letters Staff and Faculty, As we embark upon yet another summer in the shadow of COVID-19, we invite you to pause and reflect on the past year. The work we have done…Read now »
Commencement Website Celebrates Class of 2021
Published May 3, 2021 in College of Arts & Letters
graphic of congrats for class of 2021
The Michigan State University College of Arts & Letters celebrates the Class of 2021 through a dedicated website, classof2021.cal.msu.edu, with congratulatory messages, commencement videos, and…Read now »
An Open Letter to Our MSU Asian Pacific Islander Desi American and Asian Communities
Published March 19, 2021 in College of Arts & Letters
photo of an orange brick building with a clock tower in front of a cloudy sky and green trees
Dear College of Arts & Letters Students, Staff, and Faculty We stand in solidarity with our Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) and Asian communities in the wake of the racist and…Read now »
Closing the Health Care Gap Through Patient Engagement, Partnership
Published August 10, 2020 in College of Arts & Letters
two women and a man in a photo
Michigan State University researchers have been awarded a $3.75 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for research focused on decreasing cardiovascular disease risk…Read now »
A Message of Reassurance
Published May 26, 2020 in College of Arts & Letters
photo of an orange brick building with a clock tower in front of a cloudy sky and green trees as well as a light blue lantern lamppost to the left
Dear Colleagues, As the 2020 Spring semester has come to a close, we want to thank you for the hard work required to shift to remote teaching, and also to acknowledge the myriad of other…Read now »
WIDE Receives Award for Contributions to Communication Design
Published April 2, 2020 in College of Arts & Letters
group of students at a table talking with a monitor behind them
The Writing, Information, and Digital Experience (WIDE) Center at Michigan State University has been selected as the 2020 Diana Award recipient presented by the Special Interest Group on Design…Read now »
Caring for Institutions & Future Generations: Practicing Leadership As Stewardship
Published November 27, 2017 in College of Arts & Letters
graphic about the 10th annual economic impact report
By Bill Hart-Davidson on November 27, 2017 on Medium I am grateful to my colleague Dr. Malea Powell for teaching me about the indigenous principle and practice of “seven…Read now »
Tax Reform Response Letter
Published November 20, 2017 in College of Arts & Letters
photo of an archway with a large wooden door
Dear Colleagues & Friends, I write to update you on activity in the College of Arts & Letters (CAL) and at the University level in response to H.R. 1—Tax Cuts and Jobs…Read now »
Five Faculty Promoted to Full Professor
Published November 17, 2017 in College of Arts & Letters
Photo of Beaumont Tower, a red brick building
This year, the College of Arts & Letters promoted five faculty members to Full Professor with tenure, including Kirk Domer, Bill Hart-Davidson, Alisa Henriquez, Shawn Loewen, and Rob…Read now »
Like an Oak Tree — Considering Pathways for Intellectual Leadership
Published September 12, 2017 in College of Arts & Letters
a photo of a tree
By Bill Hart-Davidson on September 12, 2017 on Medium.com This past month, I have officially begun a new appointment in the College of Arts & Letters as Associate Dean for Research…Read now »
Hart-Davidson Appointed Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education
Published August 23, 2017 in College of Arts & Letters
Bill Hart-Davidson recently took over as Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education and now oversees all activities associated with Research and Graduate Education in…Read now »
David Prestel Leaves Lasting Legacy as Senior Associate Dean
Published August 22, 2017 in College of Arts & Letters
photo of an orange brick building with a clock tower in front of a cloudy sky and green trees
This month, David Prestel, who served as Senior Associate Dean for Research and Administration for the College of Arts & Letters for the past four years, moved out of Linton Hall and into a…Read now »
Our Debt to the Future
Published November 10, 2016 in College of Arts & Letters
Woman in a dress walking in front of Morrill hall
By Bill Hart-Davidson on November 10, 2016 on Medium I am fortunate to work at an institution that is proud of its status as the pioneering land-grant institution in the United States….Read now »
Critical Diversity in a Digital Age
Published October 31, 2016 in College of Arts & Letters
abstract art
By Dean Christopher P. Long on October 31, 2016 on cplong.org Last year we developed a strategic plan in the College of Arts & Letters that called for a cluster hire…Read now »
Facilitating a Better Online Conversation
Published September 22, 2016 in College of Arts & Letters
portrait of man with glasses in pink button up with classroom and students in background
A team of researchers from the College of Arts & Letters has released a new web application aimed at keeping online conversations on track.  The Faciloscope app, developed by…Read now »