Now that the term is winding down to a close, a self-assessment of my strengths and weaknesses in technical writing will help me understand myself and understand how they will support my future career goals.

STRENGTHS

My greatest strengths when it comes to technical writing is that I know a lot of the basics such as formulating a thesis and writing in the outline of introduction, body, and conclusion. I also know how to write from a neutral, third-person perspective (i.e. without the use of “I,” “we,” or “you”).

WEAKNESSES

Having said that, there are some areas that I could improve upon. Avoiding the negative is still a struggle and it is a habit that is going to be harder for me to break. Sometimes I still write in the passive voice but I have made great strides to write with an active voice this term.

FUTURE CAREER

Technical writing is useful in any industry. I will definitely be using the skills I learned in this course; the most important of which is writing with a “You-Attitude.” I used to really dislike writing in the second person, but feel like I have really mastered writing with a “You-Attitude” and I am confident that I can provide better constructive feedback in the future.

OVERALL

I am thankful for the skills that I have developed by taking this course. The peer reviews, both conducting and receiving, were especially helpful in identifying the parts that I can improve upon. Generally, I am very pleased with my progress throughout term and will apply the skills that I have learned in my future career.

PROCESS

The process of making a web folio is a lot harder than it looks. It takes time and effort to create a well-designed web folio. Luckily, using WordPress saves time because it provides ready-made themes and all I have to do is choose one that matches my style. I found my original theme to be too minimalist so I chose another one that is still clean but allows for a cover photo. WordPress makes it simple for me to upload pictures and files with hyperlinks. Coming from a computer science background, I know how to create websites with HTML and CSS which made formatting the résumé easier, especially in making the section headings bigger.

CONTENT

Ensuring that there are no spelling or grammatical mistakes in my web folio is important in appearing professional. The guidelines laid out in the Technical Communications textbook helps immensely when it comes to creating a web folio. While proofreading my old documents and blog posts, I realized how much I have grown and developed as a technical writer. My Best Works page contains four pieces that are original and presentable.

My cover photo is one that I took a few years ago while I was learning how to fold origami Yodas. It allows my sense of humour to shine through and helps me in showing people what my hobbies are. Complex origami pieces take a lot of patience and perseverance. I want employers to understand that I will be patient with co-workers and customers and I will persevere in fixing bugs and get the program to work!

FORMAL REPORT DRAFT

Research Process

The research process has been easier and harder than I imagined. What I thought would be difficult turned out to be painless and what I thought would work well turned out not be so. From previous experience, I thought it would take a lot of time to set up and conduct interviews with the past and present executives or they would not want to participate; however, the majority of them agreed and they went by quickly and smoothly. I also imagined that I would have to advertise at least 3 times or go out and ask people in person to fill out my survey in order to get my desired sample size of 20. Surprisingly, I only had to advertise once and I had 22 respondents within 3 days.

I figured that there would be a lot of published articles on the benefits of getting involved with university clubs and organizations for my secondary source, but this was not the case! There are no formal studies or research on this topic other than what has been purported by American colleges. Therefore, I had to adjust my research process by using the triangulation method which serves to find commonalities from multiple sources and validate the data at the same time.

Organization and Writing

My current outline is significantly different from what I had posted on my team forum. I had to cut down my introduction because it would have ended up being five pages long otherwise. So I took out some sections but added other ones as my writing progressed. When I realized that additional information was needed, I added them in for the reader.

The changes made in my research process also affected my outline. I added a section on the purpose of surveys and a section on triangulation. I collapsed results and analysis into one section because it would be very boring for the audience to read about the results when they can look at charts. I also had to reorder many parts of my outline. I think the lesson to be learned here is to be flexible; one can only plan and anticipate so much of what could happen.

PEER REVIEW

I have picked up a fantastic tip after peer reviewing Marvin’s formal report draft. He had a “for” section in his title page and it neatly indicates his audience and for whom the report is intended. Peer reviewing his draft also affirmed my decision to collapse my results and analysis section into one and not just state the results when they can be viewed from charts.

Marvin gave me some great insight on what needs to be changed. After the reminder of who my audience is, I will remove the section on “Profile of a BCS Student” and add “Scope of Inquiry” back into my introduction. Marvin also provided me with some excellent suggestions, all of which I will implement.

Overall, I have learned the importance of breaking down a large project like the formal report into small chunks. Everything seems less daunting and easier to manage when I have a writing plan and when I concentrate on one thing at a time.

LinkedIn Profile Reflections

I had already created my LinkedIn profile before the start of this assignment. The layout and format of LinkedIn has changed since the last time I updated my profile, making it difficult for me to list my projects in chronological order. Therefore, I had to manually change every project.

While refining my profile, I discovered that there are many ways to professionally present myself on this online platform. However, it is best to have my LinkedIn profile mimic what my resume would look like. I learned just how important the summary section is while browsing through the connections in my network for inspiration. The summary section can really make one stand out in a crowd if written properly.

Formal Report Reflections

Formal Report Proposal

Coming up with an appropriate topic for my Formal Report was easy as I knew I wanted to write about the BCS Club. The challenge was in defining the scope so that it would be broad enough to fill out the required page length, but also narrow and specific enough to give me a direction in where my research should go. I did have problems with my topic in that it would not meet the required page length and it would not have proper secondary sources. I rectified these problems by adding another solution to investigate.

Formal Report Progress

I am satisfied with the progress of my report because I immediately addressed the problems that I had encountered. My revised proposal is attached below and it includes corrections from the peer review that I received from Marvin. My revised proposal also includes my additional solution which is formatted in Italics.

I have a clear vision of how my Formal Report will come together and what it will look like. I have a good grasp of the process and what to do since I have written business and technical research reports before. However, I wrote those reports with a team of others so I am a little intimidated to write this report by myself. I also feel the timeline for this report is too aggressive in that a project of this magnitude should be allowed more time. I am afraid that I will produce a lower-quality report due to such a tight schedule. Hopefully my survey and interview questions will be approved quickly so that I can begin to conduct my research right away.

Peer Review Process

Peer Review of Marvin’s Proposal

Reflecting on my peer review for Marvin, I have learned that I focus too much on grammar and style rather than on content. Grammar, sentence structure, and paragraph flow are all important, but ultimately it is the content that matters the most. Because of this, my peer review was too short. I will focus more on content for next time and produce a longer peer review. Please see my peer review for Marvin in the hyperlink below.

The Peer Review Process

The peer review process has been very helpful. I really appreciate the constructive feedback that I have received from my writing team. They identify the areas that I can improve upon and the areas in which I should continue to do well. They also catch some glaring errors that I do not see. The suggestions they make are very logical and easy to understand. The most important thing I have learned from this process is to use headings and sub-headings for organization.

ENGL 301 Angela Chen Formal Report Proposal Revised

Assignment 2:1 – Peer Review for Marvin Cadano

Original Writing

I chose to define “abstraction” because it is a concept that I did not fully comprehend when I took CPSC 210. I have always thought that the best way to learn is to teach and this was the perfect opportunity to challenge myself.

I learned that thinking about the intended audience is very important as it determines my style of writing. Since I decided on university students who are new to computer science, I wrote in a tone that was not overly formal, but not dumbed-down either. The textbook provided great guidance on how to write technically. I really had to work on cutting out unnecessary words and it was difficult for me to explain a technical term without using more jargon.

Peer Review Process

I was familiar with the process of giving positive and constructive feedback in terms of work performance. I was not, however, familiar with the peer review process in terms of technical writing. I simply went through Shannon’s document in order and made note of any grammar mistakes, what could be improved, and possible suggestions for improvement. I struggled with explaining the “why” behind my suggestions; it really exercised my critical thinking skills. Shannon did a great job in defining a term that was not in my field of study. Overall I found the process to be open-ended and I enjoyed learning about a new term.

Editing Process

I found it difficult to follow Shannon’s peer review for me because it jumped around a lot—her review was not based on the order of my document in the same way I did my peer review for her. Other than that, I found her feedback to be helpful. I learned what I should continue doing and what areas could be improved. The parts where Shannon thought needed more work were the same expanded definitions that I had problems in defining. She pointed out specific examples in my work and provided valuable suggestions which I implemented. I also learned that in-text citations should be inside the period rather than on the outside.

301 Angela Chen Definitions Revised

Shannon’s Peer Review

From: Angela Chen (angelaichen87@gmail.com)
To: Shannon Benson (shannonbenson7@gmail.com)
Subject: Professional Writing Team for ENGL 301
Date: January 23, 2017

Dear Shannon,

I have read your letter of application and I would like to invite you to form a four-person writing team for ENGL 301.

Your experience in transcription work sounds fascinating and I agree that it would make you an asset to any writing team. I believe our writing styles and professional interests complement each other well—I too am in the BCS program at UBC and want to explore the human side of computer science.

Attached to this email is my letter of application for your perusal. If you are interested in my offer, then feel free to contact me via email at angelaichen87@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Angela Chen

Enclosure: 301 Angela Chen Application Letter

——————————————————————-

From: Angela Chen (angelaichen87@gmail.com)
To: Salman Mohtadi (salmanmohtadi@gmail.com)
Subject: Professional Writing Team for ENGL 301
Date: January 23, 2017

Dear Salman,

I have read your letter of application and I would like to invite you to form a four-person writing team for ENGL 301.

I feel like we can learn a lot from each other. I would love to hear more about the skills you have developed in the writing courses you have taken and I can help you understand sentence structure. Our interests also align quite nicely—I too am in the BCS program at UBC and I can tell you about user interface experience while you tell me about your computer graphics and computer animation experiences.

Attached to this email is my letter of application for your perusal. If you are interested in my offer, then feel free to contact me via email at angelaichen87@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Angela Chen

Enclosure: 301 Angela Chen Application Letter

——————————————————————-

From: Angela Chen (angelaichen87@gmail.com)
To: Marvin Cadano (madeup@email.com)
Subject: Professional Writing Team for ENGL 301
Date: January 23, 2017

Dear Marvin,

I have read your letter of application and I would like to invite you to form a four-person writing team for ENGL 301.

I too am a fourth-year student in the BCS program at UBC with experience in working for non-profit organizations. I feel like our strengths and weaknesses complement each other very well. I can teach you how to create an effective web folio and I would be interested in learning more about literary analysis from you.

Attached to this email is my letter of application for your perusal. If you are interested in my offer, then feel free to contact me via email at angelaichen87@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Angela Chen

Enclosure: 301 Angela Chen Application Letter

To: Dr. Erika Paterson, ENGL 301 Instructor
From: Angela Chen, ENGL 301 Student
Date: January 16, 2017
Subject: Letter of Application

I have posted my letter of application for a professional writing team in your class on to my blog. You can access it online here or please see the enclosed attachment to this memo.

The letter of application includes the following details:

• My educational background
• My professional interests and experiences
• My strengths and weaknesses in my writing skills and work habits
• My learning philosophy

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments, or require additional information. I look forward to your feedback.

Thank you for your time.

Enclosure: 301 Angela Chen Application Letter

2205 Lower Mall
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4
January 16, 2017

ENGL 301 Technical Writing Class
University of British Columbia
2329 West Mall
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4

Dear ENGL 301 classmates,

Please consider my application to be a member of your professional writing team for ENGL 301, as advertised on the ENGL 301 blog page. I am a fourth-year student in the Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS) program at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Over the course of working in the customer service industry for eight years, I have developed excellent communication and teamwork skills which I believe would make me a valuable team member.

My first degree is a Bachelor’s in Commerce, specializing in Human Resource Management. After graduation, I had a strong urge to give back to the community. Therefore, I decided to work and volunteer at charitable organizations such as the YMCA and the Canadian Cancer Society, respectively. In the future, I wish to make the best use out of both of my degrees and become a Project Manager, where I can facilitate better communication between business clients and technical employees.

I have completed two co-op experiences while attaining my BCS degree. First, I was a Learning Technology Rover for the Faculty of Science at UBC and second, I was a QA Ninja at Eventbase Technology Inc. I wrote training documentation for both experiences and they are still in use today. I am able to write in a tone that is suited for the audience; however, it can veer too much into a formal tone. I also have difficulty in letting a project go or sharing a task with others, but I am a conscientious and fast learner.

My learning philosophy is “you learn by doing.” I find practical experience in the subject matter to be superior to reading or listening about it. I also think that group work can be very rewarding in the sense that one can gain a different perspective from one’s peers.

Thank you for your time and consideration of my application. I feel I would be a good fit for your professional writing team due to the qualities and experiences I have described above. If our background and interests are in alignment, then please contact me through the Facebook group page or by email at angelaichen87@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Angela Chen

301 Angela Chen Application Letter