ePortfolio Practice

General Notes

• April 18 (last day to submit forms for your research notebook) (Tuesday of Week 15)
• If you’re around the 3000 point mark, you’re on track to get an A in the class, as long as you continue to produce quality work
  • Personally, I feel pretty comfortable with where I’m at in the class currently; however, to provide a buffer if I don’t get the maximum amount of points for the last few artifacts, I want to add a substantial amount of new, insightful content to my research notebook; my goal is 4-5 posts per week between now and the deadline to ensure I get an A in the class
• Final portfolio is now worth 1500 points
• The audience for the portfolio is Dr. A as well as other LMC faculty (appeal to this crowd)
• Best portfolios avoid summarizing the semester (focus on new insights about writing)
• Introductory essay (750-1500 words)
• Include drafts and process documents
• Use personal pronouns

My group answered the following prompt: What is the role of bias in research and writing? Our first thesis responding to the prompt was weak, to say the least. It was too long and it didn’t dig deep enough. However, after careful revision, attempting to make the thesis shorter while also providing enough room for various sub-points, we were able to come up with an improved thesis. The following image displays this thesis.

Two sub-points we brainstormed to support this argument are:

1. Obviously, facts (by nature) are unbiased; however, if an author has a preexisting belief, they can present facts they believe are unfavorable in a negative light in an attempt to alter the reader’s perspective
   • Authors can manipulate objective facts through their choice of language
   • This negatively impacts the credibility of the author
     • In all honesty, this concept makes sense in my head, but I don’t think I have discovered the best way to articulate it, so I apologize if it’s confusing
     • I think the best analogy to use is the Covid-19 pandemic
     • At the heat of the pandemic, news services were all receiving the same facts and statistics regarding cases and deaths; however, certain unreliable publications strategically contextualized this information differently (either to make it sound insignificant or overly dramatic) to appease their audiences
2. Biased authors can include facts that serve solely to advance their argument and avoid evidence that may contradict or challenge their beliefs
   • By doing so, authors aren’t providing wholistic coverage of a topic
     • They’re leaving out critical sources that are necessary to gain a reasonable, unbiased understanding

After careful consideration, I’ve decided that I will not use this prompt for my ePortfolio. It was extremely difficult to come up with ideas pertaining to the prompt, which I think is a sign it isn’t the best choice for me. On top of that, I don’t think it connects well with my research project, which is a piece of flash fiction. Instead, I plan on using the following prompt: How do facts, research, and belief shape the world of a text? This prompt connects significantly better with my research project. Most of the work I’ve done this semester has involved me learning to become a better storyteller through world-building, character development, and suspense. I now believe I have a plethora of knowledge relating to these concepts, allowing me to produce a thoughtful essay explaining how these skills allowed me to craft a compelling narrative.