Reflection

Aims and Objectives:

Throughout the semester, my goal for this piece of work was for it to be an informative and easy to read source of information for anyone whose life had been affected by dysphagia. However, I did not want to be just another resource. I wanted the readers to feel like this was coming from a real person’s perspective and that it was describing their struggle with this disorder. I wanted the people who are struggling with dysphagia to not feel alone, and find some common ground with the fictional clients that I created.

I know that knowledge about new and foreign subjects can make them feel less frightening. So, in a sense, I wanted to empower the readers with knowledge about this disorder so it would not seem as overwhelming and confusing as it probably began. 

Declarative Knowledge:

Throughout the semester, I was able to gain a great deal of factual knowledge. At the beginning of the semester, I learned that a multi-genre research project (MRP) was an alternative to a research paper and included many different types of writings or genres. Each genre was to be created for different purposes, different people, and was to be written in different voices. The purpose of the MRP was to create a piece of work that researched and discussed an issue from different points of view in a variety of ways. The MRP included choosing a professional issue, turning that issue into a question, researching the question, developing a project prospectus, and then continuing to research in order to complete the rest of the MRP. The rest of the MRP consisted of a preface, acknowledgements, about the author, seven different genres, a reflection, and a list of references that were used during my research of my question.

This semester I learned that in order to develop a multi-genre research project, I must begin with a question. This question was called the essential question. The essential question required me to develop a question that became the main focus of my research. I learned that it was best to not use a “what is” question, but to develop a question that required a course of action or a decision. After I developed an essential question, I then learned about foundation questions, which were the questions that needed to be answered in order to answer my essential question.

Also during the semester, I was able to learn about the criteria that were used to evaluate the reliability of pages that were found on the Internet. These included accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage. I learned that I needed to take all of these areas into consideration as I created my own page.

Throughout the semester, I did a lot of researching in order to answer my essential question. This required me to be able to use a variety of sources that were found through books, the Internet, and online databases. Online databases can be found in many places, but one very useful database was found on the Marshall University Library’s home page. The online database allowed me to search many different databases, such as ERIC, Academic Search Premier, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and many more. Each database offered its own unique set of articles that I could read and use in my research project, and I was able to use several of those articles.

Finally, while creating my project, I had to do many revisions of my work in order to get it to be the final product that I wanted. This semester, I learned a method for revising work in a systematic manner. This method was known as the SCAR method, which stood for substitute, cut, add, and rearrange. As I went through my work, I looked to see if there were words that could be substituted, items that could be cut, ideas that could be added to make my work better, and if anything could be rearranged to help make it more understandable.

Procedural Knowledge:

During the semester, I also gained a great deal of procedural knowledge which ranged from how to create a web page to how to cite references using the APA style. While learning how to create a web page, I also gained knowledge about how to publish the web page online, which was done by accessing my V: drive and putting my work into the public folder. I also learn how to create links, make a background appear on my web page, create a table, and change my font size and color by using a program called Mozilla.

Also this semester, I learned how to join the online weblog called Tabulas and how to post my work on the site. I joined Tabulas by going to the website and following the instructions that were given. I was then able to post my work by going to the control panel, clicking on the “journal” tab and then clicking on “add an entry.” Once I added my entries, my classmates were able to view the drafts of my genres that I posted and comment on them by clicking on the "add a comment" button.

While researching and developing my project, I learned how to site online databases by using the 5^th edition of the APA Publication Manual. In order to site my sources correctly, I had to include the name of the author(s), date published, name of the article, name of the journal, volume number, issue number, pages of the article, the retrieved date, and the name of the database. I learned that all of the information had to be organized in the correct order and italics and bold print were to be used appropriately.

One of the most difficult things I did while creating my project was to develop my PowerPoint presentation. While creating my PowerPoint, I was able to learn how to do things such as insert slides by clicking on the "insert slides" button, format the slide layout by clicking on "format" and then "slide layout", and also how to make add effects to the slide transition by clicking on “slide show” and “slide transition” and then choosing the effect I wanted to apply to my slides.

Conditional Knowledge:

The conditional knowledge that I have gained from this class will help me throughout my personal life and my professional career. I feel like I have become much more aware of the vast amount of information that was at my disposal. I was not using all of the information because I did not feel competent with my researching abilities. This class allowed me to learn how to access that information for research and also how to evaluate that information for validity and reliability. I was able to develop my skills as a researcher in order to become a well-rounded student and professional.

I used the knowledge I gained about research continuously throughout the semester while creating my multi-genre research project. As I looked at literature that would be used for my references, I constantly made value judgments on them based on the information I learned from this class. I considered the author, the information, and many other factors in order to determine if the work was suitable to use for my project. I was also able to access a lot more information because I learned about the resources that were available for my use. I was able to create scholarly work that was easy to navigate and contained up-to-date and useful information so that my work would be taken as a serious source of information.

The knowledge that I will take with me from this class will be used throughout the rest of my college career and also in my professional career. Almost every day in my life, I will be confronted with the task of using technology or researching information in some form. The knowledge that I have gained will help me to be more tolerant of problems that I encounter, and I will be able to rely on some of the knowledge that I have learned to overcome those problems. Also, I will be asked daily to make a judgment on information that will be presented to me in many different forms. I must decide if this information is legitimate, and because of this class, I know that I will be better equipped to make that decision.  

The knowledge that I gained about dysphagia will also be very important to me in my professional career. Dysphagia is a very serious disorder that is prevalent and requires serious attention. As a speech-language pathologist, I will be dealing with this disorder at some point in my professional career. It was very important for me to become more knowledgeable about the subject; and the information that I learned about the disorder will be something that I will take with me into my professional career.

Finally, the knowledge that I have gained this semester will help me to function in an information literate society. Being able to use technology and access information is becoming as important as learning how to read and write. Just as one had difficulty functioning in society without the necessary skills of reading and writing, it will become equally difficult to function in our society without becoming information literate. I know that I will be able to become a better student and speech-language pathologist because of the information I learned in this class. I am confident that I will now continue to develop my own knowledge in order to grow as an information literate person.

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This page was created by Kristen Sirk, a student at Marshall University, as a requirement for CD 315.

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