ORCID: 0000-0002-4862-2613
Education
Ph.D. (2018) Rhetoric and Composition, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
M.Litt. (2007) English Literature-Modernism, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
M.F.A. (2006) Creative Writing, Emerson College, Boston, MA
B.S. (1996) Environmental Science – Ecology, Unity College, Unity, ME
Research Interests
● Writing Assessment ● WAC/WID
● Scholarship of Teaching and Learning ● Research Methodologies
● Undergraduate Research ● Education Equity
Appointments and Relevant Experience
Associate Professor of Professional and Technical Writing, University of Maine Orono, September 2025 – present
• Assistant Professor, August 2021 – August 2025
• Faculty Affiliate, Maine Center for Research in STEM Education (December 2021 – present)
• Faculty Affiliate, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (January 2023 – present)
Associate Publisher for Design and Production, The WAC Clearinghouse, September 2023 – present
Assistant Professor of Writing, Curry College, August 2018 – July 2021
• Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum Coordinator (2019 – 2021)
• Faculty Innovation Coordinator (2020 – 2021)
• Faculty Writing Fellows Coordinator (2019 – 2021)
Series Editor, Perspectives on Writing book series, The WAC Clearinghouse, December 2020 – January 2024 (Associate Editor, May 2018 – December 2020)
Associate Editor, Research in the Teaching of English, National Council of Teachers of English. July 2016 – May 2018.
Adjunct Instructor (Writing), Northeastern University, September 2015 – August 2018.
Writing Tutor, Northeastern University, September 2014 – April 2015.
Science Grants and Projects Administrator, Research Foundation of CUNY. December 2009 – May 2014.
Project Editor and Writer, Self-employed/contract. August 2006 – May 2013.
Content Editor, K-12 STEM, The Princeton Review. May 2006 – August 2007
Adjunct Instructor (Writing), Emerson College, January 2005 – May 2006.
Awards
Association for Writing Across the Curriculum/The WAC Clearinghouse: Award for Best WAC Monograph, June 2023.
Association for Writing Across the Curriculum/The WAC Clearinghouse: Award for Best WAC Article or Chapter focused on Research, August 2021.
Association for Writing Across the Curriculum/The WAC Clearinghouse: Award for Best WAC Dissertation, August 2021.
Dean’s Award for Professional Advancement, Curry College, 2018.
International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference Scholarship, 2018
Conference on College Composition and Communication: Emergent Research/er Award, 2016.
Northeastern University, English Department: Graduate Essay Prize in Writing and Rhetoric, 2016.
Northeastern University, College of Social Science and Humanities: (Department Nominations) Outstanding Graduate Researcher Award, 2016 and 2017
Grants
Funded
“Aligning Writing Concepts Across the Curriculum” ($2,000), Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning/Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Fellows. PI: Falconer, H. F., Co-PI: McGuire, J. & PlymaleLarlee, M. Funded June 2024.
“Building an Inclusive WAC Program.” UMaine EMPOWER Program. $7,000. PI: Falconer, H. F. 2023.
“Examining Academic Self-Efficacy and Writing Development in Students with Specific Learning Disabilities.” Research Initiative Grant, Conference on College Composition and Communication/NCTE. Total direct: $4,000. PI: Falconer, H. F., and Illich, L. P. Curry College. 2021.
“Expanding Opportunities in Biomedical Science at John Jay College.” U.S. Department of Education, Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP) Grant. Total direct: $699,198. PI: Lents, N. H., & Carpi, A. John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. 2013.
“Creating Hispanic Scientists: A Model Science Articulation Program between Hispanic-Serving Institutions.” U.S Department of Education, HSI-STEM Program Grant. Total direct: $3,834,728. PI: Carpi, A. and Lents, N. H., John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. 2011.
“Success through Engagement: Promoting undergraduate research and first-year experience toward increasing student persistence.” U.S Department of Education, Title V Institutional Development Program Grant. Total direct: $2,082,806. PI: Carpi, A. and Szur, K., John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. 2010.
Student Technology Fee Advisory Committee Grant. Equipment and technology request. Total: $9,024. PI: Carpi, A., John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. 2010.
“A Program for Articulating Community College Students to B.S. Degrees in Science.” U.S Department of Education, Title V Cooperative Grant (with Queensborough Community College). PI: Carpi, A., Szur, K., Kobilinsky, L., McCullough, D., John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. 2006.
Unfunded
“Building a Professional and Technical Writing Minor for the 21st Century” ($320,000), Higher Learning Concept Call: Social Justice and Disciplinary Knowledge, Mellon Foundation. PI: Falconer, H. F.,Co-PI: Swacha, K.
“Investigating Impact Factors on Student Self-Efficacy and Success as Academic Writers Over Time” ($367,000), Research Grants on Education: Large, Spencer Foundation. PI: Falconer, H. F.,Co-PI: Dippre, R. J.
“Supporting transfer of reading and writing practices across the curriculum” ($25,500). Gateways to Success Phase II. PI: Falconer, H. F., Co-PI: Dippre, R. J., and PlymaleLarlee, M.
“Bridging Instructional Gaps to Improve Competency and Self-Efficacy with STEM Writing.” Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Grant, National Science Foundation, Total: $379,574. PI: Falconer, H. F., Co-PI: Lindsay, S., University of Maine. 2023.
“Building Bridges for Minority Opportunity: A national model for excellence in STEM diversity.” National Science Foundation, HSI-STEM Program Grant. PI: Carpi, A. and Sanábria-Valentine, E., John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. 2018.
“Increasing Access to Research Mentoring for Underrepresented Students: Virtual Research Training for Undergraduate Education (VIRTUE).” National Science Foundation, Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE). PI: Carpi, A. and Egger, A. E., John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. 2014.
“Creating Hispanic Scientists: A National Mentoring Network.” National Institutes of Health, Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative Grant. PI: Carpi, A. and Lents, N. H., John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. 2013.
Scholarly Publications
See links under “About Me.”
Presentations
Panels and Workshops Organized
Falconer, H. M., McGuire, J., & PlymaleLarlee, M. (2025, Jul 16-20). Aligning writing concepts across the first- and second-year biology curriculum. [Conference presentation] International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference, Fort Collins, CO.
Blakeslee, A., Falconer, H. M., Russell, D. R., Craig, S. & Polk, T. (2025, Jul 16-20). Considerations in open access publishing across academic careers. [Conference presentation] International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference, Fort Collins, CO.
Cutrufello, G., Falconer, H. M., Rounsaville, A., Stankavich, L., Yacoub, O., & Zerbe, M. J. (2025, Jul 16-20). Reflections on award-winning scholarship. [Conference presentation] International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference, Fort Collins, CO.
Falconer, H. M., Illich, L. P., Kelly, M. J., Kirsch, C. Y., & Moir, T. (2024, April 3-6). On the costs of non-compliance: Neurodivergent writers across academic contexts. [Conference presentation]. Conference on College Composition and Communication, Spokane, WA, United States.
Falconer, H. M., McClure, A., Blakesley, D., and Mullin, J. (2023, June 14-17). Considerations of equity and inclusion in academic publishing. [Conference presentation]. International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference, Clemson, SC, United States.
Falconer, H. M. & Payne, E. (2022, July 18-23). Incorporating ethics and justice in STEM communication courses. [Workshop]. IEEE ProComm Conference, Limerick, Ireland.
Falconer, H. M., Pemberton, M., Jordan, J., Mathieson, M., Basgier, C., Childers, P., & Hall, S. E. (2021, August 2-6). Collaborating for publication: Conducting cross-disciplinary scholarship on writing [Workshop]. International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference, Fort Collins, CO, United States. Virtual.
Falconer, H. M., Perryman-Clark, S., & Basgier, C. (2021, March 25-28). Reexamining WAC theory for inclusion, diversity, and equity: Administration, programming, and epistemology. [Conference presentation]. Conference on College Composition and Communication, Milwaukee, WI, United States. Virtual.
Falconer, H. M., Whitney, J. G., Tucker, B., & Toth, C. (2016, May 26-29). Changing demographics, changing rhetorics: Rethinking genre instruction in higher education. Becoming an insider: Learning the rhetorical moves of the scientific proposal [Conference presentation]. Rhetoric Society of America Conference, Atlanta, GA, United States.
Papers Presented & Roundtables
Falconer, H. M., Lannin, A., Rodgers, J., & Thomas, S. (2024, December 2-4). WAC/EAC operations and pedagogy. [Plenary]. 4th Annual International English Across the Curriculum Conference, Hong Kong, China.
Falconer, H. M. (2024, December 2-4). Aligning writing concepts across the first- and second-year curriculum. [Conference presentation]. 4th Annual International English Across the Curriculum Conference, Hong Kong, China.
Nieman, E., Swacha, K., Falconer, H. M., & Plymale-Larlee, M. (2023, September 22-23). A feminist, social justice approach to forging alliances across TPSC programs. [Conference presentation]. Council for Programs in Technical and Professional Communication, Charleston, SC, United States.
Falconer, H. M. (2022, March 9-12). Invitations to science: Using STEM writing pedagogy to advance representation in STEM Fields: Creating counterspaces for change [Conference presentation]. Conference on College Composition and Communication, Chicago, IL, United States. Virtual.
Falconer, H. M., & Pinkert, L. (2022, March 9-12). Behind the scenes of WAC program development: Diversity, equity, and inclusion in WAC [Workshop]. Conference on College Composition and Communication, Chicago, IL, United States. Virtual.
Falconer, H. M. (2019, March 13-16) From dissociation to embodiment: The influence of mentor pedagogy on the discursive identities of women of color in science [Conference presentation]. Conference on College Composition and Communication, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
Falconer, H. M. (2018, June 4-6) Preparing disciplinary writing mentors: An examination of the relationship between prior knowledge and pedagogical approach [Conference presentation]. International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference, Auburn, AL, USA.
Falconer, H. M. (2017, March 15-18) Breaking the “code” of science: A culturally sustaining approach to teaching science writing [Conference presentation]. Conference on College Composition and Communication, Portland, OR, United States.
Falconer, H. M. (2017, March 15-18) “Dull duty” and disciplinary issues: A roundtable with NCTE editors [Roundtable speaker]. Conference on College Composition and Communication, Portland, OR, United States.
Falconer, H. M. (2015, March 28) Demystifying meaning-making in first-year writing: The influence of ideology, background knowledge, and motivation on genre selection and use [Conference presentation]. University of Massachusetts–Boston’s Engaging Practices: A Conference on the Teaching of Composition, Boston, MA, United States.
Falconer, H. M. (2014, January 16-17) Addressing student needs in the science classroom [Conference presentation]. Hispanic Educational Technology Services Conference, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Falconer, H. M. (2013, March 26-28) Creating Hispanic scientists: Increasing minority engagement in the sciences [Conference presentation]. HEP Project Director’s Meeting, Department of Education, Washington DC, United States.
Carpi, A., Lents, N. H., & Falconer, H. M. (2012, October 10-12) Science education in a complex world: Adapting to student use of online material – The Visionlearning Project [Conference presentation]. 18th Annual Sloan Consortium Conference, Lake Buena Vista, FL, United States.
Falconer, H. M. (2007, September 7-8) White’s legacy: ‘One Man’s Meat’ and the American nature essay [Conference presentation]. Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment UKI Conference, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland.
Invited Lectures and Symposia
Guest Speaker, WAC Week, Colorado State University, “From First-Year Writing to Writing in the Major: Enhancing Student Self-Efficacy for Writing Across the Curriculum,” February 6, 2026.
Guest Speaker, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “Teacher-research in STEM writing,” March 21, 2025.
Facilitator/Speaker, Association for Writing Across the Curriculum Workshop, “Navigating Inclusive STEM Education in a Time of Crisis,” February 20, 2025
Guest Speaker, Barrs Lecture, Northeastern University, “From dissertation to book: Advice from two Northeastern PhDs,” February 27, 2024.
Roundtable Participant, 2023 International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference, Clemson, NC, “Considerations of equity and inclusion in academic publishing,” June 2023.
Guest Speaker, WAC-Graduate Organization/Association of Writing Across the Curriculum Mentoring Committee Workshop, “Teaching writing in the disciplines in STEM,” May 2023.
Guest Speaker, Bowling Green State University, “Turning research into publication,” October 12, 2022.
Guest Speaker, University of Maine Center for Research in STEM Education, “Rethinking the impact of inequity on STEM writing instruction,” December 2021
Guest Workshop Facilitator, Boston Rhetoric and Writing Network, “Inclusivity in the disciplinary writing classroom,” June 2021.
Guest Speaker, Lafayette College, “Teaching and mentoring for equity: Race, gender and discourse in STEM,” October 2020.
Workshop Leader, Faculty Center, Curry College
- Mentored writing, November 2018.
- Using peer review: Formal and informal approaches, September 2020
- Preparing your (academic) book proposal, October 2020
- Designing effective writing assignments (2-part), October & November 2020
- Leveraging the Canvas discussion board for multimodal activities, February 2021
Guest Speaker, Teaching and Learning Center, John Jay College, Mentoring for equity, November 2018.
Participant, Naylor Symposium on Undergraduate Research in Writing, York College, September 2018
Guest Lecturer, New York University – Tandon School of Engineering, Faculty workshop: What is “good writing”? April 2018.
Guest Lecturer, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Forensic Science Master’s Thesis Workshop, “Introduction to science writing,” September 2016.
Guest Lecturer, Northeastern University, Biotechnology Applications Laboratory, “Abstract writing and scientific prose,” Spring 2015.
Guest Lecturer, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Forensic Science Master’s Thesis Workshop, “Introduction to science writing,” October 2015.
Teaching and Mentoring Experience
2021 to present – University of Maine
Undergraduate
• ENG 101 – College Composition. Builds student awareness of writing practices and possibilities with academic spaces.
• ENG 201 – Writing Across Contexts. Introduces students to genre, critical thinking, and inquiry across lifeworld contexts.
• ENG 215 –Theories and Practices of Writing. Introduces students to the field of Writing Studies and how composing processes helps us do things in the world.
• ENG 296 / WGS 206 – Investigating Equity through Technical Communication. Explores how equity is presented, disrupted, and amplified in public communication practices.
• ENG 315 – Research Writing Across Disciplines. Introduces students to the research writing process and how it varies across disciplinary spaces.
• ENG 320 – Technical Communication for Engineering. Explores communication practices for engineers, with an emphasis on genre and language.
• ENG 417 – Usability and Human-Centered Design in Technical and Professional Communication. Investigates the role and practices of usability and user experience (UX) in contemporary communication practices, with an eye toward human-centered design.
• ENG 496 / WGS 411 – Career Internship in English / Internship in WGS. Provides support and guidance for students conducting internships in their major.
Graduate
• ENG 416/516 – Perspectives on Editing and Information Design (combined undergraduate and graduate). Offers a survey of various perspectives and considerations in editorial and textual design practices.
• ENG 418/518 – Topics in Professional and Technical Writing (combined undergraduate and graduate). “Disrupting the Status Quo” – uses a sociolinguistic approach to examine the roles PTW plays in systemic inequity (related to race, gender, sexual identity, ableness, etc.).
• ENG 596 – Graduate Internship (Field Experience). Provides support and guidance for graduate students conducting internships in their major.
• SMT 588 – Seminar in Science and Math Education Research. Explores qualitative research methodologies common to STEM education research and prepares Master of Science in Teaching students for independent thesis research.
Honors (Undergraduate) Thesis Committees
• Hannah Mathieu, English/Ecology and Environmental Science (2022-2023) – Advisor. “Best practices guide for building sustainable, mutually beneficial relationships between the Lewiston/Auburn Community Market and local farmers within the Greater Lewiston/Auburn area.”
• Emma Grous, English (2022-2023) – Advisor, High Honors Result. “Critical discourse analysis of sexual violence in Maine Department of Public Safety (DPS) Crime in Maine reports.”
• Benjamin Allen, English/Philosophy (2022-2023). “The embodied performance of tics and Tourette Syndrome in the academic environment.”
Undergraduate Research
• Cassian Smith, English/Anthropology (Summer 2024) – Advisor. “Anonymity in public space graffiti: Gender differences in public restrooms across the University of Maine.” Funded via University of Maine’s CUGR/EPIC program.
Master’s Thesis Committees
• Merrilee Schoen, Master of Fine Art in Intermedia (2023-2024)
• Madeline Dougherty, Master of Science in Teaching (2022-2024). “How middle and high school teachers describe data literacy concepts.”
• Michelle Hoeckel-Neal, Master of Art in English (2023-2024). “Object (of) permanence: Stories.”
• Mudiwa Mupotsa-Giroux, Master of Art in English (2023-2024) – Advisor. “How Emilie Davis’s participation and response to rhetorics of resistance is apparent in her published pocket diaries (working title).”
• Ally Ryan, Master of Science in Teaching (2022-2023). “Investigating student perceptions of a creative writing assignment in an upper-level undergraduate STEM course: Using haiku to represent structure and function relationships in human anatomy.”
• Kristen Thompson, Master of Science in Teaching (2022-2023). “How groupwork influences students’ sense of belonging in the mathematics classroom.”
• Madeline Bruegger, Master of Art in English (2022-2023) – Advisor. “Navigating the kaleidoscope of object(ive)s: A user-experience approach to cultural-historical activity theory.”
• Madison Brown, Master of Art in English (2022-2023). “Hattie: A twin territories matriarch.”
Doctoral Dissertation Committees
• Danielle Gabrielli, Doctor of Education (2022-present)
• Suzanne Nadeau, PhD in Instructional Technology and Academic Writing (2022-present)
2018 to 2021 – Curry College
• WRIT 1500 – Reading Writing Research II. Introduces students to critical thinking and inquiry within academic contexts. Explicit focus on disciplinary discourses.
• WRIT 2200 – Working with Writers. Introduces students to theories and practices of working with writers across contexts, including writing centers, classrooms, and publishing spaces.
• ENG 2010 – Major British Writers I. Literature course covering Beowulf through Early Modernism.
• GEN 3001 – Junior Year Inquiry: Whisky. Course designed to engage students in the process of inquiry through an interdisciplinary lens. Explicit focus on whisky through social, scientific, economic, and artistic lenses.
• HON 3002 – Honors Research Methods for Writing Studies. Independent study introducing students to key qualitative methods and methodologies used in the study and practice of writing studies research.
2014 to 2018 – Northeastern University
• ENGW 3307 – Advanced Writing in the Sciences (Face-to-Face and Online). Introduced students to a wide variety of scientific genres and discourse conventions. Scaffolded assignments that allowed for semester-long inquiry of own design.
• ENGW 1111 – First-Year Writing. Introduced students to research skills for academic contexts through a rhetorical genre studies approach.
• ENGL 1410 – Introduction to Writing Studies (co-taught). Offered students an historical overview of the field of writing studies, introduced major themes, and provided exposure to and practice with research methods common to the field.
2004 to 2006 – Emerson College
• WP101 – Expository Writing. Instructed students on the elements of argument writing, learning how to form educated, informed opinions and then execute an effective persuasive argument. Topics of focus were personal responsibility in group settings, the reader/writer dialectic, social implications of genetic engineering, and social privilege.
• WP121 – Research Writing. Guided students in the process of academic research and revision, with the theme of the function of the artist in the 21st century. Students read selected literary theory and criticism pieces to act as a frame for their analysis of a specific artist and the artist’s role as activist, mirror, and commentator.
Service
Incoming Chair, Association for Writing Across the Curriculum (July 2025 to June 2026)
Member, Faculty Senate, University of Maine, August 2025 – present
Lead Facilitator, Teaching a Writing Intensive Course Workshop, University of Maine, August 18-19, 2025
Lead Facilitator, Writing Across the Curriculum Community of Practice, University of Maine, August 2024 – present
Search Advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, University of Maine, October 2024 – present
Member, Writing Program Administrative Team, University of Maine, August 2023 – present
Member, General Education Stewardship Committee, University of Maine, October 2023 – present
Member, University of Maine Center for Research in STEM Education, December 2021 – present
Editorial Board Member, The WAC Clearinghouse, August 2019 – present
Editorial Board Member, The WAC Journal, June 2019 – present
Vice-Chair, New England Writing Across the Curriculum Consortium (NEWACC), June 2019 – present
Co-Chair, Research and Publications Committee, AWAC. June 2018 – July 2023
Member, Writing Program Outcomes and Assessment Committee, Curry College, September 2018 – July 2021
Co-Chair, Department Evaluation Committee, Curry College, September 2018 – July 2021
Member, Association of Writing Across the Curriculum (AWAC) Working Group. June 2017 – June 2021
Member, “Research in Action” Advisory Council, John Jay College of Criminal Justice. May 2014 – May 2021.
Member, Writing Program Assessment Committee, Northeastern University. January 2016 – May 2018
Professional Memberships
Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC)
Association for Writing Across the Curriculum (AWAC)
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR)
Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW)
Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication (CPTSC)