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One of the main issues I had this term was writing for the audience. It seemed like a sample task, but often when I began writing I found it difficult. I would often realize at the end of completing an assignment that I hadn’t appealed to the audience I was writing for. This was a particular challenge for the formal report. For my report, I had issues explaining how the issue I was writing my report on was relevant to the reader, and instead often focused on how it was relevant to UBC students (which was not the intended audience). Another challenge was learning to write with YOU attitude. This was again related to writing for the intended reader,  so overall this seemed to be the largest challenge for me in this course.

In terms of what went smoothly this term, I found writing the peer reviews and reflection blogs rather straightforward. For the peer reviews, I found it easy to identify what was done well in my writing partner’s work, and what could be improved upon. For the reflection blogs, I didn’t find it challenging to reflect upon my previous work, and discuss what went well and what did not. This kind of reflective or analytical writing was much easier for me than writing letters or reports that required us to use YOU attitude and write for some professional audience.

I believe the wide range of courses I’ve taken and me building my critical thinking skills has set me up well for graduate school and future research. Over the course of my degree, I have learned a wide range of subjects, and this has allowed me to apply concepts I learned in one course to what I’m learning in a different course. This will be important to research, since you will often have to apply concepts across different disciplines in order to overcome obstacles. As well, I’m a hardworking student who is persistent and willing to overcome struggles that will definitely be encountered when doing research. Persistence and ambition are often just as important as having a firm grasp of the material being researched when it comes to overcoming challenges.

Overall, the reflective blogs written this term have been extremely useful for me reflecting on my work over the course of the term, and I believe they were invaluable to my learning this term. They allowed me to reflect upon what I was doing well, and what I could improve upon.

One concept that was enforced further by completing the web folio was learning to write for your intended audience. For my web folio, I had to make it focus on academics, and it was important throughout that I made sure that whatever I was writing would be important for my audience (in my case, a graduate school). For example, in my home page, I provided a link to one of my research interests (Numerical Linear Algebra). Making sure that research interests are clear is invaluable for a student who wants to move onto grad school after a Bachelor’s degree. As well, finding a supervisor in a specific area is key, so this is another reason that it’s very important to make it clear exactly what you want to research. As well, the hyperlink to my LinkedIn profile outlines my research interests more carefully, and also provides a list of relevant upper year classes I have taken. Again, this is for the purpose of meeting the needs of my intended audience.

Another important idea I learned from designing my web folio is how to structure websites and webpages in such a way that readers won’t struggle to navigate the website. For example, I ensured that each of my individual webpages were easy to access, by making sure that they were easily visible in a menu on the main page of my website. Another way I designed my website to appeal to the reader was in my “BEST WORK” section. On this page, I made sure each assignment title was clearly bolded, so that each of my pieces of writing were clearly separated.

Another important lesson I learned from completing the web folio was how to go back and revise work I had completed in the past (not necessarily recently). This required me to reread the work, and try to determine exactly what ideas I was trying to get across when I first wrote it. For my reflection blog in unit 2, I decided to go back and edit it. This proved to be challenging, since remembering my exact thought process when I was writing it wasn’t easy. Ensuring that even if I made edits to the work, that the writing would still flow well, was particularly difficult.

Overall, completing the web folio required me to use many skills, many of which were not just writing-oriented skills. It allowed me to bring together all of my best work from ENGL 301 this term, and everything I learned in the course up until this point.

One major concept I learned when writing up my formal report draft and peer review was using YOU attitude. While writing, I learned to avoid commands or other pretentious language. Instead, I tried to write in such a way that made suggestions without insulting the reader’s intelligence. I believe this will be helpful when I eventually join the workforce, and want to write in such a way that won’t offend my colleagues, employers, or other people I work with. For example, even making a small mishap in a memo could lead to a customer being highly offended. This could then cause the company I work for to lose a major project. For this reason, it’s important to always write in such a way that treats the reader as an equal.

When performing research for my formal report draft (where my topic is concerned with the efficient use of TA’s for providing resources to students), I was able to gather valuable information about how students think courses could be improved (with respect to resources provided by TA’s and instructors).  For example, over eighty percent of  students surveyed would like out of class exam review sessions. This was not something I was aware of before performing my survey, as it isn’t something I had ever specifically wanted in courses I’ve taken.  Using this fact, I’ll make sure to emphasize in my formal report how exam review sessions could be used to improve student learning, and lead to more efficient allocation of TA’s. Overall, I learned that survey results can not only be used to express the general importance of a topic, but also be used for making specific recommendations in a report.

In the process of reviewing my peer review partner’s work, I noticed that he didn’t focus on the readers’ needs enough. This alerted me to the fact that I should write more for my reader in my own formal report, and emphasize why my suggestions could benefit them. This important idea of using YOU attitude has been key to writing and editing my formal report. Another observation I made while doing the peer review was my writing partner’s effective use of bolding and varied font sizes to effectively organize his report into sections. I realized that before submitting my final report, I would like to edit it in such a way that key words such as section titles are emphasized using colour, bolding, and larger fonts. I believe this will help make my report both more readable and professional.

Overall, working on the formal report and performing a peer review of my writing partner’s work has helped me develop my own writing skills, especially with respect to using YOU attitude.

Curtis Fox’s Formal Report Draft

I found creating my LinkedIn profile to be an invaluable experience. It allowed me to reflect on skills and experiences I have that I may not have given much thought. I believe creating the LinkedIn profile will be very helpful for me when I eventually join the workforce. It will allow potential employers to easily see important details about me, even before seeing a cover letter or resume. Expressing details such as academic projects completed and important classes taken could help in landing a high quality job. These important details could be the difference between one person getting the job versus another, so it’s important they are displayed clearly. I think that the increasing use of computers warrants creating an online profile, so professionals should highly consider making one.

I found creating my formal report proposal and outline to be very helpful for me solidifying my ideas for my final report. Before creating these documents, my ideas seemed very scattered, and I hadn’t picked a specific topic or figured out exactly how I would go about my research.  As well, I wasn’t sure how I would structure my document.  The outline was particularly useful in determining how to structure my formal report. This was a very valuable step since structuring a document like a formal report is very important. It is one of the key issues that needs to be addressed to make the document professional and easily readable. Overall, I feel I’m clear on how to proceed with my formal report now. I have a specific plan for how I intend to spend my next few weeks, and I know exactly what I would like to complete each week.

The peer review process was very useful overall. It allowed me to reflect upon my own work, as often when I noticed something was missing in my peer’s work, I realized that my own writing was lacking in the same area. For example, both my proposal and my peer review partner’s proposal were missing a section outlining exactly how the formal report topic was relevant to the intended audience. Reading my partner’s proposal also alerted me to an issue about parking space at UBC, which I wasn’t previously aware of.

Overall, I found that creating my proposal and outline, along with the peer review process for the report proposals, to be very useful steps for me developing my own writing skills and determining the specifics of my formal report proposal.

Click here to go to the peer review of my formal report proposal.

Attached edited formal report proposal: Formal Report Proposal

I found defining cryptography to be quite a challenge. The main problem is that cryptography is a very deep and complicated subject, rooted in computer science theory. It’s a highly mathematical subject when studied carefully. For this reason, defining it to a very general audience is difficult. This requires you to simplify the topic heavily,  without becoming too vague. Overall, my approach was to explain the applications of cryptography, leaving out the mathematical details.

The peer review of my definitions was extremely useful. James (the reviewer of my writing)  pointed out a key point I missed, which was to directly address the audience I was writing for. This is an important point, since depending on the readers, the level of detail and rigour may need to be adjusted. He also suggested some smaller changes, such as giving a description with my chosen image for my definition. I found this helpful, as in retrospect, this may have made the image more effective in describing cryptography.

In reviewing James’ work, I was able to think of ways to improve my own writing in the future. His use of bullet points in his assignment made his ideas come across clearly. This made me consider how I may want to use point form in future similar assignments I complete. He also structured his parenthetical definition differently than I did, which in combination with his peer review, helped me improve my own work when I went back to edit it.

Overall, I found the peer review process, along with writing this blog, an invaluable experience that helped me improve my own writing skills.

Click here to go to the peer review of my work.

Attached Edited Assignment: Definition of Cryptography

 

From: curtis.fox@alumni.ubc.ca

To: shannonchau.95@gmail.com

Date: Sept. 17, 2017.

Subject: Prospective ENGL 301 Writing Team

Dear Shannon,

I have looked over your application letter,  and I think you would be a valuable member to have on my writing team.

I think your experience as a research assistant would be very helpful when it comes to your writing abilities, as you would have learned to write in a more professional setting. Your ability to write in such a way that is appropriate for certain audiences could be also very helpful. As well, you seem to have strong communication skills based on your described experience.

I have attached my application letter below. Thank you for taking the time to read this email.

Regards,

Curtis Fox

301 Curtis Fox Application letter

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From: curtis.fox@alumni.ubc.ca

To: b.jeffery@alumni.ubc.ca

Date: Sept. 17, 2017.

Subject: Prospective ENGL 301 Writing Team

Dear Bradley,

I have read over the application letter you posted, and I would be interested in having you join my writing team.

You seem to have an abundance of research experience, which I’m sure has helped you hone your writing skills, as well as your communication skills. This kind of writing expertise, along with your experience in working on teams, would be extremely useful for my writing team. I believe your attention to detail could be an asset as well.

I have attached my application letter below. I hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,

Curtis Fox

301 Curtis Fox Application letter

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From: curtis.fox@alumni.ubc.ca

To: a.corpin@alumni.ubc.ca

Date: Sept. 17, 2017.

Subject: Prospective ENGL 301 Writing Team

Dear Angeli,

I have taken a look at your application letter, and I would like to have you join my writing team.

You seem to have a wide range of knowledge when it comes to writing, from both your English and your science courses. Your ability to write in different ways, depending on the field of studies, would be an asset to the team. Your strong work habits would also make you a valuable member of the team.

I have attached my application letter below. I hope that you will consider my offer, and I hope to work with you soon.

Regards,

Curtis Fox

301 Curtis Fox Application letter

To: Dr. Erika Paterson, ENGL 301 instructor

From: Curtis Fox, ENGL 301 student

Date: Sept. 13, 2017

Subject: Summary of Application to ENGL 301

My application to ENGL 301 is posted on my blog. I also attached my application to this email.

In my application, I mention my area of studies, and why ENGL 301 could be useful to me. I discuss one of my key strengths, and how it could be useful to me if I enrolled in this course. However, I also state one of my key weaknesses, and how taking this course could help me improve.

Thank you for taking the time to read my application.

301 Curtis Fox Application letter

777 Avenue Lane

Vancouver, BC V78 913

 

Sept. 12, 2017

 

ENGL 301: Technical Writing

University of British Columbia

2329 West Mall

Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4

 

Dear students of English 301:

My name is Curtis Fox, and I send this letter hoping that I can become a student in English 301. I am a fourth year science student currently pursuing a combined honours degree in computer science and statistics. By joining the writing team in English 301, I hope to learn how to write in such a way that is suitable for a professional setting, as eventually I would like to work in academia where writing papers and other formal forms of writing will be extremely important.

Given that I am a science student, I have spent a lot of time analyzing and thinking over what I read, so that it can later be applied to more advanced problems. This kind of analytical thinking could be helpful when doing professional writing since you will often want to carefully consider multiple factors before writing up anything in the workplace. This includes but is not limited to the audience you are dealing with, or the appropriate tone of the piece of writing, for example. Even the smallest details can be important with formal writing, and so everything that is written should be carefully thought out. This is where an analytical mind could be very useful.

However, I believe I can work on developing better word choice in my writing, especially for the professional setting. This is something I think I can improve on by working with other students in English 301, since they could possibly give me useful advice. I also hope to develop my communication skills by working with others, in such a way that will prepare me for the workforce.

Overall, I think it would be an invaluable experience for me to become part of the English 301 class, as it could be a chance for me to teach others what I know, but also an opportunity for me to learn something new from them. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, and I hope to become a part of your team soon.

Regards,

Curtis Fox

Email: curtis.fox@alumni.ubc.ca

301 Curtis Fox Application letter

 

 

This is my first blog post.