Dr. Virginia Norris Exton graduated from Skidmore College and Stanford University; she received an Ed.D in Curriculum & Instruction from Utah State University. Vini has been a high school English teacher and college professor for over 20 years. She has delivered distance education composition courses through interactive video and web-supported formats for the last decade. She is the founding director and administrator of the Writing Center at USU Uintah Basin. Vini was awarded Instructor of the Year from Utah State University’s Regional Campus/Distance Education in 2005. Her research interests include effective peer tutoring practices, literacy issues in distance education, and Native American teacher education.