Business Question

Reflective Essay

In this module, you will work on your Reflective Essay. The Reflective Essay is your chance to reflect on your experiences in your undergraduate career. Many students find this a valuable exercise as they move from one chapter of their lives to the next. While the essay is written through the lens of the portfolio documents, feel free to include information about any other important courses, assignments, or people as you write your essay. We really want to hear from you about your experiences as a CPLS undergraduate.

Your degree program has been designed to give you the knowledge and skills necessary to obtain professional employment or continue your education with graduate studies in your chosen field. In order to meet these professional goals, students should demonstrate the ability to do the following:

DUE BY JULY 13
Reflective Essay
In this module, you will work on your Reflective Essay. The Reflective Essay is your chance to
reflect on your experiences in your undergraduate career. Many students find this a valuable
exercise as they move from one chapter of their lives to the next. While the essay is written
through the lens of the portfolio documents, feel free to include information about any other
important courses, assignments, or people as you write your essay. We really want to hear from
you about your experiences as a CPLS undergraduate.
Your degree program has been designed to give you the knowledge and skills necessary to obtain
professional employment or continue your education with graduate studies in your chosen field.
In order to meet these professional goals, students should demonstrate the ability to do the
following:
Please see the “About the Reflective Essay” for a detailed description of this assignment.
About the Reflective Essay
For this assignment you will need to:
1) Review the learning outcomes for the course below because you will be writing about them
for this assignment:
1. Can collaborate and work as part of a team to solve a common problem or work
toward a common goal;
2. Can demonstrate leadership and civic responsibility;
3. Can show preparation for professional employment or graduate studies;
4. Can think critically about important issues, and locate and use research materials
appropriately to answer questions, solve problems, or support an argument;
5. Can communicate effectively in writing for different purposes, in different genres to
different audiences.
2) Write an essay in which you reflect upon and evaluate how your work as a CPLS major
demonstrates your mastery of the learning outcomes listed above. Your reflective essay should
point to specific places in your portfolio documents that indicate where and how these goals have
been met. It’s not enough just to list the places in the portfolio where the different learning
outcomes were met. You should provide some analysis and reflection on your work and how it
meets the goals below, your thoughts on the importance of your work and the goal itself, and
some self-reflection on your ability to carry this particular goal professionally after graduation.
3) Refer to the major writing assignments (resume, reports, research paper) you have included in
your portfolio as evidence to support your self-evaluation. Be as specific as possible when
referring to your writing assignments in the reflective essay; use the assignment name and a page
number whenever possible.
4) Use the learning outcomes as headers in your essay to help you organize it, and make sure you
cover all of them. Not covering all the learning outcomes will result in a significant lowering of
your grade.
4) Most successful Reflective Essays are 1000 – 2000 words. If yours is significantly shorter than
this, you probably need to add more analysis and reflection. An essay that is shorter than 1000
words will likely result in a lower grade.
5) Use double spacing, first-line indent, and a standard 12 pt. font on your reflective essay.
Please refer to the rubric for this assignment to see how it will be assessed.
Reflective Essay Rubric
Criteria – Writing/Grammar/Mechanics pts- 15
15 to >13 pts
Exceeds Expectations
The writer has a good command of the language and writes fluently with few/no grammar
or mechanical errors. Writer communicates effectively in writing using standard English
structures. The reader has no difficulty understanding the content.
13 to >10 pts
Meets Expectations
The writing is clear though some minor grammar or mechanical errors may be present.
Writer communicates effectively in writing using standard English structures. Reader
understands content, though a few awkward structures may be present.
10 to >0 pts
Needs Improvement
The writer has difficulty communicating effectively in writing with many major grammar
or mechanical errors. The reader has difficulty understanding the content. Many slang
terms and non-standard structures present.
Criteria – Presentation and formatting – pts 10
10 to >8 pts
Exceeds Expectations
Paper appears professional in its presentation. Consistently uses double spacing, first line
indent on paragraphs, and standard 12 pt. font.
8 to >6 pts
Meets Expectations
Paper appears professional in its presentation. Use of double spacing, first line indent on
paragraphs, and standard 12 pt. font may not be entirely consistent.
6 to >0 pts
Needs Improvement
Presentation skills are developing. Formatting may not be consistent or not follow
guidelines given. Some design elements may not be appropriate for the assignment (e.g.,
using Comic Sans font!).
Criteria – Reflective Letter pts – 25 pts
25 to >22 pts
Exceeds Expectations
The reflective essay indicates that the writer understands the purpose of the assignment,
demonstrates thoughtful, detailed awareness of, and engagement with, the learning
outcomes by fully describing how the writer ‘s work demonstrates the skills and abilities
articulated in the outcomes. Specific, effective examples from the writer ‘s own
coursework are cited, connected to the appropriate outcome(s), and explained through
perceptive and subtle commentary and analysis of the individual assignments. The
emphasis throughout is the writer ‘s own work and the ways in which it exemplifies the
skills and abilities identified in the outcomes. The letter is written in ways that
demonstrate keen awareness of––and the ability to engage––its audience, as well as an
impressive command of organization, style, and convention.
22 to >18 pts
Meets Expectations
The reflective essay demonstrates perceptive awareness of, and engagement with, the
goals and outcomes by describing how the writer ‘s work demonstrates the abilities
articulated in the outcomes. Specific examples in the writer ‘s work are cited and
explained through thoughtful commentary and analysis of the individual assignments. The
primary emphasis throughout the letter is the writer ‘s own work and the ways in which it
exemplifies the skills and abilities identified in the goals and outcomes. The letter is
written in ways appropriate to its audience and demonstrates a command of organization,
style, and convention.
18 to >0 pts
Needs Improvement
The reflective essay does not address all of the learning outcomes or the writer’s
understanding of the learning outcomes are rendered in partial or imprecise ways. The
writer may misunderstand the assignment or substitute a different task for this one. The
writer may not point to specific assignments to document mastery of the learning
outcomes.