Blog

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ENGL 301 was an interesting experience that helped expose my skills as a writer. Throughout my assignments I have provided some well-written and polished work. For instance, my blog reflections have been consistently praised, and my peer reviews have been improving in quality. I am most proud of my peer review of Ian’s formal report draft, since I was able to comment on many elements of the draft while also avoiding a negative tone – a skill that I have struggled with in the past. Maintaining a proper tone while communicating with others is sometimes a challenge for me, but I think I can improve over time. Another area of further work would be my formatting of memos. I have frequently lost marks on simple formatting errors such as forgetting my initials. With further practice in the future, I hope that I’ll be able to consistently adhere to the standards of technical communication and convey my thoughts in a polished, professional manner.

The entire learning process has been positive overall. Since this course was administered online, it took quite a bit of self-directed effort to ensure that I was keeping up with assignments. I tried several times in the course to do my work in advance and get a head start on my formal report, but there were other times where I lagged behind in the face of competing priorities from other courses. Nevertheless, I managed to finish all of my assignments with a decent amount of thoughtful effort, and I hope that this whole experience has improved my personal time management skills.

Another part that I appreciated about the course was the opportunity to work with Ian, my peer reviewer. He has been timely with his assignments and helpful with advice. I am confident that with his optimistic attitude and responsiveness to feedback, he will be successful in his ambitious pursuits and become a well-accomplished dentist. Thanks Ian, and keep up the good work!

I think quite a bit about my future career aspirations. Having the experience of a pharmacist and software developer, I am ultimately inclined to pursue a career where the domains of healthcare and technology intersect. I would like to be in a place 10 years from now, where my technical skills and familiarity with the health care system provides improved care for a vast number of patients. I am unique in that I can communicate the concerns of both health care professionals and tech companies. I also think my constant concern for the future of health care combined with my constant pursuit of opportunity will help guide me towards the right career path

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As the course wraps up, I’ve been updating my web folio so that it comes out polished by the time the course is over. In my opinion, a good web folio serves as a platform to showcase your work and at the same time, show the readers that you are an interesting person. In this course, I think that the web folio project is a good representation of my technical writing skills and serves as a useful way to “stand out” as a software developer.

There were some minor difficulties along the way, such as figuring out how to create individual pages in WordPress, as well as uploading files. In particular, formatting my blog posts was a nightmare. WordPress really needs to improve on their editor because I often had to resort to editing the raw HTML in order to get the layout that I wanted. I’ve had several attempts in the past to develop my own blog, but in most cases I abandoned it after a few weeks. It really takes a lot of dedication to maintain and update a personal site that very few people will end up reading.

The process of developing my folio was enjoyable overall. I liked browsing through the different themes – I went with a minimalistic one. I appreciate the concept of uploading my resume and other application-related documents on my blog since an online website like this one can provide a lot of good information for potential recruiters. In fact, I’ve noticed many other students from other universities creating websites of their own to display personal projects and help them stand out in the job marketplace.

I already have my own personal website that I created a year ago for the same reason. Developing my own website from scratch was technically difficult, yet rewarding. I was also to obtain the exact look and feel that I wanted. The web folio project gave me a few ideas for my personal website, and I plan on taking the winter break to make some changes and present it on my LinkedIn profile.

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In unit 3, I completed the process of writing the first draft of my formal report. The overall experience was quite exhausting and I would have to admit that I was rushing near the deadline to put everything together. It certainly did not help that I had most of my projects and assignments from other courses due in the past week, and I think I should have allocated some more time for this project. Nevertheless, I am happy that I was able to finish the draft.

One of the highlights of the formal report were the interviews that I did. It was an interesting experience listening to the opinions of my fellow pharmacist colleagues. I selected a qualitative interview approach because I felt that it was best suited for gathering opinions and generating ideas. Unfortunately, the entire process was significantly more time-consuming than I had thought, and perhaps a survey approach would have been more efficient. However, a survey does not have the luxury of probing the subject for more information and delving deeper into the specifics.

I enjoyed the literature review process, as it exposed me to a variety of different ideas in other countries. For instance, one of the articles mentioned Boots Pharmacies in Norway implementing a dermatological cancer screening, which was new to me. I could see pharmacies in North America benefitting from this service as well. While I could have expanded the literature review to include other search engines (e.g. Google Search, PubMed), I felt that doing so would yield too many results to handle for a timeline of 2 weeks.

Writing the report was a massive task. In qualitative research, a lot of data gets generated and it took me quite a while to identify all the themes and try and integrate the results of the interviews with the literature review. Coming up with a solid interpretation was also challenging–I clearly need a bit more practice on this. In the process of writing the report, I generated about 8700 words and 16 pages of single-spaced content. Since the report was to be limited to 15 pages of double-spaced content, I will have to focus on making my paragraphs more concise by the time I submit my final draft.

Peer reviewing Ian’s formal report more challenging than before because this paper is far larger than the previous assignments I had to review. I first came up with a plan on what I would look for in the report, and systematically went through each item. I was also tried to apply the “You” style of writing in my review so that it would sound more professional and positive. My peer reviews in the past have sometimes sounded mechanical and negative in tone.

In the peer review, I looked for the basic elements of the formal report, introduction, data analysis, and conclusion. I also looked at the overall format of the report and how figures were displayed. Since Ian’s formal report was in a first draft stage, there were several items that needed improvement. Hopefully my suggestions were expressed in an objective, professional, and friendly manner.

After reviewing his formal report draft, I found myself constantly questioning my own work because I would find areas of improvement that would also apply to my draft as well. For instance, I noticed that we both did not have an appendix containing our survey/interview protocol sheets, which would be important to include. Fortunately since this is still in a draft stage, there is ample time to go back and make improvements for the final submission.

301 John Lee – Report Draft

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While I began this unit having a sufficiently complete LinkedIn profile, I took this opportunity to carefully examine the content for potential improvements. In the technology industry, LinkedIn is one of the many methods by which recruiters discover new talent for their companies. Thus, it is important for software developers such as myself to optimize my profile as much as possible.

First, I noticed that my experience was out-of-date, having contained experience since 6 years ago. Since these entries (research assistant and conference planner) were neither significant nor relevant to the software industry, I removed them. I also updated the experience page with my experience working as a software developer at a digital health startup.

The second optimization was the revision of my summary to more clearly and concisely describe my goals and how I set myself from others. While I took the opportunity to showcase my healthcare background, I was careful not to word the summary in a way that excluded me from non-healthcare opportunities.

Finally, based on Ian Sun’s feedback, I included some extra detail in under my education regarding my involvement in extracurricular activities and my work in completing a research article in collaboration with faculty members. Having these extra elements present would help me to stand out from other profiles.

With respect to the peer review process, I learned to better structure my approach so that it was comprehensive and balanced. Planning a peer review form in advance helps remove bias from the process because I had to think very carefully about what constitutes a good profile in the eyes of the recruiter/reader. Based on recent feedback on my peer review, I should try to sound less mechanical in my review and my tone should be more collegial. I also should have included a brief summary at the end of my review, highlighting the main positives and negatives of the review.

I enjoyed reading Ian’s review of my own profile because he discovered some items that I did not consider before, such as my involvement in extracurricular activities and personal interests/hobbies. While I would like to exclude my personal interests/hobbies from my LinkedIn profile, I can see how school activities can paint a positive picture of a student wanting to apply for technical internships or jobs. The form that Ian designed was very helpful for me because it outlined exactly what he was looking for.

Overall, I enjoyed the peer review process, especially the design and completion of my own peer review forms. It took considerable work, and made me think very hard about what a recruiter might be looking for.

In this unit, I also completed a report proposal and outline. I have only started with the research process, thus, I cannot comment too much on what has happened so far. I feel that my approach is going to be straightforward and follow the format of a case study. The main topic of my report is the feasibility of implementing a dermatology clinical service in a new pharmacy.

While I am aware that a qualitative approach with interviews may not lead to a definitive yes/no answer to the hypothesis in question, I argue that the rapid-changing nature of a new business simply cannot wait for months of detailed surveys, expensive trials, and sophisticated analyses to make a decision. It is a luxury that only very large and well-funded corporations are able to afford. The main reason why I am focusing on the perception of staff members is because executing any new pharmacy service requires enthusiastic adoption of the pharmacy staff. Since pharmacists are the main channel by which a pharmacy engages with patients, I have to critically examine their motivations, concerns, strengths, and weaknesses and design a service that “fits” well in the pharmacy’s culture.

Overall, I think I will be able to develop a concise and valuable report for the owner of ABC Pharmacy, and we may both learn something new about the nature of the modern pharmacy business along the way. I hope that the staff members will understand the significance of what I am doing, and as a side effect, become more engaged with their jobs.

For the upcoming weeks, I will be working on the data collection for my project. Hopefully it all goes smoothly. I expect this process to yield a lot of rich and interesting data!

301 John Lee – Report Proposal – Revised

Peer Review Link

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Discussing side effects of medications with patients can be a challenging endeavour for most clinicians. As experts in drug therapy, we need to help the patient fully understand what the side effects may look like, when to expect them, and what to do when symptoms begin to appear. On the other hand, we do not want to scare the patient from their prescribed therapy due to frightening, albeit uncommon, side effects. In this week’s peer definitions assignment, I attempted to break down the intimidating term tardive dyskinesia (TD) into a structured explanation that could be easily understood by a caretaker of a patient taking antipsychotics. In having Ian, my peer reviewer, look over my definitions (and likewise, being a peer reviewer for Ian), I discovered some notable takeaways from the exercise.

I appreciated Ian’s conciseness in his definitions in contrast to my relatively verbose style of writing. In contrast, I found myself repeating the symptoms of TD, “tongue protrusion and jerky limb movements”, several times throughout the page. It does not seem necessary for me to have to be this detailed when I am simply introducing the topic in the first paragraph. I attempted to remedy this by consolidating sentences together and starting off with a broader description of the symptoms “facial and limb movements” at the beginning, and adding the details later on.

Being a peer reviewer for Ian was a bit difficult at the start because I did not have a lot of experience conducting peer reviews. Nevertheless, I brainstormed some items that I was looking for (e.g. “how quickly would I grasp the main idea”, and “are the visuals an effective complement to the subject matter?”) and tried to get into the mind of his target audience, chemistry undergraduate students. I found it fairly easy to pick out areas for improvement by constantly asking myself, “why does this matter to me?” as I was progressing through the material. After reading through the definitions several times, I attempted to summarize my mental notes into well-structured peer review report.

Overall, I found this to be a helpful experience. In my prior occupation, I would read over academic medical articles and textbooks as part of my usual routine of keeping up-to-date in my field. However, I feel it has influenced my style of writing towards increasing verbosity and use of inappropriate jargon. It was a good exercise for me to reconsider how I write for the layperson, and it would definitely be a good skill for me to continuously develop throughout my professional career.

Peer Review by Ian Sun

301 John Lee Definitions Assignment – Revised

 

To: XXX@hotmail.com (anonymized)
From: XXX@hotmail.com (anonymized)
Date: September 18, 2017
Subject: Invitation to Form an ENGL 301 Writing Team

Hello Cheryl,

As a fellow Computer Science student and English 301 classmate, I would like to like to invite you to join me in forming a professional writing team.

I was fairly impressed from reading about your experiences at Tantalus Systems. Your dedication to deliver results under pressure and strict deadlines is great quality to find in a coworker and your effort to continuously develop your skills is definitely important for maximizing career opportunities.

Please let me know if you would like to talk further and see if we make a good fit as a team. Enclosed is a copy of my application letter which briefly summarizes my background. I think we would

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,

John Lee

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To: XXX@hotmail.com (anonymized)
From: XXX@hotmail.com (anonymized)
Date: September 18, 2017
Subject: Invitation to Form an ENGL 301 Writing Team

Hello Nick,

As a fellow Computer Science student and English 301 classmate, I would like to like to invite you to join me in forming a professional writing team.

I really enjoyed reading about your background in your personal blog. I have been following cryptocurrency as well – I think I still have a few fractions of a Bitcoin in my wallet from 4 years ago! I think your experience in Microsoft is a powerful asset since it shows that you are able to work well as part of a cohesive team.

Please let me know if you would like to talk further and see if we make a good fit as a team. Enclosed is a copy of my application letter which briefly summarizes my background.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,

John Lee

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To: XXX@hotmail.com (anonymized)
From: XXX@hotmail.com (anonymized)
Date: September 18, 2017
Subject: Invitation to Form an ENGL 301 Writing Team

Hello Min-Ji,

As a fellow Bachelor in Computer Science candidate and English 301 classmate, I would like to like to invite you to join me in forming a professional writing team.

I really enjoyed reading your blog because it mirrors a similar path that I took in my career; I have a background in Pharmacy and have also decided to make the career transition into Computer Sciences. BCS students are known for their maturity and communication skills, and I also believe that your rich background can offer a team novel ideas and multiple perspectives.

Please let me know if you would like to talk further and see if we make a good fit as a team. Enclosed is a copy of my application letter which briefly summarizes my background.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,

John Lee

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301 John Lee Application Letter revised

MEMORANDUM

To:             Dr. Erika Paterson, ENGL 301 Instructor
From:        John Lee, Gucci Writing Team Member  JL
Date:         September 14, 2017
Subject:    ENGL 301 – Letter of Application

The attachment to this email contains my completed application letter as requested

The letter represents my intent to join a technical writing team and serves as a summary of:

• My professional experience with written communications as a student, pharmacist, and software developer
• My strengths and weaknesses in written communications and work habits
• My personal development and learning philosophy

Let me know if you need anything else.

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Enclosure: 301 John Lee Application Letter

September 14, 2017
887 Great Northern Way
Vancouver, BC VRG 3D4

The English 301 Technical Writing Class
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4

To my colleagues in ENGL 301,

SUBJECT: Professional Writing Group Letter of Application

My name is John, a student in the first year of the UBC Bachelor in Computer Sciences program and I would like to become a member of your professional writing group.

I have had many opportunities to develop my written communication skills. Prior to the start of my pharmacy career, I collaborated with members of the UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences to publish a research article in pharmacy education and present the findings through an academic poster at a conference. As a pharmacist, I have come to appreciate the importance of composing accurate and concise documentation in the health care setting. As I transitioned into a software development role in a health technology startup, I was regularly involved in composing technical documentation and translating client needs into engineering specifications.

I am a curious, yet disciplined individual, and my passion for continuous self-learning has helped me earn a software development role without attending a formal training program. By setting milestones, seeking feedback, and self-reflecting on my career plans, I have found a professional development process that is simple and fits well with my motivations. I try to learn as much as I can from my colleagues, and I care about providing useful feedback to my peers. These qualities continue to influence how I interact with others in a collaborative work setting.

The practice of clear and efficient written communication has served me well throughout my career as a pharmacist and as a self-taught software developer. Although I am sometimes verbose and spend an inordinate amount of time on my tasks, I try to understand techniques people use to become more efficient collaborators. It is a skill that I will continue to improve and I believe that it will help me pursue a fulfilling and impactful career.

If you would like to continue the conversation, please feel free to contact me via email at jlee14c@hotmail.com.

Sincerely,

John Lee

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301 – John Lee Application Letter