Michael Tran

April 29, 2015

Ms. Diaz
ENGL 120-060

Student Learning Outcome Reflective Essay

Throughout the English 120 course, I have been given the opportunity to continue and
improve upon the knowledge and skills I acquired in English 110. I composed multiple
documents in different mediums to enhance my writing abilities. The purpose of the English 120
course is to progress towards the nine student learning outcomes, A through H. This class has
educated me on how to analyze documents to determine the rhetorical situation and how to
address it. I furthered my knowledge on research methods on providing evidence to strengthen
and support my claims and how to properly cite these works. I continued to follow the writing
process I learned in English 110 by planning, drafting, and editing my writings until I had a
satisfactory draft. Every assignment we have completed in the class has helped me progress in
every student learning outcome, but the few that I have progressed towards and understood most
are student learning outcomes A, C, F, and G.
Student Learning Outcome A:
The formal definition of SLO A, rhetorical situation and genre, is analyzing, composing,
and reflecting on arguments in a variety of genres, considering the strategies, claims, evidence,
and various mediums and technologies that are appropriate to the rhetorical situation. My
interpretation of SLO A is exploring, analyzing, and identifying the topic, context, point of view,
purpose, and audience in a variety of works and the means of addressing them. To understand
the rhetorical situation, I would first identify the authors topic, purpose, and audience to grasp
an idea of what he/she is trying to accomplish. Then I would analyze the context and perspective
in which the author used to effectively address this audience. Understanding the rhetorical

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situation is the first step in any form of communication. I have progressed towards SLO A in
every assignment I have completed this year.
Throughout the year we have completed multiple assignments in different rhetorical
situations and genres. I have written proposals, analyzed ads, created an argument paper, and
presented to the class. All of these assignments throughout the year have helped me develop my
knowledge and understanding of SLO A. However, the assignment that I believe to have helped
me the most in my development of SLO A was the painting analysis activity we did. At the start
of the semester our class analyzed a painting and wrote down what we thought of it. When
examining the painting we discussed its context and how it affected the audience. We analyzed
what colors were being used, the arrangement of the colors, why the author may have used those
colors, and our own perception of the painting. This activity helped me recognize what to look
for and how to analyze different types of documents. It gave me a new perspective of ways to
understand and address any type of rhetorical situation and genre.
Student Learning Outcome C:
Student learning outcome C, writing as a process, is the use of multiple approaches for
planning, researching, pre-writing, composing, assessing, revising, editing, proofreading,
collaborating, and incorporating feedback in order to make your compositions stronger in various
mediums and using multiple technologies. My understanding of SLO C is that instead of writing
a single draft and submitting it, you must goes through many steps in a process of brainstorming,
drafting, revising, editing, and peer reviewing until an adequate and desired draft is achieved.
SLO C has been involved in every small and major writing assignment. By treating writing as a
process, I have avoided many mistakes and improved the overall quality of my writings. I have

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progressed towards SLO C by taking the time in each assignment to follow this writing process.
When first given a task on creating a document, I had to understand my rhetorical situation
before I started planning and brainstorming how to address it. Once I came up with a plan, I
would research more about my topic and audience to understand the most effective way to
address them and then draft my first document. After drafting my document I would proofread
and revise it before having a peer review it and give feedback. Then, I would incorporate their
feedback and edit my draft again. By following this process I was able to submit assignments
with fewer errors, clearer arguments, and better organization and flow.
Student Learning Outcome: F
Student learning outcome F, reflection, states that we evaluate our development as a
writer over the course of the semester and describe how composing in multiple genres and
mediums using various technologies can be applied in other contexts to advance our goals. What
this means to me is that to progress as a writer and improve towards our goals we must reflect on
the things we have done throughout the course and how they may be applied to other aspects of
our life outside the classroom. In my class, we did a cover letter for almost every assignment.
Each cover letter contained sections for rhetorical analysis, areas for our instructor examine, and
a discussion of SLO progression. For me this cover letter served as a good tool for reflections.
It allowed me to rethink my rhetorical situation and if I effectively addressed it, discuss areas I
was uncomfortable with or needed more help, and explain how this assignment will benefit me in
my SLO progression. When reflecting back on previous assignments I can learn from my
mistakes and the things I did well to assist in future assignments in school or the workplace.
Student Learning Outcome: G

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Student learning outcome G, research, is the use writing and research as a means of
discovery, to examine your personal beliefs in the context of multiple perspectives and to explore
focused research questions through various mediums and technologies. My understanding of
SLO G is investigating and studying outside sources to further understand information about
your topic and how you can use it to strengthen your writings. Throughout the course of the
semester, we have researched additional information about our topics in order to provide more
effective evidence to support our claims. I progressed towards SLO G during sequence 2 when
our class was given the opportunity to learn how to research effectively and how to use it to our
benefit. When working on the position paper in sequence 2 I had to research information to
support my claims and provide credible sources to boost my ethos. I also had to research
arguments against my claim and find ways to rebuttal them. Through research I was able to
understand my topic from different perspectives and be able to successfully incorporate it in
context to enhance my own writings.
My English 120 class completed various assignments throughout the semester to teach us
how to analyze our rhetorical situation, research to strengthen our argument, utilize the writing
process to produce effective writings, and reflect back on our writings to understand our
strengths and how we can improve upon our weaknesses. I have progressed towards all nine
student learning outcomes this semester and built upon what I learned in English 110. I believe
that with knowledge I acquired from this past semester I will be able to successfully apply it to
future endeavors, whether it be academic or in the workplace.