Dr.

Leslie Bruce

Titanium- ENG 301

800 N. State College Boulevard

Fullerton, CA 92831

Dear Dr. Bruce,

In the beginning of the semester you outlined six student learning objectives (SLOs) for

us to improve upon during this course. In the fourteen weeks, I feel I have strengthened my

ability to use all SLOs, and can continue to do so. Throughout this class, you have given us

different materials and assignments to practice and excel at each of these SLOs. To illustrate my

improvement I have created a portfolio with my annotated bibliography and my discussion seven

response to showcase in specific how I became proficient in our objectives.

Weekly activities such as discussions and small writing assignments encouraged us to

practice writing in a formal and an informal context, satisfying the first SLO: Rhetorical Focus. I

needed to pay attention to the audience I was writing for and figure out the appropriate context.

The discussions also helped us practice the last SLO: Collaboration. I was able to help my peers

by critiquing their rough and final drafts. This opened dialogue where I was able to receive

feedback and overall helped the class better our papers. A specific example of this is my

discussion seven response. I had written a working thesis that had a focus, but could be improved

on. I looked towards my peer reviews for help, and learned what could enhance my working

thesis. In addition, my discussion seven response and my annotated bibliography, helped with the

fourth SLO: Organization and Focus. Writing these allowed me to change the organization styles

to better suit my audiences understanding. I looked at different ways to organize my writing so

it would bring focus to key factors in it. It helped me see there was multiple ways I could

organize my writing to make it more appealing to my audience, and easier to digest.

My annotated bibliography really helped me focus on the second SLO: Ethical research

and the third SLO: Persuasive Arguments. The bibliography required me to look for the

credibility in the sources I used, and make sure they did not skew their results to benefit their

cause. In addition, it allowed me to persuade an audience from one stance to another with use of

relevant information proving my point. It helped me expand on my argument by anticipating

counterarguments, and using different tactics to appeal to my audiences ethos, pathos, and

logos. All my assignments for this class demonstrates the use of the fifth SLO: Academic

Language and Design. I learned how to manipulate language to create dialogue that would help

my writing remain unbiased and sensitive to the feelings of others.

Given the above reasoning, I feel I have gained proficiency in the six SLOs, and will

continue to improve them during my college career. I hope you too are able to see the

improvement in my writing capabilities during the length of this course.

Sincerely,

Courtney Flores