Monthly Archives: January 2015

For this assignment, I found out that finding the correct wording for the definitions while trying to write for a specific audience was harder than I expected. There is a greater need to try and balance the wording to be simple, yet detailed enough for a non-technical reader to understand a complex term.

When I was initially thinking of a term that was theoretical, I was having trouble using expanding definition methods. For my example about osteoarthritis, the section on signs and symptoms was difficult in trying to create a short, mutually exclusive and clear list of symptoms. There were also problems of including too much to describe a specific time frame that would differentiate from pain from an injury to repeated pain after resting.

When peer reviewing my partners piece, I could see how the use of specific technical terms may not come across as easily understood in the key definitions. From their advice I added in information to explain smaller terms and give an overall clearer picture of my concept. The use of visual aids helped when describing as they provided a foundation for the previous definitions and examples. An issue that I did notice was how easily it was to create a definition that is simple enough to be understood, but lacking the information necessarily to be expanded on.

The tips from after reading through the tips from my peer edit I hope allowed me to bring in my sentencing into creating a more concise definition of my term. There were multiple terms and areas for expansion that I only found out from reading the peer review. I considered some of the terms like artificial implants to be off topic and not needing an explanation when I was defining the condition.

With some grammatical errors, I have to read over my work and possibly get a friend to do the same to prevent these from happening again. There were a few small mistakes with fonts like underlining some headings and bolding others and formatting where bullet points would be more effective in quickly summarizing. After editing I realized the impact of all these tiny flaws added up to breaking up the flow and understanding of the reader.

Peer Review of Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis Definition assignment

15 Williams St.
Vancouver, BC V3V 3V3
January 12, 2015

English 301: Technical Writing
The University of British Columbia
2329 West mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4

Dear Classmates

I am writing to apply for the writing position for the spring term. I am currently completing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology at the University of British Colombia and will be expecting to graduate in May 2015. I am interested in being granted the opportunity of being a part of your writing team, where I can lend my skill set in benefiting the team for academic success.

Previously as a volunteer Reading Buddy at the Richmond Public library, I was responsible for editing works, and teaching grammar, writing and speaking skills in both English and French to students. I learned how to work with young students by having to translate writing tasks into the simplest forms. As a sales associate, I learned to properly communicate with customers to do my part as an effective team member. I served as the department’s second best salesman by providing customers clear choices and information in order to make favourable decisions on their purchases. My work experience has greatly increased my leadership and problem solving skills in a business setting to ensure for quality customer service and relations in changing situations.

My academic experience over the past four-and-a-half years has prepared me to be an effective group member and academic writer. My experience gained from writing essays, proposals and reports individually and in a group setting will allow me to work well in creating writing that flows together. Skills I have acquired would be my unique writing voice and perspective. This term I decided to concentrate solely on my academics so I now have more time to spend writing and editing my works. Although sometimes I have issues with keeping words on the page, I have started doing multiple revisions to improve my writing. Bad habits remain where my writing contains too many non-essential words and lacks the impact of a more concise writing style.

I believe that education should be something that is not only static to give a strong foundation, but also dynamic to allow for experimentation at times. As learning is a lifelong endeavor, I enjoy it more when the skills can be applied to real life situations instead of purely on letter grades.

Thank you for considering my application for the position to be on your team. I can be contacted by email at willwkho@gmail.com or by cellphone at 604-446-2693.

Sincerely,
William Ho

ENG 301 application letter