Running head: SUMMARY REFLECTION ESSAY 1

Summary Reflection Essay

Kayla Maack

National American University

March 21, 2020

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Summary Reflection Essay

The Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for the RES500 - Academic Writing and

Research are as follows:

 Assess sources pertinent information and determine the source’s relevance to the

student’s strategic security research.

 Demonstrate conceptual reasoning to correctly identify risks and evaluate potential

actions based on their degree program

 Demonstrate knowledge of APA formatting, ABCs (accuracy, brevity, and clarity) of

writing, and research and apply these skills through critical thinking within their degree

program

 Illustrate civic responsibility and ethics when citing and using the thoughts, ideas, and

words of other sources

 Produce an academic essay that demonstrates the ABCs and utilizes scholarly methods

(National, 2020, p. 1).

These objectives allow the student to demonstrate a knowledge of academic writing that

is required within the field of strategic security. The skills gained through this course include

writing correct citations, researching relevant information to a degree program, and writing with

the ABCs. Through this course, I have demonstrated a gained knowledge of course learning

outcomes because I learned to apply CLOs by completing required assignments and have learned

to improve my writing as a result.

What I Learned

Based on the CLOs, I learned how to correctly format a thesis, write in the active voice,

apply the ABCs and correctly format in APA. I learned how to format the thesis statement with

the because clause that provides my readers with the topics I will address in my paper.
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“Introducing ambiguity or creating a false narrative by insinuating close counts or almost

statements as facts that appeal to a truth the writer wants to exist doesn't make it true” (Ott, 2018,

p.1). While I struggled in the beginning with constantly writing in the active voice, I became

conscious of my word choice and use the word list from "Hedging, Weasel Words, and

Truthiness in Scientific Writing." Learning how to write in an active voice has allowed me to

follow the ABCs. These lessons allowed me to grow as a writer.

How I Learned This

When beginning this course, I believed I was a good writer; however, I quickly learned

that I had to learn how to write in a new way. Starting with the thesis assignment, I struggled to

write a thesis that met the assignment objectives. When I received a 70% for the assignment, I

felt defeated but turned that moment into a learning experience. I devoted more time to my

writing and became more conscious of the words I was using. By DIS M02.1, I produced a

thesis that was more closely aligned with the assignment guidelines. For M04.1, I demonstrated

the ability to proofread and edit my essay. These skills were frustrating at times to learn, and I

spent more time on these assignments than I have in previous classes. By making these

mistakes, I learned to take constructive criticism and spend time on self-reflection. This period

of self-reflection made me more conscious of my writing and improved my ability to write

papers for strategic security.

Why This Learning Matters

This learning matters because writing is a key component of the strategic security world.

I will need to condense my writing to ensure that the reader can gain the key points quickly, and

they understood what I wanted them to know. The CLOs provided the structure to understand

these skills and how I should be applying them in the future. I wish I would have learned these
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objectives in my freshman year of my undergrad. I am fortunate that I will be better prepared for

my master's degree due to these learning objectives. Additionally, I have been asked to write

reports on global situations for job interviews and subsequently was not hired because I could

not demonstrate this knowledge. Now, I understand what the requirements were and can now

write a report that would be required for my professional career.

Conclusion

While completing this course, I have obtained knowledge of the course learning

outcomes because I learned to apply CLOs, improved my writing, and learned to self-reflect as a

result. In light of this learning, I will take the course learning objectives into my future career

and academic life, by utilizing the ABCs of writing, correct APA formatting, civic responsibility,

and research methods in each assignment in the future and practice these skills to fully develop

them before I enter my future career. Besides CLOs, I have learned to self-reflect based on

instructor feedback. Learning to change an ingrained habit, such as writing, was difficult but

rewarding. The world of strategic security involves gaining skills that people typically do not

utilize, and thus it was important to utilize these CLOs early in my degree program to prepare me

for the classes that I will be taking in the future.

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References

National American University (2020). RES 500 academic writing and research: Learning

outcome alignment.

Ott, D. (2018). Hedging, weasel words, and truthiness in scientific writing. Journal of the

Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons, 22(4), 1-4. doi: 10.4293/JSLS.2018.00063.