Alicia DeGelder

Upon reflection of my web folio, I feel like it does not completely represent me as a person or a professional which stems from my weakness in working with this platform and creating a web page in general. I spent many frustrating hours creating the initial web page and was mostly satisfied with the end result. Unfortunately, the education system does not allow for leisurely time to be spent figuring things out, there are deadlines and many expectations that must be met. For now, I will set the goal for myself to become more proficient in representing myself online, including LinkedIn, which was also a new platform for me.

Over the semester, I have found the peer-reviews to be very helpful in perfecting my writing. I often write in a passive voice, which is great for scientific lab reports, but not for everything! I am trying to be aware of this and to correct it when appropriate. I think it creates a milder feel to the writing and perhaps, as when applying for a job, a more direct, confident approach is necessary. One of my strengths throughout has been punctuality; I have had every assignment in before the due date. Peer reviews relied on students having their work submitted on time, so I hope my team members have appreciated my diligence.

My skills as a student include time management, perseverance, and constant goal setting and growth which I believe will all be valuable to a future employer. I am determined to always perform a job to the best of my ability and am willing to take on tasks that I am unfamiliar with and learn along the way. I appreciate having had the chance to practice and learn the new skills that this course has taught. These assignments have all been very applicable to a modern-day, on-line business world, which I need to begin to welcome; it is time I join the future.

In this latest assignment, we were asked to create a web folio, which I was previously unfamiliar with. I found the assignment interesting and challenging. I chose to use my already established 301 UBC blog page as I felt comfortable adding pages and adding items to the menu.

The initial assignment of creating a blog site was the first time I had used such a platform and I found it difficult to navigate and create something that reflected what I had visualized in my mind. With the help of instructions and FAQ, I was able to create something that I was satisfied with and felt reflected my personality fairly well.

When there was the option to use the same site or create a new one, I chose not to reinvent the wheel and modified my currently active page. I added a couple more pages on and feel it satisfies the requirement.

The concept of the web folio is a new one for me, as I have been employed with the same company for over 10 years and have not performed an active job search since I was initially hired in 2007. Coming up on graduation, however, I appreciate that this exercise will prove beneficial in a professional job search in the future and am grateful for this practice.

The topic I chose to write about for this research project is job burnout in technical service areas of healthcare. This topic is one that I am passionate about as I worked in a high-stress environment for many years. I am now in a much healthier environment, and I found it very interesting looking at this research from my two different experiences.

I intended to send my survey out via Interior Health email so I could reach a larger number of people. This involved communicating with the Research and Privacy Departments, which ended up taking much more time than anticipated. Going through this process was a valuable experience in understanding the work that goes into research/experiments. Interior Health goes to great lengths to protect its employees and to ensure ethics standards are being met. It was a joyous occasion when I got permission to send my survey out!

I had many people very interested in my survey and I found they were glad to be able to express themselves around this matter. I had people thanking me for asking these questions and being concerned with their workload. These reactions make me feel sad as people are so desperate for change and I do beleive that change is possible, but it will take a lot of work and cooperation to change.

I struggled at first with organization, but found the textbook to be a valuable resource. As I was forming my draft, I found that I kept referring back to the research outline which we had been asked to create. At first, I didn’t realize how helpful this document would be, but I was very thankful to have it to guide my thoughts and information as I was writing my draft.

I find the peer reviews to be rather difficult, but giving constructive criticism is a great skill to develop. I found it helpful to divide the paper up into sections and critique each one seperately. Reading back through my peer review for Russel, I found that I used “you” a lot throughout, which I think is best avoided and I will try to be conscious of in my next peer review. I hope I was able to provide Russel with some helpful advice.

301_analysis of burnout_Alicia DeGelder

Creating a LinkedIn profile was challenging, however, it was helpful to first research and write the top ten rules of LinkedIn etiquette as it provided a good base for creating my profile. I find it very difficult to describe myself or the duties I do in a positive or interesting matter. My favorite part of creating my profile was getting a professional looking photo; I enlisted the help of my son, an amateur photographer. He got bored of helping rather quickly, but it was nice to try to work together on something, however brief.

I enjoyed the beginning steps of the research proposal. My topic is one that I am very interested in as I worked in a department for many years undergoing daily stressors that contribute to burnout. The changes in my life and mental attitude since leaving that position have been drastic, and I feel that addressing the issue can help not only individuals, but help those individuals be more engaged in their jobs, providing a higher quality of work and a higher level of patient care. I really enjoyed making up my survey and am proud of the finished product; I look forward to review the responses.

(note: this peer review was on Russel’s initial proposal which has since changed) Peer reviewing Russel’s research proposal was interesting. I find Russel to be a very good writer and I enjoyed reading his proposal. I thought his idea was interesting and I felt he was very convincing in explaining why he felt there was an issue. The course obviously made an impact on him, and it is great that he wishes there was a similar option available for first-year students. I sometimes find it difficult making suggestions, but realize (as the receiver of peer reviews) how helpful it is to have those recommendations to make the document better.

From the peer review process, I have learned that I do not write things as succinctly as I wish and am trying to be more mindful of that. I am appreciative of the feedback and am so grateful to have that in order to improve upon my writing. I recently had to write a research article for another class, and I had 2 others read it over and offer suggestions prior to handing it in. I really see the importance of this process and am thankful for each review, It really highlights common areas of improvement and makes me cognizant of areas to work on. In peer reviewing, I am always very impressed by the intelligence and professionalism of my peers.

Link to peer review of my proposal: Peer review_Alicia DeGelder_by Dakota Tryhuba

Updated Research Proposal: 301_AliciaDeGelder_Research Proposal

I found writing the definitions quite challenging. I chose the word “Bacteriophage” which I am quite familiar with but having to explain it at a basic level was more difficult that I had anticipated. This definition was written with a novice in mind – for example a fellow writing student who is majoring in a non-science specialty. I found the expansion methods in the textbook helpful in providing some guidance. I struggled with finding pertinent information to include – information that would better help the understanding of the term; I wanted to try to avoid unnecessary facts.

Dakota’s review of my work was great, she made really excellent points. One thing Dakota pointed out was that the sentence definition was shorter than the sentence used in the parenthetical definition. I had followed the structure of word>class>distinguishing features, as outlined in the text and felt that it adequately met the criteria. I did try to expand it upon Dakota’s suggestion, and I think it may be more detailed and clear now having the extra information included. Secondly, it was noted that the organization was sub-par and as such, it appeared as if I did not use an adequate number of expansion techniques. This was a really good suggestion and I feel the definition is much more clear with the added subsections.

I enjoyed the peer review process for Russel’s definition of the term “singularity”. I had heard the term before but was not familiar with the meaning. I was glad to not be familiar with the term as it allowed me to read it through as an actual non-technical reader. I think this allows for a more accurate review, rather than the writer trying to read from that point of view.

I learned that a peer review is supremely helpful in that it brings in the experience of another. I think it is a very challenging task to explain a familiar term to someone who is not familiar with it, and this exercise shows that. It is often difficult to critique our own work and I think this peer review process is very important.

Peer Review: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-99c-2018wc/2019/01/22/peer-review-for-alicia-degelder/

Revised definitions: 301_Definitions_peer reviewed_alicia degelder_2019-03-19

Memorandum

To: Dr. Erika Paterson, Professor

From: Alicia DeGelder, English 301 Student

Date: Jan. 10, 2019

Subject: Posted letter of application

As requested in assignment 1:2, I am writing to inform you that I have posted my letter of application for my English 301 peers.

My letter of application outlines:

• My current academic standing
• Future goals
• Present employment and volunteer positions
• Strengths and weaknesses, as related to working with a writing team

I have posted this letter on my blog and have attached the Word document here, for your perusal.

301_letter of application_alicia degelder_2019-03-19

777 Jones Street

Kelowna B.C. V1Y 2S6

Mar.19 2019

English 301 99C

University of British Columbia
2329 West Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4

Dear 301 Technical Writing Class:

Please accept this letter of interest in response to the posting for a Technical Writing Team Member, as posted on the Technical Writing Blog on Jan 2, 2019. I am interested in joining a diverse and self-motivated group of writers with whom I can complete professional, collaborative writing assignments.

I am currently completing the third year of my Science Degree, attending classes both online and at the Okanagan Campus. My future goals include finishing my degree, writing the MCAT and applying to Medical School. During my education, I have found two learning techniques to be helpful: Hands-on application/practice and recall. I appreciate that there is the opportunity for practice and revision in this class.

Presently, I hold a full-time Administrative Assistant position in KGH’s Microbiology Department, which includes assisting and performing clerical duties for the department and the three Medical Microbiologists employed at KGH. This position has given me the skills to communicate efficiently with professionals from all over the Interior.

Previously, I held the position of Educator for the Medical Device Reprocessing Department at KGH where I learned how to communicate not only as a co-worker, but as a leader. With a staff of over 50, email was often the most reasonable method to distribute information and I became comfortable communicating electronically.

I struggle with poor grammar and punctuation in my writing, focusing more on word choice. My strengths include communication, time-management, and a keen interest in English. I will be a diligent and collaborative member to a writing team and appreciate your consideration.

If you are interested in working with me or would like any more information, please contact me at Alicia.Degelder@alumni.ubc.ca.

Best regards,

Alicia DeGelder

301_letter of application_alicia degelder_2019-03-19