Reflective Memo

To: Alyssa Higgins

From: Natalie Schwark
Date: December 11, 2020
RE: Reflecting on ENGL 307

Completing this course helped me to improve my group writing and editing skills, my time
management during long research projects, and how to design with accessibility in mind.
Throughout the length of this course, we were required to complete activities that met the five
course learning objectives: Collaboration & Accommodation, Design Strategies, info & Tech,
Growth Process, and Ethics & Inclusion. In this Memo, I will explore how I met all of these course
goals, aside from the Growth Process.

Outcome #1: Design Strategies: Implement flexible strategies for designing and redesigning
communication in professional contexts
The first artifact chose to include for this course outcome is my Master Copy Resume
(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jXtqCugK-QIkBWasUDV_juRWiTwmvf1ty21I_yAtOsE/edit?
usp=sharing) from Project #2. In this portion of the project, we were tasked with creating this
Master Copy, then redesigning it into a Tailored version for a specific job application. I am
including the Tailored version as my second artifact for this section
(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s1Pd1xjD6dluqs70FZCRx8pshR9GYUiF6YAhB_4GRZ4/edit
?usp=sharing). By designing the Master Copy first, I was able to compile any useful information
about my professional history. Then, I was able to use the Master Copy to create the Tailored
Copy for an internship application with Americorps. I will be able to use this newfound skill for
any of my future professional pursuits.

Outcome #2: Collaboration & Accommodation: Write, edit, and design with and for readers,
users, and stakeholders in professional contexts with a focus on accessible communication
Project #1 required me to work together with a group to compile a large recommendation report.
The document I chose to represent this collaboration is our Project Proposal Memo
(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XYzSsw7VNHgeB40mCOeTRSBUsk6Vpenvm9ia1DAQIBE
/edit?usp=sharing). I believe that this document is one of our best joint works from the first unit.
We all worked together to complete it evenly, and the result is a professional memo that focuses
on research goals for accessible communication. The second artifact I chose to include for this
course goal is an individual assignment we completed to research Disability Justice
(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_3NoViAbj8V2rBGWRhCyxYVoUEeIMqS_I_t4b1QjK_Y/edi
t?usp=sharing). Each member of the project group did our own research, then combined our
takeaways to influence our Project Proposal. By using disability justice history as the foundation
of our Accessibility Report, we accommodated our report to the individuals it was addressing. I
am proud of this particular assignment because of how much I learned from the research. It was
instrumental in crafting my opinions of health and service inequities experienced by that
population, so help support our arguments in our Recommendation Report.
Outcome #3: Info & Tech: Analyze and manage information and technologies in ways that
are responsive to specific readers or users in professional contexts
The first artifact I chose for this course goal is our organized note taking document that our
Project #1 group compiled during our observations
(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jb1Kuhkm17lDO-BI3iT64lf-pjDdXPkVQALUWQ-4J8o/edit?
usp=sharing). Our observations included an analysis of digital accessibility for popular social
media applications. We did so in order to make recommendations for improving ease of
technological use for disabled users. Although it wasn’t an official assignment, I am proud of the
organization of information in this document. My second artifact is our Cover Letter Draft from
Project #2
(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F2zYsXfm0IJMYV1XU0cHcXq_IGXPMmAeSexPIXxn8w8/
edit?usp=sharing). For this assignment, we had to manage our personal information in a way that
was pleasing and professional to a potential employer. I had to learn how to sell my experiences
and my life goals, all to a specific audience.

Outcome #4: Ethics & Inclusion: Write, edit, and design ethically and inclusively for specific
people and situations in professional contexts
I am including my group’s Accessibility Recommendation Report from Project #1 as my first
artifact for this learning objective
(https://docs.google.com/document/d/12xACpMVwNqhr1Fs5PYasdMjEBlpZL36hs8rJ2s3oxZE/edit
?usp=sharing). We completed this report with the intention of providing recommendations for
designing digital accessibility options for the deaf and hard of hearing community. By designing
with disabilities in mind, we wrote and edited for specific people and situations. My second
artifact is the Library Research Activity we were required to complete for the first Project, in order
to build a basis of knowledge for digital accessibility issues facing deaf people
(https://docs.google.com/document/d/17ohbURmiLwuB4heRNpUfpRV2sbVJHxgvwsTFCA4kZAg/
edit?usp=sharing). By completing this activity, we were more prepared to write our Report with
inclusivity and accessibility in mind. We found resources that gave us feedback from deaf
peoples’ perspectives. That way, we weren’t just designing for disabled persons, but with them.

My biggest takeaway from this class will have to be the ability to work well with a writing team.
Although the unit on compiling professional materials will likely be most useful for jump starting
my career, being able to work collaboratively in a positive environment is a priceless tool. I will be
able to flex those new muscles in all the possible career fields I could go into, from restoration
ecology to community garden implementations. Being able to work well with a group and
produce something professional will help me appear professional and responsible.