Researching Formal Report
The process of researching for the formal report proved to be more difficult than I had expected. I realized that although I had spent time and effort on crafting an ethical and comprehensive survey, it was equally important that I received sufficient responses. I had expected that posting my survey link in a community Facebook group once would be sufficient to receive adequate data. This assumption proved to be incorrect, as I only received approximately 12 responses after the first posting. I ended up posting the survey multiple times over the week, and in the end managed to accumulate 35 total responses. I learned that obtaining information through surveys is not as easy as it seems. In the future, I would consider implementing a random prize draw for participants to encourage more engagement. I would also post it in more online groups and forums to expand its reach. This would ultimately increase sample size, therefore enhancing the credibility of my results and conclusions.
While it was tough to obtain enough survey results, it was more difficult to get responses to my questionnaire. I emailed the director multiple times over two weeks, and ultimately received a brief response from one of their colleagues with answers to my questions. Although I expected more details, I am still grateful that I was able to receive some information to add to my report. In the future, I would leave more time to allow for questionnaire responses as I recognize these individuals are quite busy.
Organizing/Writing Formal Report
As I did not have my questionnaire data when writing my first draft, it was quite difficult to draw appropriate conclusions and state recommendations. I had to try my best to work with what I had, and I think I did a good job using the survey information to create a thoughtful draft. Having received the questionnaire response just two days ago, I am eager to use this information to complete the unfinished sections of my report.
I was pleased to see how much the previous project-related assignments helped make the writing process easier. Since I had spent considerable time and effort on my outline and memo, I was able to use these documents to organize my report effectively. I also expanded on the outline after submission, adding bullet points and details which I then built upon while writing my draft. I learned the importance of appropriate planning and outlining from this experience and am exceedingly likely to invest more time in this stage of the writing process in the future.
Peer Reviewing Report
Peer reviewing my partner’s report helped me evaluate my own writing and become more familiar with the criteria and guidelines. To provide my partner with the best feedback possible, I had to study the directions in detail. This process helped me uncover some of the areas which I had overlooked in my draft, specifically regarding the tone and style of my writing. Knowing the guidelines better will help me improve my writing for the final draft.
I was impressed by my partner’s draft and found it to be very well written and organized. The revisions that I did suggest were relatively minor, which shows the effort my partner invested in the draft. I am glad I was able to make some suggestions which I hope my partner will find valuable when editing. One strength of my partner’s paper was in their visual choice. They had diverse and engaging graphs and photos which helped draw in the readers’ attention, which is something I discovered was lacking in my report. I look forward to incorporating my learnings from my peer review and my partner’s suggestions to improve my writing.
My Draft: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30198a2022s12/2022/07/25/project-draft/