Self-Assessment Essay
This course entails sharpening writing abilities as they pertain to student’s pursuits in the sciences. In addition, this course provided students with strategies for reading, revising, editing, and improving writing goals. I was able to navigate through various library resources and online databases for research purposes. In my perspective, I was able to gradually become better at each writing assignment, and I was able to achieve the learning objectives. My writing evolved from basic knowledge of writing for the sciences to being able to articulate and effectively compose writing assignments.
Furthermore, my progress as writer in the sciences over the course gradually improved as I learned more knowledge from the course. For example, during the first assignment of the technical description I did not perform as I expected. I opted to utilize the hippocampus as a technical description, and I did not include with much detail how the hippocampus works within the world and other processes happening around. I also did not do well on the MLA works cited section. As a result, I implemented ways to strengthen my writing by practicing different examples of works cited. I utilized one of the course learning objectives of strengthening my skills by practicing various sources, and I became more efficient in implementing a works cited format. This also demonstrated in the following scientific controversy paper and research paper where I performed much better as my works cited format improved.
In addition, prior to this course I had minimal experience working in groups. This course helped me improve on developing and engaging in collaborative writing in groups. I learned that each group member had their diverse ways of working and to effectively work together, we had to integrate each of our own styles together. I was good at researching resources and completing introductions and conclusions, so this is what I implemented in the group project. The group was able to acknowledge the group’s range of linguistic differences as resources. The group was able to utilize each one another’s strengthens and effectively utilize it for the research paper. This course helped me strengthen these skills as well with each group members strengths. Consequently, the group did well, and we were able to score well in the paper. I was able to perform better from the start of the assignments, and therefore my writing skills gradually improved.
Moreover, this course helped me get out of my comfort zone. My expectations for this course were that it was going to focus solely on writing. I was glad I was not going to have to complete an oral presentation. However, this course did have one oral presentation in the group research projects. As a result, I had to implement and enhance strategies for improving my skills for oral presentations. My perception of the course changed throughout the course period, and I was able to evolve my writing and presentation skills.
In my perspective, I was able to achieve the course learning objectives especially formulating and articulating a stance through my writing. I was able to formulate a stance through the scientific controversy paper. In this paper I was able to take a stance that vaccines do not increase autism in children based on evidence indicating above-mentioned. My writing expanded from completing discussion boards to research and formulating a stance through my writing.
To sum up, the course exceeded my expectations, and I was able to gradually improve my writing skills. In my perspective, I was able to achieve most of the course learning objectives. I was able to acknowledge mine and other’s linguistic differences as resources, enhance strategies for reading, revising, editing and self-assessment, develop and engaging in collaborative writing process (group project), and formulate and articulate a stance in my writing (scientific controversy paper). My writing has evolved and has demonstrated in how I improved in each assignment. Thus, this course will provide me with the tools and strategies to implement in my future science courses and future endeavors.
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