This is my final ENGL 301 blog post! The course has been very helpful in improving my proficiency and confidence as a technical writer.

I have learned that writing is a not an inherent skill in that some people excel. It is a skill that requires continual practice. I feel that ENGL 301 has provided me with significant practice in technical and professional writing. Throughout the numerous assignments and peer reviews, I feel that I have accomplished some of the goals I set. One of my goals was to develop concise writing. During the course, I learned how to eliminate extraneous words to increase clarity. The formal report assignment was a good example of concise writing. My original draft had 14 pages of written content! From extensive feedback in earlier units, I was able to condense my report to 11 pages.

I also noticed some weaknesses in my writing. As a science student, I was used to writing lengthy research papers. Oftentimes my writing would be too technical and lengthy for readers. I was able to see this in earlier assignments, and this is an area that I am actively working to improve. Another weakness would be my assumptions about my audience. I am accustomed to my audience as being fully knowledgeable about the material. This often resulted in vague peer reviews that lacked examples. The feedback from ENGL 301 has helped me undo this mindset. Additionally, I have taken more effort to explain concepts to my audience; this extends beyond my role as a peer reviewer.

I believe some of the skills I practiced during ENGL 301 apply to my future career. A relevant one is critical analysis, which is from my undergraduate background in science. Critical analysis was commonly practiced when reading assignment details. This was to ensure I followed guidelines correctly to avoid penalization. This will prove useful as I apply for graduate school. Oftentimes, schools will reject applications if they do not meet guidelines; thus, this is a very important skill. Some of my strengths that will help my future career are my work ethic and willingness to ask questions. Graduate school will be time consuming and have strict deadlines. It is then important to have a strong work ethic to meet guidelines and achieve success. I also believe a willingness to ask questions is important. Occasionally, there will be miscommunication on tasks and assignments. Thus, it is important to actively ask questions to minimize errors and help advance projects.

Overall, I am pleased with my improvement as a technical writer. I would like to thank Dr. Erika Paterson and Jasmine Spencer for their continual feedback and support. With their help, I was able to become a stronger and more confident writer.

The WebFolio design process was an interesting experience. I have prior experience in creating blogs in WordPress, so creating a WebFolio was fairly simple. My main focus in creating my WebFolio was to make it simple and easy to navigate. As this is a public interface to represent my work, I wanted to keep links and pages concise and readable. This is reflected in my choice of hyperlink titles and page titles. The content on each page also had to be concise. These considerations made self-editing a continuous process, in order to better appeal to my audience. Overall, I have a better understanding of the characteristics of a WebFolio or an online portfolio. Creating a successful WebFolio requires careful consideration to the audience and concision. The process was very fun and I believe I have addressed the goals of the WebFolio assignment.