Transformative Learning

One of the most transformative learning experiences that I have had over this course was learning how to find research that supports a message that I want to convey. For my scicomm article, I found sources that supported my main idea that dog cognition is more advanced than most people perceive it as. I chose research articles that tested dog’s abilities to perform certain tasks, representing their abilities to think critically. Julia Espinosa, one of the lead researchers on two of the research articles I chose, spoke in a TED talk about how finding which breed of dog is most capable of completing some of these tasks can help choose which dogs to train as service dogs more easily. My issue was presented when I went to write the introduction to my Advocacy Project, because it is hard to argue for the protection of animals when the only benefit is for humans. I had to change the way that I presented dog cognition, not as a tool for humans, but as a motivation to treat dogs more ethically. Through peer reviews and reading other scicomm articles, I was able to take the research I had found to adapt it to the rest of my writing. 

Another transformative learning experience that I had this quarter was learning how to design my own website. Through lots of trial and error, I understand what makes a website accessible and readable. I had never written for a website before this course, and had to change my writing style to make paragraphs shorter, but more effective. I also had little experience with incorporating other types of media into my writing, but after learning how I can use it to strengthen my own writing, I am much more confident building writing off of various sources and depicting my idea in different ways.

One of my problem areas this quarter was time. This is my first quarter taking four classes, with three in-person on my home campus at UCLA, in addition to this course online at UCI. There were some days I struggled more than others with getting assignments in before the 11:59 pm deadline. I did however appreciate how assignments were due three days a week, which made it easier for me to manage my time. I am usually the type of person to put it all off and do it last minute. This happened to me at times and I wish I had taken more time on some assignments to be more thorough. When I started assignments sooner than later, I felt more confident in them when I turned them in. In the future, I want to set a schedule for completing work for classes like this one required. Doing a little work at a time made a huge difference in the quality of my work.

My other problem area this quarter was leaving my own bias out of my writing. This class had excellent opportunities for peer reviews and corrections from Professor McClure, which I found to be super helpful. Going to a large university, I rarely get personal feedback on my work anymore. My peers and professor were able to highlight areas in my writing that show my bias, and I would not have caught it re-reading my own work. Going forward, I can now be more conscious by reading my work from the perspective of my peers and professors.

Thank you so much for keeping up this quarter! I hope you like my portfolio, and remember to shop cruelty free!