Introduction and Expectations for English 301

English 301, or Technical Writing as it is called, is a writing course taking place in an online environment through distance education at the University of British Columbia. This blog will be used to follow and document my experience throughout the semester. The course has various major purposes that are applicable to students of all types of academic backgrounds to develop many important professional writing skills. These include self-editing, writing reflection, peer review, and the ability to master strategies and techniques in order to successfully write in a business, professional or technical context. There are four units, each with different learning outcomes. The first unit focuses on Principles, Practices and People, and then progresses onto units addressing components of technical writing such as Designing Report Proposals, Outlines, Resumes, skills need for Job Applications, and then concludes with Drafting a Final Report.

I have high hopes and expectations for this course to be a very rewarding and helpful experience for me. In the past, I have especially enjoyed all courses that focus on practical application and important career skills that are easily translated from the academic realm into my personal and professional life. I expect no different from English 301 after looking through the course information and description in-depth. I hope to further sharpen and enhance my writing abilities in order to more effectively and articulately communicate professionally in all contexts and scenarios that will present themselves during the course of my career, whichever direction or industry I end up pursuing. Conducting myself in a professional manner through e-mail, online social networking sites and documents such as invoices is extremely important to me and I am excited to have the opportunity to further develop this type of skill set throughout this semester.