Dear Future Students,

Hello! My name’s Jesyka and I was a former student of Professor Carr’s “Writing for the Sciences”. During the semester, we learned how to effectively write about various scientific topics by learning and practicing different rhetorical elements and aiming to achieve the course learning outcomes that were set at the beginning of the class. So first off, what is writing as a scientist? Scientific writing is being able to thoroughly communicate the information we’ve gathered from our research to the scientific community and the general public. And why is writing even important? Being able to execute experiments and carry out research studies is just half of the work, sharing the information you’ve collected is just as important. You can conduct the most successful experiment about a worldwide, relevant topic but if you can’t relay that information in a coherent way, then it’s going to be hard to convince your peers and the public that your research is valid.

In this course, we’ve done numerous assignments and projects with two specific goals. With each assignment, we wanted to work our way toward accomplishing the course-learning outcomes Professor Carr set for us. The course-learning outcomes were specific points to hit during the semester to show that we can write as a scientist. They helped us keep track of our progress in the class as each assignment gets done. We also practiced using rhetorical elements in our writing to communicate our message thoroughly to our readers. These elements included purpose, audience, stance, genre, medium, and exigence. We learned what they are and why they’re important when it comes to scientific writing (more information in the “Rhetorical Elements” tab).

This website is the outcome of how much my personal writing has changed and evolved since taking this course. The content I’ve uploaded (refer to the “Rhetorical Elements” tab and “Course Learning Outcomes” tab) is what I’ve learned in the class and how I was able to use them in my writing. The “Self Assessment Portfolio” is how I’ve used the material I’ve learned in my writing. I wanted to share what I learned with any future students taking this class so they have a little bit of insight into what the class is going to be about and why it’s important to have this kind of knowledge. So, I hope going through this website can help you before, during, and after taking this course.

Sincerely,

Jesyka Dizon