IUPUC faculty member Katherine V. Wills, Ph.D., represented IUPUC for the eighth year at the Association for Business Communication sessions at the 126th Annual Modern Language Association (MLA) convention in Los Angeles, California, during the first week of January 2011.

Dr. Wills acted as chairperson (2006-2011) and respondent to this year’s session titled “Do You See What I See: Affective and Empirical Uses of Visuals in Business Writing.” As a respondent, she synthesized, analyzed, and contextualized the research findings and pedagogical implications of faculty presenters from Brigham Young University, UC-Davis, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

Dr. Wills concluded that well-designed visuals can assist in the retention of materials, contribute to the sophistication of presentation, add to the complexity of making meaning, and reach diverse audiences.

With an average of eight thousand attendees, the MLA convention is highly competitive with a 15 percent acceptance rate. It is regarded by some as the premier convention for the dissemination of theory and innovation in American and world literature(s). 

Wills is an Assistant Professor of English in the IUPUC Division of Liberal Arts.