Sweetland+Portfolio

Foundations of College Writing Dr. Sherry Portfolio Sarah Sweetland

This semester in Foundations of College writing, we learned some very important objectives and goals to reach for. For each project we completed these objectives were what we tried to accomplish. The first project was almost a form of research paper. This however, was more personal and engaging. For my project I interviewed Bloomsburg students on athletic teams and Bloomsburg students not on an athletic team. I did this to compare their schedules and social lives. For the second project, I transformed the information I collected in my first project into three different genres to suit the audience they pertained too. In my third project, I wrote a personal story on the events in my past, present, and future that determined my educational goals into what they are to this day.


 * Goal A. Students will be able to compose for particular audiences and purposes.**

In the second project, where I composed information from the first project into three different genres, I had to choose an appropriate genre for the audience I was trying to reach. I decided to reach out to incoming freshman in a form of a flyer, parents in the form of a brochure, and faculty members in the form of a letter.

My Ear Project:

I chose to create a flyer for the incoming freshman because I decided that this was the best way to get information to students in an organized, yet quick way. Many students aren’t going to take the time to stop and read a brochure or a letter, but a flyer they see posted in the hall or while eating lunch may grab their attention. A flyer will also fit into the college culture and blend in with the other flyers posted all of the Bloomsburg campus. I chose to get information to the parents of these incoming freshman through a brochure. Parents tend to want more information and more detail on the topic. A brochure is a great way to get information to the parents in an appropriate way without overwhelming them with too much information. For my last genre, I chose to discuss some concerns of Bloomsburg students to faculty members in the form of a letter. This was a way to express concerns of fellow students in a professional way that faculty members would take seriously. It is important for people of all ages to know how to target a specific audience in the most appropriate way.


 * Goal B. Students will be able to compose using language and conventions appropriate to genre.**

In my first project, the research project, I used different methods of research to a question I was curious about. I was curious as to how being a student athlete affected a students schedule and social life. For my project I researched background knowledge, method, findings, and a conclusion.

My Clue Project:

For my Clue project I found some background information in articles on the affects being a college athlete has on students. This information I received told me about how being a student athlete helps with anxiety, depression, and social connectedness. I then did a interviews and time diaries for some student athletes and non-athletes here at Bloomsburg to compare their schedules and feelings towards being a student at Bloomsburg University. I compared the information a discovered in my research to my findings from my interviews and time diaries to come up with my conclusion.


 * D. Students will be able to interpret and compose in a variety of media and print/non-print genres.**

In my second project I also interpreted other samples as well as making my own genres. I found different examples of flyers, brochures, and letters on the Internet. I used some similar characteristics to help make my genres. I also used the C.R.A.P principles to help with my contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity throughout this project. We looked at examples of non-print genres in class when we watched satire commercials and discussed the uniqueness of satirical work and why they work for certain audiences.

My Ear Project:

In my flyer I focused on proximity and contrast. I chose the location of the pictures and the font carefully so it looked neat and organized. I also chose the font colors to be similar to Bloomsburg colors as a way to connect to the topic. In my brochure I also focused on contrast and on repetition by repeating the Bloomsburg colors and logo. I also used proximity to make sure there was enough space between the pictures and the text, but not too much that it looked scattered. In my letter I used the C.R.A.P principles by keeping the font black and not too fancy that way it looked professional. I also focused on alignment to make sure everything was spaced out nicely throughout the letter. It was interesting to create a variety of genres for different audiences.


 * E. Students will be able to discuss and apply appropriate writing processes both individually and in collaborative contexts.**

In my final project, the TELL project, I wrote a personal paper about my thoughts and experiences on education. This shows that I can individually write a paper about my own experiences. After every project, we would meet with a group and do peer reviews about our projects. In each peer review we went over everyone in the groups papers and tell each other what needed to be fixed or changed. We were given a peer review sheet to guide us through the process, this gave us a place to write down the comments our group gave us. Doing peer reviews helped me fix some grammatical errors I made and also helped me rephrase any sentences that didn’t sound right. When I compare my rough drafts to my final copies for each project I can see a difference in the amount of errors and the details in my projects.

Peer Review Sheet:

Revision Sheet:

I found the peer review sessions very helpful because it helped me feel confident that I was on the correct track for my project. The feedback my peers would give me helped me feel good about my work. At the end of each session we would write our own comment about how we were going to use the feedback we received to improve our work. This helped me remember what I wanted to fix in my work when I went to revise it later. I think the revision sheet helped us learn from our mistakes so that we wouldn’t make the same mistakes in future assignments. This helped emphasis the importance of editing and reviewing work to improve a project to the best work possible.