In Unit Three of ENGL 301, the main focus was on researching, organizing and writing the formal report draft. Also, I peer reviewed my teammate’s draft about improving the availability of affordable housing for UBC students.
I felt that writing the report draft was not too difficult because the brainstorming work was done in the report proposal. I expanded upon the work done in my proposal and added more details to relate ideas together. However, I found the research aspect of the draft difficult since it was my first time doing research with the use of surveys. The qualitics tool was intuitive to use but I struggled to write appropriate survey questions and include several leading questions. I revised my questions before posting it to others. I found the data analysis and data visualization features of the tool helpful in adding visuals to my draft. The tool provided several options of graphs with a few clicks and I understood why many surveys use qualtrics. The data analysis for my draft helped me realize that UBC students require help with job searching, and resume and cover letter writing. This reflects my own experience as an undergrad during my first degree in Chemistry. During my first degree, I was focused on passing my courses, studying for exams, and preparing for chemistry labs and did not pay attention to job searching until I graduated. It took me several months before I found a laboratory technician job because I was unfamiliar with writing resumes and I was uncomfortable with interviewing. Currently in my Computer Science degree, I feel more comfortable with job searching and interviewing. This is due to the co-op workshops that I attend that taught students how to write a resume and cover letter, and techniques for interviewing. I felt more comfortable because I had more experience with interviewing during my co-op job searching. Therefore, I believe that UBC students would benefit from having more career related resources available to them and that is why I chose my topic for my formal report. Also, I visited the Surrey City Centre Library to observe and take pictures of career or job related advertisements. I took pictures of brochures, and posters that will be included in my draft. Being able to visit the library created a sense of connection to my report and having a physical location that I can visit brought a sense of purpose to this writing exercise. The process of researching and writing my draft has taught me that it is a long process that has many steps but is rewarding when the topic is relevant to my past experiences and to UBC students in my community.
I peer reviewed my teammate’s report draft and I found their report to be interesting because it had a topic that interested me. My teammate’s draft was about improving the availability of affordable housing for UBC students and I noticed that this issue has been affecting the entire Metro Vancouver area. I found several elements while reading their report that I could include in my own. Their report included the survey questions they used for research in the appendix and I did not think including my questions at all. However, I will include my survey questions in my report after reviewing their report. The process of peer review is an opportunity to discover new ways to improve upon my own work by learning about how different people work, think, and organize.
Enclosure: ENGL 301 Formal Report Draft