Dr. Timothy Oleksiak a.k.a.”Dr.O”, is an assistant professor at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. He also serves many other roles on campus such as the Coordinator for Writing in the Disciplines, Professional Writing Major Committee, TALE Ambassador (English Department), LGBTQA Commission -Mid-Atlantic LGBTQA Conference Committee (2014-present), and Advocacy Committee and Forensics Coach for Bloomsburg University Forensics Team (2014-present).
He has a B.S. in English, Secondary Education from Eastern Michigan University (2004). His M.A. is in English Literature from The University of West Florida (2007). Finally, his Ph.D. is in Rhetoric & Scientific & Technical Communication from University of Minnesota (2014).
Dr. O’s Ph.D. dissertation includes research on listening as a rhetorical act; critical and feminist pedagogy, and online writing and interaction. Currently, he is conducting research on queer theory.
Although he does not have a teaching philosophy per say, Dr. O stated the following,
“I believe in a critical, student-centered pedagogy where teachers and their students learn from each other and co-create the classroom environment and learning experiences as they envision them. I believe that students should have the opportunity to succeed on writing projects even if it takes multiple revisions and versions of an assignment. I believe that a learning community should hold each other accountable for content and engagement.”
He really is true to these ideas. He allows revisions on projects and reading responses, but wants a solid initial attempt first; which is reasonable. He holds the classroom to higher standards; community standards. It is much more than just a classroom. I have been very fortunate to have the classmates that I do in this course. Our community has created a rich learning space where we all bounce ideas off each other and push one another, including Dr. O, to think deeper and more critically. Disco! ( His most notable catchphrase).
Courses he has taught include:
- First-year writing
- Research Writing
- Theory & Practice of Writing
- Writing and Evaluating Technical Manuals
- Business and Professional Writing*
- Academic Research and Writing*
- Technical and Professional Writing*
- Analysis of Argument*
*Denotes courses not taught at Bloomsburg University.
His professional affiliations include the Rhetoric Society of American and the National Council of Teachers of English (College Composition and Communication).
Theory and Practice of Writing 