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? What did you learn that you are applying? How have your skills and thinking changed? In short, what are your takeaways from class?
Simplifying writing for businesses and colleges since 1990
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Meet Dona,
Dona J. Young is a teacher, facilitator, and writing coach who believes that writing is a powerful learning tool that shapes our lives and careers. In addition to teaching professional writing online, she designs and facilitates corporate training programs on effective writing and communication.
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The things that I will take away:
The fact that there were so many comma rules was really amazing! I will always keep this book as a refresher.
I learned about “white space”.
I learned how to paste from word to oncourse better.
I learn more about pronouns than I ever knew existed.
I learned about the active and passive voice.
My communication skills were sharpened.
I learned how to write different types of business letters from different perspectives.
Can’t believe the semester is already over! It was definitely a rewarding experience taking this class. I now fully understand the proper way to communicate in the workforce. Just the writing we did helped me work on my grammar. I feel like I improved a lot the second time I took the assessment. I liked how you offered extra credit to fix things that we did wrong or look up the rule and tell us what it is. Thanks for all your time and I hope you have a great summer.
Wow, where do I begin? This class has been so helpful to me in learning professional writing styles, formats and team concepts. At the beginning of the semester I was slightly nervous because I am not real good at technology. It was not long until I got into a routine, and the class became a matter of following directions and staying on schedule. By the second or third week, the routine of the class was easy to follow, and the assignments became fun. Anyone can do well in this class if they follow directions carefully, and do the assignments as they are posted.
There were many things that I enjoyed about this class, but one of the best was learning the team concept. The class was divided into three teams, and each team works together for the whole semester. Through this team concept, I learned to critique others, take criticism, and work together on projects. All of these helped me strengthen my knowledge of the concepts that were instructed through the textbook.
Some of the topics that I learned that helped me were proper formatting of professional documents, such as, letters, memos, emails, and resumes. Along with formatting we also learned punctuation, and brushed up on grammar rules. All of these seem basic, but I found myself making simple mistakes that have since been strengthened.
My mindset has changed dramatically since taking this class. At the beginning of the semester, I tended to be too wordy, making an effort to get my point across. Now, I know that less is more when it comes to Professional Writing, and this has helped me with the way I approach assignments.
Lastly, Dona is an awesome teacher. She will help you learn the concepts, and if you have questions she will respond to your emails promptly. I would recommend her and this class to anyone!
This course has made a better writer. It was very helpful and gave me a lot of knowledge of the things that I am going to have to know when I am older and working.
The subject that I liked most was how to write a successful letter. I felt as if the topics are used in daily life and will help us inthe future. If we happen to not use them, well then we will still have the knowledge of it. Knowledge in a subject is never bad, even if you don’t use it.
I learned that formatting the the big key to everything. The way that something is formatted gives it the notation of whether it is credible or not.
My thinking has changed ecause now I feel like everything I do has to be very professional and done to the best specifications. Now I want all of my work to be the absolute best and to be used as examples in all of my classes.
I believe that my writing skills have changed and I ma able to write ten times more. With the writing, I feel like I am doing it ten times faster than I normally would. My editing skills has changed a lot too. Now, I am completing a piece and goign back later to fix all of the mistakes I have made. This allows me to contibue with what I am thinking and not lose my train of thought.
The takeaways from this class is better formatting, editing skills, and it is always best to communicate with others in a positive way. Positive allows better feedback and easier situations because negative tones often give the persona that you don’t care.
This class was the first writing class I have had in over 10 years. I was very intimidated even by the title of the course. Honestly, I enrolled in this course semester after semester only to drop it before classes even started. I wish I had not waited so long. I should have taken this class a long time ago to prepare me for my nursing courses.
I have many “take aways” from this course. The first thing was an easy concept of simple, clear and concise writings. Keeping writings simple makes it easier not only for the writer, but also for the reader. Next, was the formatting. Formatting is very important to show the reader professionalism. If the format looks sloppy, which could portray incompetence, and then the reader will possibly not do business with you. Also, there are many types of formatting, based on what you plan on writing. Finally, one of the most important is editing after the writing process. Editing while writing breaks up writing flow risking losing valuable ideas.
Grammar was a good refresher that was very valuable. Grammar is a little bit easier for me to understand but still I was a little rusty on some concepts. Commas and semicolons rules were something that I do not recall much from my previous education. Even discussing nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs helped with the writing process.
Overall this course was so much better that what I expected. I have learned how to write and update my resume when needed. I have learned how to write professional letters, email and memos. All these concepts I will need in my future nursing career. I will keep these two books on hand for easy reference, not just for me, but assist my children in their grammar or writing homework.
Would I take another online class with Dona? H. E. double hockey sticks YES!! This class has taught me so much, and I am grateful for it. Not only have I learned to write in the best way, my communication skills are much better. I have always been able to verbalize great on paper but not so much in person. My grammar, tone, and my responses are all different now. I can recognize the difference in my capabilities. I’ve improved my resume, and created a more professional cover letter. I am now starting a portfolio, just so that I have one; you never know! I want to thank you for giving me this chance and staying on task with the class. You put us through a lot (smile) but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Professor, I want to thank you again. You are doing and have done a wonderful job with us! Enjoy your summer!
My favorite assignments were the different types of letters we given to do. I learned that I had been formatting them incorrectly for a long time. I also enjoyed the assessments we were given. I really expected to be writing lots of papers and that wasn’t the case.
At first I really wasn’t fond of the Forums, I did actually enjoy my classmates. I took away an enormous amount of keys points such as proper office communication, positive and negative feedback, active and passive voice and not to mention proper punctuation. I almost forgot about white space, I never knew what that was until I took this class.
Professor Donna Young is wealth of knowledge and who ever take this class will not walk away empty- handed.
Overall from this course, I learned a lot of things. I learned the correct way to format my resume, business letters such as thank you letters, resignation letters, the correct way to follow up after an interview, etc. I learned the correct spcaing that’s needed when writing letters. I also learned the correct way to write an APA style paper. This has helped me with writing assignments in class. I learned more information about the proper usage of punctuations. I learned many important things that will help me in the future. I am applying all this knowledge with recent assignments, and I will be applying it to things in the near future.
This was a great course to take for professional writing. I really like the book; it is structured in a very helpful way. I also enjoyed this class because I feel that it was very beneficial to me and my career. This class has helped me in so many ways.
Dona is a wonderful professor. The structure of this class helps you become a more professional person in writing.
I have enjoyed this class with Ms. Young. It has brought back many basic grammar skills, most of which have been forgotten or not used in quite some time.
One of the most important things that I took from the class was the job interview section. It prepared me for the job interviews I did for registered nurse. It helped prepare me with questions from employers that I would have never been prepared for. I also revised my resume to be more professional. I learned to correct way to present my information and learned how to be more concise.
This class has given me the tools to succeed in my career. I will be able to communicate my needs to corporate and be professional. I am so glad that I took this class.
Best wishes to eveyone,
Theresa
This semester flew by. I have learned so much this semester. I began this semester as a template junkie; meaning I used a template for everything, instead of creating it myself. Professor Young pushed me to make my own resume and memo, without the use of template. I finally can look at my paper and notice when Im using a passive voice and change it. At the beginning of the semester, I did not like that we had to do all those posts. I now see the reason for them. Practice makes perfect. I don’t think I would have remembered as much as I have without the repetition. This class ehanced my professional writing abilities. Some things, I thought that I already knew how to do these things. As we progressed throught the semester, I noticed that there was a lot that I didnt know. For example, I formatted my paper almost correctly. I didnt understand the reason why until after we learned that in this class. The different styles of writing and the appropriate spacing was very interesting. I never knew what a process message was or the need to send one. We learned how to effectively write emails, letters, memos, and faxes.We also learned about proofreading, punctuation and grammar check.
I can say that overall, I enjoyed the class and the concepts learned. Professor Young is very helpful and encouraging. She makes sure she gives the tools needed to succeed. This has been a great semester!
This class was the last class I ever thought I would enjoy. I do not like to write. I am not a chatty person. And though I love to read, I do not like to worry about sentence structure, voice, first person….
That entire opinion is now out of the window. I can’t seem to shut up when I write. I have found my voice on paper and in the world. I find myself editing everything that I read. I told a restaurant manager recently that misspelled words on his sign made the restaurant look foolish.
I am much more bold in directing people in my work and volunteer lives. And I see that how you say something is just as important as what you are saying. The encouragement from the team members, as well as the instructor were instrumental in all of the changes I see in myself recently.
I have not had a class change my life this much since I took sociology here at IUN 18 years ago. I am much more confident in my writing style and of the words I am actually writing. Understanding the psychology of words and responses to our words is fundamental to being able to communicate effectively.
Donna Borowski
This class has been great. I have learned a great deal from this course and I will be using that information to improve my work from here on out. The basic information about punctuation, sentence structure, and formatting have helped me improve the appearance of my letters and papers. Many times we tend to over look just how important basic structure really is. Using correct grammar can mean the difference between a professional and unprofessional piece of work. In a world where nonverbal communication is so often used, having the tools that we have learned this semester are critical in advancing in our careers. I know that for me, learning about active and passive voice opened my mind to how one word can make a difference in how your letter is received by a reader. We have to remember to tailor our writings for each reader so that our message can be received in the most effective way.
This course has been more than I thought it would be. I am grateful to take these tools with me as I move forward towards my goals. Thank you!
Michele Nelson
I learned more this semester than I ever thought I could from a writing class, especially from an online course. I was originally pretty nervous about taking this course online, but my fears and worries quickly left after I got used to the protocol. I think that the grammar rules we studied and reviewed definitely helped me brush up in those specific areas and contributed to my success in completing the professional writing assignments. For example, if I did not follow the grammar rules when writing a letter or memo, my credibility would suffer even if these documents were formatted correctly. Being able to use grammar correctly is crucial in laying the foundation for any business document. These grammar rules apply when writing letters, memos, and e-mails, so that is why it is extremely important to understand how to use them. If one were to send a memo or letter to coworkers with grammatical errors, he or she would not be taken seriously by those colleagues who received that letter or memo.
I also enjoyed learning how to write all of the different types of letters people come across in a business environment because I could see where I would use them in the real world. Learning how to write denial letters, thank you letters, and letters responding to a denial from an employer was really helpful because I believe those skills will give me an edge in the workplace. I also learned a lot of things that helped me improve my résumé and cover letter throughout the course of this semester. I learned which fonts make the header stand out more to a future employer, and I discovered how to make my points in a brief and effective manner when writing the cover letter. I think that the skills I learned from this class will really help me in the future because those skills give me an advantage over others seeking the same position as me. I am extremely happy that I decided to take this course.
Another thing that I really enjoyed and thought was very helpful were the discussion postings with my classmates. These discussion posts helped me look at a topic from many different points of view, and they changed the way I thought about certain things. Being able to read all of my classmates’ thoughts on the chapters we were talking about contributed to my knowledge on the subject. I think the online forums were much more effective than discussing topics in person in a classroom because they allow every person to say exactly what they want to say without interruption. My favorite thing about the class was the structure of it and how smoothly it ran after the first few weeks of adapting to it. I definitely think it was better than my other writing and english classes at Indiana University Northwest.
Hello Classmates,
This class has really been a pleasure to take. I was nervous at first with this class being on-line and the work load. I was afraid that we would be writing papers from left to right, but I am glad that we didn’t. I am so thankful for all the incredible tips I have learned from this class. I enjoyed learning how to compose different kinds of letters and how to format them properly. Formatting was a big deal for this class. I never knew how important it was to address letters, memos, or e-mails properly. Every time I write an e-mail, I am always remembering to format it correctly. I also learn the importance of grammar. This was a great review for me because I try to run away from the idea of correcting grammar mistakes. Another great lesson that I am so thankful we did in the semester the APA formatting. APA is not my best forte and I had to learn the hard way that I can’t run away from it. I just finished a paper for another class and I had my Writer’s Handbook right next to me. This class has taught me so many great lesson that I am sure I will need for the future. It was a pleasure working with all of you. Good Luck in your studies!
All the Best,
Lupe
This semester has been a great learning experience for me in this professional writing course. I was not very happy when I heard that I had to take an intensive writing course, but now going through this semester I am greatful that it was required. Otherwise, I would have not taken this course on my own free will. I have greatly developed my professional writing skills throughout this course. Some of my favorite parts of this course was apart of the writing assignments. Learning to write memos, letters, and resumes was a great experience that will carry over for my future career.
Communication is vital in our society and knowing how to communicate professionally and effectively is important. This course has taught me so many valuable skills that I now have to carry with me the rest of my career. It has been an enjoyable and exciting semester. I have truly learned and gained knowledge from this course.
I believe that everyone should go through this course in order to understand how to communicate professionally. Taking this course has proven only to beneficial. Best wishes to all in their future endeavors!
This semester has flew by. I couldn’t believe I took an online class. This class is my first. It isn’t so bad doing an online class. I have learned a lot from this course. My favorite was writing the letters. My only thing is revising my work. That is my weakness. I sometimes rush through my work. Writing the letters is getting me prepared for my career as a nurse. I have to know how to address certain people. Giving and receiving feedback, was another favorite of mines. From the beginning I said I love to receive feedback. I learned there are diffrent ways you can give feedback. My take away from this course is, take what you learn and use it. My experience in this course was great. I still have a lot to learn , but this was a start for me. I did not know what to expect from this class. I’m am just glad I took it.
This class has helped me in many ways over the semester, and I am very glad that I had the chance to take it. There are a lot of different things I learned in this course that I will take with me throughout the rest of college and into my future job. I really enjoyed taking this class online because of all the interaction we had with others students in our groups.
Brushing up on all the grammar rules and learning how to write effective sentences will definitely help me down the road. Learning how to create professional letters, emails, and memos was also very beneficial. I was never really sure how to correctly format any of those things before, but now I know how to properly do it.
The interview was my favorite part of this course. I enjoyed talking to someone who works in the field I will one day be getting a job in. I found this assignment very eye-opening, and I was glad I got the opportunity to gain more insight about the dental field.
This class has helped me greatly, and there are a lot of things I will take me with for years to come. I feel like I’ve learned so much over the past few months. There are a lot of diverse topics taught in this course, but I have come to find out how importantly they intertwine. This course has been very beneficial to me, and it would be a great class for anybody else to take, as well.
I wish everyone good luck with everything else they do!
Best regards,
Stephanie Schultze
This semester I learned much more than I expected in this class. First, I identified my writer’s block which gave me the chance to see that others have faced similar struggles as myself. This put me at ease and allowed me to improve my struggle as a perfectionist after considering excellent advice. We learned the importance of clear and concise writing because our minds can only handle so much and it is important to get to the point. We did so by learning tricks that allowed us adapt our writing based on the needs and interests of the reader.
Each week my skills gradually changed thanks to the chapters in our two books as it flowed really well. This helped build information up each week. I learned the importance of composing effective style and tone and got into detail of editing of revising. It was a difficult transition from academic writing to business writing, but our textbooks were easy to read which made me become receptive to learning. This class also involved a lot of participation because we were required to comment and share our insights based on our teammate’s summaries. This helped build repetition and I was able to grasp certain concepts after seeing how it was written from multiple perspectives.
Learning the importance of business writing became most beneficial of me at this time because of my current pursuit towards earning a degree in a professional career field. I realized that In order to become a professional, I must write like one, and communicate like one. Also, currently I have been seeking an externship in my career field and feel that I could not have done it without this class. I learned how to revise my resume based on new concepts gained each week. This class taught me how to create a cover letter in the form of a business document. I also learned how to compose many other business documents such as thank-you letters, and a letter of resignation because I will soon be leaving my current employment of 6 years. I would say that these were my most favorite concepts out of many that I learned because it guided me towards reaching my goal in the real world.
Overall, these were just a few insights learned throughout each week during this semester. Even with e-mails and the importance of punctuation to promote credibility are just a few more take-aways to add on. I could go on and on with what I learned. Before, I was skeptical of an online writing class, but now that it’s coming to an end, I am stunned at how much I learned and was able to apply. It is now clear why this particular class is required towards my degree. In the end, I was able to pull everything together real well. I am now able to communicate better as a professional, and will be taking away these new insights with me throughout my entire career.
This semester was a powerful lesson in professional writing. I cannot count the ways in which I will benefit from all that I’ve learned; the lessons in this course are invaluable. We covered everything from composing and formatting to how to conduct an interview.
The number one lesson is to always know your audience. When you’re writing you must know who you are engaging in order for your writing to be effective. You can be as technically sound as you wish, but if you’re approach is off your message won’t be properly conveyed or received, which means causing a discord with your reader. Your audience validates your writing, so be mindful of them at all times. The way you communicate is essential in building relationships and networking. You need to be respectful to others; extend the same courtesy that you would expect others to give to you. Remember that when you write you don’t have non-verbal cues to aid you in conveying your message, or to help you gauge your audience’s response to your message, so it is extremely important to be as clear as possible in your communications.
Everything thing I’ve learned in this course is not only applicable, but transferable as well. In such a struggling economy and competitive job market, it is advantageous to have skills that will inevitably set you apart from your competition. Credibility is an absolute must, so you must remember that you can either gain or lose it at-a-glance. First impressions are powerful and can be everlasting, especially when given in the form of written documentation; electronic communications, in particular, have to be treated with extra sensitivity because they can almost always be retrieved, even after being deleted. Utilize the fact that you can write and rewrite as much as you need to in order to get your intended message across; that’s what makes writing so beautiful, the ability to create and recreate. Remember, revisions aren’t meant to be perfect, they are meant to be better than your last composition; as we’ve learned, there is no such thing as a perfect writer.
I enjoyed the operation of this course, and so appreciate the constant encouragement and interest in our progress throughout the course by our professor, Dona Young. When you have someone that is willing to put in the time to continuously reinforce the lessons that are being presented and taught to you, it makes all of the difference in the world and promotes success. I feel more confident than ever in my writing ability. I have a lot more to offer the professional world now than I did 4 months ago. At times it was intense, but that’s to be expected when you’re entering into new experiences. Growth is an essential part of life, and to succeed you have to see the struggles. As hard as things can ever seem, remember that the beauty lies in getting through to the other side; success doesn’t have to be a dream if you push to make it a reality, your reality.
This class has been one of the most influential courses I have taken thus far in my education. I was expecting to learn of course, but not nearly as much as I did. I truly enjoyed doing the various professional letters; including memos, resumes, cover letters, etc. I was unsure how to format many of those letters prior to this class.
This course will definitely help in my future within my personal life, as well as my professional life. It also helped a lot with my grammar, and sentence structure– which was lacking quite a bit.
Thank you professor Young for being so hands on and aiding in our knowledge as students. I definitely took a great amount away from this course and am very grateful it was mandatory, as it will benefit me in my future immensely.
All the best,
Alexandra
This semester I had the ability to improve my skills and knowledge both academically and personally. This class has given me the chance to touch up on some grammar skills and professional writing skills. I learned that there was much I didn’t know about different forms of specific writing. I also learned that there is skill much for me to learn.
I will be able to apply all of the material we learned this semester in my career path. Grammatical and formatting skills will be of great use not only searching for a job but during my employement as well. I will also be able to use these skills academically as I continue to write in my academic career.
This class has helped much in my personal life as well. I’ve learned that I will need more self-discipline as I continue down my path. I have much to work on in that apect of my character. I also know that I have much more to learn in order to reach the level of success that I am aiming to acheive. This class has reminded me that something as simple as comma rules or formatting a document can be just as important as the material covered in an upper level class. It is arrogant to think that you know everything you need to know. You must master the basics before moving on and every once in a while go back over those basic fundamentals concerning any topic.
Thank you, Dona, for the patience you’ve shown me. I’m grateful for the feedback you were able to give me in order to improve my skills.
This course was truly beneficial towards enhancing my writing skills. Several of my concerns beginning this course were due to being a perfectionist and spending too much time on choosing correct word usage or sentence structure. I have found that the writing process has become more time-effective and efficient due to the practice that was required of us. Having a forum to post each week allowed students to engage in reflection of what he or she read in their own words. I have felt that practice has contributed to becoming more confident in myself to allow my writing to simply “flow”.
The course also allowed us to communicate with the professor as well as other students. Because it was an online course, we did not have the ability to speak face-to-face with one another. If we needed an issue addressed or had to interact, we had to do so via messaging. I believe that the practice received from this aspect of the course assissted in building collaborative skills, which are necessary in many professional career settings. I truly appreciated having a professor that was continuously intrigued with how we were progressing through the course. It made a difference to receieve feedback regarding course work.
In addition, I enjoyed reading the textbook. I have reiterated on many accounts how I will utilize it as a reference in the future. I even passed it on to friends and family who needed to remind themselves on how to properly structure their letters and other documents. The visuals were extremely beneficial as well as the numerous activities that assessed proper grammar usage. Overall, I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with everyone in this course! A ginormous thank you to the professor, Dona Young, for teaching us all an abundance of information through an online course!
Hello everyone,
Where do I even begin? I have learned SO much this semester. It is hard to believe that it is already coming to an end. It feels like just yesterday we were starting this journey together in writing. One thing I must say about this course is that I feel like my writing is like night and day. In the beginning, we created a resume based on what we thought was the correct format. Our final assignment was to look back on the resume we created, and make necessary corrections. I was mortified at what I had created in the beginning of the semester. There were many revisions I made, and was able to make a presentable document. That was the one area of focus I always struggled with: formatting. This semester I have been given all of the resources necessary in order to become successful in this class.
Another thing I enjoyed about this class was the fact that it was an online class. Usually, I don’t register for online classes because I dislike the lack of contact between student and professor. I like being able to see and talk to my professor when I have questions. In this case, however; Dona Young proved me wrong. She really went out of her way to help all of us succeed. She also was very timely in addressing student concerns. I feel so much more prepared for the future, and I feel confident in my writing skills.
Thank you for everything that you do. I have had a great semester, and never knew writing could be so much fun. You really do make learning enjoyable!
Have a wonderful summer!
Dana Vorrath