Jacqueline Teasley

Ashby Capstone

Dr. Littlejohn

Critical Reflection

Writing and Research​:

● How do you feel about your research topic now that your project is completed?

Now that my research project is completed, I feel relieved. While I thoroughly enjoyed

learning about my topic and exploring its different avenues, the work put into creating the

project was tedious and exhausting (but in a positive way). I feel that all of my hard work

has finally paid off and I am proud the research I produced.

● In what ways did writing help you think through complex ideas raised during your

research?

As we discussed in class, writing was one of the only ways I could work my way through

complex ideas and theories. I would get the basics of an idea and then try to explain it to

myself, in an attempt to demonstrate my level of understanding of said topic/idea. I

believe that if I had not done this, my research would have remained broad and

unanswerable, which would have made this project less enjoyable or enlightening.

● Describe your research process. What steps do you do when tackling a research

project?

My research process was rather chaotic. I had a variety of topics I wanted to cover, but

not enough time. After eventually deciding on a topic, I then took to the internet to gather

as much research as I could. I remember leafing through newspaper ads, scholarly

 articles, a few documentaries, and a couple of books in my efforts of gaining the

necessary knowledge I needed. Once all of my learning was over, I then had to narrow

down which sources to use, which was possibly the hardest part about the entire capstone.

In addition to narrowing sources, I then had to take my immense topic of immigration

and condense it down into a single avenue that I felt most people could understand and

relate to. I enjoyed the challenge of having to present all that I had learned in a concise

and coherent manner.

● In what ways have you developed your ability conduct research?

I can certainly tell that my ability to conduct research has changed over the course of this

class. While originally I would rush into a topic blindly, I now know to take a second and

take my topic in its actuality and to learn as much as I can about it. I then have to analyze

its various parts and determine which is best to research. I then, instead of using just the

internet, I have now learned to find and then express my topic using other platforms, such

as graphics, television shows, or music. This course has taught me that conducting

research isn’t all about studies and charts, but can be about taking a topic, analyzing it

wholly, and then figuring out what is the best way to make this as understandable as

possible.

● What was it like being part of the Research Expo and sharing your research with

others?

I was nervous about being a part of the Research Expo, because I was not sure how

in-depth my research was in comparison to others. I was worried that I would look

immature or ignorant on a topic that is quite dear to me. After sharing my research with
 others, I felt a little more confident in the work I had done. People seemed genuinely

interested in my work, which made me ecstatic.

● Describe your writing process.

My writing process was rather chaotic as well. After I had learned the basic background

information about my topic, having to write about it was difficult, because of the

immensity of all there is to know. My writing process was nothing but mistakes, revision,

and rewording.

● What do you like about it and why? What will you will change and why?

I actually like how chaotic my writing process is, because it makes me think about my

topic in different lights each time I rewrite or reword something. I would like to change

the avenue in which I revise, because I often find myself revising in my head instead of

on paper.

● What are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer?

My strengths as a writer lie in my imagery and descriptions. I feel that I am capable of

getting a point across, while also drumming up a healthy amount of pathos and logos to

go with it. On the contrary, My weaknesses as a writer lie in coherency. I feel that I have

a hard time thoroughly explaining my thoughts, because they already make sense in my

head.

● What strategies will you employ to address your weaknesses?

I think that the only way for me to improve on my weaknesses as a writer is to keep

writing. I need to get used to editing and revising, which will in turn help me figure out
 my thoughts as they come, which in turn will help me word my thoughts and idea clearly

and coherently.

● What is the relationship between writing for school and writing for your future or

current professional life?

I think that the relationship between writing for school and writing for my future lies in

coherency. I think that it doesn’t matter what I’m writing, as long as what I want to say

and/or convince someone to do comes across clearly and in a manner that is easy to

understand.

Your Final Website Project​:

● Describe two or three moments when you made intentional decisions when curating

your work. What contributed to those decisions?

While researching, I intentionally chose to use specific examples that I knew would

employ pathos in my audience. I wanted them to understand the devastating effects of

discriminatory immigration healthcare laws and their effects. Also, while I was designing

my poster, I intentionally chose my theme to be dark and brooding, which I felt was good

at conveying how hautning my topic was.

● What was the best part of doing the website?

I think the best part about doing the website is getting to design it in a way that is visually

appealing to a number of audiences. I was most surprised at how easy it was to convert

my paper into a website, maybe because I am a more visual individual.

● What was the most challenging part of the website?

 I think the most challenging part about the website is trying to rearrange my

message/topic in a clever and easy to understand manner. While it was easy to design the

site, I spent a good bit of time (5 hours total) trying to condense my all of my project

material into small tidbits of information.

● If you had more time to work on these projects what would you do differently and

why?

If I had more time, I would have conducted more research on my topic. The topic I chose

was intense and needed to be fully explained, which I felt I did, but not as much as I

would’ve liked.

● In what ways has your project furthered your personal, academic, or professional

goals?

After completing this project, it has inspired me to participate in a research expo that is in

my career field. While I am extremely nervous, I think that this will be a good chance for

me to grow as a researcher and young scholar.

Multiliteracies​:

● Define Multiliteracies (contemporary media literacies)

I think that multiliteracy is the ability to identify, explain, and express a

subject/meaning/idea/whatever using a variety of platforms, such as audio, visual, etc.

● Describe what you have learned about your own interactions with multiliteracies.

While using multiliteracies, I have learned that I am a visual learner. This has helped me

understand ways in which I can better help myself learn in my future.

● Describe one connection that you see between your research and multiliteracies.
 Multiliteracies were able to help me explain my research in platforms other than text. I

was able to convey my topic in a single image or with a single song .

● Which literacies do you feel most comfortable with and why?

I feel most comfortable with audio and visual literacies, because these are the literacies

that I have had the most experience with. Being a part of a visual generation, I have

grown up around messages being stated with images instead of words, so it has sort of

become second nature.

● What literacies would you like to see yourself improve and why?

I would like to improve on my use of gestural and spatial literacies. I haven’t had to use

these literacies as much as the others, so more experience with them would be ideal.

● In what ways do you see multiliteracy as a political issue? Is it? Why or why not?

I could only think of multiliteracy as a political issue in times of elections. I believe that

politicians could use certain multiliteracies to persuade certain citizens, based on their

mode of learning/understanding. This becomes a problem when some messages are

delivered to certain individuals in certain multiliteracies, all in an attempt to fulfill selfish

goals.

Ashby College​:

● What has been the most important part of your experience at Ashby and why?

The most important part of my experience at Ashby has been the amount of freedom I

have been given in these past two years. I have been able to grow in ways unimaginable

and I feel that it would not have been possible without Ashby’s open, free, and

non-judgmental atmosphere.
● What would you do differently if you could change anything about your

experiences?

If I could go back in time, I would jump into leadership positions quicker than I did. I

have come to realise how much I enjoy leading people within the dorm, so to have taken

on these sort of responsibilities early on would have been great.

● In what ways did you see connections between your Ashby courses and other UNCG

courses?

I found myself using multiliteracies in other UNCG courses, even if I was not asked to do

so. I have also been able to participate in lectures and class discussions, bringing up

topics that were discussed within Ashby committees or meetings. I did not know how

intertwined the two would become!

● In what ways did your experiences at Ashby extend outward to help others inside

Ashby or outside in the community of UNCG or beyond?

Because of my leadership roles within Ashby, I have become more outgoing and

sociable, which has followed me inside and outside of the UNCG community. Inside, I

have become more open to my peers in the classroom. Outside, I have participated in

more volunteer work opportunities, simply because I enjoyed doing so while in the

Ashby community.

● Which contributions to Ashby (committees, quality of student work ethic,

attendance at events, leadership, or good community citizenship, for ex.) are you

most proud of and why?

 I am most proud of getting the Social Justice and Service Committee up and running

again. Volunteer and service work is dear to my heart, so to be able to pursue this within

my academic career was incredibly fun.

● How has your experience at Ashby impacted your ethical approach to engaging with

others who are different from you?

While at Ashby, I have learned how different individuals can be and how great this is

when in social settings. Ashby has taught me to realize that every person I meet has had a

long history, which has only now entwined with mine. To this extent, Ashby has taught

me to embrace and understand an individual's differences with empathy and passion, as

we all should do.

Education and studenthood​:

● How well did you turn in your assignments on time? Why or why not?

I believe that while I slipped up a time or two, I generally turned in my assignments on

time. I turned them in on time because I knew if I did not, my grades would suffer the

consequences.

● How well have you followed directions this semester for your assignments? Why or

why not?

I followed the directions 100% of the time for my assignments. It doesn't make sense not

to, especially when the directions and rubric are freely given to us.

● What are your goals for your yourself as you pursue your education and why?
 My goals pertaining to my education are always changing. As of now, I am focused on

my last year at UNCG and getting into a graduate school in Israel, where I plan to study

biblical archaeology.

● In what ways did you contribute to meeting those goals?

I felt that this course has helped me become a better researcher, which I will most

definitely need for graduate school.

● If you could change something about your student life so far, what would you do

differently?

I would focus more on school and less on my social interactions. While I am able to

balance my life pretty well, I still need to learn how to say no when necessary.

● Any final thoughts you want me to know as I read through your project?

To sum up, I think that overall, this website deserves a solid B+. It meets all of the

necessary requirements and contains the entirety of my capstone in a single webpage. In

addition, I feel that my overall grade for the class should be an A-. I feel like I generally

met the requirements that were asked of my for the different assignments and I completed

them to the best of my ability. Just know that this course has taught me more than I

realized and I hope that this final project reflects just that.