Académique Documents
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Culture Documents
Matthew DiRico
Self-Assessment
ENC 1101 is a college level writing course taught at UCF. The purpose of this course is
to provide students with the skills necessary to write at a university level. As a student in ENC
1101, I have written essays, discussion posts, and an e-portfolio throughout the semester to show
my understanding of the concepts taught in this class. While taking this class, I believe that my
writing has grown greatly. This self-assessment serves as an evaluation of whether I have
mastered the goals of this course set out in the syllabus. The goals of this course include:
Demonstrate an understanding of the writing processes and how writing processes change
While taking this course, I have become familiar with the idea of a writing process. A
writing process is a process that each writer undergoes when producing their own work. A
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writing process may vary depending upon the context of their own writing. For instance, I
would stylistically, write a research paper more differently than I would write a narrative
essay. This is evident in my own writing pieces How the Boy Scouts Become Leaders, and
Row, Row, Row Your Life. In How the Boy Scouts Become Leaders, I was tasked with
researching a Boy Scout Troop using Kain and Wardles Activity Theory. An activity theory
is a method for understanding how people in different communities carry out their activities.
Throughout my writing process, I had to research how Troop 344s rules, tools, division of
labor etc. were able to make it an effective system. After compiling this data, I determined
the best way to go about writing this essay was in an APA format. In Row, Row, Row Your
Life, I dissected rowing as a form of literacy and identified different literacy sponsors
throughout my journey. I did this using primary research method such as ethnography, and
personal retrieval of information. Once I assembled the data for the narrative, I decided that
MLA format was the best way to present my data. I approached these two papers with a
different research and formatting manner because of context that each paper asked. As a
communication), and an audience (listener or reader). Since the context, and audience varies
when I construct texts inside and outside of a school environment I am experiencing a rhetorical
professor, in a formal tone. I make sure that my use of language is eloquent and that I
demonstrate my knowledge proficiently. For instance, when I write discussion posts, I made sure
to use proper English, and to show my knowledge of the discussion posts by specifying every
detail of my argument. This differs completely to when I construct texts outside of school. While
outside of school, I take an informal approach to my audience (friends and family). I take an
informal approach to this situation because of the context. When I write to my family and
friends, my messages need to be efficient and effective. For instance, I may shorten words or
substitute phrases using acronyms to get my point across faster. When I had to write one of my
papers for English composition, I had to consider the factors of a rhetorical situation for my
paper. I had to know who would be reading it, and what others would think of my writing. This
influenced how I communicated and made me understand more of the rhetorical situation.
A basic requirement of ENC 1101 was to read a multitude of texts and analyze the
concepts throughout the texts. However, not all texts were straightforward and had to be thought
of in a more divergent thinking. Texts such as I Stand Here Writing was able to tie stories that
seemed completely unrelated together to make a point that readers use personal experiences to
develop an interpretation of text. Throughout the year the texts assigned have been showing
different ways of approaching writing and not giving us a guideline to write. Another aspect to
our reading was our reflection of the work itself and how it tied into us as writers. This made us
connect our own personal lives to the texts we read to show how personal our writing is to us.
Demonstrate awareness of the relationship between discourse conventions, lexis, genres and
One of the most important concepts discussed in English Composition was the discourse
community. A discourse community is made up of individuals who share common goals agreed
upon by most members and uses one or more genres to help the group achieve its shared goals.
When writing paper two, I had to analyze the discourse community of the Boy Scouts. I learned
that the Boy Scouts are a big machine that requires each cog to contribute in order to achieve its
goal of producing leaders. If one of the cogs failed to produce or live up to its work, the whole
system failed to function, and the community was disbanded. After learning this method, I had a
English Composition has provided me with an avenue to become a better writer, reader,
and student. Going into the year, I was uninspired with my writing and thought that this class
would only prove that I showed signs of becoming a competent writer. However, after taking this
class, I have found out that writing is a process that everyone works on, and no one perfects. I
have come to realize the extent to which writing surrounds my life inside and outside of school. I
have become a better interpreter of texts after reading, discussing, understanding, and applying
the concepts taught in this class. After taking this class, I am more aware of the extent of my