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Amanda Spence
Professor Wertz-Orbaugh
UWRT 1103
29 March 2016
Student Learning Outcomes Reflection

Throughout the semester I have developed new skills and gained exposure from
interacting with the student learning outcomes. The assignments I have completed for this
class have challenged me to grow as a writer and practice these skills. I am more
comfortable than ever before with analyzing a random piece of writing and figuring out
what is important from the text.
One student learning outcome known as critical reading is about connecting with
the text and figuring out which sources and information are reliable. Examples of critical
reading in this class can be seen in various forms of reading online texts for our project,
reading scholarly articles for homework, learning which parts of the text to read first,
ranking different types of writing and analyzing pieces of writing. This can be
specifically applied to the time we read the poems Where Im From and Bashert.
Anytime we read an online article or scholarly journal we applied our critical reading
skills. As I conducted research for my multimodal project on Kindertransport I exercised
this skill.
On the first day of class we ranked different pieces of writing and decided which
pieces were written the best. This demonstrated that we understood the concept of critical
reading as we were tasked with deciphering between poorly and well written pieces of

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writing. Reading other classmates drafts and pitches is also an excellent example of
critical reading. Our critical reading skills were applied when we read the articles Is
Google Making us Stupid? and From Knowledgable to Knowledgeable. Finally, we
were forced to be critical readers when reading through our classmates cartoons and
watching the Reva Kibort documentary.
Another SLO, critical reflection deals with metacognition and explaining your
opinion about a piece of writing. Critical reflection can be seen in Weekly Writings one
through five. In all of these weekly writing assignments we responded to questions and
formed opinions about articles or texts of writing. Other in-class examples of critical
reflection include our response to inquiry feedback, our peer responses, inquiry pitches,
self-evaluations, cartoon reflections and our index card responses after the project. In all
of these examples we reflected on our work and re-evaluated why we wrote the way we
did for an assignment.
Knowledge of conventions displays a knowledge of the proper formatting and
grammar involved in writing. Knowledge of conventions has been displayed in this class
in the daybook entries, weekly writings one through five, writing into the day one through
five, the project, writing out of the day and essays. Basically, any assignment in this
class that requires MLA formatting falls under the category of knowledge of conventions.
Without a sense of correct grammatical orientation our writing would be improperly
formatted and not worth reading.
Composing processes is an understanding of the writers experiences during the
writing process. This processes is about being creative and thinking outside of the box
for a change. This SLO can be seen in the multimodal project pitch, responses to peers
work, drafts, the cartoons, picture pages, the weekly writings and in the response to

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Reva Kiborts testimony. Throughout this process the writer is able to recognize how they
have progressed as a writer.
The last SLO category is rhetorical knowledge. Rhetorical knowledge is about
understanding how a piece of writing works. It also requires that the writer select a target
audience. This can best be seen in the multimodal project as we chose a vessel to
convey our message. It has been used as while we read different types of writing such
as Bashert and the Where Im From poem. Rhetorical knowledge was also
incorporated into our understanding of Reva Kiborts testimony. When we created our
About Me photo page we displayed an understanding of rhetorical knowledge. We had
to figure out what pictures would best represent our identity and tell our story. We also
had to keep in mind that our audience would be our classmates.
Rhetorical knowledge was also clearly evident in our cartoons and multimodal
projects. We tailored our cartoons, projects and messages to a specific audience. The
creation of Reva Kiborts body is a great example of rhetorical knowledge because we
worked together and created a body out of traits and defining characteristics from her
testimony. Lastly, we displayed our understanding of this SLO when we found sources
for our project, ranked different types of writing and learned how to read scholarly
articles. All of these examples challenged us to devise a plan for our writings while
keeping our audience in mind.
As a student in this class, I feel that I have successfully demonstrated my
knowledge and understanding of all of these student learning outcomes. This class has
given me new exposure to scenarios where I have used the SLOs and grown as a
result. I have seen my writing progress in a positive direction and become better than it
has ever been. I have excelled in the area of knowledge of conventions and rhetorical
writing. I have never been the best at grammar or unpacking a piece of writing. After

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completing countless writing assignments and WIDs I can confidently say that my writing
skills have improved. I have a better understanding of how to reach my audience
through my writing. This class has also helped me understand the reasoning behind
pieces of writing and what influenced the writers of those pieces. Throughout the
semester I have been exposed to good and bad writing in my writing group. I have also
received constructive feedback that has been very helpful.
My biggest struggle has been with composing processes. Sometimes it seems as
if I have exhausted my creativity and cannot think of something new to write about. This
leads to frustration and causes me to doubt my abilities as a writer. It also delays the
process and makes it harder for me to enjoy writing. My creative abilities and patience
level with writing vary from day to day. If I am stressed with other assignments then my
writing may take a back seat on my priority list and not receive as much of my attention
as it should. On a really good day I can crank out a piece of writing in a reasonable
amount of time without too much effort.
I need to continue practicing knowledge of conventions, rhetorical writing and
composing processes. With time and practice these processes will come easier to me
and will no longer be as big of a challenge. To meet these needs I need to stay
motivated and write with a purpose for every assignment. I must take my writing
seriously each time I sit down and prioritize improving on a daily basis. Maybe having a
friend proof my assignments once a week and receiving feedback will encourage me. I
must invest the time into my writing in order to have a good outcome and excel as a
writer. To do this I need to write a journal entry at least once a day and unleash my
thoughts about writing. This would allow me to state how I am feeling on paper and
would give me something to proof for mistakes. Overtime I would be able to chart the
progress I have made and see how my writing skills have changed. Finally, I could read

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well-written pieces of writing and take note of the areas the writer did well in and try to
apply that insight to my writing.