I am an assistant professor of technical communication and rhetoric at Texas Tech University on the indigenous land of Comanche. I co-direct the User Experience (UX) Lab in the Department of English and teach courses in UX research, information design, and digital rhetorics.
I hold a PhD in rhetoric and scientific and technical communication from the University of Minnesota. My dissertation involved a study of makerspaces and the cultivation of a maker pedagogy for technical communication studies. Between 2015-2019, I was a researcher affiliated with the Wearables Research Collaboratory at Minnesota. I investigated the sociocultural aspects of wearable technologies and embodied devices to examine their applications in various learning contexts.
My books, Design Thinking in Technical Communication (Routledge/T&F) and Collaborative Writing Playbook (Parlor Press, coauthored with Joe Moses) focus on the application of design thinking mindsets in professional practice and writing pedagogy. Currently, I am working on an edited collection and a textbook on design thinking approaches in technical communication pedagogy and practice. See my projects page for details.
My recent publications include the following:
- Tham, J., Burnham, K., Hocutt, D., Ranade, N., Misak, J., Duin, A.H., Pedersen, I., & Campbell, J.L. (2021). Metaphors, mental models, and multiplicity: Understanding student perception of digital literacy. Computers and Composition, 59. Online first.
- Tham, J. (2020). Engaging design thinking and making in technical communication pedagogy. Technical Communication Quarterly. Online first.
- Tham, J. & Grace, R. (2020). Reading born-digital scholarship: A study of webtext user experience. Computers and Composition. Online first.
- Tham, J., Rosselot-Merritt, J., Veeramoothoo, S., Bollig, N.W., & Duin, A.H. (2020). Toward a radical collaboratory model for graduate research education: A collaborative autoethnography. Technical Communication Quarterly. Online first.
- Duin, A.H. & Tham, J. (2020). The current state of analytics: Implications for learning management systems use in writing pedagogy. Computers and Composition. Online first.
- Tham, J. (2018). Interactivity in an age of immersive media: Seven dimensions for wearable technology, internet of things, and technical communication. Technical Communication, 65(1), 46-65. (Awarded the STC Frank R. Smith Award for best article in Technical Communication)
- Tham, J. (2017). Wearable writing: Enriching student peer reviews through point-of-view video feedback using Google Glass. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 47(1), 22-55.
- Duin, A.H., Moses, J. McGrath, M., & Tham, J. (2016). Wearable computing, wearable composing: New dimensions in composition pedagogy. Computers and Composition Online. Retrieved from http://cconlinejournal.org/wearable
I am continually intrigued by the impact of technologies on our personal, professional, and social lives, and I strive to better understand how we might facilitate better living and learning through these technologies.
Outside of work, I enjoy working out, cooking, running, and parenting an affectionate cat and two very energetic puppers with my partner.
Education Background
PhD in Rhetoric & Scientific & Technical Communication, Minor in Human Factors and Ergonomics, University of Minnesota, 2019.
MA in English: Rhetoric & Writing, St. Cloud State University, 2014.
MS in Mass Communication: Advertising & Public Relations, St. Cloud State University, 2014.
BS in Mass Communication: Advertising, Minors in Communication Studies and Psychology, St. Cloud State University, 2011.
