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Matthew DiRico

ENC 1011-17 0M05

November 30, 2017

Self-Assessment

ENC 1101 is a college level writing course taught at UCF. The purpose of this course is

to provide students with the skills necessary to write at a university level. As a student in ENC

1101, I have written essays, discussion posts, and an e-portfolio throughout the semester to show

my understanding of the concepts taught in this class. While taking this class, I believe that my

writing has grown greatly. This self-assessment serves as an evaluation of whether I have

mastered the goals of this course set out in the syllabus. The goals of this course include:

Demonstrate an understanding of the writing processes and how writing processes change

depending upon context.

Demonstrate an awareness of rhetorical situation and acquire strategies for writing in

different writing contexts.

Demonstrate capabilities as readers of complex texts.

Demonstrate awareness of the relationship between discourse conventions, lexis, genres

and their related communities.

Demonstrate an understanding of the writing processes and how writing processes

change depending upon context

While taking this course, I have become familiar with the idea of a writing process. A

writing process is a process that each writer undergoes when producing their own work. A
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writing process may vary depending upon the context of their own writing. For instance, I

would stylistically, write a research paper more differently than I would write a narrative

essay. This is evident in my own writing pieces How the Boy Scouts Become Leaders, and

Row, Row, Row Your Life. In How the Boy Scouts Become Leaders, I was tasked with

researching a Boy Scout Troop using Kain and Wardles Activity Theory. An activity theory

is a method for understanding how people in different communities carry out their activities.

Throughout my writing process, I had to research how Troop 344s rules, tools, division of

labor etc. were able to make it an effective system. After compiling this data, I determined

the best way to go about writing this essay was in an APA format. In Row, Row, Row Your

Life, I dissected rowing as a form of literacy and identified different literacy sponsors

throughout my journey. I did this using primary research method such as ethnography, and

personal retrieval of information. Once I assembled the data for the narrative, I decided that

MLA format was the best way to present my data. I approached these two papers with a

different research and formatting manner because of context that each paper asked. As a

result, I ended up with a different writing process.

Demonstrate an awareness of rhetorical situation and acquire strategies for writing in

different writing contexts.

Just as a writing process differs contextually, so does that in a rhetorical situation. A

rhetorical situation is the particular circumstance of a given instance of communication or

discourse. A rhetorical situation is comprised of context (circumstances), rhetor (originator of

communication), and an audience (listener or reader). Since the context, and audience varies

when I construct texts inside and outside of a school environment I am experiencing a rhetorical

situation. While in a school setting, I approach my audience, whether it be classmates or

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professor, in a formal tone. I make sure that my use of language is eloquent and that I

demonstrate my knowledge proficiently. For instance, when I write discussion posts, I made sure

to use proper English, and to show my knowledge of the discussion posts by specifying every

detail of my argument. This differs completely to when I construct texts outside of school. While

outside of school, I take an informal approach to my audience (friends and family). I take an

informal approach to this situation because of the context. When I write to my family and

friends, my messages need to be efficient and effective. For instance, I may shorten words or

substitute phrases using acronyms to get my point across faster. When I had to write one of my

papers for English composition, I had to consider the factors of a rhetorical situation for my

paper. I had to know who would be reading it, and what others would think of my writing. This

influenced how I communicated and made me understand more of the rhetorical situation.

Demonstrate capabilities as readers of complex texts.

A basic requirement of ENC 1101 was to read a multitude of texts and analyze the

concepts throughout the texts. However, not all texts were straightforward and had to be thought

of in a more divergent thinking. Texts such as I Stand Here Writing was able to tie stories that

seemed completely unrelated together to make a point that readers use personal experiences to

develop an interpretation of text. Throughout the year the texts assigned have been showing

different ways of approaching writing and not giving us a guideline to write. Another aspect to

our reading was our reflection of the work itself and how it tied into us as writers. This made us

connect our own personal lives to the texts we read to show how personal our writing is to us.

Demonstrate awareness of the relationship between discourse conventions, lexis, genres and

their related communities

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One of the most important concepts discussed in English Composition was the discourse

community. A discourse community is made up of individuals who share common goals agreed

upon by most members and uses one or more genres to help the group achieve its shared goals.

When writing paper two, I had to analyze the discourse community of the Boy Scouts. I learned

that the Boy Scouts are a big machine that requires each cog to contribute in order to achieve its

goal of producing leaders. If one of the cogs failed to produce or live up to its work, the whole

system failed to function, and the community was disbanded. After learning this method, I had a

better understanding of how to analyze communities

English Composition has provided me with an avenue to become a better writer, reader,

and student. Going into the year, I was uninspired with my writing and thought that this class

would only prove that I showed signs of becoming a competent writer. However, after taking this

class, I have found out that writing is a process that everyone works on, and no one perfects. I

have come to realize the extent to which writing surrounds my life inside and outside of school. I

have become a better interpreter of texts after reading, discussing, understanding, and applying

the concepts taught in this class. After taking this class, I am more aware of the extent of my

writing and literacy and am better off to succeed.