Komi Afetse

Chip Douglas
UWRT-1102
November, 30, 2013
Reflection Letter
My journey through UWRT-1102 was nice. Indeed, I learned a lot of things about
research during this semester. However, on the whole, this semester was exhausting and stressful.
In fact, many things such as the project proposal, the annotated bibliography, and the creation of
an e-portfolio were new to me. Also, because English is not my first language, I had to spend a
lot of time on each assignment, revise each assignment several times, in order to do a good work.
At the beginning of this semester, I knew that I would have to overcome many
challenges. Much of the program can be summarized in three major assignments: the project
proposal, the annotated bibliography, the extended inquiry paper. Each assignment had its
particularity, its difficulties, and represented each time another challenge different from the
previous one.
The first major assignment I had to do was the project proposal. The objective of this
assignment was to find a research topic and create an initial inquiry question. To be quite honest,
to my mind, the project proposal was the most difficult of the three major assignments. It took
me almost one month to find a topic, and to create an initial inquiry question. After the project
proposal, the next assignment was the annotated bibliography.
The purpose of the annotated bibliography was to find sources that are credible and
academic. Then, these sources must be analyzed and evaluated. This assignment was not
difficult, but it required a lot of time. In fact, the critical reading and the analysis of each source

require a certain concentration. In another way, to determine the utility and the limits of each
source, I have to go through it with a critical thinking. Finally, the third major assignment was
the extended inquiry paper. I found this last assignment very useful. In my opinion, the inquiry
paper was the easiest of the three major assignments. I just had to summarize what I learned from
my inquiry, and find an answer to my initial inquiry question.
Besides these major assignments, throughout the semester, I did daily readings,
homework, and in-class discussions, which improve my writing. Indeed, whenever we had class,
there was a subject to discuss with mister Douglas, a podcast or a text to analyze. By practicing,
I noticed that my writing has changed positively.
In conclusion, although, this semester was exhausting and stressful, I learned a lot about
the inquiry process, the research in general, and the creation of an e-portfolio. Also, I improve
my writing and my language skills. At the end of this semester, I think that I have become a
better questioner, a better reader, and a better writer.