Month: June 2021

I found the process of researching how to create a LinkedIn profile to be a useful and rewarding experience. Although I currently have a LinkedIn profile, I have not used or updated it in a while. Since I will be applying for jobs soon, it is a great idea for me to start updating and improving certain parts of my profile. I will definitely follow some of the advice that I learned about while researching, such as updating my profile photo and expanding the size of my network.

For the report proposal and outline, I feel confident in the overall direction of my work. So far I am really enjoying working on the report since my work actually has the potential to have real-world impact on the operations of the Programme Resource Centre at UBC. Regarding my progress so far, I feel confident that I can distribute surveys and conducts interviews this week. After gathering the necessary data, I will be able to start writing the rest of the report the following week, well in advance of the July 14 deadline.

Reading through and reviewing William Jackson’s proposal was enlightening since some of the elements present in his work were also transposable to mine. For example, William placed strong emphasis on the role of staffing on efficiency at Golf Town. For my research at the PRC, I should also perform a thorough analysis on the effect of my proposal on staff hiring and composition. This is important since the capability of our department to hire and retain staff would directly impact the feasibility of implementing certain recommendations.

Overall, the team forum and peer review process has exposed me to a wide variety of assignments and writing styles. Perhaps one of the most important things that I have learned so far is to proofread my own work thoroughly and check assignment guidelines before submission. Some of the most common errors which are present in my peer’s work (and often my own) are spelling and grammar issues which should have been detected prior to posting on the blog.

One other thing I noticed often as a reader was the frustration which occurred when something in a peer’s text was incoherent, ambiguous or confusing. Of course, I can assume that many of my peers might have felt the same way when reading through my work. Noticing this has made me realize that we often write as if it is only ourselves who will be reading our work. However, it’s important to consider that my audience might not share the level of familiarity that I have with a certain topic. Therefore it is important to write in a manner which will not frustrate the reader.

Link to revised Report Proposal: REVISED Formal project proposal

Link to Report Outline: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-98a-2021sa/2021/06/25/lesson-23-formal-report-outline/

Link to peer review (by William Jackson) for proposal: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-98a-2021sa/2021/06/18/peer-review-of-alirods-formal-report-proposal/

The definitions assignment I completed last week was an excellent experience, as it taught me how to critically examine and thoroughly outline a definition for a term. Prior to completing this assignment, I was not really aware that there are different methods and forms available for defining a term in a “technical” manner. This skill will be very useful in the future, if I am preparing a technical report which involves complex vocabulary and jargon. For example, many contracts and legal documents contain a list of definitions for certain words/terms in order to reduce ambiguity. 

I really appreciated having an opportunity to peer review Claire’s work. The peer review process is helpful not just for the purpose of improving our own work, but also for giving us a chance to read through someone else’s work to learn what unique ideas they have. One aspect of Claire’s work which I appreciated was the how the definitions were articulated in a tone which was easy to follow while reading. Despite the complex nature of the term Claire was defining, I felt like the definitions she provided provided the reader with a comprehensive understanding of the topic.

The feedback which Claire provided was vital for improving the quality of my work and ensuring that I met all expectations for this assignment. I revised the visual and figure caption, fixed some grammar errors and added some additional elaboration for the expanded definition. As per the instructors feedback, I also reformatted the citations to the proper format (MLA) and reformatted the figure caption as well. One important lesson I learned during this process is that I should double-check assignment guidelines prior to completing my work.

One additional improvement I made to my writing was making it more concise and removing any unnecessary words. Sometimes my writing is excessively verbose, which is an issue as it can be confusing and distracting for the reader. Especially when writing a technical definition, it is important to write in a clear, direct and unambiguous manner.

Revised definition assignment: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-98a-2021sa/2021/06/09/revised-lesson-13-definitions-latent-extinction-risk/

Feedback by Claire (peer review): https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-98a-2021sa/2021/06/05/peer-review-of-definitions-assignment-for-alirod/