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Unit Three allowed me the unique and exciting chance to write the first draft of a formal report on the implementation of a diversified menu at my workplace, Lynn Valley Care Centre (LVCC).

As mentioned in my Unit Two Reflection, there was quite a bit of anxiety going into this project as it felt so foreign to have an almost entirely self-driven report such as this. However, the peer review process (for the outline and draft) definitely eased my concerns as I became more confident with my own idea and realized that my peers were feeling just as stressed as I was.

The process of ascertaining the primary data for my report was rewarding and gave me great insight into the current perceptions of the LVCC clientele. As I work to improve their QOL on a regular basis, I found that this exposure has allowed me to develop a greater understanding of their needs and desires. Though the topic of my paper is the menu and diets of the clientele, the focus is more on the clients themselves and an attempt to understand their individuality and livelihood prior to entering LTC. I feel that these factors can get vastly overlooked by employees in LTC as so often there is not enough time to spend getting to know each person’s unique qualities that would allow for design of facilities to reflect their clientele. As such, the primary research process has made me even more ethusiastic about the influence of research in this field, even if my own paper can only do so much as to suggest changes in one facility alone. On the other hand, I was somewhat dissapointed in the outcome of the scope of my primary research, as I was only able to distribute the survey to a handful of people due to time constraints. Surveying such a vulnerable population offers many challenges that would have been better served by a longer-term research process. I recognize that this is an important idea to keep in mind when pursuing similar research in the future.

The process of finding secondary research was both interesting and informative as I was able to utilize my prior academic knowledge of food, nutrition and health, as well as my real-world knowlegde of LTC facilities. It was intriguing to see the breadth of research available pertaining to nutrition assessment, food security and therapeutic diets in LTC. However, there was a significant lack of literature focusing on the influence of culture and preference on food choices, and almost a complete lack of this research in the LTC setting. Thus, the process of finding suitable secondary sources was time-consuming, but I am confident that the information I found is relevant and increases the validity of my primary research.

Combining the primary and secondary research into charts, analyzing the data, and summarizing the findings deemed somewhat difficult due to the limited sample size. This made it hard to decide whether the data was significant. Additionally, as a novice in dietary assessment, I felt somewhat unsure in determining what proportion of the DRI must be met to be considered nutritionally adequate. I did my best to utilize my judgement and the available literature to provide a comprehensive interpretation of my findings, and feel confident with the outcome. Further, providing recommendations for LVCC felt fulfilling as I was able to suggest changes to the current menu design that I felt would improve the QOL of the clientele.

It was quite fascinating to review Trisha’s formal report draft about improving the sustainability of Flagship Dental. I am aware that my team member is a dental hygenist, so it is great to see someone with this area of expertise working to improve the environmental practices of a field that produces so much waste. I empathise with the issues that Trisha had in achieving a wide scope for the primary data, as I had similar issues – it seems that many professionals do not feel that students should be given the time of day for their research projects. In the future I would suggest to Erika Paterson and other professors at UBC that providing students with a formal letter that could be shared with the companies that will be researched could ease the process of bypassing confidentiality and other research-related issues. Overall, on account of being a first draft, Trisha’s report had some minor flaws pertaining to clarity, grammar, and repetition. However, I believe that my suggestions, combined with a completion of primary research and thorough editing, will allow for an exceptional final draft that will contribute greatly to her area of research.

Attached is the first draft of my formal report. I look forward to amending it as per Trisha’s suggestions and submitting a final draft by the deadline.

Formal Report Draft 

The assignments in Unit Two allowed the opportunity for further development of   my writing skills in accordance with Unit One. Further, they offered challenges in the realm of research, as well as in exploring reports and their preliminary elements.

I consider myself a beginner in the practice of LinkedIn, as I created an account just last year and seldom spend time on the platform. Thus, I found the process of researching how to create a LinkedIn profile enticing and wholly applicable to my own life. I believe that this assignment is especially beneficial to those in my stage of life (i.e. end of post-secondary education and/or start of professional life) as making professional connections is of utmost importance to initiating a worthwhile and long-term career. Education on the use of networking platforms such as LinkedIn is lacking in other areas of life, and hence requires personal exploration that most busy students just do not have the time for. In this way, I feel better prepared for job searching and professional networking compared to how others might feel. I did find it to be somewhat difficult to find reliable sources for information related to LinkedIn practices, as such a new topic is limited by a lack of research. I look forward to the improvements that will be made in the realm of social media research as a tool for educating individuals on beneficial use of such platforms. As an individual who feels strongly against many of the negative aspects that social media brings, I feel that this research will bring to light the ways that changing the face of social media could benefit the professional world and hinder its consequences on the social world. I believe that this assignment alone has peaked my interest in learning more about LinkedIn as a professional tool opposed to my previous misconception that it fit under the category of social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

Brainstorming for my report proposal ended up being a fairly efficient task as once I thought through my current involvements, I could easily decipher which areas I felt strongly about making an impact. Having spent time in the food service, recreation and nutrition sectors of long-term care, I felt keenly aware of the areas that were lacking. Though I would have been interested in proposing amendments to the recreation activities perfomed at LVCC, the COVID-19 pandemic would have made this quite difficult due to the limitations on such a vulnerable population. I feel that altering the menu is a way to improve the livelihoods and activity of the clients as their presence at mealtimes is an important aspect of their day. I am excited for my research to be underway as I have heard countless times, through word-of-mouth, the client’s opinions of the food service and menu. Now I have the opportunity to make these opinions into real data that will hopefully promote change for the betterment of those most affected. So far, I am confident with the progress of my report, as I have the surveys completed and ready for distribution in the upcoming days. Through coordinating with LVCC and my own planning I have decided it is easiest to ascertain primary data from the clients only. So, I will no longer be surveying the managerial staff or R.D. However, I am not concerned that this change will have a negative impact on my report as I plan instead to conduct thorough secondary research through a food service and dietetics lens. Being that this is my first formal report of this nature, I am definitely feeling some uneasiness on the minimal advice given thus far on how the investigation will turn into a comprehensive feasibility analysis. At the same time I am excited to see how collaboration through peer editing and advice from Dr. Paterson will help bring this all together smoothly.

Through Kashish’s peer review of my report proposal, I have gained some greater insight into my own writing style and how it is perceived by others. The peer review I received was insightful, well-written and objective. I completely understood the vast majority of suggestions made and edited my proposal accordingly. I must say, I felt that a few of the comments made were ‘corrections’ to my personal writing style – though I tend to be wordy, I feel that this adds flavour to a document that might be otherwise short and to-the-point. I am hoping that by combining my peer’s suggestions on conciseness with my lengthy style I will refine my writing skills so that they may better suit broader audiences and contexts. Peer editing Kashish’s report proposal left me intrigued to his idea of proposing changes to the traditional grading system. I am inspired by this unique and insightful suggestion and look forward to seeing what more of my peers have in mind for this report. It is interesting to note the different focus that Kashish and I take in our assignments and the peer reviews themselves. I look forward to switching partners for the next review and gaining advice from my other teammates.

Attached is my revised report proposal, as per Kashish’s peer review, which is also linked below.

Revised report proposal

Peer review of report proposal 

March 4th: Complete all necessary primary research and organize data

March 6th: Analyze and create survey charts using primary data

March 7th: Finish conducting and compiling secondary research

March 13th: Complete introduction, body, and conclusion sections

March 15th: Complete references, title page, and table of contents

March 16th: Formal Report Draft Due

March 19th: Peer Review of Formal Report Draft Due

March 23rd: Finish editing document according to peer review

March 26th: Formal Report Final Due

Unit One Reflection Blog 

The assignments in Unit One allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of my the unique qualities and discrepancies in my own and my peer’s writing.

While working on the Three Definitions Assignment, I chose to write about the term “Celiac Disease” as I feel that it is a fairly complex term that is of great importance to my discipline due to the relatively high prevalence and severe consequences of the disease. My decision to use the reading situation of a Registered Dietitian speaking to a patient is based on the professional applicability of this diagnosis, as my personal experience and academic background has revealed to me that many people are unaware of diet-related disorders that may be inflicting themselves or their families. In the sentence definition, I felt that it was of utmost importance to detail the common clinical signs and symptoms of the disorder, as these manifestations are the first means of diagnosis. The expanded definition included an analysis of parts in order to provide the reader with a more in-depth explanation of the technical components that come into play with this disorder. Etymology was chosen to accompany the history of the term, which together allow the reader to gain a better understanding of the historical context that led to the discovery of Celiac Disease. I felt that this information was useful to an individual who may feel lost in the scientific and nutritional realm that their disease falls into. Additionally, I utilized a visual for the reader to have a user-friendly reference for the diverse clincal manifestations of the disorder, which allows them to assess themselves in case of symptom onset, or to relay information about their disorder to loved ones. Completing this assignment gave me a better understanding of the term at hand, which inherently allowed me to gain insight into the importance of technical definitions in other contexts, especially when the reader may not be well-informed on the subject matter.

Completing a peer review of Kashish Garg’s definitions of “Meiosis” allowed me to increase my editorial skills through meticulous inspection of their document. I found that comparing his work to other examples of this assignment and the textbook explanations of the definitions allowed me to assess the quality of the work at hand. Overall, I was very impressed by the document that I read, which contained complete and concise explanations of meiosis and it’s parts. Besides the knowledge that I gained pertaining to Meiosis itself, I learned that my peer has a unique style of writing that lends itself well to the technical writing seen in this document. I found it very intersesting to compare the flaws that he found in my assignment to those that I found in his, as much of this analysis is subjective and depends largely on the editor. For instance, Kashish recommended that I restate my sentence definition after the visual, since they encompassed the same general aspects of my term. In contrast, I made note of a weakness that he repeated his sentence definition in his expanded definition, as I felt that this was too repetitive. In hindsight, I believe that both of our points are useful techniques for our particular writing styles. I believe that Kashish and I can learn from the unique ways that our peers, including one another, performed this assignment.

After examining the peer review that Kashish completed for my assignment, I made note of the suggestions and edited my document accordingly. Overall, I felt that my peer provided me with honest highlights and weaknesses of my document, which he relayed in a professional and friendly manner that made my work feel validated. I also feel that his recommendations were useful and informative, especially those pertaining to major mistakes such as incorrect use of APA style in my citations. He pointed out that my work tended to be quite wordy, which I acknowledge could be seen as a flaw (and edited accordingly) though I believe it is a component of my unique writing style. I believe that making the adjustments as recommended by my peer allowed me to improve my document to one that was more concise, informative, and organized. I appreciate the time and effort that Kashish put into the peer review as I feel that this assignment benefitted both his and my technical writing skills.  Attached below is my revised definition assignment and the related review.

Revised definition of Celiac Disease

Peer review of Celiac Disease

To: Kashish Garg gargkash@student.ubc.ca

From: Dylan Flach

Date: January 25, 2022

Subject: Acceptance of Writing Team Offer

Dear Kashish,

I am honoured that you and Alexander have offered that I join your technical writing team for ENGL 301.

After reading through your application letter, I believe that we will make a great team. Additionally, I had previously sent an invitation to Alexander to be on the same team, so I am already confident that him and I will make a successful team.

Please take this email as an acceptance to join the writing team of you and Alexander. I look forward to working with you both.

Best regards,

Dylan Flach

To: Jennifer Worsham jworsham@student.ubc.bc.ca
From: Dylan Flach
Date: January 25, 2022

Subject: ENGL 301 – Writing Team Invitation

Hi Jennifer,

My name is Dylan, and I am writing to you today as a means of inviting you to join my technical writing team. Since reading your professional application letter, I believe that we have complimetary skills that would allow us to form a well-rounded team for the duration of our technical writing course.

I am very impressed to see that you are a dental hygiene student with twenty years of experience in your field, as this entails that you have a great deal of knowledge in the professional world. As I am a Food, Nutrition, and Health student, we come from similar science backgrounds, which I believe will be beneficial to the success of our group, as we may be like-minded individuals. Additionally, I feel that we share strengths such as strong communication skills and a strong work ethic, which will allow us to be great teammates.

I have attached a copy of my application letter so that you can get an idea of my experience and skills. If you believe we may be a good fit as teammates, please kindly contact me at dflach@student.ubc.ca, or reply to this email.

Best regards,
Dylan Flach

To: Alexander Clements clements.alexander@outlook.com

Continue reading →

301 English Street

Vancouver, BC, 2D7 B8F

January 24th, 2022

Technical Writing 301

Department of English

1873 E Mall #397, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1

Subject: Professional Writing Team Member Application

Dear Class of Technical Writing 301,

My name is Dylan, and I am applying to be a part of your professional writing team. As a fourth-year student with vast experience in work and volunteer positions in my community, I am confident that I have the competencies to be a strong and motivated member of your team.

I am currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Applied Science Food, Nutrition, and Health Program, with aspirations to become a Registered Dietitian. This career path is highly competitive and challenging, exhibiting the fact that I am a hard-working and committed student and young professional.

I currently work as both a Recreation Aide and Dietary Aide in long-term care. This role has allowed me to enhance my interpersonal and interprofessional communication and collaboration skills, as I work to improve the health and well-being of clients alongside my coworkers, nurses, doctors, and care aides in the home. My volunteer commitments that allow me to increase food security in the community have allowed me to become adept in understanding diverse points of view and encouraging others to be confident in their abilities.

Strengths: 

• Proficient leadership skills
• Strong commitment to personal and group success
• Excellent and fast communicator

Weaknesses:

• Perfectionism that can lead to putting too much effort into small tasks
• Tendency to take on too much at one time

My utmost priority is to maintain a positive group environment and ensure that each member feels that their voice is being heard and understood. I hope that as a group we can learn from each other and collaborate towards improving eachother’s personal, professional, and academic goals. If you have any questions or are interested in joining a team together, please reach out to me at dflach@student.ubc.ca.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Best regards,

Dylan Flach

301 Dylan Flach Application Letter