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Student learning outcomes (SLOs) are concepts that specify what students will need to know and

demonstrate in their work. In this paper, five student learning outcomes will be discussed. These

outcomes include rhetorical knowledge, critical reading, composing processes, knowledge of

conventions, and critical reflection.

Rhetorical knowledge is defined as the ability to understand and analyze the context, purpose, and

intended audience of a work. It is important to understand them because certain articles are directed

towards different audiences who have more knowledge of certain areas than others. In addition,the

context and purpose of the article can be more helpful in different situations, such as a paper about

jellyfish is more helpful if you are researching marine life rather than writing a thesis paper. Knowledge

of these concepts can help writers adapt to new audiences and different contexts. An articulate writer

takes into consideration the intended audience of a paper and provides context on the topic of their papers

for those who do not know the context of said topic. To adjust my own tone, voice and formality, I intend

to consider the audience in mind, plan out multiple ways to write the same sentence, and choose the

sentence that most fits my topic and intended audience. Some examples of rhetorical knowledge affected

my writing style are shown in my lab reports and SUM essay for my chemistry lab and LBST class

respectively.

In my lab report, I understood that it was aimed towards chemistry professors and lab TAs. I also

understood that the purpose of the report was to show how I understood the concepts being tested in the

experiment, what error could have occurred during it, and how they could have affected my results.

Therefore, I chose to write in a way that formal yet straightforward so that the readers could clearly

understand the procedure in which I performed said experiment. I also wrote an introduction paragraph

that explained the topics covered.


In my SUM essay, I was to emulate the stories in which a book portrayed multiple interpretations of the

afterlife. These stories were in second person, used more colloquial language, were often lighthearted or

sarcastic, and were more informal. I began this essay by providing a scene of everyday life to get the

readers introduced to my paper and give them a sense of what to expect.


The second SLO that will be discussed is critical reading which is the ability to understand and

analyze the information that they find in order to find its strengths and flaws. A skilled writer uses the

information that they find to connect it to other works and integrate it into their argument and

acknowledge both its strengths and shortcomings. Critical reading is important as it shows that a writer

goes beyond the source material and is able to understand it as well, making them more credible. Due to

some personal experience, critical reading can also help a writer get a general idea about their topic. Some

examples in which I demonstrated critical reading are shown in two separate annotated bibliographies. In

the first bibliography, I used articles about Japanese burial rituals and their interpretation of the afterlife.

After summarizing the articles, I began to look back the detail.s and form my own conclusions about what

I learned and get a general idea from my sources.


In my second annotated bibliography, I looked up sources about mental health in students and

school. Using my critical reading skills, I looked through all of my sources for any sort of connection

between them and used said connections relate them to each other and to my then in-progress thesis.
Composing processes involve following the writing practice where a writer looks over their work,

forms ideas on what to do or what to improve on, and revises and edits their work. While there are many

ways to do the processes, the way that works best for me is to have feedback from others as I get another

viewpoint on my work. A good writer understands that their writing has many areas in need of

improvement and accepts feedback from others. Composing processes are important to apply as it allows

for a writer to improve on their writing by revising and editing over time and it shows their growth as a

writer. Some examples of composing processes are demonstrated in my thesis.. In my thesis, I was unsure

whether a certain statement would fit in so I made a comment about it, hoping to get some feedback. I

also took into consideration some of the comments that my peers made in order to improve my work as

shown below.
My peers noted that I did not explain certain aspects of my thesis and wanted to know more about

my topic and suggested ideas on how to make it more engaging. I also have noticed that in certain areas, I

am too vague. I try to look over my work from time to time and make mental notes on areas in need of

improvement and am constantly checking to see if any of my wording is awkward.

Conventions are unspoken formal and informal guidelines on what is considered to be appropriate

in writing, such as the proper grammar, spelling and format of a paper. A skilled writer understands these

conventions and checks over their work to make sure that they are following them and goes beyond by

being creative while still following them. Knowledge of conventions is important because the reader has

to understand the writer’s ideas and a comma can make a difference in the meaning of a sentence. For

example, “A panda eats shoots and leaves” is different than “A panda eats, shoots, and leaves.” In my lab

reports, I use transitions so that the reader understands the order in which the procedure occurs.
In my thesis, for the information I received from another source, I placed the author’s names in

parentheses at the end of said information at the end of a sentence. This was to indicate that the

information was not my own and to give credit to the original author.
In my service learning essay, I chose to put a period after mentioning the original name of the Big

Spring Clean. I then described the original event in the next sentence. I chose to do so in order for a run-

on sentence to be averted as it would drag on and cause the readers to lose interest. Keeping each sentence

concise allowed me to get my ideas across.


The final SLO discussed in this paper is critical reflection, which involves the writer looking back

at their work and reflecting on it. It allows for them to understand why they did what they did. A

articulate writer looks back at their writing and uses their reflections to influence their future writing,

using techniques that worked for them. They also reflect while writing to improve on the way. By

reflecting, you realise what you could improve on and what techniques have worked for you so you can

apply them to future writing. Reflecting on my inquiry proposal and my thesis, I realized how much I

needed to improve and am fully aware that my writing is not perfect. However, I am proud with some of

my sentence structure.
I understand now that I have to go into more detail with my work so that someone is unfamiliar

with the information can understand the topic completely. Also, that interpretations need to be explained

in great detail to convince the reader.

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