David McMurrey
Teaching Experience
DAVID ALLEN MCMURREY, PH.D.
3005 Kerbey Lane E-mail: admin@mcmassociates.io
Austin, Texas 78703 https://mcmassociates.io/
Business Phone: (512) 223-4804
Home Phone: (512) 476-8691
HIGHLIGHTS
* Teaching: Over 20 years of teaching technical writing, IBM-internal courses; courses with
strong computer-assisted and self-paced components; as well as writing lab experience,
development, and supervision. Most recently, delivering technical writing courses over the
World Wide Web.
* Seminars: Seminars in basic and advanced writing skills, indexing, and book and page
design for Broadjump, IBM Corporation, Analysts International Corporation, Century
Design, Wayne Dresser, Samsung Austin Semiconductor, Texas Natural Resource
Conservation Commission, Tivoli Systems, Texas Department of Human Resources, Texas
Bureau of Radiation, Texas Health Department.
* Computer-assisted instruction: Development of course materials for Internet-based
technical writing classes using HTML and Perl as well as computer lab-based technical
materials using Microsoft Visual Basic.
* Editing: Over 15 years of editing experience in UNIX, DOS, OS/2, as well as
RISCSystem/6000 and PowerPC hardware publications, including supervision of contractor
editors.
* Indexing: Nearly 20 years of indexing both industry and academic texts, including IBM,
Power Computing, and faculty at various colleges and universities. Includes training
seminars for writers in indexing techniques.
* Publications: Development of helps and user guide for Dell product-ordering system.
Creation and maintenance of the Information Design Guide, a style guide for AIX, RISC,
and PowerPC publications at IBM and suppliers. Textbooks and other publications with
Macmillan; John Wiley & Sons; and Scott, Foresman; as well as customer and internal
publications with IBM.
* Hypertext design and development: Lead editor as well as key contributor to the library
design for IBM InfoExplorer hypertext information (30,000 pages of online hardware and
software information); conversion of Processes in Technical Writing to Web-based
hypertext.
* Technical background: Familiarity with Microsoft Windows, DOS, UNIX (IBM's AIX version),
Linux, X Window System, Microsoft Visual Basic, Asymetrix ToolBook, Microsoft BASIC,
WordPerfect, Word, RoboHelp, Dreamweaver,FrameMaker, Interleaf, Emacs, BookMaster,
HTML tagging, Perl programming as well as graphics and audio/video software.
EDUCATION
* IBM technical education courses in programming, applications, and systems including C
and C++ languages, UNIX operating system, neural networks, Storyboard, dBASE III+,
assembly language for the 8088, Application System, XEDIT, ISIL, IPG, REXX, and others.
1984-1994.
* Careers in Business, Graduate School of Business/Office of Graduate Studies, University
of Texas at Austin: short courses in accounting, finance, economics, marketing, and
management for UT post-doctorates. Summer 1980.
* University of Texas, Austin, Texas. Ph.D. in Comparative Literature: emphases in French,
American, British, Spanish literatures, primarily the 18th and 19th century novel. 1973-
1980.
* Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. M.A. in English with emphasis in 19th century
American literature, 1971-1972.
* Cambridge University, Cambridge, England: studies in English literature in a summer
institute, Summer 1969. University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain: studied Spanish language and
literature, 1967; Summer institutes in Spanish in Saltillo, Mexico, 1964-1966.
* University of Texas, Austin, Texas. B.A. in English, 1967-1971.
WORK HISTORY
August 2001 to Austin Community College, program coordinator of the Technical
present Communications program.
August 1995
to 1999
Austin Community College, full-time faculty member of the Technical
Communications Department (TCM). Developed TCM courses for web delivery
(www.io.com/~tcm); for delivery to employees of Texas Natural Resources
Conservation Commission (webtrain.austin.cc.tx.us/ ~technical1/intro.html).
Founded and managed ACC’s Webmaster Certificate Program
(www2.austin.cc.tx.us/webcert/index.html).
1984-1995 IBM Corporation, Austin, Information Design and Development, editor and writer:
editing, writing, and assisting in design of publications to accompany new IBM
AIX, RISC System/6000, OS/2, PS/2, RT, and PC products.
1982-1995 Austin Community College, Austin, Texas: Departments of English and
Technical Communications, Instructor: teaching various courses in technical
writing, freshman composition (both regular and literature-based), and
sophomore-level genres and British-literature courses.
1979-1984 University of Texas at Austin, Department of English, Lecturer/Instructor:
developer and director of the Writing Lab, taught technical writing, technical
writing for foreign students, and freshman English; supervisor of the
development of computer-assisted instruction in composition on the UT DEC-20
and IBM computers (using BASIC).
1977-1979 Baker University, Baldwin City, Kansas, Assistant Professor in English and
Spanish, Chairman of Freshman English, Foreign Students' Advisor: taught
Western civilization, sophomore literature (genres), Spanish, freshman
composition, and business-technical writing.
1975-1977 University of Texas at Austin, Department of English, Teaching Assistant and
Assistant Instructor: taught freshman English courses; supervised students' use
of computer-assisted, self-paced, self-instructional materials in composition
(developed by Dr. Susan Wittig and based on the sentence-combining
approach of Francis Christiansen) on the UT DEC-10.
1973-1975 Texas Railroad Commission, Oil and Gas Division, Austin, Texas: assisted in the
production of computerized projects, edited press releases and various other
written work for the staff within the Oil and Gas Division.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
* College composition & literature—Taught college composition courses at Baker University,
Baldwin City, Kansas; University of Texas at Austin; Austin Community College. Have used
the Kinneavy aims-and-modes approach, the Christiansen sentence-combining approach;
have taught in writing lab settings, using computer-based, one-on-one conferencing, and
self-paced approaches. Have taught both regular and literature-based versions of
composition. Taught sophomore-level literature courses, both general and British literature,
as well as composition courses with emphasis on literature.
* Writing labs—Worked in a writing lab at the University of Texas at Austin that featured the
Christiansen approach and self-paced and computer-assisted instruction. Developed and
ran a walk-in lab at UT-Austin, open 60 hours a week, staffed by graduate student
assistants.
* Technical writing—Taught technical writing at Baker University, Baldwin City, Kansas;
University of Texas at Austin; Austin Community College; and, in January 1995, at
Globewide Network Academy, an “online" university, available worldwide on the Internet.
Developed and taught courses for technical and voluntary education programs at IBM,
including an online grammar-and-usage course based on a diagnostic test, a professional
and business memorandum-writing course, also conducted online (using PROFS).
* Indexing—To improve retrievability in the IBM RISC System/6000 and AIX hardcopy
libraries, taught courses in indexing to IBM publications staff as well as to contractor
publications staff.
* Book design & format—Taught courses to IBM publications staff as well as to contractor
publications staff on required book design and formatting issues for books in the RISC
System/6000 and AIX libraries.
TECHNICAL EDITING,WRITING & INDEXING
* Indexing work has included Education and Chicanos (1979), T. Escobeda, ed.; Writing
Fundamentals, S. Campman & D. McMurrey (1983); Processes in Technical Writing, D.
McMurrey (1988); IBM RISC System/6000 Topic Index and Glossary (1993-1995); IBM
SSA 4-Port Adapter: Installation and Reference (1995); Foundations for Teaching
Technical Communication (1997), K. Staples & C. Ornatowski, eds.; Computers and
Computers: Pedagogical and Programmatic Perspectives (1997), S. Selber, ed; Writing As
an Engineer (1996), D. Beer & D. McMurrey; Power Computing: PowerTower User’s Guide
(1997).
* Over 10 years of technical editing at IBM Corporation—Austin, Texas: Customer
documentation for AIX (UNIX-based) operating system and related applications; RISC
System/6000 and PowerPC hardware products; OS/2 operating system; OS/2 and DOSbased
applications; PS/2, XT, and AT hardware products. Internal documentation including
ISO9000 process documentation. 1984-1995.
* Technical documentation: over 100 licensed program specifications for AIX and related
applications; AIX Version 3.2 for RISC System/6000 Topic Index and Glossary. 1984-1995.
? Dissertation/thesis editing: A Rhetorico-Semiotic Inquiry into Ancient Greek Sophistic and
Philosophic Discourses: Gorgianic and Aristotelian Theories of Language, doctoral thesis
by Dennis McCutcheon, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1994; Design of a
Communications Subnet for Local Computer Networks, master's thesis by Woei Lin,
Department of Computer Science, Univ. of Texas, 1983; An Overview of Mortgage
Instruments and the Economic Feasibility of Current Loan Mortgages, MBA professional
report by Thomas J. Grisham, Graduate School of Business, Univ. of Texas, 1983; The
U.S. Presidency and Institutions of the Federal Government, master's report by Addison
Downey, Government Department, Univ. of Texas, 1982; The Problem of Illiteracy in Egypt,
dissertation by Nermine Kamel, Foreign Language Education, Univ. of Texas, 1982; The
Ethnology of Peruvian Mining Camps, dissertation by Guillermo Garcia, Anthropology
Department, Univ. of Texas, 1982; Expression of Chicken Fetal Antigens and Chicken Adult
Antigens during Normal Chicken Erythropoiesis and on Virally Transformed Erythroid Cells,
dissertation by Carrie Hughes Nelson, Zoology Department, Univ. of Texas, 1982.
* Editing, indexing, and abstracting for the Texas Railroad Commission, Oil and Gas Division.
1973-1975.
PUBLICATIONS & ACTIVITIES
* Power Tools for Technical Communication. Published by Harcourt/Heinle, released fall
2001.
* Guide to Writing as an Engineer with Dr. David S. Beer, published by John Wiley & Sons,
released summer 1996.
* Paper presentations: ”Online Tools for Online Writing Teachers” on a panel entitled “The
Virtual Classroom: Teaching with New Technologies” at the 1996 Society for Technical
Communications in Seattle, WA. CCCC entitled “Teaching Technical Writing on the World
Wide Web: Two Key Problems” at 1997 CCCC in Phoenix, AZ 1997 STC conference
entitled “Recreating the Technical Writing Classroom on the World Wide Web” at 1997
STC, Toronto, Canada.
* Review panels for articles submitted to Journal of Business and Technical Communication,
Technical Communications and Teaching English in a Two-Year College.
* Interactive exercises in Microsoft Visual Basic for technical writing courses at Austin
Community College providing practice for headings, lists, notices, graphics, report format,
sentence style problems, proposals, resumes, application letters, and other aspects of the
course.
* Conversion of Processes in Technical Writing for hypertext access with Mosaic browsers
(completed January 1995) for use by students at Austin Community College.
* License program specifications: nearly one hundred of these technical descriptions of the
AIX operating system and related applications (including AIXwindows, UIM/X, Wabi,
NetWare, and DCE and Encina applications) 1993-1995.
* AIX Version 3.2 for RISC System/6000 Topic Index and Glossary. Two editions of this
master index to the 30,000-page library for AIX publications and glossary of computer, AIX,
and related terms. 1993-1995.
* Information Development Design Guide. Developed and maintained the design and style
document used by writers for AIX, RISC, and PowerPC customer documentation. Defines
organization, format, and style for both hardcopy and hypertext information. 1990-1995.
* Technical writing textbook entitled Processes in Technical Writing (New York: Macmillan,
1988). Freshman composition textbook entitled Writing Fundamentals (New York:
Macmillan, 1983).
* Grammar, usage, and punctuation diagnostic test written for voluntary education courses
at IBM Corporation, Austin, Texas. 1987-1988. Preparation of diagnostic tests to
accompany Handbook of Current English for Scott, Foresman, contracted in spring 1984.
* Supervisor and organizer of the Freshman Writing Contest held in the fall semester, judged
by Texas Monthly writers and editors, and sponsored by the University Co-Op (1980-
1984). Judge in the University Interscholastic League Ready-Writing Contest, spring 1983.
* “Writing Contests and Writing Labs" published in the October 1983 issue of Writing Lab
Newsletter. “The Potential for Composition Research in Writing Centers," a paper
presented at the March 1983 meeting of the Conference of College Teachers of English in
Waco, Texas. Secretary and organizer of the Texas Writing Center Association and
founder and editor of the Texas Writing Center Newsletter, 1983.
* Dissertation entitled The Populist Romance: Michelet's 'Le Peuple' and Selected Novels of
Hugo, Zola, James, and Galdós, a study of the image of the “common man” and “the
people" in selected literature of the 19th century, 1980.
Published: March 05, 2025