End of Semester Reflection Bio PDF

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End of Semester Reflection Bio...

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End of Semester Reflection Bio At the beginning of the semester, I aimed to become a better writer overall, but I knew that I was lacking more in some areas of writing than others. Specifically, I hoped to learn how to write in a more professional manner. I also mentioned that I wanted to clearly explain complex topics in simpler terms to a general, non-scientific background audience. I do believe that I have made progress towards improving these skills. For example, my first general audience rough draft had comments such as “jargon” or “provide more information and clarification (use examples and analogies)”. This feedback clearly highlighted that I needed to work on being concise and clearly communicating my thoughts to the reader. After completing two general audience article assignments, scores of a 4.5 in “info quality” and a 5 in “science level” proved that I had made progress towards better explaining scientific information to an audience. I was a huge procrastinator when it came to writing, so this semester I took steps towards quitting this bad habit. I realized that if I wanted to become a better writer, I would need to start assignments well before the deadline. By doing so, I was able to make many revisions myself before the due date and create higher-quality work. This change was successful, because assignments no longer seemed so daunting. I could focus more on the quality of my writing rather than just completing the assignment. Another strategy I found successful was reading my writing out loud. This method made it easier to recognize grammatical errors and sentences that did not flow. I will continue to integrate these strategies into other coursework in the future. Throughout the semester, I believe my greatest improvement was organization. Looking back on rough drafts from September, I see that I struggled to compile my thoughts into fluent sentences and paragraphs. A section from my general audience article rough draft says “Many scientists have proven that electronic-cigarette smoke causes lung problems, but this study shows

just how severely the bladder is affected. In up to 85% of lung cancer cases, the cause is nicotine related. Almost 50% of bladder cancer cases have involved nicotine usage as well”. This example is extremely unorganized, there is no main point, and the reader cannot understand what the writer is trying to say. The first sentence has no relation to the second or the third sentence. However, in my position paper final draft, the sentences were organized and well thought out. An example is, “Doctors have been able to identify what types of chemicals people were inhaling prior to hospitalization in about half of their patient population. Roughly 76% of patients reported smoking vape liquid containing THC, and roughly 56% reported using products containing nicotine (Perrine, C. G. et. al., 2019)”. In this excerpt, the sentences flow and relate to one another. The reader can easily recognize the main point.. Each major writing assignment taught me how to improve a certain aspect of writing. In the general audience articles, I was able to summarize long, complex scientific journal articles into a concise, short format that was easy to understand and interesting to read. I also learned how to analyze an article to determine if it’s from a legitimate source. The evolutionary medicine article assignment taught me the importance of summary vs. synthesis. I needed to make connections between multiple sources of information. A paragraph from my evolutionary medicine article final draft says, “Researchers can look for evidence of abnormal brain development, neurotransmitter imbalances, and stunted cognitive function, but these observations are not enough by themselves to diagnose schizophrenia (Jablensky, 2010). Other research shows that the levels of stress one experiences in adolescence can contribute to the development of the disease if the person already has a genetic predisposition (Perez & Lodge, 2019). One patient’s case of schizophrenia may have been heavily caused by their biological makeup and stunted neurodevelopment, but another patient's case could’ve been caused by their

environment in adolescence. Because totally different causes can give rise to the same disorder, researchers could conclude that a combination of many factors cause a person to develop schizophrenia.” After providing two pieces of information, I successfully synthesized my own conclusions. For the position paper, I gained the ability to analyze both sides of a controversial topic, then draw my own judgements based on the evidence provided. Overall, the various assignments I completed throughout the semester increased my ability to write in an organized, logical, and concise fashion. These skills have already been useful in my career path, and will continue to be beneficial in the future. When writing reports as an EMT, I omit needless words and phrases that do not contribute any value towards my report. In the future when I pursue a career in the medical field, I will remember to focus on the big picture, important details, and making sure that my thoughts flow in my writing....