Course Credits and References

Course Author Dr. Michele Poff (BA, MA, Ph.D.) is a Communication PhD, with an expertise in effective messaging. Her scholarly expertise lies in communication and language usage. She is a published author and a social scientist by training. She received her BA in English at the University of California, Berkeley; her Master's in Linguistics/English Language Instruction; and completed her Ph.D. in Communication. Dr. Poff has been a lecturer and instructor at the University of Washington for over 10 years.

Course Instructor

Dana Kristan (BA, MA) has a BA in sociology and an MA in public policy and education. She is a passionate writer as well as a dedicated and attentive writing instructor with over 20 years of online teaching experience. She also completed related coursework in special education covering the use of needs assessments and systematic instructional designs to match teaching practices and learning objectives with learner needs, a core component of the systematic instructional methodologies that dominate special education practice today. She also monitored the educational programs for adults with severe disabilities in New York City before joining Universal Class in managing, developing, writing, and instructing online classes to better serve students' basic needs. Her passions include writing, journaling, music, cultural studies, and history.