Jenny’s ENGL 301 Blog

I decided to take this ENGL 301 course because I thought there were many things that I could learn from it. As I had more experience in academic writing throughout my time, I believe technical writing experience was also important. 

So the semester is finally coming to an end and I can definitely say that ENGL 301 has made an impact on my writing skills. I learned a lot from the readings and assignments we have done throughout the course. The courses assignments taught a wide-range of different tools we can apply to our professional lives. During the beginning of the course, I expected to learn how to learn how to write memos, professional correspondences and create a LinkedIn profile. But I didn’t realize we would also learn things like writing with a ‘you attitude’ and effectively peer reviewing our peers. 

Something I struggle with is understanding the ‘you attitude’ and remember to apply it in my own writing. Throughout this course, we were required to peer review our peers work and I found it very beneficial. It allowed me to learn more techniques of technical writing and communicate more effectively and professionally online. It gave me the opportunity to compare me own work with someone else’s. 

I think my new technical writing skills will serve me well in any profession I choose to have in the future. I acknowledge that there are things I still need to improve on and there are many things I need to learn. I have taken a lot from this course and would like to thank my peers and Dr. Paterson.

By creating a web folio, it gave me a chance to see all that I’ve accomplished by the end of this semester. It allows me to showcase my growth within the course. I was able to make additional revisions based on the input I received from my peers and professors as well as using what I have learned over the past couple of months. 

For my web folio, I aimed to generate a site that represents I have learned throughout the case which is to deliver information clearly. I aimed to have each page display my strength and skills, such as my the works I have done throughout the four months, including my resume. But I hope the entire website illustrates the improvement I have made throughout the months. 

One component from my Web Folio, that I found to be very important are the “Blogs” page. I believe that each reflection allows the readers to get an understanding of the difficulties I had undergone through various assignments. At the same time, it demonstrates my learning and problem-solving skills, which are useful. Upon reviewing my previous reflections, I am grateful for each milestone and issue I had throughout my writing as it contributed to my knowledge in technical writing. 

Overall, creating a Web Folio has had a great learning curve as it is my first time, I found that it was an amazing experience. However, I still believe there can be more improvements done to my website as it is not done to exactly how I wanted it to be. The process of creating the Web Folio was still rewarding and I have succeeded in delivering my work in a clear manner. 

One of the first assignments of unit 3 was to write a response to a student who is trying enroll in a course to is full. This assignment allowed us to to demonstrate how to properly write an email to a professor and write with a “You Attitude”. Using what we learned, I tried to maintain a You attitude throughout my formal report draft to keep a professional tone. I found it to be quite a challenge because the report was very long, I had to to constantly remind myself.

In this unit, we had to complete the process of writing the first draft of our formal report which I found quite difficult. This was my first time taking on a research project this big alone. The assignment took a great deal of work, with the process of researching, organizing and writing. A lot of preparation and planning was required to carry out the surveys and interviews. My report required gathering survey responses from customers at Lee Chong Asian Food. I found that with surveys, it did not allow me to delve deeper into the problems and gather as much information as I wanted too. I felt like it was a bit rushed and while interviews may have gotten better results, it was more time consuming.

As mentioned before, this was my first time, doing a research report of this kind and more importantly alone, so I felt a bit lost on where to start. But I definitely found my formal report outline to be a good starting point in organizing my report. However, as I started writing, I realized that I needed to make changes as there were some sections I forgot about and some that were not needed.

I peer reviewed Meagan’s draft report on Decreasing Needlestick Injuries at Arden Park Dental. I was very impressed with her draft and I had to read through it a couple of times in order to find suggestions on how to improve what I thought was a very well written report. I found that peer reviewing a report to be a bit more challenging because of the length. I found it very beneficial to see how Meagan organized her report. The peer review process allowed me to compare my own report to hers and see what I can do to improve mine. Hopefully my suggestions were expressed in an objective, professional, and friendly manner. I look forward to reading her fully complete formal report.

Formal Report Draft: Engl 301 _ Formal Report Draft

The project proposal is to help us prepare for our later assignments being the outline and formal proposal. The project proposal was definitely challenging in the beginning as it was my first time in creating a plan of action for a problem. At first, I was unable to think of an idea and struggled to find a topic that I could research on. 

One of the assignments I found very beneficial was the Best Practices for LinkedIn assignment. By reading through different websites, I was able to see what would make a strong and appealing profile. I was excited to develop my professional social network. I took the tips from the previous assignment and applied them to my own profile. This assignment allowed me to identify my skills and traits based on my past work and volunteer experiences.  

Peer reviewing has been an important component of our course which I find very helpful. Peer reviewing allows for another person to make corrections on my LinkedIn profile and report proposal and give feedback on what changes can be made to help improve and strengthen the assignment. Peer reviewing has made me more aware of potential errors in my own writing. From reading the work of my teammates, I found them to be extremely knowledgeable in their field. When it came to reviewing my partners proposal, I believe Meagan did an amazing job in specifying what problem she wants to solve. Her proposal was written excellently and she gave a clear outline of her research. So most of the suggestions for revision were very minor.  The process of reviewing another student’s proposal allowed me to think about how I could have done better on my own. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my Unit 2 Reflection. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. 

Sincerely,

 Jenny Zhang

Link to Peer Review:

https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-99a-2019wa/2019/10/11/63856/

Revised Proposal:

ENGL 301 _ Revised Proposal

We have just finished the assignments for Unit One of our English 301 course. This Unit consisted in writing professional letters, emails, memos and definitions. Through all these assignments, I feel as though I am improving my writing skills. This reflection will focus on assignment 1:3, the peer review process, and editing my three definitions on the term algorithm. 

Assignment 1:3 was challenging but I learnt how to communicate to a non-technical audience, and improve my writing skills. The assignment repeatedly reminded me to pay attention to the clarity and intentionality of my writing. It takes work to be deliberate and careful with word choices and the amount of detail to include. I also learnt which writing strategies were effective for a non-technical audience. These included adding visuals, question-style subheadings and giving the parts that make up this item. Overall, the assignment was a good opportunity for practicing how to write for a targeted audience. 

For the peer review, I practiced critical reading skills. I peer reviewed Janice’s work and provided some suggestions where it was due. It was quite difficult as her definitions were well written. I found the feedback from Janice to be helpful. Her feedback was specific and she identified areas that I needed to fix or elaborate more on. She gave me a suggestion, to find some more scholarly articles which I have tried to when I was writing my definitions. Since my definition was more broad, most peer-reviewed articles are on specific types of algorithms. As my goal is not to explain a specific algorithm, I found it difficult to find a scholarly article that explains just the general term algorithm. 

I believe this assignment helped me to strengthen my writing skills. The process of peer review was also helpful because it allowed me to see the style of writing by my teammates. Not only that, but I think it’s really beneficial to have another set of eyes review a piece of work carefully. Thank you for taking the time to read this reflection blog. 

Revised Definition: ENGL 301- Definition Assignment (1)

Link to Peer Review:

https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-99a-2019wa/2019/09/24/peer-review-of-technical-definition-for-algorithm/

To: Janice Pang (janice.pang@alumni.ubc.ca)

From: Jenny Zhang (j.zhang.8@alumni.ubc.ca)

Date: September 20, 2019

Subject: English 301 Writing Team

Hi Janice Pang,

I am writing in response in response to your letter of application and I would like to invite you to form a writing team. Your application letter is impressive. Your job experiences sound very interesting and I am impressed by your writing experience. I also believe that learning should be done collaboratively because it engages the person more. After reviewing your application letter, I believe we could work well together. 

Attached to this email, is my application letter for your consideration. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email at j.zhang.8@alumni.ubc.ca. I am looking forward to hearing from you and hopefully be able to collaborate. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Jenny Zhang

301 Jenny Zhang Application letter

To: Meagan Rosenberg (m.rosenberg@alumni.ubc.ca)

From: Jenny Zhang (j.zhang.8@alumni.ubc.ca)

Date: September 20, 2019

Subject: English 301 Writing Team

Hi Meagan Rosenberg,

I am writing in response in response to your letter of application and I would like to invite you to form a writing team. From your application letter, it is evident that your have solid knowledge and proficiency in written communication. You noted that some of your strengths include peer reviewing and editing which I believe will benefit me greatly. Having effective time management is a great quality and given that both of us have good time-management skills, I believe we can work well together as a team. 

Attached to this email, is my application letter for your consideration. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email at j.zhang.8@alumni.ubc.ca. I am looking forward to hearing from you and hopefully be able to collaborate. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Jenny Zhang

301 Jenny Zhang Application letter

To: Emily Krisnamurti  (emilyjasmine@gmail.com)

From: Jenny Zhang (j.zhang.8@alumni.ubc.ca)

Date: September 20, 2019

Subject: English 301 Writing Team

Hi Emily Krisnamurti,

I am writing in response in response to your letter of application and I would like to invite you to form a writing team. After reading about your experience, it is evident that you have good knowledge and proficiency in written communication through your exposure in technical and academic fields. Your extensive writing experience will be very beneficial. Your dedication to deliver results under deadlines is a great quality and after reviewing your application letter, I believe we could work well together.

Attached to this email, is my application letter for your consideration. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email at j.zhang.8@alumni.ubc.ca. I am looking forward to hearing from you and hopefully be able to collaborate. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Jenny Zhang

301 Jenny Zhang Application letter

To: Erika Paterson, ENGL 301 Instructor

From: Jenny Zhang, Student of English 301

Date: September 16, 2019

Subject: Application Letter Submission

My application letter has been posted on my blog. Attached to this memorandum, please find my letter of application to join a writing team.

The attached letter includes:

• A request to be considered for a position on an ENGL 301 writing team
• A brief history of my education background
• My writing experience from past courses
• Some insight into my strengths and weaknesses
• A brief description of my learning philosophy
• My contact information

Please let me know if you have any questions or require any further information.

301 Jenny Zhang Application letter

4400 Corless Road

Richmond, BC V7C1N3

(604) 767-7382

j.zhang.8@alumni.ubc.ca

15th September 2019

ENGL 301 Technical Writing Class

University of British Columbia

2329 West Mall 

Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4

Dear Future Teammates:

Please consider my application for a position on your writing team, as advertised on the English 301 blog. I am currently a fourth year student majoring in Mathematics and a minor in Economics. I plan to contribute towards my writing team by different ideas and putting in the work to accomplish our assignments.

Most of my previous writing experience has been in writing research and term papers and essays from both English and Economic courses. I also have experience with poster presentations and slideshows, from Economic courses. I have experience working in teams from previous courses both online and in person. I am well aware of the importance of meeting deadlines, as well as communication among team members. I am excellent at sticking to a schedule as I have good time management skills. A weakness of mine is that I tend to shy away from leadership roles. Despite this, I will still be an active contributor in any team activities. 

My learning philosophy is that learning is meant to be collaborative and engaging. Collaborative learning allows us to come together with our respective strengths and mitigate our weaknesses. Being engaged allows students to have a more meaningful learning experience. I look forward to being exposed to different perspectives and new approaches to problem solving that comes with team activities.

I would appreciate the opportunity to be considered for a position on your ENGL 301 writing team. Thank your in advance for your time and consideration. If you believe that I am a good fit for your team, please contact me via email at j.zhang.8@alumni.ubc.ca. I look forward to hearing from you soon. 

Sincerely,

Jenny Zhang

301 Jenny Zhang Application letter