Midterm Exam: Reflection Letter

Overview: You will have two hours to write a letter on the topic below. I am providing the topic now so that you have time to adequately reflect on what you will write about ahead of time, not so you can compose your letter ahead of time. Please read and consider the assignment topic carefully before logging into Respondus Lockdown Browser with Web Monitor and composing your letter.  

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment to evaluate your own progress as a writer up to this point in the semester, considering carefully your strengths and weaknesses, and then write a letter to yourself on day one of the semester detailing the specific skills that you will need to be successful in this course. Using your own writing as evidence, consider how well you have achieved the outcomes of the course to date and what skills, strategies, knowledge, and resources it took for you to reach this level of achievement. If you’re still struggling, consider the skills, strategies, knowledge, and resources that might have led to a better outcome (scheduling an appointment with the professor to ask questions, meeting with a tutor, reading all of the lectures and reading materials before attempting an assignment, etc.).    

Some of the learning outcomes for English 1101 (located in the syllabus) are to:

1. Demonstrate writing as a recursive process

2. Critique their own and others’ work

3. Recognize the grammar, mechanics, punctuation, vocabulary, and formatting considerations appropriate to genre or assignment

In this letter, you should discuss your understanding of and progress with at least two learning outcomes. Be sure to provide specific examples from your own writing this semester to support your claims. Identify which of these you feel especially good at, and which you need more work with. After discussing each of the outcomes, you should identify strategies that you need to undertake on day one of this class in order to ensure your own success in this class. Keep in mind that we are only halfway through the semester, so we have not have hit all of the course learning outcomes yet.

Audience:  Your audience for this letter is you on day one of this semester. You are telling yourself, in specific terms and with clear examples, how to succeed in this class—how to achieve the learning outcomes through the assigned work and what strategies/skills/knowledge/resources are needed at the onset of the course to ensure your success.  

Length and Format:  The reflection letter should be approximately two pages double-spaced, which equals approximately 500 words, and should be in the form of a letter. While your letter does not need to be as formal as a piece of academic writing, you should still follow the conventions of standard English in terms of grammar, usage, and sentence structure. Also, you do not need to cite your sources, but you should refer to specific assignments when discussing your mastery of/struggle with the above learning outcomes.

Standards for Grading:  When I read your letter, I will ask the following questions:

• Do you address at least two of the above stated learning outcomes?
• Do you provide evidence from your writing to support the claim you make for each?
• Do you identify your strengths and areas for improvement?
• Do you identify the strategies needed for success on day one of this class?
• Is your letter logically organized with clear transitions linking your ideas?
• Is your essay carefully written?  Did you follow the conventions appropriate for your purpose and audience?
  

Note:  Please note, this is not a letter about the class or the instructor. It should evaluate your personal progress with the specific course learning outcomes and the strategies needed for success on day one of the course.