As this course comes to end, I find myself reflecting on the border impact of this course on my academic reading and writing skills. One major takeaway is learning how to make annotations when reading academic articles. Initially, I was often overwhelmed by academic materials and not sure how to use the most relevant information. After taking this course, I learned how to make effective annotations, using it as a tool to break down complex ideas and engage actively with the content. Especially for electrical engineering students, annotations are super important because this skill can help us navigate important information from electrical engineering textbooks or academic articles more efficiently. For instance, annotations helped me prepare for the final exam more effectively. I could read my annotations to review important concepts instead of re-reading the whole textbook or articles.
Another important takeaway from this course was noticing the significance of reading like a writer. For instance, when I was reading Star Wars, most of the time was spent on exploring the plots of the book while ignoring the author's writing technique. After taking this class, I noticed that it is also important to focus on the author's writing device when reading a book. By immersing myself in the works of talented authors, I can learn how the author crafts sentences, analyzing the specific techniques they use to create imagery, evoke emotions, and convey meaning. Over time, I became more confident with my writing in writing class.
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