MUNCIE, Ind. - An English professor at Ball State University believes her department's participation in the most recent issue of an online journal may help boost electronic scholarship.

Linda Hanson led a group of faculty and students to work on Kairos, an electronic journal designed to serve as a peer-reviewed resource for teachers, researchers and tutors of writing.

"It emerged to fill a need for people in the computers and writing communities, but now reaches far beyond that," Hanson said. "We hope that the balance between the Web and the traditional academic need for juried publications will help electronic scholarship earn a more important place in our field."

Kairos may be found at english.ttu.edu/kairos. The journal is in its sixth year and is based at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. The readership often reaches 10,000 visitors per month.

The journal's goal is to offer a progressive and innovative online forum for the exploration of writing, learning and teaching in environments like the World Wide Web.

Hanson and Rich Rice, an English doctoral student who served as co-editor, compiled presentations from last year’s 17 th  annual International Computers and Writing Conference. Both were co-chairs of the conference.

The theme was "2001: A Cyber Odyssey," which was based on the 1968 film, "2001: A Space Odyessey." The film follows the evolution of technology from its use as a primitive tool to a device for interplanetary travel.

Hanson said Kairos is an example of how scholars are using technology to support learning and teaching.

"Ball State has made a tremendous technology investment on campus," Hanson said. "We believe our work on the journal is helping to contribute to the university's national reputation in the field of educational technology."

By Marc Ransford, Media Relations Manager

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Hanson at lhanson@bsu.edu or (765) 285-8535.)