Template for a Class Portfolio

Introduction

I have been learning so much this semester. I developed a lot of new skills while also getting to strengthen my abilities in other areas. I enjoyed a lot from this semester. My favorite parts have been getting to use my creative abilities to develop projects like DP #2 when I made my rhetorical analysis video. I’ve have really enjoyed certain class discussions and hearing the different viewpoints and opinions from my peers. I am excited to see where semester two takes me and how I can continue to build on the skills I have developed over this first semester.

Goal 1 (30%)

I will use relevant and compelling delivery techniques when communicating orally with others because this will help engage the people I am working with and aid my ability to get my point across.

I created this goal because I really wanted to see an improvement in my overall public speaking skills, as well as more one-on-one and smaller group interactions that I have with peers. When I came in, a lot of my public speaking skills were not as good as they once were, and my abilities just kept getting worse and worse. I used to never get nervous, but as I got older I did start to become more anxious and it was very evident before I even started speaking. I think I still have some work to do with this goal, but I have seen improvements. I saw the most improvement in this goal when the research teams presented at the IRIS showcase. I was nervous and did not want to have to get in front of a group of people and present anything, but I had to suck it up and apply everything I have learned and researched and really just focus on keeping myself calm, collected, and presenting what I came to present. I was super nervous but I think I handled it fairly well.

Goal 2 (20%)

when evaluating possible solutions to problems, I will consider and evaluate different approaches and ideas when it comes to solving problems to find what best fits the specific situation. It is important to look at multiple approaches because all problems do not have a one size fits all solution.

Although this is not one of my heaviest weighted goals, it is still one of my favorites. At the beginning of the semester when I wrote this goal, I figured I would be adding this into my writing but then realized that is not what this goal was going to be about for me at all. This goal to me focuses more on my planning and organizing aspects of my projects and assignments. I found myself really delving into this goal when I was working on DP #2 and overall just when preparing for class with reflections and readings. I have starting making more plans and evaluating what I am putting into my work, what is working, what is not working, what I can try to do to improve if I feel like my work is not where it needs to be (which is often). I do wish I would have worked a little bit harder on this goal and I would like to continue to strengthen this skill. With this goal in mind, I have started taking more notes and really trying to make a written plan of what I want to include/touch on not only in my assignments, but also in class discussions and group work.

Goal 3 (30%)

When putting my findings and ideas into writing, I will use language that is not only professional but can also be understood easily by my audience. This will help keep my audience engaged in my findings and reduce confusion, so everyone is on the same page.

I do think I am steadily making progress with this goal. I try and make my writing as straight to the point as possible while also keeping my audience, whomever it may be, engaged and wanting to continue. I have tried to use easily understood language for my different writing pieces, and while I do think that my writing can be easy to understand, I would like to see more progress in the professionalism aspect. I have seen so much progress in my writing from when we did our DP #1 and our DP #3. I do not think my writing sounds unprofessional but my goal is to really be able to take my writing to the next level. I am also working on trying to cut down on the repetitive words and language because it makes me feel like I am writing in circles.

Goal 4 (10%)

I will act as a leader when working with people in the community and our community who may not be in the loop as far as what we’re doing in class. This will not only develop my skills as a leader, but it will also give me the chance to really engage with those I am working with.

I have not been able to work with this goal very much, but I still have made efforts to it outside of my CODES Classes to improve on it. In my CODES course I have worked on this goal in the very short amount of time I was able to work with staff from the MOBOT that came to speak to our Research Teams and when I was on the first visit to the MOBOT. I decided to take on the leadership role during DP #3 which ended up not running as smoothly as I would have liked but growth comes from adversity so I do think the experience helped me learn what I will and won’t do in situations like this throughout the rest of my academic career.

Goal 5 (10%)

I will take risks in my work and use them as learning experiences. Taking risks is not always going to work out. Personally, I do not see failure as a bad thing, I see it as a learning experience that can help me in all aspects of my life. Just because I failed once does not mean I am a failure. If anything, failure before success shows that I am not willing to give up and I will always be determined to find solutions to problems.

This is always a fun goal to reflect on. I definitely went through a lot of trial and error this semester. One project I did take risks on was DP #2. I had experience making videos before, but this project was a little bit of a challenge to me because I wanted it to be the best it could be but I wasn’t sure if the style and my approach to how I wanted the video to be was going to be taken seriously. I ended up being very proud of the video by the end. There were also times when I “failed” or something did not work out and I had to re-work things.