Final Portfolio

Reflective Self-Analysis Assignment: Write a typed, 2-3 page self-analysis essay in which you critically analyze the different pieces of your writing this semester. The analysis should include:

An explanation of how your writing illustrates your progress on the course objectives of critical thinking, communication, personal responsibility and quantitative literacy
Evidence from the essays in your portfolio, correctly cited in MLA format
Commentary on how you plan to apply the knowledge and skills you developed in this class to future classes and your career.

Steps for Development

1. Research: Find evidence of strengths and weaknesses. This semester, you have kept a working portfolio of your writing for this course. Take some time now to read through your working portfolio, looking for strengths (areas you have developed as a writer) and weaknesses (areas needing more development). Jot down the patterns you identify along with evidence from your writing. Find evidence from at least three graded formal essays and at least one essay from outside this class, which may be from any other university course or high school.

2. Reflect on your writing as a whole: Write a 2-3 page typed critical analysis in MLA style of your work this semester. The analysis should include a) an explanation of how your work in the portfolio demonstrates practice with summary and paraphrase, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis and how that practice affected your progress on the course objectives of critical thinking, communication, and personal responsibility, and b) how the portfolio illustrates your introduction to persuasive writing in this course. Aim for an honest self-assessment that highlights your strengths and weaknesses. To support your claims, provide evidence by directing the reader to specific pages and passages from the essays in your portfolio. At least once, refer directly to your revised essay to point out how you tried to address your weaknesses. Finally, comment on how you plan to apply the knowledge and skills you developed in this class to future classes and your career.

3. Engage in deep revision: Select one graded formal essay that you think could benefit from substantial revision (this will probably be the essay that you believe needs the most work or the essay you feel has the most potential). Revise the essay, going beyond mere surface editing (correcting typos and grammar errors) to making meaningful changes to content. Content changes might include integrating additional sources, reorganizing paragraphs and smoothing transitions, or rewriting sections for clarity.

4. Submit:

Your final portfolio should contain a table of contents, your reflection essay, your revised essay, and all other written pieces you cite as evidence.

Pull these items together into one single PDF file. Items should include:

A table of contents. This does not need to be complicated, but simple list all the items in your portfolio.
The Reflective Self-Analysis Essay. This should be the first item after your table of contents.
Any piece of writing or evidence to which your reflection essay refers; if you do not directly refer to a piece of writing, do not include it in the final portfolio.