Jasmin Macias

California State University, Fullerton

P.O. Box 34080
Fullerton, CA 92834-9480
December 6, 2015

Dr. Leslie Bruce

Department of English, Comparative Literature, and Linguistics
California State University, Fullerton
P.O. Box 34080
Fullerton, CA 92834-9480
Dear Dr. Bruce,
The purpose of this letter is to strategically show that I satisfied the six
English college writing student learning outcomes (SLOs) found in the course syllabus.
In the portfolio you will find the following documents: 1) original editorial (OE), 2) peer
review (OE), 3) revised editorial outline, 4) collaboration questions, 5) revised editorial,
and 6) this cover letter. The documents in the portfolio were organized to show
progressively improving work.
The first document presented is the original persuasive editorial, since it
represents my shortcomings in satisfying the SLOs in exception to SLO 2-ethical
citation. Correct execution of the APA guidelines is seen throughout the document. For
example, towards the end of the first paragraph I explain my interpretation of a water
footprint, followed by the parenthetical citation of the source that included the authors
last names and publishing year. Lastly, on page four, I added the complete reference of
the source. This process was repeated for all the resources used to provide proper credit.
The second and third documents included are the peer review sheet and the
revised editorial outline. Together, these document showcased my ability to incorporate
criticism to improve in weak areas, such as organization. The persuasive editorial
required the incorporation of multiple sources to refute or support my claims. The
outline was used as a guide to answer anticipated audience questions and communicate
effectively. An example of this is on the first page, after the thesis, where I present my
first claim followed by the sources I would be using to answer the listed questions. I
continued to use this organizational strategy throughout the rest of the document. This
ensured clear communication, which was built upon organization. Therefore, satisfying
SLO 4-organization and part of SLO 6-collaboration.
The collaboration questions fulfill the second part of SLO 6. While collaborating
with another group, my group was able to highlight questions and ideas that would
strengthen, develop, and improve the other groups profile assignment. One of the

questions we asked was regarding the recycled sewage water filtration process as seen on
page nine. This inquiry prompted the group to gain knowledge on their topic allowing
them to address the audience needs.
The revised persuasive editorial is the fifth document in the portfolio, as it reflects
my ability to improve and master the remaining SLOs. I was able to satisfy SLO 1rhetorical focus, by making changes to clearly communicate my massage to the audience.
For instance, in the first paragraph of the second page, I added information on the culprits
that account for red meats water footprint. This helped to further develop and elaborate
on the subject certifying that an audience with varying knowledge on the topic should be
able to understand the material covered.
Respectfully presenting my ideas/viewpoints on global topics fulfilled the
language part of SLO 5-language and design. Words such as however, opposing claims,
and nevertheless helped readers follow my arguments/counter arguments, as well as to
persuade. In addition, I incorporated visual aids such as the image on page four to add
perspective. The inclusion of images and tables allowed me to complete the design part
of SLO 5. The revised persuasive editorial and this cover letter are example of achieving
the last SLO 3, which is persuasion. However, the editorial is a better persuasive writing
example because of the direct integration of various scholarly articles that increase its
credibility.
Before concluding, I wanted to mention the virtual portfolio. I organized my
virtual portfolio so that it is user-friendly. I chose not to use buttons or links to find
documents for the sake of simplicity in navigating the virtual portfolio site. In addition, I
purposely placed this cover letter next to the other document tabs to allow access to the
other documents as they are mentioned in this letter. The site visitor then is able to read
the letter and refer to the different examples as they are mentioned. I hope that the
portfolio design and this cover letter worked towards your convenience, as I tried to show
my improvement and mastery of the SLOs.
Kind regards,

Jasmin Macias