Pulling It All Together

This semester, we covered diverse topics from punctuation and formatting to team building and getting a job. You learned how to produce letters, memos, and e-mail. What were your favorite topics? How have your skills and thinking changed? In short, what did you learn and how are you using it?

Comments

  1. Chris Dixon Williams says

    My favorite topics from this class were learning new things about punctuation marks and the writing assignments that we did. Some the writing assignments like the resume, cover letter, thank-you notes, and denial letters were cool to learn about because those will be used in a real life situation. It was good to learn how to format and make them professional to help us succeed. I also liked the assignments that had you dig into personalities. For some post you really had to think deeper, like our core values and priorities. All of these things can help us to succeed outside the classrooms.

    Thank you.
    Chris Dixon-Williams

  2. Monique Yarbro says

    Hello Class,

    My favorite topics from this class was writing the resume and learning about APA style format. I learned how to write a resume and how to communicate in the business world. Learning about APA was very important to me because I will use that writing style in all my social work classes. Organization was another one of my favorite topics as well, because I wanted my documents to flow correctly. I don’t want anyone to read something I’ve written and can’t understand what I’m trying to say because my ideas aren’t organized.

    Using the proper word usage and conciseness stuck with me. These two topics have helped me change my thinking the most because I’ve become careful with the way I write things. I now know the importance of not using unnecessary words or phrases, and being concise. Getting straight to the point is more important than using fillers while writing.

    Monique

  3. Aaron Shaw says

    Hi Class,

    I enjoyed most of the assignments this semester because I felt like I was learning useful information and techniques. I have already benefited from some of the topics such as, office communication, how to format emails and letters and how to give feedback. I felt like a lot of the information was just a reminder of things I learned in grade school and common sense but the majority of that information has been forgotten over the years and the reminder was much needed. All in all, I felt like this has been the most useful communication arts class that I can remember taking. I like drafting the letters most of all, it allowed me to get creative and write some letters that I should send out in real life. I would say if this class changed my thinking at all it’s that putting in the extra effort to communicate professionally will pay off in the long run. I think that my skills have changed in that I am paying more attention to how I format and edit the content that I send out in text and email relating to my business.

    Have a great weekend and thanks for your feedback this semester,

    Aaron

  4. James Glidewell says

    Hello class,
    I really enjoyed this class. At first I thought I would really dread doing the assignments and the discussions but it was the opposite. The information every week is something we will all use in a workplace no matter what job we get. Some of my few favorite topics we went over were the correct way to set up a business letter and how to correctly use the APA format.

    The business letter is very important in many ways for all of us. We will use that format if we are trying to get in contact with an employer or anything that has to do with a formal formatted letter, which I have already used a couple of times this semester. Then learning the APA format was a little tedious but getting comfortable and understanding the format will make many college papers easier, and that was a plus. Some of my favorite topics we went over were making the business formatted letters for any of the assignments, such as the denial letter and memos. The best part of those was that we got to use our imagination but yet have the structure of the assignment still be there.

    The skills that have changed were my editing skills. I’m not rushing through papers to get them done. I am taking my time and making sure it makes sense and making sure the format is correct on the paper. Even If I have to read the paper 2-3 times it makes a difference compared to a rushed paper. I will also continue to work on my consistency with my editing, so that I don’t get lazy and waste all that I learned this semester.

    James Glidewell

  5. Jesse Bustos says

    Hi everyone,

    This semester brought many topics to the table that have not been presented to me before. Topics ranging from creating formal documents for the workplace or a new approach towards something as common as a letter. Like any writing class, the content is to be a main priority, but for W231 formatting was emphasized heavily. And for good reason considering how overlooked formatting is in other courses.

    Prior to this class I had not enjoyed writing much at all. A reason for that is it has always been a drag to get pointless writing assignments started/done. This was not the case this semester because the assignments were straight forward and actually useful for us as aspiring professionals. Such as creating a resume that we can use later down the road when applying for future jobs. From assignments like this and the 10 other similar ones, it has helped prepare me for my future I believe.

    This class has shown me how much constructive criticism can improve one as a writer. It has also shown me that growing as a writer never ends. Even the best still have things they can work on. It’s just a matter of perfecting one’s craft. And from this class, it has given me some tools to aid me. It was a pleasure to be a part of this course.

  6. Lauren Lopez says

    Hello class,

    We covered many different and useful topics this past semester. It is actually hard to pick out which topics were my favorite and which ones I found the most useful because all of them were very helpful. I really found the job interviewing and writing an email section of the class to be the most useful as well as my favorite. The job interviewing section covered the basics from how to properly construct a resume and discussed teamwork and proper communication in the work place. When working in any environment, it is very important to be able to properly communicate with your co-workers, especially when the job needs to get done. By working together as a team, you are also building your communication skills as well. Overall, those were my favorite topics because I feel like they are the most useful especially when going into a field, such as nursing; requires proper communication skills. As a nursing student, you have to be able to work as a team especially when in nursing school.

    What changed the most, would probably have to be the way I think before constructing an email or any type of letter, memo, and even texting. I always check my punctuation and to see if there are any grammatical errors before sending it out. I also feel more at ease when it comes to writing in APA style and my overall formatting skills. Whenever I had to write in APA style or when it came down to specific formatting, I would become very nervous because I felt like I would forget a step. However, now that I have built my formatting skills I feel more at ease.

    Overall, I learned how to become a better writer structurally. Before, I used to always feel like I never knew how to properly structure my sentences or even paragraphs. Now I know basic formatting skills and how to properly structure my sentences. This course was very helpful in building my writing skills. Like I mentioned before, there is always room for improvement and I am slowly achieving my overall goals for writing.

    It was a pleasure getting to know all of you guys this semester. Have a great summer!

    Lauren

  7. Renee Adams says

    Hi everyone,
    By taking this course, I founded it to be very useful in my everyday life. I was able to use the skills about how to get a job, and actually get a new job. By know what to except, and how to properly use the skills, I became
    more confident in my communication skills.

    I use other skills , like the comma and number usage skills at work and school when I’m needed to write emails/letters/memos. I know my writing skills have greatly improved from this course. I am able to now look back, and correct mistakes I never even knew that I had.

    I would recommend this class to anyone, because of the great benefits and improvements I have made.

  8. Claire Turner says

    Hi everyone,
    Initially, upon starting this course, I was very apprehensive. I was not confident in my writing abilities, and lacked essential editing skills. Through our weekly assignments, I have witnessed my writing abilities change immensely. Some of my favorite and most influential assignments included those covering interviewing and communicating with others on the job.
    Learning how to effectively communicate with others during the interview process, through writing and in person, as well as in a company setting, is very important. Being aware of your style and tone of voice, as well as being sensitive to other’s beliefs and values, can make you a great employee and asset to a company.
    Implementing the topics that I have learned in this course will help me in future classes, as well as in my future business endeavors. I hope to continue practicing my writing skills to maintain my new found confidence and writing abilities.
    Have a good summer.
    Claire

  9. Eufemia Carbajal says

    Hello all,
    This class has taught me many principles to be able to effectively write; however, the most important thing it has taught me is confidence. I understand the more I write, the stronger I will become. The main principle I am applying is editing. Before this class I didn’t really edit any of my writing- I was wrapped up in getting the information out to the recipient and not thinking about what I wrote. Now I find that I am jotting down my thoughts and then making sense of it all when I edit. This simple, yet effective tool has given me the confidence I was lacking.
    Best regards.
    Femi

  10. Michelle Massey says

    Hello everyone,
    Over the semester, there were many different things that I learned. One of my favorite things was from the beginning of the semester- resumes. This was something that I didn’t have a lot of experience with. The job I have now didn’t require me to make a resume. I also haven’t had to make a resume in over ten years. It was nice to be able to have a refresher course on this. It is also a document that I will need or use outside of this class. It is nice to know how to correctly format a resume. I now have a copy that I can use for a job when I graduate.
    My writing skills and thoughts about writing have also changed. In the beginning, writing wasn’t one of my favorite subjects. After learning more about writing, it is actually something that I like to do. I also think that my writing skills are improving. I am now spending more time making sure that I have the correct format for a document. I am also making sure that I have concise sentences and I am not repeating information. I am not only applying all the information I learned for this class, but I am applying it in all my other classes. I will also continue to use all the skills I have learned in the future.

    Thank you for a great semester.

    Michelle Massey

  11. Hi Professor Young,

    My favorite topics were about how to correctly format business letters and resumes. I am just entering the professional workplace after graduating from Ivy Tech with an associates degree. It is important to me to be able to correctly format e-mails and other documents in the workplace. I have used the resume I formatted in the class to send out to employers and agencies I may want to become involved with on a volunteer level.

    Thanks for all your hard work.

    Noelle Curran.

  12. Ashlie VanBlaircom says

    Hi everyone,

    This course has been very helpful in everyday life writings and to any future endeavors we might encounter. My favorite topics throughout this course is how to format business letters correctly, resumes/cover letters, and how to edit my writings.

    I believe my writing skills have strengthened since the beginning of this course. I am able to determine what is not correct in my writing and edit it before its being sent off. My confidence in writing has grown due to the principles learned about in the books. I am now able to be certain my formatting is correct, therefore, I can focus more on the content of the paper rather than worrying if the format is incorrect.

    All of the skills I have learned throughout this course will be applied in my future writings. Although, I do hope to not have to write much in the future, however, if I do, I will have this knowledge. Less is more is one thing that will be drilled into my head because I struggled with that before this course.

    Had a good time working with you all.
    Ashlie

  13. Hi guys,
    I would have to say my favorite topics learned throughout the semester were the resumes, cover letters, and emails. Basically any of the assignments that I knew I would be possibly doing or need to know for my future intrigued me. It was nice to get feedback and opportunities later in the semester with the follow-up letters to really fix our mistakes. This was so beneficial because now we know we can confidently send these documents to future employers, graduate schools, etc.

    I have improved my writing skills tremendously over this the duration of this course. At the beginning of the semester I would have troubling knowing how to start a paper or paragraph. Now I feel like I am writing with not only more confidence, but also more flowing, concise thoughts. I was able to practice APA style, which was knew to me, but definitely a learning experience I will take from this semester.

    Overall, I am very glad I was able to take this course. Not only did I gain so much knowledge, but I am also so much more confident about my writing now compared to the start of the semester. It was nice to learn so many new skills and techniques for writing, but also reviewing some old ones too. It was nice to refresh and get better at rules you already knew of but haven’t used in so long. This course was so beneficial to my future career by teaching me how to professionally write and communicate with others.

    Haylie

  14. Sanja Miller says

    This class was beneficial to me in a lot of different ways. Reviewing grammar and formatting basics showed me the importance of understanding these rules. When writers understand how and where they should use punctuation, composing becomes easier. Relaying thoughts and information becomes smoother after we review parallel structure, misplaced modifiers, and the use of conjunctions. Identifying and eliminating empty information opens up the potential for better information to be included. This creates an effective tone and helps control wordiness, which leads to more coherent and cohesive writing.

    I enjoyed the fact that we put our grammar and writing lessons to practice, when we wrote resumes, cover letters and follow up letters for potential job prospects. To be prepared for the future, college student needs to know this. Practicing interview questions and networking were also a fun discussion exercises. The writing interview paper was also the most eye-opening assignment. Getting to interview a financial executive and learning how much she applies writing within her daily job was extremely helpful. It illustrated to me the importance, magnitude, and need for possessing good grammar and writing skills.

  15. Alexander Huard says

    Hello Everyone,
    My favorite topic was the writing interview. I learned so much about the usage of professional writing in a career I was not too familiar with. There is a ton of writing behind the scenes that allows workers to get their job done efficiently and correctly. I underestimated the amount this class would help in the real world until this assignment. Now I know this class will play a pivotal role in the rest of my career.
    The area that will help me immediately is our focus on APA formatting. I had never actually written a paper in this format before. I know this is considered the official college and professional writing format. I will definitely be putting it to use in the coming years. Since I had never worked with it before, I also saw the most improvement in this area. APA writing will be the area that I work on most in the near future. In the long run, I will want to work on e-mail as that is the main method of communication I will be using as a teacher.
    Have a great day.
    Alex

  16. Marissa Kolosci says

    My favorite topics in this class were when we were doing things towards jobs, such as resumes and the interview. I also enjoyed learning more on punctuation because it was always something I struggled with and would just guess on sometimes. My skills have changed so much with how I write and I can now view errors in writing. I am now able to do so much more formatting with my writing, emails, memos, and letters are all something I know how to format correctly. I am also able to see the differences in changing my paragraph settings, fonts and sizes for different writing. I learned a lot about how to format and that is one of the main things I took away from this class. This is something that will help me professionally and throughout college. I am now more comfortable with writing and do not look at is as something extremely difficult as before. The templates in this class have been so helpful and something I will always be able to refer to when needed. I am putting all my new skills to use in all my other classes as well as in my life in any way possible that I am writing.

  17. Kalie Ostapchuk says

    My favorite topic to learn was definitely how to write an e-mail. This was my favorite topic because I plan on becoming an elementary school teacher when I graduate. I will be sending e-mails to parents and other teachers all the time so it was a great thing to learn this semester. My thinking has definitely changed a lot. Before this class I definitely did not put as much thought into my work, and now after taking this course, I plan everything out before I even start the assignment. I learned a lot, but I really learned how to use commas properly. This is something that I always struggled with and I am finally happy I learned the proper way to use them.

  18. Stephanie Marquez says

    Hi everyone,

    I learned many things from this class, from the proper format for an email to APA formatting. I really enjoyed this class because I know all of these things will be used in my future career. I hope to keep strengthening my skills I have learned in my future career. I am so picky about my formatting lately, since I know the correct way it is done now. I hope everyone learned something useful, because I sure did!

  19. Savannah Jarrette says

    Hello everyone,
    My favorite topics were punctuation and producing letters. I learned how to use commas correctly and how to use quotations correctly. When I learned how to write letters, at first it was difficult but then it became easier. I learned how to write e-mails in the correct format, which has become very helpful. I use what I have learned in this class every day. I e-mail people everyday at my job and knowing how to do that correctly has been very useful.
    Have a great day.
    Savannah

  20. Lynsie Markovich says

    My favorite topics were learning about interviewing. Even though I have done interviews for other classes, I think that I had the opportunity to learn more in depth especially when we all had to post a different interview question. Now i feel more prepared for the variety of questions that can be asked during one. I just recently applied for a summer job, and I think that these questions have me ready for my upcoming interview. The resume was a big help to me. i was never sure if I was doing it correctly, and after the assignment I felt like I knew what I was doing. My thinking has definitely changed during this class, and I feel well prepared to take on any writing assignment in any class. I am using what I have learned in all factors of my writing in every subject preparing me for my career.

  21. Darcey Martinez says

    My favorite topics this semester were the email, letter writing, and resume sections. These topics will be beneficial throughout my career. They brought the real world into the classroom by allowing us the opportunity to draft our own letters and messages to real life scenarios. I enjoyed being able to practice tasks that I will have to do in my profession.
    I learned proper formatting for business letters, emails, and resumes. I have also learned how to properly punctuate sentences and ways to use punctuation I had been afraid to use in the past. I have also learned who to write less wordy sentences. It is imperative that sentences be clear and concise, so your message does not get lost.
    My skills have improved as I have gained a better understanding of various principles. I now know that you should only space once after a period, not twice, in all writing except for APA. This was a big one for me. I have been double spacing after a period for over 20 years, so it was a hard habit to break. I believe my sentences are less wordy and more concise and I have changed the way I think in my everyday writing. I no longer draft emails that are wordy like academic writing can be.
    I need to continue to grow in many areas. I need to consistently work on my word choices, so my sentences are clear and concise. Although I have improved, this is still a major area of concern that I need to continue to improve upon.

  22. Karli Chocholek says

    Hi everyone,

    This semester was very insightful on professional writing. My favorite topics included writing business documents such as the resume, cover letter, thank you and follow up letters. Not only will this help us all in the future, but it makes me confident submitting these documents to future employers.

    I believe my writing skills have benefited from this class. I can confidently go back and edit my papers knowing I am using correct judgement. I write fluently now compared to the beginning of the semester, and wait until my thoughts are completed to edit. I have cut down my writing time with the punctuation and grammar concepts we have learned rather than spending hours reviewing my work.

    In short, I have learned that writing has a lot of little details to pick up on. You should use these writing rules to your best ability, but always remember less is more. I will continue to use these guidelines throughout college and eventually in my career. Although nurses don’t use formal writing often, I’m sure it doesn’t bother a doctor to see correct grammar and punctuation once in a while.

    It was a pleasure reading all of your posts this semester. Good luck!

    Karli