Brittany Christopherson
Hello. As a student, I was tasked with identifying an area of interest within antibiotic resistance and thoroughly researching the topic. I was to compile all the information related to alternative therapy I collected and present it in a written commentary for the public. Furthermore, my job was simply to participate in the course, learning from my classmates and instructor through discussion, and hone my skills as a writer and as a prospective science professional.
Introduction to my portfolio
Writing in the Sciences (English 324) is an upper level writing course focusing on writing as a professional of the science community, evaluating other professionals’ contributions to science, and adapting writing styles to the target audience. It also refines writing styles and sharpens critical thinking. This course was conducted using the internet and utilized mediums such as the NDSU online learning medium (Blackboard) and a Facebook group. Facebook was the primary means of communication for the course.
Though my project was done individually, the course was based on collective effort. The most prominent example would be the website. Each member of the class contributed to its design and its content. Assignments in the latter part of the course were more targeted at the creation of the website as student contributions make up the bulk of the website content. This portfolio contain s my individual contributions to the website content. Documents included are: two discussion board responses, a research proposal, an annotated bibliography, a progress report, and a research report.
Discussion posts were the primary means for interaction between class members and with the instructor. Through discussion boards, students were tasked with thinking critically, evaluating reading material, and expressing those ideas clearly and concisely. Furthermore, these boards added an element of interaction and collaboration as students could comment on other’s posts to further develop ideas and come to conclusions.
Reading response 1:The first discussion thread focuses on the adaption of material for the public audience. Students were asked to identify the methods the author used to adapt the material to a broader audience and evaluate the effectiveness of those methods. This discussion thread allowed me to draw connections with other courses in which similar writing styles are used and adapt my writing more effectively to a public audience. My goal in writing this reading response was to analyze another scientist’s work in order to develop my own writing style. It was a learning tool. By reading an actual article rather than just a dry checklist, I was able to see it in practice and thus adapt my own writing to a broader audience.
Reading response 2: The second discussion thread focuses on the element of secrecy within the scientific community. The prompt for the discussion was simply to discuss thoughts about the assigned reading selection. This discussion required critical thinking and writing thoughts clearly and concisely, but still having depth and breadth of ideas. The reading selection increased student understanding of the scientific community and the functions it serves. By evaluating the material selected, students were able to draw their own conclusions about the scientific community and how they may fit into the shape of things. My goal was to explore the element of secrecy in science. Though there were many other components of the science community within the reading material, I was most intrigued by the secrecy. Why is there secrecy? As I was addressing this in a research methods course simultaneously, I decided to focus on that element. I wanted to address both sides and give each equal scrutiny.
Proposal: The research proposal serves as the starting block for research studies. Research studies, particularly when using human participants or animal subjects, are brought before review boards in their infancy so that a decision about the relevance and the ethical implications can be evaluated. This acts as a quality control mechanism for scientific contributions. Journals will only accept polished and sound research, so a research proposal offers the intended study up to be judged for its merits. For this course, the proposal required students to think critically, plan a coordinated sophisticated study, and develop a research question. Proposals were written to present potential avenues of research and how students planned to accomplish those elements of a study. I developed my research idea based on personal experience and a background in psychology. I was frustrated from the beginning of the course by the issue being focused on (antibiotic resistance) because I found it upsetting how narrow minded the medical community could be in their refusal of diverging from the routine of antibiotic after antibiotic. From personal experience with going from doctor to doctor, and specialist to specialist, I was always perplexed by the refusal of mainstream medicine to embrace remedies that did not necessarily come in pill form. By writing this proposal, I was able to present a research idea to look into the potential treatment options that have been overlooked and bring those findings to the forefront. Through developing this proposal, I was able to sharpen my critical thinking skills and better my ability to accurately locate and cite sources using the correct format.
Annotated bibliography: The annotated bibliography was one of the most important components of the research study process, in my opinion, as through completing it, I had multiple sources that I knew were of good quality to be included in my final project. The purpose of the annotated bibliography is to first compile an immense number of applicable sources that could, but not necessarily would, be used for the final research study. After compiling, sources had to be evaluated for quality and how applicable each is to the research goals. Students must think critically in their evaluations of sources so that only the best fit for the project will be included. Applicable sources add prominence to a study.
Progress report: The progress report was both a reflection of scientific research processes and a procrastination detector for students. Progress reports are required in studies, so students were exposed to the structure and process of a progress report. But admittedly more so, it served as a means of reminding students that procrastination is not conducive to prompt completion of studies. My purpose in writing this report was to ascertain my reliability and the timely completion of the documentation of the finding of my research study. I had fallen slightly behind the timeline I set in my proposal, so this report was a nudge to pick up the pace.
Final project: The most significant contribution to this portfolio is my final project which documents a research study of alternative treatments in an extended commentary style. This project encompasses essentially all the course objectives. Through writing this I was pushed to communicate clearly, effectively, and using different styles in order to adapt my findings to a public audience. I documented the culmination of hours of collecting and analyzing primary sources, drawing my own conclusions, adhering to deadlines, managing a multi-faceted project, and citing sources according to correct format. My purpose in this assignment was to hone my ability to write scientifically while presenting what I felt was a necessary a d timely topic. By completing this project, I found that writing a research report for a primary research study for another course was much less daunting because I developed the skills to convey my ideas scientifically through completing this project. More so though, I wrote this study to share what is known about alternative treatment because it is of the utmost importance for the public to be aware that there are other answers out there that don’t include antibiotics that are becoming ever more ineffective.