Final Reflection

Zamir Asliev

University of Cincinnati Blue Ash

24 April 2018

Introduction

The purpose of reflective writing of the course is to recognize our success and improvements as well as demonstrate the new skills we have developed throughout the term. In this course, we have learned many types of writing and formats. This course was very helpful as I learned the new styles of writing such as formal and informal. We started the course with evaluating two sources for their credibility; we had to learn whether they were credible or not. As we stepped through assignments, the previous or current assignment contributed to the next, like they were built for one another. I never thought we could do that in writing. Now, the semester is almost over and this portfolio shows my improvements throughout the term. You can see my improvements from assignment to assignment. I can assure that I am ready to go the next English class, ENGL2089, by the next semester.

Rhetorical knowledge

A purpose is the utmost important part of the writing process because if you do not have a purpose for your writing, it would be difficult to write and learn. Many people, as well as myself, like to write about something they like or somewhat familiar, or even educate others after they have learned the content. I usually would like to write about something that I have an interest in or want to learn more and educate others. In this course, I learned more about what I previously had some background knowledge which was multilingualism. My purpose has changed as the audience changed. For example, in the research report my intended audience was professionals who already have some knowledge about the topic, and I have used appropriate vocabulary for that audience. In the genre recasting, my intended audience consisted of informal audience such as young adults and parents. Therefore, I utilized the correct lexicon in order to address my purpose without causing any confusion for that audience. My purpose was to address my message clearly for both audiences. Additionally, peer reviews also helped me to determine the audience. As well as it was determined based on the context of the writing. Determining an audience will make the writing much less stressful as you are already sure who and what to write.

Critical thinking, reading, and writing

Developing a background knowledge is something that I have learned in my previous reading class, and it is very helpful even if you are somewhat familiar with the topic. Developing background knowledge helps you to stay focused on your reading and comprehend the information better. Also, while reading a long scholarly journal article, it is important to start by reading the introduction (or the abstract), then the conclusion as they help you to know what you are going to read. Moreover, you need to make sure that you are credible. Therefore, evaluating the sources is crucial as they make your writing credible and reliable. In each assignment, I have evaluated sources for their credibility. When evaluating a source, I looked at various factors of the article as well as the website. I checked for authors, the date and the works cited page. As I went through these factors I was able to determine whether they were credible and reliable.

Furthermore, I have summarized the source thoroughly and used proper evidence to present various perspectives in the research project. Also, based on those perspectives I used critical thinking to create solutions to the issues being discussed in the research report as well as in the genre recasting project in a way that informal audience would understand the context of the infographics. On the other hand, writing journals and blog were also a big part of critical thinking, writing and reading as I reviewed somebody’s work and give suggestion to improve their works.

Processes

Reading actively without purpose can be difficult and tedious. Therefore, staying active and focused while reading is important. In order to make my essays interesting I read with “imaginary question’ in mind to keep myself focused through reading the articles. After actively reading and learning the articles, I write brief and concise summaries for use in my essays. Then, I create an outline or I get one from the instructor. I will ensure if I have enough information to fulfill the key points of the outline; if not, then I research further to gain more information, and make my essay interesting. Also, creating or having an outline for an assignment helps to stay focused and organized throughout the essay. For example, it ensures to stick to the topic sentences of each paragraph and hierarchical structure for the body of the essay. Then, I begin to write a draft.

Moreover, peer reviews and instructor feedbacks helped me to revise and improve my essays accordingly. They were important to make my essays interesting and informative as they suggested and presented more perspectives in my research report. After receiving feedbacks and complete revising, I read my essay a couple of times to ensure if the paragraphs flow through with the meaning and organize them if needed. When the final draft is complete, reflecting upon the work and process is important as it recognizes the new skills and appreciates the work I have created.

Conventions

In this course, I created few essays, and they each required a specific format. For example, in the research report and annotated bibliography, the format was formal because the intended audience consisted of formal and professional individuals. On the other side in the genre recasting project, the writing was a little portion of the project whereas the infographics demonstrated the meaning and the approach to the topic. Additionally, journals, blog posting, and in-class quizzes were written in the informal format because they did not require a specific language format. They mostly consisted of our knowledge and information about ourselves. However, the formats I have learned in this course were somewhat similar to what I have learned in the previous semester.

Furthermore, one stable format I have used in this course was APA style format. It was something new to me as it was confusing at the beginning of the term. As time passed, I have gotten more used to it and learned more about the APA styling. I have used this format in every essay I created except evaluating a source essay; I used MLA format in this essay, which I became familiar with in the last semester. APA format was, however, very different with some similarities to MLA. The first page of the paper contained the title, author, and the school/university name. Also, APA focuses on the last name of the author when citing the articles whereas MLA requires full name of the authors. Additionally, APA required strict in-text citations such as including the date and the last name of the author(s) in each sentence where the evidence is used.

Electronic environment

I have done everything electronically and online in this course. I have used Blackboard, Microsoft Word, Google Sites and etc. However, I exploited the sources from the UC library database (Academic search complete) and Google. The UC library database is full of various credible and reliable articles so evaluating them did not take as much time as Google did. Therefore, the sources from UC’s database did not require additional research on the author and credibility because they were from the library which proves that they are credible; the only thing I needed to look for was the if the sources fitted my topic. On the other side, I used Google for sources, and it required additional research for their credibility. Determining their credibility relied on various elements such as author’s credentials, the date, valid and reliable resources and etc. It was a bit easier to find sources via Google that fit my purpose and audience for the essays.

The auto-spelling (correcting) and punctuation features of Microsoft Word (MW) were very helpful as I was learning to write professionally in English. I like the easy access and convenient font style and the menu bar of MW. I also like the feature of MW where the peer reviewer is able to highlight and comment without making any changes that I may encounter to find. Additionally, the new Google Sites was easy to access as well. For example, how I was able to easily upload items and adjust them so they fit and properly presented. Also, I like the feature of the new Google Sites that it automatically saves the data as you keep typing so you do not lose your hard work.

Conclusion

Finally, I think I have completed the course successfully and have learned the learning outcomes well as I can see that throughout my portfolio. In this course, I have developed critical thinking, reading and writing as well as much more vocabulary words that will be helpful in my future educational and professional life. Also, in this course, I have learned how to format my writings and use the APA format. I think in this course I have learned enough to be ready for the next English course, ENGL2089.