B&S Week 11: Looking Back

Taking time to reflect on what you have learned is important as a semester ends. After all, education is too expensive to walk away learning nothing!

In this class, we have covered several writing and thinking skills. These skills range from writing effective sentences and paragraphs to the writing process stages to analysis to locating and using research. The goal of completing these tasks was to better prepare you to write effective academic and professional documents.

With that in mind, please take a few moments to think back on the class work, readings, and assignments we have completed in this class. Then, answer the following questions:

1. What two writing or thinking skills do you feel you have improved in this class? Provide specific examples of how these skills have been improved.
2. What two writing or thinking skills would you still like to improve? Explain these skills clearly in terms of why you think they still need improving.
3. What two assignments, activities, etc. did you find most beneficial? Why
4. What two assignments, readings, etc. did you find most challenging? Why?

OCC Week 11: Looking Back

Taking time to reflect on what you have learned is important as a semester ends. After all, education is too expensive to walk away learning nothing!

In this class, we have covered several writing and thinking skills. These skills range from writing effective sentences and paragraphs to the writing process stages to analysis to locating and using research. The goal of completing these tasks was to better prepare you to write effective academic and professional documents.

With that in mind, please take a few moments to think back on the class work, readings, and assignments we have completed in this class. Then, answer the following questions:

1. What two writing or thinking skills do you feel you have improved in this class? Provide specific examples of how these skills have been improved.
2. What two writing or thinking skills would you still like to improve? Explain these skills clearly in terms of why you think they still need improving.
3. What two assignments, activities, etc. did you find most beneficial? Why
4. What two assignments, readings, etc. did you find most challenging? Why?

CCC Week 11: Looking Back

Taking time to reflect on what you have learned is important as a semester ends. After all, education is too expensive to walk away learning nothing!

In this class, we have covered several writing and thinking skills. These skills range from writing effective sentences and paragraphs to the writing process stages to analysis to locating and using research. The goal of completing these tasks was to better prepare you to write effective academic and professional documents.

With that in mind, please take a few moments to think back on the class work, readings, and assignments we have completed in this class. Then, answer the following questions:

1. What two writing or thinking skills do you feel you have improved in this class? Provide specific examples of how these skills have been improved.
2. What two writing or thinking skills would you still like to improve? Explain these skills clearly in terms of why you think they still need improving.
3. What two assignments, activities, etc. did you find most beneficial? Why
4. What two assignments, readings, etc. did you find most challenging? Why?

B&S Week 10: Reflecting on the Research Paper

By now, you have probably figured out that a vital part of learning is reflecting on what you have done and where you have been. This "thinking about your thinking" creates opportunities to test out your thinking and your methods to see what worked and what needs improving.

As you wrap up writing the research paper, it's a perfect time to reflect on the process and consider what worked well for you and what you would like to improve or revise in your writing process next time you write a research project.

In your comment, please respond to the following:

1. What skills or techniques (annotation, time-saving researching techniques, using researching tools such as databases or the Internet) helped you research your topic and/or write your paper? How do you know these skills or techniques helped your project be more successful?
2. What would you like to improve about your process for writing a research paper? Would you revise anything about the process?
3. What did you learn about your topic as a result of this process? What did you learn about researching/writing as a part of completing this project?

CCC Week 10: Reflecting on the Research Paper

By now, you have probably figured out that a vital part of learning is reflecting on what you have done and where you have been. This "thinking about your thinking" creates opportunities to test out your thinking and your methods to see what worked and what needs improving.

As you wrap up writing the research paper, it's a perfect time to reflect on the process and consider what worked well for you and what you would like to improve or revise in your writing process next time you write a research project.

In your comment, please respond to the following:

1. What skills or techniques (annotation, time-saving researching techniques, using researching tools such as databases or the Internet) helped you research your topic and/or write your paper? How do you know these skills or techniques helped your project be more successful?
2. What would you like to improve about your process for writing a research paper? Would you revise anything about the process?
3. What did you learn about your topic as a result of this process? What did you learn about researching/writing as a part of completing this project?

OCC Week 10: Reflecting on the Research Paper

By now, you have probably figured out that a vital part of learning is reflecting on what you have done and where you have been. This "thinking about your thinking" creates opportunities to test out your thinking and your methods to see what worked and what needs improving.

As you wrap up writing the research paper, it's a perfect time to reflect on the process and consider what worked well for you and what you would like to improve or revise in your writing process next time you write a research project.

In your comment, please respond to the following:

1. What skills or techniques (annotation, time-saving researching techniques, using researching tools such as databases or the Internet) helped you research your topic and/or write your paper? How do you know these skills or techniques helped your project be more successful?
2. What would you like to improve about your process for writing a research paper? Would you revise anything about the process?
3. What did you learn about your topic as a result of this process? What did you learn about researching/writing as a part of completing this project?

B&S Week 9: Examining the Answers

Now that you have sources that should help you answer your research question, it's time to figure out how your different answers will work together to form a single, unified paper.

To accomplish this, you can compare or contrast the answers. To do so, look for points of focus--in other words, points where the sources are either similar or different--and use these points to evaluate the logic of the answers to determine which answer or answers make the most sense to you.

For example, if you were searching for a new car, you would look at various cars in the price range you can afford. Then, once you have made a list of possible vehicles, you would look at points of focus to determine what vehicle is best for you. These points of focus may include gas mileage, features, warranties, and customer ratings.

Re-read chapter 10 if you have any questions about how to develop and organize a compare/contrast analysis. Pay close attention to the section on how to organize using block or alternating formats.

With this in mind, please answer the following in your comment:

1. Looking at your sources, what might you use as points of focus to compare/contrast their ideas?
2. Based on these points of focus, do your sources answer your question in similar ways or are there major differences in the answers? What are these similarities or differences?
3. Might you organize the body paragraphs of your draft using the block format or the alternating? Why?

OCC Week 9: Examining the Answers

Now that you have sources that should help you answer your research question, it's time to figure out how your different answers will work together to form a single, unified paper.

To accomplish this, you can compare or contrast the answers. To do so, look for points of focus--in other words, points where the sources are either similar or different--and use these points to evaluate the logic of the answers to determine which answer or answers make the most sense to you.

For example, if you were searching for a new car, you would look at various cars in the price range you can afford. Then, once you have made a list of possible vehicles, you would look at points of focus to determine what vehicle is best for you. These points of focus may include gas mileage, features, warranties, and customer ratings.

Re-read chapter 10 if you have any questions about how to develop and organize a compare/contrast analysis. Pay close attention to the section on how to organize using block or alternating formats.

With this in mind, please answer the following in your comment:

1. Looking at your sources, what might you use as points of focus to compare/contrast their ideas?
2. Based on these points of focus, do your sources answer your question in similar ways or are there major differences in the answers? What are these similarities or differences?
3. Might you organize the body paragraphs of your draft using the block format or the alternating? Why?

CCC Week 9: Examining the Answers

Now that you have sources that should help you answer your research question, it's time to figure out how your different answers will work together to form a single, unified paper.

To accomplish this, you can compare or contrast the answers. To do so, look for points of focus--in other words, points where the sources are either similar or different--and use these points to evaluate the logic of the answers to determine which answer or answers make the most sense to you.

For example, if you were searching for a new car, you would look at various cars in the price range you can afford. Then, once you have made a list of possible vehicles, you would look at points of focus to determine what vehicle is best for you. These points of focus may include gas mileage, features, warranties, and customer ratings.

Re-read chapter 10 if you have any questions about how to develop and organize a compare/contrast analysis. Pay close attention to the section on how to organize using block or alternating formats.

With this in mind, please answer the following in your comment:

1. Looking at your sources, what might you use as points of focus to compare/contrast their ideas?
2. Based on these points of focus, do your sources answer your question in similar ways or are there major differences in the answers? What are these similarities or differences?
3. Might you organize the body paragraphs of your draft using the block format or the alternating? Why?

B&S Week 8: Locating Sources

This week, we focused on strategies for effective research. We discussed the importance of research questions in guiding our work. We also laid out the five steps for writing a research paper: prewriting, locating sources, evaluating sources, inside-out drafting, and revising.

A key factor in locating sources is using time efficiently. Once again, utilizing a method becomes vital to succeeding at this goal. Having a method to use each time we write provides a roadmap for more efficient and effective experiences. As we use the method, we can revise our steps and tinker as needed without having to "reinvent the wheel" for each new writing assignment. This method should cut down the time we need to spend researching because we won't waste time closely reading materials that won't help us directly answer our research question.

With this in mind, answer the following in your comment this blog:

1. What is the research question you have chosen for your response paper?
2. Based on your research question, where did you search for possible sources? What keywords did you use to search? Did you have to modify your search terms?
   
3. Were you able to use the time-saving techniques discussed in class (titles, table of contents, indexes, abstracts, graphic highlights, section titles, introductions, conclusions, topic sentences)? Specifically describe two time-saving techniques you used and how they helped or why they didn't work for you.