Core Skills | Jkrueger

Core Skill Outcomes

Written Communication

The learner will exchange ideas and information with others using written text in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience.

To demonstrate that I have proficiency in the core skill of written communication, I chose to display my essay, “North Carolina Should Avoid Minimum Wage Increases”. I wrote this essay for ENG-111 during the fall 2019 semester, which was my first semester at South Piedmont Community College. This was my persuasive essay for the class, and I decided to persuade my audience that minimum wage increases were a bad idea. Because this was my first semester at SPCC, I had a combination of excitement, nervousness and dread when writing this essay; I was excited and nervous for my beginning of college, but taking a writing class was (and remains) quite far down on my “favorite activities” list. Despite my inexperience, nervousness, and disdain for the subject at the time of writing, however, I believe that this essay was and remains one of my best works of writing. This is because it is clear, objective, and backed by legitimate sources, among other reasons.

“North Carolina Should Avoid Minimum Wage Increases” (from now on abbreviated to NC Minimum Wage), was one of my best essays and an excellent example of my written communication skills in part because it is well organized. I begin the essay with a clear description of the current situation, including the current minimum wage, proposed increase, and acknowledgement that the change has benefits and drawbacks. I then clearly lay out my argument at the end of the introductory paragraph: “North Carolina should not raise the minimum wage because it will take entry-level jobs from teenagers, keep “high-risk” applicants from getting jobs, and reduce the number of jobs available.” Subsequent paragraphs are then started with a clear purpose: “The first problem with raising minimum wage is it takes entry-level jobs from teenagers…,” followed by easily understandable evidence: “…19 percent decrease in teen participation in the workforce…the biggest factor was state minimum wage laws…,” etc. In my rebuttal paragraph and conclusion, I again acknowledge the pros and cons of raising and not raising the minimum wage, before closing with a clear review of my three arguments.

In addition to being a clearly written and well-organized essay, NC Minimum Wage was an essay for which I was able to find substantial evidence that very clearly supported my argument. The bulk of my body paragraphs are citing the sources that I used; in many ways, once I found the sources, the essay almost wrote itself. One of the examples of clear, applicable evidence was when I quoted Charles Blahous’s article that said that the 19 percent decrease in teens with jobs was largely due to state minimum wage laws. While going back and reviewing some of the sources I used in this essay, I was reminded that they were from Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints. I realize looking back that because my professor had us use sources from Opposing Viewpoints, our research was much easier than it otherwise could have been; our sources were pre-narrowed and could be searched by topic. Although this doesn’t detract from the quality of the writing or the organization of the arguments, I realize now that this assignment did not test my research skills.

This leads me to the room for improvement that is in NC Minimum Wage. As mentioned previously, we used a somewhat curated set of sources for our essay that made evidence gathering notably easier. To some extent, the arguments that I used for my essay were not unique because I was able to find sources that so closely supported my arguments. In addition, my writing could have been more lively in this essay and I had no attention-getter in the introduction; I was relying on the assumption of a captive audience. Some transitions were also either abrupt or non-existent, and I could have changed some wording to improve the writing that little bit more.

Although NC Minimum Wage in most ways didn’t push me outside my comfort zone, I believe it was still an important part of my college career. I remember that returning to the fundamentals and doing well writing this paper was very encouraging in a time where I had the significant change of beginning college. It reminded me of my capabilities and that I could to do well in a new situation; that’s one of many reasons why I’m still proud of this essay today.

Oral Communication

The learner will exchange ideas and information with others using the spoken word in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience.

To demonstrate that I have proficiency in the core skill of oral communication, I chose to display my presentation about the Civil Air Patrol that I made in COM-231-IN1. I made and presented this presentation during the fall 2020 semester, which was my 4th semester at SPCC, and I was assigned to write a substantial informative speech. I had joined the Civil Air Patrol just over a year before writing this speech; during that time, I had come to realize how little known the organization was and that it had a fascinating history. I was very excited to write this speech and to share what I had learned with my classmates. I assembled a presentation that contained information on the history of the Civil Air Patrol, all the way back to its beginning in WWII, as well as on the functions that civil air patrol plays today.

I had two goals while writing “The Civil Air Patrol: The Most Important Organization You’ve Never Heard Of” (from now on abbreviated to Civil Air Patrol). The first was to organize my speeches well, with clear transitions between topics so that my audience can easily follow my speech. I believe that this presentation satisfies this first goal. I not only used clear transitions between sub-topics, but I also used a technique taught to me by my dad where you overview the sub-topics of the presentation, present the body content, and then summarize what you have covered. (He explained it to me like this: you tell them what you are going to tell them, then you tell them, then you tell them what you told them.) I begin my presentation with an overview: “What we’re going to cover tonight, is we are going to cover the Civil Air Patrols history, and then their education and training that they provide today, and then the most important aspect of the Civil Air Patrol, its emergency services [sic].” Then, between each sub-topic, I have a clear transition: “So, let’s take a look at Civil Air Patrol’s beginnings,” “Now, the Civil Air Patrol is still very active today…,” “…but why is the Civil Air Patrol the most important organization you’ve never heard of? Two words: emergency services.”

My second goal when writing Civil Air Patrol was to cite sources clearly and establish credibility with my audience. I believe that I successfully established my credibility for this presentation throughout, especially when I overviewed my sources in the beginning: “For this speech, I will be using sources that include various magazine and newspaper articles, as well as official reports from federal agencies. I will also be speaking from some personal experience, as I have been a CAP cadet for just over a year.” I also worked hard to cite my sources clearly; so hard, in fact, that my oral citations sometimes interrupted the flow of my speaking: “Now, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center; what gives them the authority to, um, speak on that? Well, they oversee all inland search… (sic).” Despite this, however, I believe that I cited my sources well so that I was effectively able to gain the trust of my audience. An example of a good citation in my speech was when I discussed CAP’s role during COVID: “In an article from the university wire from May, Angie Moss explains that Civil Air Patrol volunteers in Kansas actually helped transport COVID test kits as well as PPE around the state,” or when I talk about CAP being the first to photograph Ground Zero: “Interestingly enough, according to Ryan Gillepsie from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, a Civil Air Patrol plane was actually the first to fly over and take pictures of Ground Zero after the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.”

The somewhat rough citations are also indicative of a more widespread problem in my speech: lack of rehearsal. Throughout the speech, I have “uhms” and “uhhs”, although I was largely able to minimize filler sounds. Frequently, however, I would replace a filler sound with just silence, to the point where it was almost more distracting (the middle of sentences, for example). If I were to go back and redo my presentation I wouldn’t change my notes much, I’d merely remove the portions I meant to read verbatim. This would prevent me from putting myself in a pickle, so to speak, with the structures of my sentences. I would certainly rehearse my speech more thoroughly though, which would help to remove much of the dead space in the presentation.

Overall, I was happy with how my Civil Air Patrol presentation turned out. The content and organization were excellent, and the issues that I had with presenting helped remind me not to get cocky, and that I needed to rehearse just like everyone else. I loved sharing one of my passions with my classmates, and I did so in a way that I am still proud of to this day.

Critical Thinking

The learner will identify, interpret, analyze, or synthesize problems before developing and implementing solutions in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience.

To demonstrate my proficiency in the core skill of critical thinking, I decided to display my project from MAT 172, Trigonometry in Navigation. In this project, I explained the concepts of triangulation and showed a way that trigonometry (and just a compass) could be used to create a rudimentary map with at least a small degree of accuracy. I completed this project at the end of the spring 2021 semester, at which point I was largely comfortable with college classes. I recall that I had an excellent grade in the class and did this project more for fun than for my grade. I remember this project being fun because in it I took math from a class that I enjoyed (as much as one enjoys math) and applied it to something I loved, namely camping and the outdoors.

I had two goals while working on Trigonometry in Navigation, the first of which was to take a skill that I learned in my math or science studies and apply it to a real-world scenario. I believe that I accomplished this goal, however, it was not by discussing triangulation. Although triangulation is a real technique that is used quite regularly anytime one is navigating using a map and compass, it does not involve much math (at least in day-to-day use). My real demonstration of applying math I learned to a real-life scenario was my explanation of how distances could be calculated using headings, and this could be used to make a map of sorts. I took a basic technique for solving triangles and applied it to the real world by making my angles based on azimuths (compass bearings) and my sides have common units of distance. Although not necessarily the most useful (given the availability of to-scale maps and GPS), my technique would indeed work to find the distance of an object, and would be feasible to do in the field thanks to most navigators having a pace count for 100m.

My second goal while creating Trigonometry in Navigation was to explain my application of a scientific or math-based skill in a way that could be understood by not just professors, but my peers. I think that I accomplished this goal, however the peers that would understand this technique would be those who were at least somewhat familiar with trigonometry. I believe that I explained the math well, walking the reader through it step-by-step. Although this example of clear explanation is reliant on the image and measurements that precede it, it serves as evidence nonetheless:

“Once we find our interior angles for points B and C, we will have those two angles, and the side that is 100m. To calculate the interior angles, we find the difference between the heading of the east-west line we moved along and our other heading. For angle B, the angle can be calculated as follows: 90deg - 20deg = 70deg because the heading for due east is 90deg. For angle C, the calculations are similar: 340deg - 270deg = 70deg because 270deg is the heading for due west. Now we know that angle B = 70, angle C = 70, and side a = 100m. (sides have the letter of the angles that are opposite.) We have our ASA, so now we can solve the triangle.”

I then go on to show the math using the law of sines to calculate the distance to the hypothetical mountain. I think that my explanation is adequate for an informed audience, however it is not sufficient to teach a reader about the law of sines and similar concepts given no prior knowledge of the subject.

At the time of writing, I was happy with how my project on Trigonometry in Navigation came out (especially considering that it was certainly rushed). Looking back, I can more easily see that it was rushed, and I would change some of the wording and explanations to make it easier to follow. This being said, writing about math is challenging and I believe that I did a good job. Although not my most refined work, the fact that I could create a project like this in a short period clearly demonstrates that I had grasped the material, which is arguably the most important purpose of a project like this. I look back on this project with fondness and pride, and think I will continue to do so for much longer.

Intercultural Competence

The learner will demonstrate cultural awareness and objectivity through critical reflection.

To demonstrate the core skill of intercultural competence, I chose to display my oral history reflection from American History 2, HIS-132. I was taking this class in the summer of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. I remember that this was one of two 8-week classes (that were ordinarily 16 weeks) that I was taking at the time, the other being Italian 112. Because these classes were very compressed and I only had two of them, I remember being very immersed in the content and enjoying it more than I think I would have otherwise. I had large quantities of reading to do for history, with a few writing assignments mixed in, like this one and a few essays. Because I was spending so much of my time reading, I felt like I was able to understand the history in context rather than as a series of unique events. In other classes, even if I had taken notes (which I’ll be honest, I usually didn’t), I couldn’t have enjoyed this kind of studying with context without taking up more time than I had available. In addition to this perspective that I got from having context, I gained a still different perspective from the oral history interviews required by this assignment.

While working on this assignment I had two goals, the first of which was to gain a different perspective of a time in history using unique sources other than textbooks. I believe that I accomplished this goal with my use of oral histories. For this assignment, I used three interviews from StoryCorps, a nonprofit founded with the goal of preserving oral history. Because I found military history fascinating, I decided to choose interviews that had to do with various wars. I ended up with an interview about WWII, one about Vietnam, and one about the modern-day conflict in the Middle East. These interviews gave the listener an individual’s perspective on the three conflicts, something that is often lost in textbooks. I listened to these interviews, then summarized them and answered a few questions about them regarding the perspective and motivations of the interviewee, and what I might ask them given the chance. The specific interviews I used can be accessed from the works cited page in the assignment.

My second goal while working on this assignment was to research and share the hardships that others have endured so that I can better appreciate the benefits of living in the modern world. I absolutely accomplished the goal of making myself appreciate the comforts I have, despite this being a relatively minor assignment. All three interviews discussed how brutal war is for an individual, both physically and mentally, and helped me to make war real again, as I had (and still have) a tendency to think of it through “rose-tinted glasses” so to speak. My writing, aside from effectively communicating these emotions to an external audience, certainly made me think seriously about the real impacts of war and the suffering of others. This being said, I think I was able to convey some of the emotion in the interviews, although no writing can do them justice: “He talks about the last words he ever said to them being “Catch you on the flip-side” as he moved over to another vehicle,” “It is heart-wrenching to hear how his voice breaks, as he is thinking back to the moment when he lost his friends,” “By far the most heartbreaking comment Williams makes in the interview is ‘You know, I am most proud of not blowing my head off by now.’”

Even though this assignment may not be a thoroughly-researched paper or contain world-changing scientific principles, it is extraordinarily important in its own right. Listening to heroes recount their experiences and suffering helped me to put my (comparatively small) problems into perspective, and reestablish my respect and gratitude toward those who have fought and suffered for our great country. For that reason, I'm proud of this assignment not for the visible work, but for the influence its creation had on me.

Information Literacy

The learner will locate, identify, evaluate, use and disseminate information ethically and responsibly.

To demonstrate my information literacy skills, I have chosen to display my annotated bibliography from COM-231, which I took in the fall of 2020. I compiled this bibliography while working on my informative speech, which was all about the Civil Air Patrol. I remember thoroughly enjoying writing that speech because I was very passionate about CAP. I also remember that I hadn’t put together many annotated bibliographies yet at the time, even though I had done plenty of source evaluation for research papers. For this reason, I was somewhat excited to share my research and source evaluation skills and the thought processes that I used. It also seemed quite helpful to write down my thoughts about the credibility of sources, the pertinent information I was going to use, and other information on the source. Looking back, I now realize as well that annotating sources would be very useful for picking up where I left off in the research process, meaning I didn’t have to do all of my research in one sitting.

I had two main goals for myself while writing my Civil Air Patrol speech and compiling the annotated bibliography to go with it. My first goal was to evaluate sources to ensure their accuracy, applicability to my argument, and the credibility of the author. I believe that I accomplished all of these goals while researching this speech, and it is apparent based on my annotations. For my sources, I researched the author to find their credentials and whether or not they had the authority to write on the given subject. For example, the source that I used that discussed CAP assisting after 9/11 was written by Ryan Gillespie of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Gillespie didn’t have any special qualifications for this topic (i.e. he wasn’t a historian), but he was an established journalist and used primary sources (members of the flight crew) for his article. For these two reasons, I deemed him credible. The use of primary sources for this article also helped me determine that it was fairly accurate, as details wouldn’t have been lost or distorted with every layer of summarization by various authors. In addition to evaluating sources, I also made sure they were applicable to my topic. An example of this can be found in my annotation for another source by Nick Jacobellis discussing the origins of CAP: “This article covers the founding of the CAP, and how the early volunteers established the organization by building their own bases and training their own members. This goes into great detail about the early stages of the organization, the compensation for its officers, and the early problems they faced (like lack of resources,)” “I use this source to show the early stages of the Civil Air Patrol and the challenges that they face.”

My second goal while writing my speech about the Civil Air Patrol and gathering the sources in my bibliography was to use those sources ethically by quoting them accurately and in context, and by attributing proper credit. Although my bibliography doesn’t necessarily demonstrate this because I don’t lay out the exact quotes I use and how I use them, I can say with confidence that I accomplished this goal. As mentioned in my reflection about my oral presentation, I was so careful to cite my sources thoroughly that it disrupted the flow of my speech. This problem aside, I cited every source that I used in my speech, like this one: “Interestingly enough, according to Ryan Gillespie from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel,” and even went into the credibility of one of my sources, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center: “Now, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center; what gives them the authority to speak on that? Well, they oversee all inland search and rescue… (sic).” I also was careful to accurately paraphrase these sources, so as to convey their original meaning.

My annotated bibliography for my Civil Air Patrol speech demonstrates well my ability to evaluate sources and use information responsibly. The only room for improvement that is apparent would be to go into more detail on the credentials of the author, the accuracy of the source, and how I will use it. For the scale of this particular speech and the length of the sources I used, however, I believe I go into an appropriate amount of detail. Overall, I was and remain happy with how my annotations turned out and how they represent my source evaluation skills, and writing them showed me processes that I will use for many years to come.