Reflections for ENGL 108

Portfolio Imagine that you have been asked to share with a group of prospective international students what you learned in English 108. Specifically, you want to show how the course helped you develop as a writer, to give these students a better understanding of the course. Therefore, you are putting together a learner portfolio in which you will include examples of your writing and relate them to your classroom experiences. To prepare your portfolio, consider what aspects of your writing you would like to show, and what prospective students might want to know more about. In addition, you are encouraged to reflect on the Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), your own learning goals, and the course concepts listed below. You are also welcome to look back on your experiences in English 106 and/or 107 (if applicable). The portfolio should contain 4-6 artifacts (writing samples), such as excerpts from the main assignments, notes, outlines, feedback you gave or received, discussion posts, mind maps, outlines, reflective annotations, revisions, etc. Each artifact should be accompanied by a brief reflection, so you will submit 4-6 reflections along with the artifacts. In these reflections, you are asked to comment on the artifact’s significance, connect it to class interactions or personal insights, explain how it shows your development as a writer, and/or situate it in the context of your learning trajectory or life events more broadly. You might also address how the course will help you with the other kinds of academic, professional, or personal writing you hope or expect to do in the future. Note that you are encouraged not only to discuss your accomplishments, but also your struggles; these will likely be relevant to the prospective students as well. (And successful writers are usually aware of both their strengths and their weaknesses!) Aim for around 750-1000 words of new writing (previous writing samples are not included in this word count), so that you can elaborate a bit in your reflections while not overwhelming the reader with excessive detail. This means that each reflection could be around 150-200 words, as a rough indication. Course Concepts The following course concepts may provide inspiration for your reflections: genre, reading response, annotated bibliography, literature review, redesign, stance, evaluation, annotation, reporting verbs, bi-/multilingualism, summary, synthesis, APA, text, purpose, internationalization, international student experiences, study abroad, intercultural/global competence. A successful portfolio will engage with some of these terms, though you are not expected to discuss all of them (this is simply not possible, given the time and space limitations). Steps

1. Brainstorm ideas. Consider what samples of your work you would want to share with the prospective students, given the concerns they may have about taking English writing courses (and ENGL 108 specifically), or what they might hope to gain from these

courses. In addition, take a moment to decide how you would like to present yourself, and what aspects of your work you will use to give an impression of what you are like as a student, a thinker, and a writer. Portfolios can be biographic in nature, and learner portfolios are no exception to his!

2. Look through the portfolio(s) that you put together for English 106, 107, and/or any other portfolios you have compiled in the past, and consider if you might be able to use these as examples or draw connections with them in this assignment.

3. Decide on a format for your portfolio. You can get creative with this, or you might choose to keep it simple, as long as your portfolio is easy to navigate and accessible for your targeted audience (prospective international students). This means that it should be clear, for example, which reflection is connected to which artifact and vice versa. In the past, students have used Google Sites, Adobe Spark, Prezi, and PowerPoint, or simply text-based versions in Word or PDF.

4. Draft your reflections and design your portfolio to make the various elements work together effectively. If you are concerned that the organization of your portfolio is not immediately clear, consider providing a table of contents. You might also opt to use hyperlinks to guide your reader.

5. When you feel that your portfolio is complete, consider asking a friend to browse through it to check that everything is clear and understandable. Make sure that hyperlinks work properly, your portfolio is shareable, and others can see it if you are using an online location (e.g., published URL or shared document).

Planning/drafting: Due Dates 37 and 38 Partial draft: Due Date 39 Complete draft for peer review: Due Date 40 Final due date: Due Date 42 Relevant SLOs 1D. explain how and why a text’s audiences, purposes, and contexts influence rhetorical options. 1E. adapt composing practices (including rhetorical choices) to a variety of audiences, purposes, and contexts. 2C. use a variety of research methods, including primary and/or secondary research, for purposes of inquiry. 2D. evaluate the quality, appropriateness, and credibility of sources. 2F. compose persuasive researched arguments for various audiences and purposes, and in multiple modalities. 3C. explain why genre conventions for structure, paragraphing, tone, and mechanics vary within and across genres. 3D. identify and effectively use variations in genre conventions within and/or across genres, including formats and/or design features. 4E. evaluate and act on peer and instructor feedback to revise their texts. 5A. narrate their processes and progress as writers throughout Foundations Writing courses.

5B. recognize and articulate how their values, goals, and/or circumstances inform their choices as writers 5C. assess how writing experiences and artifacts might influence future writing situations. Assessment Criteria Your Final Portfolio will be graded according to the following criteria:

● The portfolio includes 4-6 representative artifacts and 750-1000 words of new text in the form of reflections (20 pts.)

● The reflections adequately contextualize the artifacts, clarifying their significance and what they are meant to illustrate (20 pts.)

● The portfolio shows engagement with the writing process (e.g., for the major assignments), course concepts, and/or SLOs (20 pts.)

● The portfolio addresses the student’s learning goals and/or development as a writer (20 pts.)

● The presentation or design is appropriate and effective (20 pts.)