Hi, My name is Abby Johnson and I am a junior Communication Sciences and Disorders major
with a minor in Psychology at Longwood University. I entered Longwood University in 2016 with the intention of completing the coursework required to apply for a graduate program in speech-language pathology. I have been interested in this field since I was 11 years old. My twin brother had been in speech therapy due to a speech impediment, and I became very interested in “fixing” the way he talked. His speech therapist ensured our whole family was involved in the therapy progress, and from this, I began to really look up to her. I believe this is what inspired my passion and pursuit of the field. During the summers of my college career, I have become a nanny to two special needs families- one with a 5-year-old diagnosed with Trisomy 4p, and the other with a 6-year-old diagnosed with Autism; both of these disorders require extensive speech, physical, and occupational therapies. Working with these children and their families have truly inspired me to be the best speech-language pathologist I can, and I hope to impact even more lives in the future.
My purpose in creating this e-portfolio is to present and reflect on the various assignments from English 470: Professional Writing Skills. The course focused on “writing for business and organizational settings through a rhetorical perspective” by utilizing various topics such as the eight C’s of good professional communication, copyediting, document design and various types of business and formal reports to provide students with a baseline in how to create “real world” documents. I have included my correspondence letters, brochure, press release, and formal report. Through these assignments, I have been able to improve my formal writing skills in both individual and group settings. The following pages will demonstrate and explain a link between the assignments and course outcomes, which are listed below. Overall, the class activities and course assignments have influenced and improved the way I practice technical and professional writing by simulating real-world examples I can use in the future as a speech-language pathologist.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Analyze and produce writing genres commonly found in the professional world (e.g. business, gov., media);
- Create professional documents that use plain English (clear, concise, and grammatically correct);
- Conduct research to create content for a variety of professional documents (memos, letters, reports, etc.);
- Create professional documents that use design—standard formats, layout, use of graphics, etc.
- Practice oral communication skills to present content effectively (enhanced with multimedia tools);
- Participate productively in collaborative projects.