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Self-Assessment
As a student in ENC 1101H, Freshman Composition 1, I have written research papers,
narratives, discussion posts and letters. I have completed a total of 3 papers and created my own
e-portfolio. But did I really accomplish all that was expected of me in the course?
How has my understanding of writing processes changed?
In high school, my understanding of the writing process was simply to scratch out a quick
outline and a few ideas before writing. This pattern of thinking was mostly due to exams such as
the FCAT writes, which required essays to be written in a short amount of time and following
strict guidelines. Even the AP Exams, which were meant to be college level courses, required
timed writing, responding to prompts in a way that would appeal to the reader. In college,
however, this is not always the same. I learned very quickly that I needed to redefine what
writing was to me and how to complete it. This is what I decided to focus my third paper on,
The Everchanging Writing Process, as explained in its introduction:
In this paper, I will reflect on planning, drafting and revising my writing and how the changes I
have made to this process as a college student have benefitted my writing. I will start by
choosing one research paper from high school and two papers from college (beginning of the
semester and end of the semester) and breaking down my writing process step by step for each of
them. This will help to show the development of my writing process and how it has shaped as
time goes on.
I go on to explain how Comp 1 and college as a whole has shaped my writing process. In high
school, I rarely utilized a detailed outline and hardly ever revised. Writing was done quickly and
within the specific instructions of our teachers with little to no peer and instructor feedback.

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Now, however, professors give us more freedom with our writings. With more vague
instructions, I can spend time deliberating and brainstorming on a topic that I feel will fulfill the
assignment, and then create a detailed outline to work off of. From that point on, I receive peer
review and revise my paper according to not only their suggestions but also those of my
professor. It is then that I submit my final draft. With a basic writing process, I can alter and
shape it to my needs as I see fit.
What is rhetorical situation and how does it affect my writing strategies?
Rhetoric is a primarily verbal, situationally contingent, epistemic art that is both
philosophical and practical and gives ride to potentially active texts as described by William
Covino and David Joliffe in What is Rhetoric? an article in the Writing About Writing: A
College Reader textbook that I was assigned. Rhetoric is human interaction (and the study of it)
through symbols and language. The rhetorical situation is any circumstance in which
communication shapes it. The rhetorical situation consists of discourse, rhetor, audience, Kairos,
constraints, stases and exigence.
Discourse is the spoken and written communication within a rhetorical situation. It is the
language chosen in order to get people to do something. Rhetors are the speakers, writers, and
authors who get this message across, who generate the discourse to achieve their motivations.
Stases are the set of pattern of questions that explain whats an issue in a given rhetorical
situation, whether it be fact, value or policy (The Five Ws). Constraints limit or focus the
response to the exigence and can be negative or positive, helping or hurting the rhetor and their
motives. Audience is the potential customers of the rhetorical situation. The audience could be
intended or unintended and are affected or motivated by the rhetor. Kairos is the opportune or

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correct moment to speak or write and is accompanied by the exigence, a problem or need that
arises and can be addressed by communication.

All of these constituents work in tandem to create the rhetorical situation, as shown in the
diagram I created for a discussion post. One does not always come before another as it is a
constantly evolving cycle and process. As I gained a better understanding of the rhetorical
situation and what it entitled, I learned how to shape my writing to make better use of the
rhetorical situation and achieve my goals. I take into account who will be reading my writing,
either it be peers, professors, TAs or even people I have not been in contact with. As I upload my

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papers onto my e-portfolio, I am wary of what other people will think of my writing and how
they will see I have interpreted the prompts. I also have been wary of the language I am using, to
ensure that my readers know what I am referencing when I speak of things pertaining to band or
my high school. Before this course, I knew that only my teachers would be reading my papers
and I didnt have to worry about explaining myself. My eyes are much more open and aware of
the situation.
What is discourse and the discourse community?
As I mentioned before, discourse is written and spoken communication. Discourse
communities as defined by John Swales in The Concept of Discourse Community are groups
of people who meet a defined set of criteria. Each discourse community has a common goal,
intercommunication, and ways of providing feedback. They have a threshold level of members
(balanced with beginner and novice members) and possess not only their own lexis, or language,
but also their own genres and texts. Discourse communities are all around us, and you often
dont notice how many of them exist. The Honors College, UCF, clubs and even the band are all
discourse communities. For example, the Burnett Honors College shares a common goal,
scholarship and community, and provides means of intercommunication through emails,
seminars etc. It also provides feedback through advisors and professors and has a threshold level
of members that consists of professors, administrators, TAs and students of all grade levels. They
have their own lexis (Symposium, break out, interdisciplinary seminar, and Team
Leader) and genres of texts that exist in documents such as the Honors Code.
I explained the concept and benefits of being a part of a discourse community in a letter to a
future UCF student, as outlined by my professor for one of our discussion posts. I used the Pre-

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Veterinary society as an example and explained how joining these communities will not only
help them with their future professional life but also with adjustment to college:
By becoming a part of a discourse community such as the Pre-Veterinary Society, you will
find more friends that you have things in common with and be able to make connections with
those of the same interests. If it is a professional society, you may find an advantage when it
comes to finding a job or if it is a hobby, you can get away from the stress and feel at home doing
something you love. It is easy to feel stressed and overwhelmed in college, but by finding people
like you to connect with, you can make the adjustment easier.
Discourse community is a concept I also focused on in my second paper, Activity Theory,
Triangles and Music? In my writing, I considered the University High School Marching Band,
Winter Guard and Wind Ensemble as discourse communities, listing their constituents and
analyzing how they worked together effectively to achieve each groups individual goals. This
paper can be found under the Writing tab.

How have I improved in my understanding of complex and critical texts?

As a reader, I do not believe that I have improved in my understanding and analysis of
complex and critical texts within a short time frame. I have never really had a problem breaking
down complex texts and for years have read above my grade level. Comprehensive reading and
English exams that required reading a text and finding the evidence to back up my answers were
always a breeze. This course has done more to introduce me to new concepts and improve my
writing rather than my reading. However, I have noticed better retention of what I am reading. I
believe that this is due to the discussion posts and papers that I have written after learning about

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the concept, forcing me to reflect and practice what we have learned. In most classes, I read the
textbook, pass the exam, and then have to go back, months later, to relearn the material before
my midterms or finals.
When I began writing my blog posts for the e-portfolio, the only reason I had to go back to
my notes and textbook to remember what I was writing about and explaining was to find
quotations and images to include with each post. Retention of knowledge was always something
I struggled with but now I know that repetitiveness and practice are key to me keeping what I
learn long after the course is over.