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Lessons Learned from WRTG 101
Lessons Learned from WRTG 101
Assignments normally come with different levels of difficulty, and no doubt different objectives. My experiences in handling assignments during the course, have been of immense help, not just in improving my language proficiency, but also improving my writing skills. In particular, I feel that my work on the recent research essay assignment “Computer Animation and Technology,” was not only a learning experience, but the culmination of many lessons learnt during the course. I feel that I selected a very interesting and informative topic, which made the research easy to carry out and allowed me to complete the assignment quite well. My research essay turned out successfully because I was able to incorporate lessons learnt during the course quite well.
Although I initially thought that I did not have much to learn from a writing class, I have found that my writing has improved considerably and become more concise. This has no doubt been as a result of a number of new insights gained due to my enrollment in WRTG 101. The areas of improvement include formatting, paragraph and sentence structure, identification and usage of sources, referencing and citation as well as the elimination of pointless and run on sentences. As a result, my writing in the research essay assignment was more objective and to the point, not to mention authoritative and factual.
The choice of topic was mainly due to prior experiences with video games, as well as a keen interest in the raging debate over the benefits and drawbacks of video gaming. In addition to interest, I was also aware that such a controversial topic would provide me with the materials necessary to argue either way, making for an interesting and meaningful research paper. Taking the position that video games are not bad definitely posed a challenge to prove, which made the task even more interesting.
Completing the assignment successfully required that I utilize the lessons I had learnt in the course of WRTG 101, which I did. One of the first skills I learned in the class was how to format and structure academic papers. I opted to use a structure that included an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion. Operating using this structure ensured that the writing was organized and easy to follow. Such organization also made it possible to develop an outline prior to writing the essay, which ensured that any ideas were not lost due to confusion. Proper initial planning of the essay allowed me to develop a skeleton to which points could be added, with each statement in the outline forming a topic sentence for the body paragraphs. The effective use of a thesis statement ensured that my essay content was easy to follow, as well as write.
One of the most important lessons of any writing class, more so in academic writing, is no doubt learning to look for articles or sources and citing them properly. But before citation, one must learn to identify credible sources. An academic paper is only as authentic as its sources. A paper is considered factual only if the sources used are peer reviewed and the content is confirmed as factual, rather than simple opinion. In the research essay assignment, the sources that I opted to incorporate were only those that not only added considerable value and ideas, but were peer reviewed, hence credible. The important insights regarding where to look for sources, especially online using the UMUC Information and Library Services interface, ensured that my sources were from credible databases such as justor, proquest and other journal databases. Having identified key words such as “computer animation exposure,” and “academic achievement,” I was able to use search engines and identify credible websites, which I then incorporated in the paper. Learning how to distinguish between referencing styles and how to use them was a fundamental lesson to me, and it is my belief that the research essay demonstrated my grasp of the APA referencing style. In academic writing, being able to acknowledge another person’s work, helps avoid one of the cardinal and unforgivable mistakes: plagiarism. Plagiarism in academic writing is an equivalent of suicide. That is why all students must possess this skill in order to avoid plagiarism if they are to complete their studies successfully. Learning how to create in text citations and a reference list through the numerous assignments completed in WRTG 101 will serve me well in my undergraduate studies as well as any further studies I may want to pursue.
Overall, WRTG 101 has had a positive effect on my writing, as the skills gained will be of great importance in my future studies. The skills that I gained fulfilling the assigned tasks are not only applicable to the course alone, but will come in handy in future studies, more so when it comes to tackling academic assignments. As a result of my participation in WRTG 101, my writing is now clear, organized, and factual, as can be observed by how I was able to complete the recent research essay. Although my knowledge of the rules of academic writing has also improved and I am now a better writer than I was at the beginning of the course, the recent research essay assignment on computer animations made me realize that I am yet to completely eliminate grammatical mistakes and run-on sentences from my writing.
Background Information
Background Information
Ivan Pavlov is a psychologist whom I find interesting, born in 1849. He has made a name for himself in the field of psychology and has had an impact on the way that people see and understand dog behavior. Ivan Pavlov was born out of wedlock in Russia, where his father was employed by the Orthodox Church as a priest and his mother was employed as a cook for their family. The only evidence of Ivan’s existence is through baptismal records from 1847 until 1861 when he began attending school near St. Petersburg. His father had him sent to a boarding school for boys, and he proved to be an exceptional student, graduating at age 14. He then attended the University of St Petersburg, where he graduated in both science and math at age 16. He married a pedagogical student and spent the next few years teaching at a school, but also began researching his interest in physiology. Ivan Pavlov was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1905 for his contribution to psychology. He died in 1936 at age 73 after suffering from illness for many years (Derouesné, 2021).
Theory
Pavlov’s Theory of Conditioned Response is considered as the foundation of modern psychology and is based around the theory of conditioning. The theory states that every animal learns through association, or what Pavlov called Classical Conditioning. The first stage of classical conditioning consists of increases in the response to a stimulus with repeated presentations, this was shown by an experiment conducted by Ivan Pavlov in 1888. The food extract used in the experiment was made from smelling salts, which consisted primarily salts and chemicals such as eucalyptol that are strong irritants to humans but have no effect on dogs (Adams, 2020).
Critique
The classical conditioning theory, in addition to serving as the foundation of what would become the behavioral psychology, is still relevant today for a variety of purposes. This would include studying the effects and causes of various diseases, being used as an animal-rights activist tool, or even to help workers and children adjust to harsh climates such as a desert. It was also used to describe the way that people learn to be aggressive or submissive in response to threats, which can apply similarly to individuals who were highly aggressive and were disabled as children but are now able to curb this behavior (Adams, 2020).
References
Adams, M. (2020). The kingdom of dogs: Understanding Pavlov’s experiments as human–animal relationships. Theory & Psychology, 30(1), 121-141.
Derouesné, C. (2021). Ivan Pavlov (1849-1935): His life and conditional reflexes story revisited. Gériatrie et Psychologie Neuropsychiatrie du Vieillissement, 19(1), 81-92.
BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE (or whatever is appropriate for your
Title of This Paper
<your name here>
Florida International UniversityCGS 3095 – <enter the semester here>
Abstract
This is a very brief synopsis of the entire paper, stating what the issue is and some idea of the approach or analysis used. You may also wish to state what you intend to show in this paper. The abstract will be a single paragraph.
Title of the Paper
1 INTRODUCTIONThis is the start of your paper. The first paragraph should briefly introduce the problem or issues, without too much detail. Briefly state what you intend to show in this paper. All should be double-spaced, as shown in this format sample. Margins are 1” on all sides. Add a page header as shown. Use fonts and font sizes exactly as shown in this document.
Paragraph two should outline the structure of your paper, in a fashion similar to this. This paper is organized as follows. Section 1 presents a detailed description of the problem or issue, Section 2 describes…, and Section N presents conclusions. This part of the paper should be only one or two paragraphs long. Generally, two paragraphs is sufficient for the introduction.
2. BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE (or whatever is appropriate for your topic)
Major section numbers should then commence, using the heading formats shown below. Any figures or charts should be small in size, and may not be counted in the page count. They should be labeled “Figure a.b” where a represents the section number, and b represents the sequential numbering of figures within that section.
2.1 Section subheading
You must have a minimum of five separate references, from different sources (i.e., do not use five web pages from the same web site). References must be done in IEEE style, and should start on a new page. In-line citations and reference numbering will be done in the IEEE fashion. References should be dated within the past 3 years. Each reference is double-spaced as shown at the end of this format document. References should appear in the References section in the order in which they are used in the body of the paper [1], not alphabetically. Inline citations should use reference document numbers instead of author names [2]. An easy way to get the References format correct is to use the Citation Machine web site to build your references, located at https://www.citationmachine.net/style At the top of this page, select IEEE, then select the type of reference (journal, book, etc.). Then enter the information on the associated screen, and let this web site build the correct reference format for you, which can then be copied and pasted into your References section. Build the references as you write the paper, so that you will not have to go back and determine the source of the material in your paper. You can also use Microsoft Word’s reference generator.
Web-based references are permissible, but should be solid articles, not blogs, forum posts, or multimedia links (unless absolutely central to your topic). ). Do not use Wikipedia, Yahoo Answers, or other non-academic encyclopedias or answer sites. Dictionaries do not count as one of your five references. If the web article is from a newspaper for journal site, treat the article as if it is a print reference. If you have problems determining how to cite a source, contact the instructor for assistance.
If a single reference is used more than once in the paper, its number remains the same throughout the paper. Do not list the same reference more than once in the References section.
For the purposes of this assignment, page count should consider only the body of the paper. Do not count the Title page, abstract page, reference page(s), or diagrams/images when determining if you have met the page count requirements. Minimum page count for this assignment is 5 pages double-spaced. Maximum is 8 pages double-spaced. Images should not be used in this research paper.
A research paper should never use first person (I, me, my) or second person (you, yours). Only third person should be used. It should not have a chatty tone as might be found in a magazine column, but should be a formal, educational tone. Your goal is to inform the reader about the topic, give him/her an in-depth understanding, and then present your conclusions. The paper should have minimal “what is” or “how to”, because this paper’s audience is echnologically savvy, and the paper’s goal is to do an ethical and global analysis of your issue.
Direct quotes from your references should almost never be used. You must demonstrate that you can research, read, understand, and discuss your topic in your own words. Cobbling together a set of quoted passages will earn a grade of F, regardless of the use of citations.
Make frequent backups of your paper as you work on it. You may choose to leave the formatting details until the very end, but plan at least an hour or two to get the formatting correct. Remember the Undo button when Word does not understand what you intended for it to do.
Anti-plagiarism software will be used to check your paper, and all references will be also be checked for accuracy. Simply changing a few words in each sentence and adding a citation is not acceptable – it is plagiarism. You are expected to read and understand the material, and be able to express it in your own words. When you do so, you will still use a citation to give credit to the original author of the material. Plagiarism will result in heavy penalties. For more detailed information on what constitutes plagiarism, please take 15 minutes to read these articles to avoid a failing grade on the paper:
What is plagiarism?
http://www.plagiarism.org/research_site/e_what_is_plagiarism.htmlTypes of plagiarism:
http://www.plagiarism.org/research_site/e_what_is_plagiarism.htmlPlagiarism FAQs:
http://www.plagiarism.org/research_site/e_faqs.htmlWhat is citation?
http://www.plagiarism.org/research_site/e_citation.html2. 2 Section subheadingThis shows the numbering for subsections.
3. NEXT SECTION MAJOR HEADING
3.1 Section subheading
Remember that the main purpose of your paper is to perform a global analysis of your topic and an ethical analysis of all sides of the issue. Present your global analysis by contrasting how your topic effects / is handled in at least two different countries or regions; you must mention at least two different countries (or regions) by name and give concrete examples! This is the main focus for the paper. For your ethical analysis, give a one or two sentence description of the ethical theory approach(es) that will be used. Then show how using this ethical theory approach can lead to a conclusion that the issue is ethical or unethical. The ethical analysis may be a separate section, or it may be woven into the analysis as the various aspects of the issue are presented. If your paper does not use an ethical theory and include a global analysis of the issue, the paper will not earn a good grade. The majority of your paper should NOT be about what the technology is or how it works. The majority of your paper should be an exploration and analysis of the global and ethical issues. Be sure to clearly indicate why technology created or helped to create this ethical issue.
N. CONCLUSIONS (substitute the appropriate section number for N and remove this note)
Paragraph(s) which summarizes your paper. Tell what you have shown and make conclusions. The paper does not have to take a position on whether the issue it presented is ethical or not. This section may simply recap what has been presented in the paper. Don’t forget to use the spell checker and grammar checker available in Microsoft Word. The overall quality of your writing is also being graded.
REFERENCESCheng, P., Kilis, D., & Knight, F. (1997). Knowledge assessment using fuzzy conceptual representation. Proceedings of the 1997 ACM symposium on Applied Computing, 3-9. (sample to show formatting only)
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