ENG 301 Unit Three Reflection Blog (3.3)
Writing Strategies & Drafting Formal Reports
The goal of this unit is to practice and hone writing strategies while drafting a Formal Report. We also began the initial planning of our job application. During this block’s work, I was able to practice writing framed in the right attitude and with a “you” focus. The team forum posting assignment helped me to consider what a “you” focus would entail and how to watch for errors. It is easy to slip into a habitual, but incorrect, style of writing when not paying attention. This must be guarded against when drafting professional documents.
Assisting the fictional Evan Crisp to re-assess his email to the professor was an interesting task. I found in some places, I struggled to provide meaningful feedback without appearing condescending. This exercise really made me think about tone and how to employ it.
The business letter component of the block work allowed me to see how easily emotion could enter into a communication, making it appear unprofessional. The exercise involved drafting the response to the complaint as well, and this was very enlightening. It forces one to consider both parties in the disagreement and how they might respond.
Peer Review Process
After drafting my own Formal Report, I had the chance to review my peer Varneega Theva’s work. Going over the paper of a classmate helped me to solidify my own thinking around the report process. As I edited for clarity and structure, I found myself going back to my own work to ensure I hadn’t missed similar things.
Revision Process
Varneega’s peer review of my paper provided valuable feedback. She identified some areas of missing detail in my proposal. Having another person read one’s work not only helps to hone for clarity and technical errors, it also clearly identifies where the audience may be missing something that seems obvious to the author due to a blind spot in thinking. I am now able to incorporate these improvements into my final work. I plan to revise my work for technical errors and include further details on why Our Place Society will be a good place to locate a volunteer dental hygiene clinic. I will add further information on how additional volunteer professionals could be located to join in the effort to provide preventative services.
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ENG 301 Unit Two Reflection Blog (2.3)
Formal Report and Proposal Writing
Unit Two of ENGL 301 allowed us to explore Proposals and Formal Report writing. Peer review helped me to refine my writing to clarify and improve it for the intended audience. Having never done this type of writing before, I found it both interesting and challenging.
My work is entitled “Proposal to Establish a Volunteer Dental Hygiene Clinic at Our Place Society”, and in creating this document and the associated list of questions and Progress Report I had to think critically about how to formulate my plan and to whom I intended to direct the message. Practicing organizing a hierarchical set of information into a structured outline helped me to think in a logical, categorical way; this assisted me to develop my thought process for the proposal in a methodical fashion. This process assisted me to clarify my thinking and research planning.
Peer Review Process
My classmate Katherine Chan and I exchanged peer reviews with one another on our work. Katherine’s writing is clear and concise but also thorough. Reviewing it helped me to see ways to structure sentences in ways that communicate efficiently, yet in detail, about the matter at hand. By carefully reading another’s work for grammar and spelling, it gets my mind in the right frame to scan my own work for errors.
Revision Process
Katherine’s insights on my work allowed me to see where I had failed to be descriptive enough for my reader to fully grasp the information. She pointed out a few awkward sentences that I was able to refine into smoother language. Peer review is always necessary to achieve a high-quality piece of written work. Without another set of eyes, it is easy to miss typographical errors or poorly constructed concepts that may hinder reader comprehension. Katherine’s feedback allowed me to improve my work.
Peer review of my proposal by Katherine Chan:
https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-99c-2021wc/2022/02/18/peer-review-of-research-proposal-2/
Revised Formal Report Proposal:
https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-99c-2021wc/2022/03/03/formal-report-proposal-assig-2-1-revision/
Original Formal Report Proposal:
https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-99c-2021wc/2022/02/15/formal-report-proposal-assignment-2-1/
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ENG 301 Unit One Reflection Blog (1.3)
The original post taught me about the different ways to write a definition for a non-technical audience. I found myself reflecting on the best ways to define a term when your audience may have little to no understanding of the field in which the term occurs.
After reading my teammate Varneega’s peer review, I realized that despite my effort to make my definition accessible, I had unknowingly left some jargon. I revised it, and I believe I have managed to make it more readable. I believe that the next time I try this type of work, I will be more aware of how to make the writing accessible to my audience.
Link to my edited writing: