Alexandria Jones
UNIV 112
November 30, 2015
Reflective Cover Letter
There were so many skills that went into each of the three units of this
course, many of which I had used in high school before. It was evident, however,
that I needed to “brush up” on these skills once experiencing the structure of the
class and the way that people were expected to participate. Some skills that I notice
carried over from unit to unit include discussion, note-taking, group
presentation/planning, and informal writing. Through discussion, members of the
class were able to present their ideas and opinions openly to the class, which I really
enjoyed. I think that having the opportunity for discussion in the classroom setting
is very important and a vital skill for people to pick up; moreover, this is something
that actually surprised me about the course—how many discussions we had in the
classroom, and it made me glad to see that the teacher appreciated discussion as
much as I do and I know many other students do. This aspect surpassed my
expectations for the course, as I thought that it would be much more oriented
around the individual rather than a communal group. This relates to group
presentation as well, because I did not expect the amount of times I would be
working in a group of assignments to be that high; I think that through doing so I
have improved my ability to work in a group and to plan meetings accordingly. This
really came into play in the Radioactive unit where extensive group planning was
necessary. Informal writing and note-taking was always interwoven into some
aspect of the assignment, whether reflective or simply used to generate ideas.
In a way, I feel as though the skills of the three units built up on top of each
other; the first unit seemed more individualistic with critical reflection, then the
next more group oriented with the introduction of research and planning, then the
final unit mixed both, requiring the individual to be proactive with his own research,
but incorporating an aspect of peer review. None of the skills we used in any of the
units were entirely new, but I would say that the most foreign concept was
translating my argument into a new format. I struggled a lot with the Multimodal
Assignment, because it was difficult for me to really grasp what I was trying to do
with the information that I wanted to present. Because of this, that unit was both my
least favorite and most challenging. An issue that I have always had is the ability to
manage my time, and especially in this class, it is a vital skill to improve upon and to
have. I would advise anyone entering UNIV 112 next semester to be aware of the
necessity of time management in order to reach close deadlines and to be prepared
for class. I would also tell someone going into the course next semester to be
prepared to actively participate in class discussions and to pose questions for the
rest of the class to think about. Some pitfalls that someone entering the course next
semester should avoid are turning assignments in late, as well as doing poorly on
oral presentations. I did not really expect oral presentation to be part of the
curriculum, and so it surprised me at how often they were done.
All in all I will take away the valuable skill of tackling projects in pieces; even
though deadlines were difficult to reach at times, the fact that there was a deadline
helped to keep me on track and at a reasonable pace to be able to complete the full
assignment. I will also take away the importance of good work ethic and work
Alexandria Jones
UNIV 112
November 30, 2015
habits, as at times I definitely lost some motivation to work hard, but in the end you
have to think about your final goal and how much effort you are willing to put in to
reach that goal.