Dear Professor Atwell,

 

Within my experience of this course I was faced with several assignments that explored areas of writing outside of my comfort zone. Each assignment required me to address different audiences that all varied different backgrounds. Throughout my experience, I ran into obstacles that pushed me to conduct intensive research and analysis of my specified topics. As an environmental engineer, I had a general understanding of the current problems that our world faces every day. However, after completing these assignments, I developed a deeper understanding of both the abstract and scientific side of the problems at hand. 

When looking specifically at the forum analysis, I had to analyze both a scholarly article and a common newspaper publisher. This required me to breakdown, what would originally be considered a highly scientific based subject, into jargon that could be comprehended by audiences of all levels of education. My literature review was another piece that was very research based and required me to dive into the scientific world. This assignment was very similar to what I have already been introduced to during my time at the university. Research papers have always been enjoyable for me to write and have always been one of my strong suits. In terms of the commentary, I was able to have more freedom in what I was able to write. The commentary allowed me to discuss an academic topic while using common language. Even though scholarly articles were still used to help me write the paper, I was able to input my own opinions and comments to address the problem and come to a conclusion. Overall, it was a very difficult piece to write because I had to conduct a large amount of research to validate what I was discussing.

This portfolio in its entirety allowed me to demonstrate my ability to communicate to audiences in a meaningful manner using various genres and purposes. The forum analysis is the best example of this because it addresses two genres of writing and a written analysis of the rhetoric and tools used to portray the ideas to the audience intended. My literature review on wildfires entailed my ability to write in a professional way that tied together several sources on the topic. This assignment also introduced me to a new method of research that was intensely academia based. 

When looking back at all of my papers, the forum analysis was the best representation of my ability to apply new complex writing techniques. When given the responsibility to analyze a topic, I was more familiar with research based techniques whereas this assignment was more analytical of the style of each article and how it was written. The forum analysis was a difficult task and required a different approach to organization. To start, the website style was new to me, it was very enjoyable to explore and experiment with. 

Now reaching the end of the semester I realize how much I have strengthen as a writer. At the beginning of the year, I had a very broad goal of exploring new forms of writing in my field. At the time I didn’t understand the extent of this statement. However, looking back now I realize that I am now fully capable of writing in a casual manner, a professional manner, and even writing more analytically. Yet, I know there is still more room for improvement. This class was just an introduction to what I can accomplish in a research setting. Moving forward I hope to improve my ability to tie multiple articles together in regards to the topic they are discussing. With that being said, the semester pushed me to new limits and discoveries of my potential.

 

Thank you for a great semester,

Melanie Heitmann