Upon completion of this semester, I feel to have developed into a more adept writer.

I have increased capability in expressing my views, as well as in reporting on research done in a clear, direct, and interesting manner. Throughout the semester I have been given many opportunities for learning and progression through writing, reading, evaluation, revision, editing and reflection on the projects completed. I learned skills that are applicable in many of the other courses I have been taking and will take in the future by completing the many assignments, as well as essays. I am able to more effectively communicate my findings to professors because of my efforts in this course. I have not only written papers for this course, but many other papers throughout the semester for other courses. This course being congruent with other classes during the semester has enabled me to better learn how to effectively communicate in each of my classes. Writing skills are vital in the repertoire of every college student. These skills enable students to effectively communicate research outcomes with professors, fellow students, and other institutions. These skills will also be used in the workforce to varying degrees. The assignments I was given during the course of my Introduction to Writing 1010 class have influenced me to think more openly about certain political situations as well as consider the opinions of others when they differ strongly from my own. Among other things I learned, I also developed a better understanding for debates, and the strategies used to persuade an audience to one viewpoint or another, even using the examples I discovered to influence my own writing to effectively portray certain opinions, or explain certain situations. The writing process for each essay has been different depending on the desired concentration of each essay. For my final project, the Issue Summary assignment, I needed to first find a topic. I applied principles learned from my Communications 1010 class to guide me in this process. The reflective thinking sequence developed over 80 years ago by John Dewey, helps individuals develop a solution to a problem. This thinking process is also applicable in writing. First I found my problem or topic, and then I proceeded to analyze, find sources, develop a few possibilities for a thesis, pick a thesis, write the essay, and revise the project. This process, very similar to the reflective thinking sequence, has been instrumental for my writing in many ways. It has become more clear to me what elements comprise a well-written essay or research paper through the time spent writing and developing concepts of rhetorical appeals.