I found our third writing unit for Technical Communication to be very writing intensive. A few new techniques were introduced, such as the concept of You-Attitude. We made further progress on our formal reports. We also started our job application packages. It was a busy three weeks.

The You-Attitude was an entirely new concept for me. It gave us many points to follow or consider while we wrote pieces that were reviews of another person’s work. It also applies to any writing where the intended audience needs to be considered. While I often keep many of these topics in mind without thinking (e.g. formal or neutral tone in relaying information), I had never looked at these concepts from an academic perspective. This really helped organize my thought process when constructing a review of someone else’s work.

When it came time to write letters of formal complaints to a business, the You-Attitude was helpful in laying out the groundwork for the letter, as well as keeping a neutral and formal tone throughout the letter. Writing the letters themselves I did not find too challenging – I was able to draw off a previous conflict that I encountered at my own office of employment. I used this to write both the complaint letter and the response to the customer. I found it easiest to write the letters in the way I would rather have seen them written when I dealt with the scenario in the actual workplace. This was a good way to practice the new writing techniques we had just learned while reinforcing my current writing practices in a professional setting.

The rest of the unit was focused on the formal report. In unit two, we drafted a proposal and outlined a plan that we could use to organize our thoughts, plan data gathering and begin constructing the formal report. Again, I chose to draw on current work experiences when deciding on a report topic. I drafted a report on the current state of billing resources that are available to physicians in British Columbia. I work at a walk-in medical clinic, so I have access to current resources as well as contacts from which I can collect survey and interview data. I think writing on a topic I am already close to was why I found writing up the draft report to come so naturally. I kept the You-Attitude in mind, but using the proposal and outline from previous units, I completed my draft. It was still a lot of work, but the organization we created beforehand was vital in making the process as smooth as it was.

Again, we performed peer reviews for each others work. This time it was for the formal report draft. Ying’s report on the ROX was very well organized and well written. While not complete, I could already tell where the report was going and how it would be completed. It also made me realize that my own report could have been more organized and more aesthetic. As we continue to perform these peer reviews, I am finding they become easier to write up. My thoughts and feedback become more organized. Creating a template for a specific assignment peer review is also becoming easier to create. I am pleased with how much I am learning throughout this course.

An ongoing part of both unit two and unit three has been the beginnings of the job application package. During unit three, I was able to find a job posting on the UBC Careers website that was related to my current field of study. The plan for next week will be to finish writing my cover letter for that job posting, as well as edit my resume to suit the same. I believe this will be good practice for my upcoming co-op work placement in the fall.

Until next time…

During our second Unit of English 301, we were asked to start two of the larger projects we would be completing this term: the formal report, and the application package. Looking back, I think I underestimated how much work would be involved in preparing these items. It was only through perseverance and time management that I was able to get everything completed.

The formal report, once it is completed, is going to be one of the larger pieces of work I will have put together to date. I took some time to look for an idea that would be engaging readers as well as to myself, and settled on the topic of physician billings. It is a topic I continually mull over while at my own place of employment (I work at a walk-in clinic as their Assistant Manager), so it occurred to me that a report looking at fixing the underlying issues inherent with the current billing systems would be quite useful. The online textbook for this course provided useful instructions and I was able to generate a well-structured proposal.

Next on our to-do list was a peer review of our writing partner’s formal report proposal. Peer reviews of our partner’s work is becoming increasingly beneficial to both parties. I continue to see new ways to improve my own writing while reviewing the writing of others. In addition, I am able to improve my professional communication towards colleagues by suggesting improvements and giving praise where deserved. My biggest struggle continues to be with sentence structure. I am thankful for these reviews, so I can see clearly which areas could be improved.

A few years into my role as an Assistant Manager I decided to create a LinkedIn profile. At that point in time I was still considering medical school, and was very busy networking with professionals in the field of health. It made sense to have one. Last week we were instructed to create a profile for the course – I realized then that I had not really looked at my profile in years! It was bare – no picture, no summary, and a brief work history. Using the instructions provided by the course, I was able to give my profile a much needed makeover. It still needs some work – Raymond kindly pointed out that some more details could be provided in the sections for work history, such as what my past job duties have entailed. I found the peer review of the LinkedIn profiles to be rather useful. I have never perused someone else’s profile in that much detail until now. I can see from both my own and from Raymond’s profile what a difference a complete profile makes in terms of presentation.

The last item on our list for this unit was to provide a formal report outline and progress report. It was during this part of the assignment I really discovered how much work we are going to be putting into these formal reports. Surveys to be distributed, interviews to be setup – a lot to organize. I felt that forcing ourselves to sit down and create an outline was useful. It laid all of my ideas out on one page so I could see what the final report might look like. In addition, the progress report forced me to sit down and set deadlines for specifics – interviews, surveys, drafts, reviews – everything I needed. It really shows how powerful organization can be!

There is still a lot of work to be done, but I feel more prepared for the next unit now that I have completed most of the planning. Below you can find a copy of my revised formal report proposal, as well as a link to the peer review of the original report.

Bye for now!

301 Kevin Lapeyre Formal Report Proposal v1.1

301 Kevin Lapeyre Peer Review of Formal Report Proposal (by Ying Ying Choi)

We have just finished the assignments for Unit One of our Technical Communication course, and I feel as though I am already improving my writing skills.

Last week, we were asked to write definitions for a relatively complex term used in our field of study. I chose to define the term ‘recursion’, which is commonly used in the field of Computer Science. I have had exposure to technical writing in my own workplace, but it is not often that I need to seriously consider my target audience. This was probably the most difficult aspect of the assignment. I found myself reconsidering terminology that might not be common knowledge in order to simplify the topic. I felt it was beneficial to consider the definitions from the perspective of the audience in order to write.

The peer review process was a refreshing aspect of the assignment. I have done peer reviews in the past so it was nice to be able to practice and refine these skills. My work was peer reviewed by a colleague and he was able to provide insight on my writing. I found it useful to see aspects of my own writing that I had not considered. For example, the formatting of my writing had not received much attention. Spacing was not consistent between section titles and the writing that followed those sections. Additional nuances that tend to find their way into my writing were discovered during the peer review, such as run on sentences or redundant explanations. This reconfirms my belief that the review process is essential in any professional writing, whether it be self review or peer review.

I reviewed Xavier’s work, and provided constructive criticism where it was due. This was not a simple task, since his definitions were well written. Besides some simple syntax errors, there was little on which I could suggest improvement. In order to provide better feedback, I again considered his target audience and tried to read from their perspective. This was helpful in completing the review of his work.

Overall this was a productive unit, and I look forward to further improving my technical writing skills.

Definitions Post-Review

301 Kevin Lapeyre Definitions v2

Link to Peer’s Review of Definitions

Peer Review of Definition: Recursion

Technical Writing 301/Jan 2016

University of British Columbia

January 13^th, 2016

Dear Class of Technical Writing 301:

I am writing to you for consideration of my application to your writing team for the 2016 Winter Term of ENGL 301, as per the posting on the ENGL 301 Webpage. I am a third year student in the Bachelor of Computer Science Program at the University of British Columbia. I have taken previous first year English courses, as well as an Advanced Recombinant DNA Techniques course which required formal report writing.

For the past 7 years I have been the Office Manager of a walk-in medical clinic in Vancouver, and after I finish my computer science degree I hope to pursue a career in health informatics. My experience in management has provided me with the necessary skills to function daily in a professional setting. Memos and emails between numerous staff members are part of my daily routine. In addition, I have well-developed interpersonal skills which continue to be sharpened daily as conflicts arise among staff, physicians, and patients, that require my attention. Volunteering at the Vancouver General Hospital Emergency Department for 1.5 years allowed me to further hone these skills. The above experience has led me to approach most situations in a calm and calculated manner, and forcing me to look at a scenario from all possible angles before acting. It has also demonstrated my ability to handle large amounts of responsibility.

While I have the background experience in a professional setting, I do lack the professional detail that one would display in a much larger setting – for example, a large private law firm of several hundred employees. I feel that I am an above average student, however in terms of writing skills, I would consider myself average. I work well in groups or individually and am not opposed to leading when necessary. I have never missed a deadline, but I admit to having left work for a later time instead of doing it right away. I love to learn, but lately I do find myself too busy to explore new topics. I hope to change this.

If you feel the above would suit your needs, please contact me to discuss further at the email address provided below. I look forward to your consideration.

Sincerely,

Kevin Lapeyre

k.lapeyre@alumni.ubc.ca

301 Kevin Lapeyre Application Letter