Biological Sciences, Cal State Fullerton

800 N. State College Boulevard

Fullerton, CA 92831

Dr. Leslie
Bruce

University Hall room 435

800 N. State College Boulevard

Fullerton, CA 92831

Dear Dr. Bruce,

Entering your Scientific Writing class, my goal was to improve my skills as a writer. It

had always been challenging for me to express my thoughts in writing, but with your help and

knowledge, I improved my writing skills through simple and effective writing exercises, such as

the Rhetorical Triangle and using verbs effectively. Because of these writing exercises and the

challenging assignments, I feel I have become proficient in the six student learning outcomes

(SLOs) you introduced us to at the start of the semester. To prove my proficiency, I am

presenting three pieces of writing samples with this cover letter supported by evidence to show

my complete understanding of all SLOs.

The first assignment presented is my Extended Definition. This document satisfies most

of the SLOs, which include rhetorical focus (SLO1), ethical research (SLO2), organization and

focus (SLO4) and language and design (SLO5). My extended definition shows my proficiency to

write formally toward an intended audience (SLO 1), in this case to readers of Encyclopedia of

Science and Technology. Throughout the paper, many researchers are properly cited and are
given credit for their work, which indicates my ability to write a scientific paper in an ethical

manner, satisfying SLO 2. My language and design (SLO5) in explaining certain terms and

mechanism are presented throughout the paper. For example, the first paragraph showcases my

capabilities to instructionally present details by informing the reader what CRISPR is and how it

can be applied. Moving on to organization and focus (SLO4), my extended definition is carefully

organized by sections specified by headings. Another example of my organization abilities can

be seen in paragraph five, under Delivery Methods in which I organized and focused the readers

attention to a summary table I created. The table summarizes different mechanisms and points

out the pros and cons of each mechanism.

The next example is my Review of Literature Grid. This writing assignment further

shows my comprehension in ethical research (SLO2), allowing the reader to see the literature

cited in a review paper where I collaborated with other group members. This leads to the next

SLO, collaboration. The Review of Literature grid shows that I have the capability to collaborate

with other students to successfully fulfil a task. This grid shows great group effort of my peers

and I, given that we properly organized our review of literature in a clear and concise manner.

The final student learning outcome to be addressed is persuasive writing (SLO3). I

structured the presentation of the previous learning outcomes to show my proficiency in all the

student learning outcomes in a persuasive manner. I presented the evidence of mastery of student

learning outcomes with specific examples in my writing assignments. Though, I understand

effective writing is a skill, I know that this course has helped me immensely. I know I still have

room for improvement, but gathering my thoughts and putting them on paper has become an

easier task for me thanks to the idea of free writing. I thank you for providing me with these new

set of skills that will allow me to succeed as a scientific writer.

Sincerely

Carolina Briseno