10 December, 2015

Dr. Leslie Bruce

Department of English, Comparative Literature, and Linguistics
California State University, Fullerton
P.O. Box 34080
Fullerton, CA. 92834-9480
Dear Dr. Bruce,
The intent of this letter is to present this portfolio, and complementary documents, to
demonstrate that I have successfully mastered the student learning outcomes (SLOs) listed in the
course syllabus. The documents included in this portfolio are: cover letter, peer review of my
portfolio cover letter, original editorial with instructors comments, revised editorial, my peer
review of a classmates editorial, and an excerpt from writers notebook #2 entitled, Group
Brainstorm for Design of Profile and Presentation. I will examine each SLO in numerical order,
and discuss relevant portfolio documents to validate my abilities as an undergraduate writer.
The first SLO is rhetorical focus, which involves writing formal and informal works for a
variety of audiences and purposes. The original editorial is an excellent example of formal
writing for a variety of audiences. Although this formal paper contains several statistics and
specific terminology, uncommon terms and ideas are defined and described within the work to
provide a clearer understanding across all audiences. On page 3 of my original editorial I identify
the use of PET plastics in water bottles, I define the term photodegrading, and I plainly describe
the resulting problem, in an effort to improve understanding for all audiences. I have attached the
original editorial with instructors comments as confirmation of the advanced application of this
SLO.
The second, and arguably the most important SLO is ethical citation. Of the documents
included in this portfolio, the revised editorial is the best example of achieving this SLO.
Regrettably, I did not include the journal/website titles for a few of the sources in the original
editorial references list. These errors have been fixed and I am submitting the revised editorial in
this portfolio to demonstrate my understanding of correct ethical citation. Additionally, as
previously mentioned, I am submitting the original editorial with instructors comments which
you may use to verify my revisions to the references list.
The third SLO is persuasion. This cover letter delivers an excellent example of a
persuasive work. The claim and specific supporting evidence that I present in the second
paragraph of the cover letter are important because they demonstrate my ability to persuade the
readers that I have indeed mastered the required SLO(s).
The fourth SLO is organization. The document included to address this SLO is an excerpt
from writers notebook #2 entitled, Group Brainstorm for Design of Profile and Presentation.
This document provides a superior example of clearly organizing information to communicate
ideas effectively. The answer to question #2 in this document specifically describes the manner

in which our group plans to organize our information, such as: providing subheadings,
incorporating 3-4 pictures, and introducing 1-2 pull quotes. Additionally, question #3 of this
documents provides visual thumbnail sketches of the proposed page layout.
The fifth SLO is language and design. The original editorial represents a good
implementation of this SLO. The crux of any editorial is centered on its thesis. On page 1 of the
editorial, I present a thesis that demonstrates outstanding control of language as well as concisely
describing the purpose of the text.
The sixth, and final, SLO is collaboration. My peer review of a classmates editorial, as
well as a classmates review of my cover letter are good examples of this SLO. In my peer
review of a classmates editorial, I comment that the arguments presented are not persuasively
conveyed and need to be strengthened. Likewise, my classmate recommended that my cover
letter needed better organization and support for some of my claims. The attached peer review of
my cover letter describes areas in which I need to improve my work. Likewise, the attached
review of my classmates editorial displays the ratings that I gave them on the editorial rubric as
well as the comments that I presented to justify and explain the ratings. This is an area that I can
definitely improve upon; however, I think that you will observe that I provided a meaningful
assessment in an effort to help improve my classmates writing skills.
In retrospect, the practice of these SLO(s) has enabled me to identify my strengths as well
as my weaknesses, and afforded me the ability to improve both. Going forward, I think that my
improved mastery of these SLO(s) will enable me to be a better writer in graduate school and in
my future career. I hope that you enjoy exploring this portfolio as confirmation of my
improvement as an undergraduate writer.
Sincerely,

David McWhorter