Welcome!
You’ve reached Alex Clements’ blog for ENGL 301 – Technical Writing.
This is a course designed with several objectives in mind. It aims to:
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- Introduce students to writing in technical and professional environments.
- Provide students with the opportunity to participate in open discussion and peer review.
- Improve self-editing skills.
- Help students develop an online portfolio to showcase their work.
I’ll be posting my coursework on this blog, which will include letters, reflections, self-assessments, peer reviews, e-mails, memos, reports, and applications. By making this publicly available, I am hoping to push myself into producing the highest quality work that I can.
Working in the software industry for several years, it has become clear to me that the ability to communicate clearly and effectively is a vital skill. Clear communication in requirements documentation leads to the development of correct features, where rework is minimal. This is cost-efficient and makes achieving project deadlines an easy task. Missing details and ambiguous writing can lead to errors in development which take lots of time to fix. This is expensive and can easily lead to missed project deadlines. On top of this, clear writing in emails, internal memos, and messaging can help to effectively communicate deadlines, project risks, and product capabilities. Each of these, of course, also helps to ensure that projects are executed as smoothly as possible.
In completing this course, I am aiming to improve the clarity, conciseness, and impact of my writing. I am looking to gather constructive feedback from other ENGL 301 students, and to participate in healthy debate and discussion in the comments sections of these blogs. Ultimately, I am looking to complete this course with a sharpened writing skillset that can allow me to be successful in a professional environment.
I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know each of you in this course throughout the semester.
Cheers,
Alex