As we complete English 301, we have learned how to properly write technical documents based on the submissions we have produced for the past four months. I have become more aware of the strengths that I have used for the past writing works and the weaknesses I have tried to improve upon. I will continue to develop the technical writing skills that I learned to achieve success in my future career.

Strengths

There are three major strengths in my technical writing that I have noticed based on the reviews and evaluations I received in this course. One is my attention to detail, which I have demonstrated through my peer review submissions and reflection blog posts. I realized that I tend to pay close attention to accuracy, formatting, and consistency in writing, as well as catching errors and typos when reviewing documents. I also tend to update and revise my work before submission, as I check for errors or try to improve the overall writing quality. The second strength I have noticed is my ability to organize information, which is also evident in my blog posts. There are numerous requirements with complex information that we need to submit, and before doing so, I usually use tools such as headings and bullet points to make the document concise and more accessible to readers. Lastly, the third strength I have observed is my critical thinking skills. I discovered this early in the course when I was writing the definition assignment. The first thing that came to mind was how I wanted to present the information to the readers, or the term “flow” in short. This strength was also very helpful when I was writing the data sections for my formal report since I needed to present a lot of information. Knowing the flow I wanted to convey to my documents made writing more efficient.

Weaknesses

During this course, I have identified two weaknesses in my technical writing skills. Firstly, I have noticed that I tend to use a negative tone in my writing, which was evident while working on my survey questions. I had to revise the questions three times after referring to the guidelines provided and seeking feedback from my peers to ensure that they were appropriate. Moreover, while working on my formal report, I unintentionally used a negative tone while trying to create a flow of information, which backfired on me.
Secondly, I have observed that I often misuse imperative verbs, which made some of my writing appear harsh. This weakness became apparent to me when I was working on the Best Practices assignment on LinkedIn and my formal report. To improve my writing skills for future endeavors, I will work on these weaknesses and ensure that my writing style is appropriate and effective.

Effects on Future Goals

As someone aspiring to work in the software industry, I have found English 301 to be instrumental in enhancing my technical writing skills. Through this course, I have been able to identify my strengths in attention to detail, information organization, and critical thinking, which are particularly valuable in this field.
In the software industry, precision and accuracy are crucial, and attention to detail is essential. With my proficiency in this area, I can ensure that my technical documents are error-free and consistently formatted. Additionally, my organizational skills enable me to effectively condense complex information and requirements into concise and accessible documentation for my colleagues. Lastly, my critical thinking abilities are essential in finding logical and efficient approaches to problem-solving, an asset in the software industry.
Overall, the technical writing skills I have gained from English 301 will undoubtedly have a positive impact on my future goals in the software industry. I am committed to continuing my development in this area to achieve success in my future career.

One of the last assignments for English 301 is creating a Web Folio, an online portfolio that presents a student’s skills, achievements, and goals. Within this task, we had the opportunity to re-examine our own journey through this course from what we have learned and what we have been given, to produce a self-containing website. I planned to construct this online portfolio in my original English 301 blog, as it already provides the opportunity to enhance this UBC blog website to something more than a reflection web page. Although the assignment may seem daunting at first, it is an incredibly rewarding experience that allows students to assess their progress throughout the course.

Assembling the Web Folio

Upon organizing the contents of the Web Folio, I first created the web pages that are needed for this task. This included Best Work, Application Package, and Resume pages while keeping the existing Home, Biography, and Blog pages. Establishing a structure first on this website made it easier to compile and organize the needed requirements for the Web Folio.

For my next step, I carefully considered the flow of my Web Folio. To achieve this, I began by creating a proposed presentation order on the Home page. In doing so, I put myself in the shoes of potential readers, anticipating the questions they might have upon opening my online portfolio. These included: “Who created this portfolio?”, “What does it contain?”, “What skills have been gained from the contents?”, and “How were the contents created?”. Using these questions as a guide, I developed a logical flow of information that is reflected in the post on my Home page and the organization of the Menu bar.

Creating the Web Folio

After establishing the organization and flow of my Web Folio, I first thought about the presentation of my readers. My main thoughts were: “Who will be reading this online portfolio?” and “How should I present it to them?” My current goals are to land a co-op opportunity in software development with no current specialization to eagerly pursue yet. So I decided my approach would be the whole Web Folio will be supporting my resume, by creating an environment where my audience can understand what type of aspiring software developer I am. My previous skills came from my architecture background, which is an entirely different industry to software, I figured to recreate this blog visually from a “Simple, Technical Writing Blog” to a more technology-based design by using pixel art of rooms or spaces, a subtle nod from what projects I used to work on in the past. This process of creating an online portfolio has taught me how to represent myself in a unique medium such as the Web Folio and connect with the intended readers.

Looking Back on the Web Folio and English 301

The Web Folio has provided an opportunity for me to present my academic accomplishments and aspirations and contemplate all the work I have undertaken during the semester in ENGL 301. Upon completion of the “Best Work” section of the Web Folio, I came to the realization that the process of drafting, reviewing, revising, and self-reflecting works did improve my skills as a writer. As we get to finish this intensive writing course, I will persist in utilizing this process for my future written works, and assignments, and for my professional career when I am given a chance to.

Researching the Formal Report Draft:

To produce my initial formal report, I performed primary research using an online survey and secondary research through related literature. The survey was distributed to UBC students through online groups and group chats and comprised 16 multiple-choice questions, including one optional written question. A quarter of the survey questions identifies the libraries used by the respondents, while the remaining questions centered around their experiences in those spaces. While writing the questionnaire was not too difficult, given my prior experience conducting surveys, I was uncertain about the volume and type of responses I would receive. Upon analyzing the data collected, I gained valuable insights into the current experiences and perspectives of UBC students regarding its libraries.

In addition to the primary data collected through the survey, I also gathered secondary data from various case studies and other related literature, which provided insights into solutions implemented by different academic libraries. However, collecting the necessary data from secondary sources proved more challenging than expected. Despite this, the literature reviewed provided valuable information that helped to support and enhance my research. Overall, this research process highlighted the importance of user experience in academic libraries and provided a strong foundation for the formal report draft.

Organizing the Formal Report Draft:

Organizing my formal report draft was an iterative process that involved revising my outline as I collected and analyzed primary and secondary data. I did not exactly follow the outline I had previously written, but it gave me leverage to start filling out the important aspects of the document as it acted as a checklist so I would not miss any content needed for the report. Instead, I revised the outline to better align with the data collected, resulting in a more coherent and logical delivery of information. The outline served as the foundation for the formal report draft, ensuring that necessary information was properly incorporated.

Writing the Formal Report Draft:

Writing the formal report draft was made significantly easier after organizing my outline and collecting and analyzing primary and secondary data. The process allowed me to highlight the contents of the gathered data and focus on the areas I wanted to tackle. While the drafting process involved significant revision and editing, it ultimately helped to improve my technical writing skills and produce a formal, coherent report.

Peer Review Process:

During the peer review process, Justin Tang and I worked together to provide constructive feedback on each other’s drafts. Justin focused on incorporating data about Tim Horton’s staff and survey results to ensure his report contained accurate information. Although his report lacked formatting elements such as headers and page numbers, the content was well-written and offered practical solutions to the problem.

In turn, Justin also reviewed my work intensively. He provided very detailed feedback, mainly in the data section, while also giving a constructive review on the title page, introduction, and conclusion sections. One suggestion that I found helpful was writing a better interpretation of my survey data. Considering that I had more survey questions than I had anticipated when writing the questionnaire, I could make the interpretation more compact and coherent. Justin also gave an example to do this which made his feedback helpful.

Overall, the peer review process was a valuable learning experience that provided insights into how to deliver accurate information and improve the coherence of our reports.

Formal Report Draft: ENGL 301 Formal Report Draft

As part of my studies in the ENGL 301 technical writing course, I recently completed Unit Two, which required me to write a memorandum on LinkedIn’s best practices, produced a formal research proposal, and followed by developing documents that were required to progress the report. Despite the demanding nature of these assignments, they ultimately taught me a great deal about technical writing and research skills.

Ten Best Practices in LinkedIn

As I wrote the practices for professional networking on the LinkedIn platform, my objective was to present a guide for my peers to establish a strong network. But I also found the process of researching and compiling the best practices to be enlightening and informative for myself.

Upon reflection, I found that the most critical aspect of networking is maintaining consistency. Consistent engagement with one’s connections facilitates opportunities for professional growth. Furthermore, keeping one’s LinkedIn profile up-to-date helps maintain an accurate representation of one’s skills and accomplishments, increasing the chances of receiving job offers and elevating one’s professional reputation.

Overall, I am pleased by having the opportunity to produce a helpful guide for my peers in expanding their professional reach on LinkedIn.

Formal Report Proposal and Outline

Developing a formal report proposal is a time-consuming and effort-intensive process that involves selecting a problem to investigate, analyzing it, and proposing a solution or recommendation through a formal report. Upon choosing my topic, I brainstormed and considered the issues I have experienced in a space or location, given my background in studying different types of spaces. To narrow down my options, I focused on my time at UBC starting from my first term in September 2022.

Most of the time I spent at UBC was in various libraries around the campus, even on weekends after my classes. While each library had its unique environment, one thing that consistently bothered me was the closing procedures. I often found myself leaving an hour or 30 minutes before closing whenever I remembered it was getting late in terms of the time of day. As a result, I decided to create a report assessing the feasibility of revising the closing procedures in UBC libraries.

Although I was unsure about the specific contents of my formal report after writing the proposal, I found the first draft to be interesting and new. As a result, I decided to give it a try for my peers and instructor to provide feedback.

Peer Review Process

During the peer review process for our formal report proposals, we chose to use a cycle type of partnership. As a result, I ended up reviewing Aman’s work while Justin reviewed mine. My task was to evaluate the feasibility of Aman’s proposal.

The proposal was mainly to provide an alternative transportation option on the UBC campus. I found Aman’s writing to be concise and cohesive, making for an enjoyable read. It was clear that he had put a lot of effort into researching and writing a well-researched formal report proposal. The main highlight of his proposal was his proposed solution section as it was supported with examples of other places that have implemented the proposed ride-sharing option he was proposing. This review process was another excellent learning experience for me, as it showed the importance of cohesiveness and providing comprehensive information for the readers. I will keep these factors in mind as I revise my work and strive to create a more thorough and effective formal report proposal.

Revision Process

The feedback from the peer review and suggestions from Justin Tang and our instructor pointed out that my scope for closing procedures in UBC libraries might be too small for a formal report. After receiving this feedback and suggestions, I revised mine based on the following ideas they told me to consider such as expanding on other practices in UBC libraries that might also be relevant to my topic. Since I was focusing on the students’ stressors and disturbances they experience in libraries, I researched more about different library procedures that could benefit by revising or enhancing them. The result of this created a more impactful proposal.

Overall, I am grateful for having the opportunity to engage in another peer review process and gathering constructive feedback from our instructor as it helped enhance my technical writing skills for creating a formal report.

Revised Proposal: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30199c2022w2/2023/03/17/formal-report-proposal-revised-2/

Peer Review of the Formal Report: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30199c2022w2/2023/02/28/96123/

Writing the first draft of the technical definition

For the first unit of English 301, we were tasked to write a technical definition of a term within our discipline or specialization to a non-technical audience. It was an interesting challenge for me as I didn’t have this type of opportunity in my past writing experiences. The assignment requires us to provide parenthetical, sentence and expanded definitions for the established audience. The term I used was “Brutalism”, an architectural design term for my previous field. Upon doing what is assigned for us, I noticed the increase in detail as I finished through parenthetical to sentence definition. As I started the expanded definitions I learned the importance of breaking down the term into its core components and arranging them in a way where the flow creates a process of making the specified audience gradually understand the technical term I have introduced. At first, I got paralyzed in choosing what strategies I should use to strategically explain what the term was. In the end, I chose to use the following strategies by order: etymology, history, the core features of the architectural design, and comparing and contrasting it with a different style. This made the flow of information not only fully define what the term is, but also emphasize its importance engagingly to the audience. It was interesting that by doing this, I was also learning how to feed information on a complex term and present it in a way that was accessible and appealing.

Peer Review Process

The peer review process included one of our group members, Aman Johal, partnering up with me so he could evaluate the appropriateness of my definitions for the intended audience and vice versa. Reviewing Aman’s work was a great learning experience as it was impressively easy to understand considering it was a term (bioequivalent medication) I have never heard or used before, he also concluded it nicely by providing examples of the term on how it is being used today. The process ended with both of us reviewing our definitions constructively, while also highlighting the strengths and potential improvements of our work. In the end, it was one of the most productive parts of the assignment as we both learned valuable insights on how we can provide information better to different audiences and readers as we revise our work.

Revision Process

Upon finishing the peer review, I was inspired to mostly recreate one of my expanded definitions to make the process of providing information better to a non-technical audience. The main revision I wrote is my peer’s main issue from my work. Aman highlighted that while the flow was created nicely, I presented another complex term (minimalism) as part of my definition, he noted that my audience has a high probability that they would not have any knowledge of the term I used. Because of this, I recreated one of my expanded definitions, rather than using a comparison to another architectural design style (minimalism), I used examples and visuals to provide my audience with an understanding of what “brutalism” actually looks like. I also fixed the format of my references to provide cleaner work. In conclusion, writing definitions and engaging in a peer review process helped enhance my comprehension and proficiency in defining complex terms for non-technical audiences in an engaging and accessible process.

Revised Definition of Brutalism: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30199c2022w2/2023/02/16/revised-definition-brutalism/

Peer Review of Brutalism Definition: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30199c2022w2/2023/02/13/peer-review-brutalism/

To: Corbyn Kwan, English 301 Student <naruto01@student.ubc.ca>
From: Delsther James Edralin, English 301 Student <dedralin@student.ubc.ca>
Date: January 31, 2023
Subject: English 301 Writing Team

Dear Corbyn,

I have heard from Aman Johal that he has reached out to you into forming a writing group with Justin Tang and myself. Adding to his proposal, I am writing this letter to introduce myself and express my interest in having you join us as the fourth member of our team this semester.

I was impressed by your application letter on how career-focused you are from your professional and academic background. Your listed strengths and learning philosophy align with our team’s values, and I believe that your addition to our group would bring a unique perspective and complement our skills.

I would be honored to learn more about your professional and academic goals and explore how we can work together towards a successful semester. If you are interested in joining our writing group, kindly let me know by February 1st, 2023. You can also find attached my application letter for your reference.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best regards,

Delsther James Edralin

301 Delsther James Edralin Application Letter

To: Justin Tang, English 301 Student <jtang102@student.ubc.ca>
From: Delsther James Edralin, English 301 Student <dedralin@student.ubc.ca>
Date: January 29, 2023
Subject: English 301 Writing Team

Dear Justin,

I have heard from Aman’s invitation letter that he reached out to you earlier about forming a writing group. As such, I would like to introduce myself and propose creating an English 301 writing team with Aman. I believe that our varied experiences will help us establish a strong writing team.

Based on your application letter, I am impressed with your development of technical writing skills from your previous background at UofT and the University of Hong Kong, as well as how you have built up your professional communication through extracurricular activities such as work, clubs, intramurals, and research positions. I also noticed that our learning philosophies align as we are open-minded through various perspectives.

I would like to learn from your experiences to gain a new perspective by forming a writing group with you. Please take the time to read my application letter attached below. If you are interested, please let me know before February 1st, 2023. Thank you.

Best regards,

Delsther James Edralin

301 Delsther James Edralin Application Letter

To: Aman Johal, English 301 Student <ajohal21@gmail.com>
From: Delsther James Edralin, English 301 Student <dedralin@student.ubc.ca>
Date: January 29, 2023
Subject: Re: English 301 Writing Team

Dear Aman,

Thank you for inviting me to your writing team for English 301. I am writing to formally accept your proposal to be part of the professional writing group. After I read your invitation email and your application letter, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with your group as I believe our experiences, skills, and knowledge would work together in this writing team.

I was impressed by your previous academic and professional background in UBC Pharmacy which you have built up your peer reviewing and technical writing skills. I also believe that our different experiences and complementing learning philosophies would allow us to share different perspectives while helping each other develop the skills that we lack in our writing.

Thank you for considering me for this opportunity. I am confident that being part of this group will be a valuable experience for me and I am eager to get started.
Please let me know if there are any additional steps I need to take for our meetings.
Thank you again for the invitation. I am looking forward to being a part of this group.

Best regards,

Delsther James Edralin

To: Dr. Erika Paterson, ENGL 301 Instructor, <erika.paterson@ubc.ca>

From: Delsther James Edralin, ENGL 301 Student, <dedralin@student.ubc.ca>

Date:     January 27, 2023
Subject: English 301 Application Letter Posting for Writing Groups

Based on the ENGL 301 Assignment 1.2 requirement, I have posted a letter of application for writing teams on my UBC blog. For your convenience, a copy of the letter is attached here.

My letter of application includes:

• Details from previous academic and work experience
• Previous writing experiences
• Professional interests in Architecture and Computer Science
• Strengths in writing and collaborating in teams
• Weaknesses I wanted to address as a writer
• Learning philosophy
• Contact information: dedralin@student.ubc.ca

Please feel free to have a read through my application letter at your earliest convenience. I am looking forward to your next blog post update.

Please feel free to read my application letter any time. Thank you.

301 Delsther James Edralin Application Letter

To my English 301 peers,

I am writing to express my interest in forming a professional writing group within our technical writing course. I am currently a 3rd year student in the BCS program, it is the second-degree in the Bachelor of Computer Science and previously graduated with degree in Architecture. With my previous experience in school and work, volunteer activities, and achievements, I would provide positive value for the group to improve our writing skills and support one another for our professional development.

My main interests are in Architecture and Computer Science as a student who has exposure within the two disciplines, both of which has an importance on various forms of writing and communication. In addition, leaning on my previous experiences upon finishing my Architecture degree, I have written research papers and summarized architectural studies. Before enrolling to UBC, I worked for a year as an Architectural Technologist for a construction company and submitted written reports for stages of the projects being built, while also managing weekly meetings where I communicated the tasks needed with various workers for the project.

In terms of my strengths, these include being concise, having the ability to connect with the audience it was intended for, able to work well under hard deadlines, and being collaborative with other team members. I earned commendations from my mentors and peers about how engaging my research papers, reports, and contributions were. The weaknesses I would like to work on are overthinking what I want to write when starting in a blank slate and improving the formal structure and flow of my writing. I believe that this opportunity to be in a writing group would help us maximize our strengths and improve on our weaknesses, which I am very excited about, as we will be able to learn from one another and provide constructive feedback.

My learning philosophy is that working with others helps people learn better, since it helps us learn with one another, while also being able to  build on each other’s ideas. I believe that by working together, we can improve our skills and become better in writing and our professional development.

Thank you for considering my application. I hope that you will support the formation of a professional writing group within the course. If you have any questions, feel free to reach me out at dedralin@student.ubc.ca. A copy of the application letter is also provided here.

Regards,

Delsther James Edralin

English 301 Student