Throughout the course I wrote reflection blogs for each unit which focused on evaluating my work and strategies. Presented in chronological order, these blogs show my development in technical writing throughout the course.
Unit One Reflection Blog (Definitions Assignment)
Writing
The process of writing the definitions assignment was difficult yet rewarding. I had considered many different terms, but ultimately settled on angioplasty due to its widespread usage in healthcare settings and relevance for many people. I enjoyed researching the origins of the word and found the links to ancient Latin and Greek words fascinating. My literature search also uncovered some interesting historical information, specifically how angioplasty is not an entirely modern practice. The information I gathered was useful when incorporating expansion methods into my writing. Although I had used expansion methods like providing examples before, it was useful to see them all presented in a systematic way. These strategies can be utilized in many different forms of writing and will be helpful knowledge going forward.
My background in writing research papers aided in gathering information from outside sources, citing, and writing succinctly. However, I quickly learned that this writing task involved much more than that. I had to explain the process in a way that a non-specialized audience could understand, while most of my research sources used many specialized terms and medical jargon. I also had to adequately explain the term without overwhelming the reader who had little to no background in the subject. My initial attempt at writing was too complex, lengthy, and read too much like a research paper. I used the technical writing tips outlined in the textbook to improve my tone, revise my sentence structure, and reduce the length and complexity dramatically.
Peer-review
Peer-reviewing my group member’s submission provided me with insight on how others approached the assignment and raised questions about my own writing. I was impressed with the organization, flow, and abundance of information that my peer included. I noticed that the tone of our writing was similar, but their writing included more detail. This helped me reflect on my work and see that there was a need for additional clarification. This insight was further validated by my peer’s review of my work, as they mentioned some confusion with my expanded definition and figure. Finally, I found it rewarding to suggest some changes for my peer’s assignment. Although I did not need to suggest any major changes, I hope that my efforts to provide constructive feedback based on my strengths and views was useful.
Revision
My peer provided me with specific, detailed feedback that helped me recognize areas of improvement that I had missed. After reading the feedback it was clear that while trying to reduce information overload, I had omitted too much content. This shortcoming seemed obvious after reading my peer’s suggestions, which shows how useful the peer review process can be. To address this, I included another figure and added to my previous statements in the expanded definition. This process helped me improve in my ability to determine how much information is appropriate, and ultimately strengthened my writing abilities. The insights I gained from the peer review and revision process will be beneficial when approaching future assignments.
Peer-review: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30198a2022s12/2022/06/10/dales-review-of-harveys-definitions/
Revised Definitions: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30198a2022s12/2022/06/13/revised-definitions-harvey-dhaliwal/
Unit Two Reflection Blog (LinkedIn research/Formal Report process):
LinkedIn Research
The LinkedIn best practices assignment provided me with useful information for expanding my professional presence online. Although I had created a LinkedIn account earlier, I never considered it to be essential and spent little time on it. Through the research I conducted for this assignment, I came to realize that LinkedIn is an excellent platform to build my professional network and find employment. I am now motivated to spend more time on filling out my profile following the direction of my research sources.
In my research, I looked through many sources to find the best information possible. This included blog posts, documents provided by academic institutions, and advice from LinkedIn itself. I found the documents from academic institutions to be the most useful, as they framed their advice with students in mind. As a student with little experience in my field who will be looking for a co-op position, I believe these tips will be relevant in my job search.
Having considered the best practices I researched, there are two main areas that I must focus on to improve my profile. The first is filling out my profile entirely. I am currently missing a summary, profile picture, endorsements, and detailed job history. I would also like to make more posts and establish more connections to expand my network and obtain new opportunities. Overall, I found the process of researching and writing the LinkedIn best practices memo rewarding and useful for improving my LinkedIn profile.
Writing Proposal and Outline
The process of brainstorming an idea and preparing my proposal and outline was difficult. I spent a lot of time thinking over different options and ruling out most of them as inadequate. After having no success for a few days, the idea for creating a report on the check-in procedures at North Delta Recreation Centre came about organically while I was at the gym. I reflected on these thoughts while working out and wrote them down when I got home.
Once I had the idea in mind, I found it challenging to devise a well thought out plan for my proposal and outline. The idea of a 12-to-15-page report felt daunting, but I was able to manage that anxiety by breaking up my work into manageable chunks and constantly revising my ideas. One of the most difficult parts of the process was creating appropriate survey and interview questions. For the survey, to ensure my respondents completed the survey I had to design the least number of questions while extracting as much information as possible. For the interview questions, I had to ensure my questions had a positive tone which the director would feel comfortable responding to with adequate detail.
Having completed the outline and survey/interview questions, I feel much better than I did at the start of the process. However, I do begin to feel overwhelmed with seeing the due dates fast approaching. Thankfully, I have my writing plan to ensure I am progressing at an appropriate pace. The main question I have currently is if I will get enough information from the survey respondents and facility director to create a detailed report. I am hopeful that I will receive quality information, as it will form the basis of my research.
Peer Review
Peer reviewing my partner’s proposal helped me see how my peers have approached the assignment and led me to consider my own report in a different way. My partner had created an excellent proposal that was well organized and complete. Their topic was appropriately narrowed down and focused on one issue. This led me to reflect on my own assignment, which had a broader scope. My partner also raised this point in their review of my work, which I found helpful for improving my proposal. I appreciated their suggestion of making more clear distinctions between the two main points addressed in my report, and I revised my proposal to reflect that. This suggestion also helped me organize my outline with separate sections for each idea, as suggested by my peer.
Having reviewed my partner’s proposal and reading through my writing team’s work, I learned that my writing could be better organized. My group members did an excellent job separating ideas and explaining them with appropriate detail. This helped make the documents easy to read and understand. This led me to reflect on my writing process and consider how I edit my work. Although my writing and organization appeared to be clear in my mind, it was somewhat confusing for my reviewer. I think that going forward I should try to consider my work from different perspectives when reviewing and editing. The role of technical writing is to communicate ideas concisely and effectively, so it is crucial to always consider your audience. This insight will be beneficial for creating a final report which is organized, clear, and approachable for the reader.
Peer Review Link: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30198a2022s12/2022/06/29/dales-review-of-harveys-proposal/
Revised Proposal: 301 Harvey Dhaliwal Report Proposal Revised
Unit Three Reflection Blog (Formal Report):
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/
Unit Four Reflection Blogs (Self-assessment/Web Folio):
Self-assessment Reflection
As English 301 comes to an end, reflecting on my experiences in the course has helped me see my development in becoming a better writer. I came into English 301 with some level of confidence in my abilities, and although my existing strengths helped me succeed it was clear that there was much room for improvement.
I feel that throughout the course I did a good job with following the assignment instructions and working hard to meet deadlines. I always made sure to carefully study each instruction and due date to make sure that my work was completed to a satisfactory level and on time. This became much more difficult near the end of the course, as many large projects were due in short order. While I was able to meet almost every deadline, I was late to post my web folio. In the future, I plan to use a whiteboard calendar to list my due dates in addition to creating a plan for each assignment like the writing plan we created for the report.
In terms of writing, I feel that I did a good job using a professional tone and constructing concise sentences using easy to understand language. I also feel that my writing was generally well organized, with ideas were thoughtfully separated. I displayed these strengths in most assignments but feel that the definitions assignment, memos, and final report are particularly strong in this regard. These strengths will be valuable when communicating with professors, classmates, coworkers, and potential employers as I search for a co-op position.
Some of my weaknesses which I tried to address while progressing through the term are utilizing you-attitude and knowing how much detail is appropriate to include. The concept of you-attitude was new to me, and I saw that my natural writing style did not utilize this tone. This was particularly obvious in the final report, and my reviewer kindly pointed it out. I will continue to develop my skills in utilizing you-attitude when communicating at school and in the workplace.
Another area which I displayed weakness in is determining how much detail to include in sentences. This was particularly clear when I constructed my peer reviews, as I failed to include appropriate detail in the first impressions section. One thing that helped me when I was revising is identifying the reader and using you-attitude to consider their position and level of pre-existing knowledge. With this information in mind, it became much easier to determine what to include and what to leave out.
Through feedback from the instructor and peers, I was able to identify and work on my weaknesses in technical writing. I am confident that I am leaving this course a better writer and am thankful for each learning opportunity I received.
Web Folio Reflection:
Composing the web folio was a rewarding experience which allowed me to look back at my previous work with more knowledge and experience. It was remarkable to see just how much I had accomplished in a short time in this course, and how many assignments I had completed. I was able to see the progression of my writing over time improving, and I hope to continue practicing the skills introduced in this course in my professional life.
The task of editing past assignments using instructor and peer feedback was time consuming, but ultimately proved helpful in identifying patterns of strengths and weaknesses. One trend that I noticed was that my peer reviews were consistently lacking in the first impressions sections. I was able to use the instructors blog to improve this section by including more details. Further, in terms of positives I noticed that my previous blog posts were quite strong after seeing the consistently positive instructor feedback. This process helped me better understand my abilities and tendencies as a technical writer.
I found the task of organizing my website difficult due to the sheer number of assignments that were required to be posted. In order to ensure correct formatting and linking to different posts, I spent a large amount of time proof reading my work. Through this process I became more comfortable with using WordPress, and am now considering setting up a personal blog using my new skills.
In conclusion, creating the web folio was an ideal assignment to end off English 301. I was able to reflect on my accomplishments and ultimately felt proud of my work in this course. I am confident that a real employer would be impressed by my work throughout English 301, and the skills that I have learned this term will be valuable beyond academic settings.