The first three weeks of English 301 has been a nice introduction to the course. We started off by composing specific documents such as letters, memos, and emails. Before this course, I rarely paid attention to the wording and organization of such documents. Being expected to meet certain criteria required me to write more critically.

Personally, the most challenging assignment this unit is the Definitions Assignment, where we had to define a technical term using different methods. In my writing of the definition for Parkinson’s disease, I found myself struggling to compose explanations using simplified scientific terms. At times, I would be unsure about whether or not my definition is too technical for readers with no background knowledge of the topic to understand.

Despite the challenge of the assignment, Hendson’s peer review of my work provided me with valuable feedback for areas of improvement. Because he was unfamiliar with the topic, he was able to comment on the technicality of my writing. For example, because “down-regulation” was a self-explanatory term in my field, I did not put much thought into using the term to explain the concept of the disorder. However, Hendson pointed out that the term does not provide sufficient context to unfamiliar readers.

With Hendson’s helpful suggestions, I was able to revisit and improve my assignment. Because his feedback was clear and concise, I was able to edit my assignment without any difficulties. Instead of using “down-regulation” as an explanatory term, I instead used the phrase “decrease in the number”, which would make more sense to non-technical readers. If I had not received Hendson’s peer review, I would have stayed oblivious to my errors.

Overall, unit one has prepared me to write professionally and critically. Knowing that my work is available on the web for public viewing encourages me to put in extra effort to ensure that my assignments are of acceptable quality. I am happy to be a part of this course, and look forward to improving my writing through different challenges in the next few months.

To see Hendson’s peer review of my Definitions Assignment, please click here.

To download a copy of my revised Definitions Assignment, please click here.