Amy Caton

Instructional Associate Professor
Director of the Writing Lab and The Studio
Department of Liberal Studies

“There's power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice.”

– Michelle Obama

Learn more about Amy Caton

What in your life drew you to your current field of study?

My family knew before I did that I would find a career in literature and books. I’ve worked in every bookstore chain possibly and a few publishing houses finding joy in matching stories with the right reader at the right time to form connections of thought. I sought a deeper understanding of information systems and what makes information interesting and relevant to different readers. I get passionate about which technology we use to access and share information and learning. I enjoy sparking curiosity and interest across disciplines through my teaching in literature and information literacy. I am privileged to explore digital literacy, tinker with technology literacy, and connect with like minded futurists.

What do you hope your students gain from studying or working with you?

I hope first that students practice and adopt the ability to listen openly to new ideas and work to test those ideas against held beliefs and frameworks ultimately allowing their perceptions to adapt to new ways of thinking about the world. Students that partner with me to learn in the classroom or through projects find that they develop structured and iterative writing and research design methods, increase their awareness of access to information, and communicate synthesized ideas that reflect their authentic selves. My role with students is to advocate for their unique path in developing lifelong learning processes that mark them as leaders in their fields. Any space I teach in is an active discussion space with demonstrations of work, constructive criticism, and sharing resources for further development.

What are you passionate about in your personal life?

Reading, travel, girl scouts, camping, coffee, and new friends.

Publications

Bradshaw-Ward, D., Caton, A., Boone, J. & Tran, B. (2022). Underrepresented Student Perception of Success in STEM Fields. In E. Langran (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1023-1025). San Diego, CA, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/220844/.

Caton, A. & Noack, L. (2019). Radically rethink & reshape: creating a cohesive commons community. The Learning Assistance Review. 24 (1), 65-85.

Caton, A. & Baca, D. (2014). Islands of Words: Integrating Writing Centers Into Libraries. Forty years of sailing: connecting islands in a digital world. Proceedings of the 40th IAMSLIC Conference, ed. Dorothy Barr. International Association of Aquatic and Marine Science Libraries and Information Centers Conference. Noumea, New Caledonia.

Presentations

Caton, A., Dally, R. (2022, March 21-23). Reducing common distance learning barriers through innovative studio design. [Conference Presentation]. Texas Distance Learning Association Annual Conference. Galveston, Texas.

Caton, A. (2022, February 15-16). Digital transformation in higher education through improving digital literacy skills-the first steps. [Conference Presentation]. International Symposium on Digital Transformation, Linnaeus University, Sweden.

Bradshaw-Ward, D., Caton, A., Boone, J. & Tran, B. (2022, April 12-13). Underrepresented Student Perception of Success in STEM Fields. [Conference Presentation]. Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference. San Diego, CA, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

Ashe, A.; Caton A. (2021). Elements of Science Communication. [Conference Presentation] National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing, Virtual.

Caton, A. (2021) Meta-learning through dominoes: 42 the national game of Texas. [Conference Presentation] National College Learning Center Association Annual Conference, Birmingham, AL, United States.

Caton, A.; Murray, S.; Ashe, A. (2021) Choose your own adventure: Enhancing student agency, outreach, and success. [Conference Presentation] National College Learning Center Association Annual Conference, Birmingham, AL, United States.

Caton, A; Stewart, L.; Murray, S. (2021). Choose Your Own Adventure: Enhancing student agency, outreach, and success. [Conference Presentation]. Transformational Teaching and Learning Annual Conference, Virtual.

Caton, A.; Noack, L. (2019) Learning Commons for Success. [Keynote Presentation]. Tarrant County Community College Learning Commons Summer Institute, Fort Worth, Texas.

Caton, A., & Patterson, S. (2016). Ni hao, how can we help you? Challenging writing centers to boost inclusivity of international graduate students. National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing [Conference Presentation]; Tacoma, WA.

Caton, A., Bass, T., & Schneider, D. (2015). Connecting to science and technical writing. National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing; Salt Lake City, UT.

Contact Info

Amy Caton
Instructional Associate Professor
Director of the Writing Lab and The Studio
Department of Liberal Studies

Phone: +1 (409) 740-4711

Classroom Lab Building (CLB), Office 106

Website