UWP 1Y // August 2017
my e-portfolio |
Cover Letter
Dear Professor Zugnoni,
During UWP1Y in the past six weeks, I have improved many aspects of my writing ability by attempting different types of writing genres in this course. The Living Picture Narrative, as the first project, taught me how to do brainstorming, free writing and peer review; the Wikipedia Entry provided me an opportunity to develop my techniques in locating, selecting, evaluating, and integrating sources; and the Podcast was a conversational script which raised my audience awareness. I included the Wikipedia Entry and the Podcast in my ePortfolio because they were great representations of the two most important aspects I strengthened in UWP1Y: research and knowledge of convention skills. I will show you how I improved these two aspects as a researcher as well as a writer in this letter.
In UWP1Y, I have advanced my research skills. By doing assignments, I understood the characteristics of primary and secondary research. The Wikipedia Entry, composed of existing data, is a typical secondary research paper. I have written many secondary research papers, and most time, I would use online sources without verifying their credibility. However, after learning about the correct source usage in lecture, I realized that source credibility should be valued because it represents my credibility as a writer and a researcher. So, for my Wikipedia Entry project, I spent a long time finding, reading, and verifying sources. My topic was a Chinese Karst cave named Zhijindong Cave. I used Google to deepen my understanding of Zhijindong Cave and the background information related to it. After I figured out my subtopics, I did library-based research to find more specific and valid academic sources. Hence, I believe that my Wikipedia Entry will be an excellent example to show you my improvements in source usage techniques.
I also learned about primary research from the Podcast project. Differing from secondary research which analyzes existing data, primary research focuses on collecting first-hand information. Part of this Podcast project was based on observations. From assigned readings, I knew that one key for successful primary research is to eliminate biases. In order to eliminate biases, I need to state observations as objective as possible. “Double-entry notebook” is a very useful note-taking strategy I learned from the class, and I used it during the observation in Chestnut Park. This strategy did help me separate facts and thoughts, which was beneficial when I was composing the script. Thus, the techniques I learned from the Podcast project boosted my confidence in doing primary research.
In addition, the Wikipedia Entry and the Podcast truly raised my awareness of audience. I learned the idea of the target audience in my previous writing courses, but I hardly had a chance writing for various readers. Luckily, in UWP1Y, I worked on diverse writing genres, which taught me the importance of the target audience. In class, I learned about discourse community and how different communities share different goals, interests, and mechanisms of intercommunication among the members. I understood that it is crucial to use distinct languages and formats to reach the target audience. For my Wikipedia Entry, I wrote for Wikipedia users who are interested in Chinese Karst caves, so I used a formal and professional tone. In considering to this unique discourse community, I analyzed Wikipedia articles to get familiar with its features and formats. I also read many papers about Karst caves to help me decide the tone I use to present my paper. Different from the Wikipedia Entry, I chose a more causal and friendly tone in the Podcast because my audience was Davis residents who enjoy walking. Moreover, I focused on describing my observations in the park because I wanted listeners to feel that they were currently visiting it with me. Therefore, by doing the Wikipedia Entry and the Podcast, I have made progress on my ability to reach a different target audience and discourse community.
Thanks to UWP1Y, I have been equipped with research and knowledge of convention skills. As a science-major student who is going to write scientific papers, primary and secondary research techniques are crucial for my future career. Besides, as a writer, knowledge of conventions helps me produce engaging articles to resonate with my target audience. My writing has improved in these six weeks, but I know that writing is a continuous learning process, and I need to practice more to face the challenges of upper division writing courses and my future career.
Sincerely yours,
Yao Fang
During UWP1Y in the past six weeks, I have improved many aspects of my writing ability by attempting different types of writing genres in this course. The Living Picture Narrative, as the first project, taught me how to do brainstorming, free writing and peer review; the Wikipedia Entry provided me an opportunity to develop my techniques in locating, selecting, evaluating, and integrating sources; and the Podcast was a conversational script which raised my audience awareness. I included the Wikipedia Entry and the Podcast in my ePortfolio because they were great representations of the two most important aspects I strengthened in UWP1Y: research and knowledge of convention skills. I will show you how I improved these two aspects as a researcher as well as a writer in this letter.
In UWP1Y, I have advanced my research skills. By doing assignments, I understood the characteristics of primary and secondary research. The Wikipedia Entry, composed of existing data, is a typical secondary research paper. I have written many secondary research papers, and most time, I would use online sources without verifying their credibility. However, after learning about the correct source usage in lecture, I realized that source credibility should be valued because it represents my credibility as a writer and a researcher. So, for my Wikipedia Entry project, I spent a long time finding, reading, and verifying sources. My topic was a Chinese Karst cave named Zhijindong Cave. I used Google to deepen my understanding of Zhijindong Cave and the background information related to it. After I figured out my subtopics, I did library-based research to find more specific and valid academic sources. Hence, I believe that my Wikipedia Entry will be an excellent example to show you my improvements in source usage techniques.
I also learned about primary research from the Podcast project. Differing from secondary research which analyzes existing data, primary research focuses on collecting first-hand information. Part of this Podcast project was based on observations. From assigned readings, I knew that one key for successful primary research is to eliminate biases. In order to eliminate biases, I need to state observations as objective as possible. “Double-entry notebook” is a very useful note-taking strategy I learned from the class, and I used it during the observation in Chestnut Park. This strategy did help me separate facts and thoughts, which was beneficial when I was composing the script. Thus, the techniques I learned from the Podcast project boosted my confidence in doing primary research.
In addition, the Wikipedia Entry and the Podcast truly raised my awareness of audience. I learned the idea of the target audience in my previous writing courses, but I hardly had a chance writing for various readers. Luckily, in UWP1Y, I worked on diverse writing genres, which taught me the importance of the target audience. In class, I learned about discourse community and how different communities share different goals, interests, and mechanisms of intercommunication among the members. I understood that it is crucial to use distinct languages and formats to reach the target audience. For my Wikipedia Entry, I wrote for Wikipedia users who are interested in Chinese Karst caves, so I used a formal and professional tone. In considering to this unique discourse community, I analyzed Wikipedia articles to get familiar with its features and formats. I also read many papers about Karst caves to help me decide the tone I use to present my paper. Different from the Wikipedia Entry, I chose a more causal and friendly tone in the Podcast because my audience was Davis residents who enjoy walking. Moreover, I focused on describing my observations in the park because I wanted listeners to feel that they were currently visiting it with me. Therefore, by doing the Wikipedia Entry and the Podcast, I have made progress on my ability to reach a different target audience and discourse community.
Thanks to UWP1Y, I have been equipped with research and knowledge of convention skills. As a science-major student who is going to write scientific papers, primary and secondary research techniques are crucial for my future career. Besides, as a writer, knowledge of conventions helps me produce engaging articles to resonate with my target audience. My writing has improved in these six weeks, but I know that writing is a continuous learning process, and I need to practice more to face the challenges of upper division writing courses and my future career.
Sincerely yours,
Yao Fang