9 December 2015

Dr. Leslie Bruce

Department of English, Comparative Literature, and Linguistics
California State University, Fullerton
P.O. Box 34080
Fullerton, CA 92834-9480
Dear Dr. Bruce,
The purpose of this letter is to ensure that this portfolio demonstrates my achievement in
meeting all of the Student Learning Objectives (or SLOs). I have included in this portfolio my
iFixit project groups progress report, notes I took while taking pictures for our iFixit project, and
two slides from my e-waste presentation. I believe that collectively these items corroborate my
ability to meet the SLOs for this course.
These documents show my ability to meet the rhetorical focus requirement (SLO 1) for
this course because each of the documents have a different rhetorical focus. Two items--the
progress report and presentation--are formal, while the notes from the photoshoot are informal.
The peer review was completed entirely in class, the presentation was completed out of class,
and the progress report was worked on both in and out of class. Each of the documents has a
different audience. The progress report has an audience of Dr. Bruce and iFixit, the peer review
has an audience of another iFixit group, and the e-waste presentation has an audience of the class
who listened to my presentation. They also have different purposes. While the progress report
and the peer review have a purpose primarily to inform, the e-waste presentation is intended to
persuade. Thus, my chosen documents cover every aspect of the rhetorical focus requirement for
this course.
The e-waste presentation specifically shows my ability to conduct ethical research (SLO
2). In the creation of my slide, I synthesized information from a variety of articles, websites, and
pictorial essays to create a slide that would accurately summarize the exchange of e-waste
around the planet while persuading my classmates that incorrect e-waste disposal is a serious
ecological problem.
This same document shows my ability to persuade (SLO 3). By using a self-made visual,
I am able to communicate the many transactions of e-waste effectively, convincing my
classmates that large quantities of American e-waste are contributing to pollution in China.
Another example of my ability to persuade is this cover letter. I am able to use specific evidence
from the items I included in my portfolio to convince you, Dr. Bruce, that they deserve inclusion
within my portfolio and demonstrate my ability to meet the student learning outcomes.
Organization is another SLO that I was able to master this semester (SLO 4). In the
progress report, I was able to help my iFixit group organize information about our status working
on our project in a way that effectively communicated our accomplishments and work to be done
to Dr. Bruce and iFixit. We employed the use of headings such as Problems Encountered and
Completed iFixit Tasks to make this organization explicit. Also, this letter, which has
paragraphs organized by SLOs, demonstrates my ability to organize the contents of documents.

Language and design were important components of every document contained herein
(SLO 5). The progress report is a stellar example of language. My group and I revised the
document several times to ensure the conciseness and clarity of the document. Every word and
design feature was deliberately included because we felt that they added to the effectiveness of
the document. Design was paramount in my slide from my e-waste presentation, where I made a
visual aid that was easy to follow in order to help my classmates understand a complex concept I
had to explain rather quickly. Design was also important in the progress report memo, where
adequate use of white space added clarity and ease of transfer of information.
Collaboration (SLO 6) was best demonstrated in the progress report because of this
cooperative nature. While separate members of my iFixit team wrote different sections of the
document initially, we all worked together through our Google Docs folder to create one
cohesive work that reflected all of our collective strengths.
In summary, the work contained in my portfolio demonstrates my ability to use varying
rhetorical foci, conduct ethical research, persuade, organize, use language and design effectively,
and collaborate with others. They indicate that I was an active learner in my Technical Writing
course and fully understand the workplace application of the skills I acquired this semester.
Thanks for making this course so enjoyable!
Sincerely,
Raenicia Haworth