Employee David Duckett uses the rewards of revision to write his success

If there is one thing that has empowered David Duckett, coordinator of service design and evaluation, in his journey from an English student to an employee serving the Virginia Tech community, it is the power of revision.

Having navigated the uncertainties of graduation in the tumultuous economy of 2008, Duckett’s story and current position in Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies at Virginia Tech prove there is no greater power than the ability to adapt to a difficult situation based on new information. 

Despite having started as a communications major at Radford University with plans to work in radio, Duckett transferred to Virginia Tech and switched his concentration to English language and literature. A postcolonial literature course caused Duckett to reevaluate his interests. The class introduced him to critical reading and the art of clear communication as he learned from faculty in the Department of English.

Collegiate experience

“I had really good experiences,” Duckett said, “and this is going throughout my master's with various faculty members.”

Duckett specifically cites Jennifer Lawrence, senior instructor and director of the Writing Center, as the catalyst to his love for teaching writing and helping others within the community. Lawrence introduced him to the center where he became a tutor who helped students to improve, discuss, and revise their work. 

“It instilled in me a desire to teach,” Duckett said. “It was a way to serve others and help them.” 

Duckett looks back on his time as a tutor as a core memory in his academic progression. As an undergraduate student, Duckett also founded a club called the Writer’s Block. 

“It was to bring people together to have a place to revise and discuss and share their writing and get feedback from peers,” said Duckett.

These experiences prepared him for his current position designing and evaluating services, managing grants, and coordinating projects. He developed his skillset through what he learned in English, specifically the careful consideration of audience interpretation and the process of reflection and revision.

Technology in the classroom

An important element of Duckett’s role is managing Innovation in Learning Grants that support faculty who incorporate new technologies in their classrooms. His job balances project management, service design, and evaluation. Duckett finds that he is constantly using his background and experience in English to coordinate and communicate through writing, craft questions for qualitative and quantitative research, and bring about collective understanding on projects.

“We’re trying to create a good experience that achieves the goal of a service for the person using the service and the employee doing things behind the scenes," he said.

Duckett also is involved in overseeing the review process for these projects and working closely with his clients to turn faculty-led undertakings into reality. This involves projects such as teaching interior design students about building codes through virtual reality, exploring whether generative artificial intelligence has the capabilities to tutor and offer chemistry students extra practice, and developing a custom web application that supports peer instruction activities in large programming courses. 

“It’s great to see the instructor’s motivation because it’s their idea that they want to see become a reality,” said Duckett, “and we learn a lot from talking with both students and faculty after they incorporate these technologies that can inform us about our digital learning ecosystem.”

Career and connection

He said one of the best parts about his job is that he has access to the community in which he earned his degree. 

“It’s really wonderful to see people you know in passing,” Duckett said.

He finds his work environment continues to support his education outside the classroom, improving his communication skills and helping him further develop his writing to be more compelling and persuasive. 

Because Duckett chose to stay in Blacksburg after his graduation in 2009 when the economy made his job difficult, he had the opportunity to explore various avenues to put his skills to use. He completed a master's degree in English at Virginia Tech and started his first job in 4Help IT support. It was here that he gained experience overseeing programs to orient incoming and returning students to IT at the university in preparation for the first day of classes.

Duckett also worked in technical writing for a software company, which he quickly discovered was not for him. In doing so, Duckett learned a valuable lesson that he wishes to offer to anxious undergraduate English students searching for their ideal career path.

“Get experience trying what you want do as soon as you can,” Duckett said. 

Written by Caroline Foltz, a senior majoring in English literature and creative writing