Content:
In Cd-315, we were asked to complete a Multi-genre research paper, or MRP. The MRP is an alternative approach to a regular research paper. It requires searching through various forms of information to answer a research question, but instead of typing out the factual information that you learned, you use your newfound knowledge to create genres. The genres are fictional pieces used to express different points of view. To complete the MRP assignment, we had to create 6 genre pieces. A PowerPoint presentation, a poem, and a webliography were three required genres, but the remaining genres used in the MRP were up to the author.

Aside from the genre selections, a preface, acknowledgements, about the author, and reference section had to be included in the MRP. The preface was used for the author to explain to his/her readers why they choose the research topic, the about the author section was created to give the reader some personal information about the author and insight about the authors criteria in association with their topic, the acknowledgement section was included to give the author a chance to thank the people who helped in the creation of the MRP. Finally, the reference section was created to site the author’s source of information that was contained in the MRP. The reference section of the MRP is very similar to one included in a traditional research paper.

Process:
In order to begin the Multi-genre research project, I had to select an interesting research topic as a basis for the MRP. I selected Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) because everything about the disorder seemed to spark my interest. After selecting an overall topic, I had to create a list of foundation questions and an essential question. The essential question was the main question that I wanted answered after conducting research. The foundation questions were questions that had to be answered in order to come up with the answer of the essential question.

After the compiling my list of questions, I had to begin researching. The researching step for this assignment was an on-going process. It was one of the first things that I began for the MRP, yet it was one of the last things that I completed. I used many different outlets for conducting my research. I mostly used search engines and Marshall’s on-line library. I found lots of useful materials, as well as useless ones.

After gaining enough useful material, I began work on the list of genres. The first genre that I worked on was the webliography, one of the required genres. This genre was created through my perspective. I included some personal information and hyperlinks to Internet sites that drew my interest. This was one of my favorite genres to create because of the needed knowledge of computer skills.

After this was complete, I published it onto my on-line weblog and began work on my next genre. I continuously drafted and published genres onto the web until I obtained the necessary six. I included a PowerPoint presentation, a poem, a newsletter, a lesson plan, and a letter to a parent in my multi-genre research project. While working on the MRP, I wanted to include a variety of perspectives so that the reader would get a full understanding about Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), how the disorder effects someone and their family, some of the therapy options available for the disorder, and the role of the speech pathologist in association to the disorder. The poem that I included in the MRP was written in the voice of a little girl who was dealing with CAPD. I choose to write the poem from the perspective of a child affected with CAPD for many reasons. Young children are just learning and experimenting with poems and poetry is good way to express feelings are just a couple of reasons why I choose this perspective. One thing that I did that most people in my CD 315 class didn’t do was write a rhyming poem. I did this for a very important reason. I did it because I thought that the poem would be more believable to come from a child if it rhymed. I believe that most children that are beginning to experiment with poetry write rhyming poems. When I was young, I began poetry writing with rhyming poems. I’m not sure who old I was, which makes me a little unsure about the age-appropriateness of the poem, but I think that if someone read the poem that they would believe that a child wrote it. I attempted for the reader to empathize with the situation that the child was going through.

Next, I began experimenting with my newsletter genre. I wrote this genre from the parental perspective. Although both, the poem and the newsletter, was dealing with the personal effects of CAPD, they have very different tones. The parental newsletter is a newsletter that displays the close-net community of parents who have children with CAPD. It doesn’t display feelings of frustration or empathy; instead I attempted to project a motherly feel within the piece. I wanted the reading to understand what a parent, any parent, goes through to have the best for their child. The newsletter includes several small articles about meetings, birthday parties, inspirational people within the CAPD community, and technology associated with helping children with CAPD. I really wanted the reader of the newsletter to get a feel about how normal these families with children of CAPD are. Without addressing it, I tried to imply a mother or father’s desire to keep their child happy and living a normal life, free of ridicule and discrimination.

After completing the newsletter genre, I began working on my PowerPoint presentation. I choose to base the PowerPoint presentation on the new, controversy program FastForword. This piece is written from the voice of a FastForword representative. Basically, the sales representative is trying to sell the program to the viewers. In true FastForword nature, I included an array of factual statistics that makes the program seem incredible. I attempted to get my “viewers” really astounded, excited, and want to subscribe to the FastForword program. I had no choice but to include a piece about FastForword. It is such a controversial therapy program that anytime that CAPD is mentioned, FastForword debates follow immediately. I really didn’t think that I could do an accurate overview of the disorder without included a piece on FastForword and the PowerPoint presentation seemed to be the best genre to choose.

After completing the PowerPoint genre, I began working on two genres from the perspective of a speech pathologist. One is a lesson plan, which focuses on therapy for a child with CAPD, whereas the other focuses on parental involvement in the speech therapy program. The first speech pathologist perspective is a lesson plan that is designed the way SLP lesson plans should be. It includes an objective, procedure, materials, and results section. I developed the lesson plan while looking at my notes from last semester, so I think that I did everything appropriately. The only think that I didn’t do that I’m unsure about is associated with the results section. Last semester, I know we discussed SOAP notes that are used to complete the results section of the lesson plan. I included all the criteria associated with SOAP notes, but I didn’t divide them into their separate parts. I’m not sure if SOAP notes are suppose to be separated or not, but I didn’t separate them. The therapy session is based on actual therapy that a child with CAPD might receive. Finally, I attempted to increase the client’s performance in therapy by sending a letter to the child’s parents. The letter to the parent is from the speech pathologist perspective. I tried to inform the parent about the child’s performance in therapy and invite him/her to become an active part in the child’s rehabilitation. My motivation for writing this piece is my thoughts that a child will do better if they receive support and encouragement from home. Everyone is constantly talking about how important it is for parents to be involved in their child’s education, but no one every talks about getting parents involved in their child’s therapy program. I wanted to motivate the parent to get involved hoping that in return the child’s performance would get increased. I’m not sure if I thought too deeply into the purpose of this piece or not. That concludes the genres that I included in my MRP.

Aside from the genres, I included preface, acknowledgments, and about the author section. All of these sections were developed from my perspective and for the reader of my MRP. All of these attempt to give the reader of the MRP more information about the author so that they can decide for themselves if they think the information included within my MRP is valid or not. I also included a reference section, which details my sources, in APA format, for completion of the assignment. I’m not sure how good or bad my MRP work is, but I know that I gained a lot more information and that I tried to get a variety a points about CAPD across to my reader.

Premise:
This assignment has been unlike anything that I have done before. It involved a variety of different pieces to come together to provide different aspects of the same topic. Although it was very different, I really enjoyed it. The writer of the MRP gains more information than the writer of a traditional research paper. I’m not sure if the reader of the MRP gains more information or not. The writer not only gains factual information associated with their topic through research, but they gain empathy as well. The nature of the assignment forces the writing to look deeper than just the facts. You have to look at the feelings and jobs associated with many people attached to the disorder. I gained a lot of knowledge about Central Auditory Processing Disorder while working on this assignment, but I also gained a deeper understanding for the people who live with the disorder. The empathy that I gained in this assignment will be very important for my future career as an SLP. I will need empathy for my clients so that I can provide them with the most appropriate care. Aside from information associated with Communication Disorders and my future career, I also learned a lot of information about the Internet. Through the webliography assignment, I was forced to learn how to include links into a page on the Internet. I also learned how to search the Internet more efficiently. Although this has been a shorter semester than we are used to, I still learned a lot. I was also forced to gain confidence in myself as a student. People in the CD class with me were constantly looking at my work, so I was forced to get more comfortable displaying my work and with myself. I am also more comfortable when trying new things on the Internet. I used to be scared to death to click something that is unfamiliar; now, I will click on anything without thinking about it. (I don’t know if that is good or bad.) This assignment required a lot of time and energy, but I believe that the end product and everything that I learned through this assignment and in this class is worth it.

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