In the first unit of ENGL 301, I learned about writing professional emails and what to look for when editing another person’s work. I also learned how to explain a technical term in 3 different depths of explanation. In the recent assignment, the goal was to understand how audience and purpose dictate the need for definitions. I was apprehensive prior to starting the assignment. It takes some time and examples for me to unpack terms and concepts for others. I often refer to other sources that provide a better explanation compared to what I come up with off the spot. The skill to explain terms to a general audience is something I’ve been working on since the last Winter session. I was challenged in the Communicate Science course to explain concepts or current scientific topics to a non-scientific audience. By practicing through various mediums such as blogs, PowerPoint presentations, and research papers, I’ve improved on removing jargon from my explanations. This assignment provided me with an opportunity to see how far my writing has come since the last term.
While writing my own definitions for the assignment, I felt more comfortable recalling information that’s been recently taught to me. I knew what I was talking about since taking the Applied Machine Learning course alongside ENGL 301. I reviewed the examples from the textbook multiple times with regard to what the different definitions look like. The sentence definition was the easiest to write while the expanded definition was the most challenging. The expanded definition was balancing how much detail is needed for the audience (ie. non-technical vs. semi-technical). While reading the definitions of my teammates, Olivia and Rida, I was able to compare my writing styles to theirs. Both writers had minimal jargon and provided a clear definition of words that supports the main term. Their diagrams reinforced the explanation in their respective dental terms.
Reviewing my partner’s assignment wasn’t too challenging. As mentioned earlier, I took Communication Science as a course in the previous Winter session. Part of that course required students to give feedback on other students’ work. I learned to balance providing compliments and constructive criticism. Reading through the assignment various times helped me to better understand the new term being taught. As a student not in the dental field, I did not know the term I was reading about and was able to read it with fresh eyes. Her organization and figures made it easier to understand the text explaining the term.
The editing process for my definitions was mostly focused on the expanded definition. I needed to add more details to the process of machine learning as it has lots of moving parts. Specifically, I added additional context to the term “model” that’s needed to explain the process of “Machine Learning.” Another thing I added was a figure to provide a simplified visual aid on the process of “Machine Learning” as suggested by my reviewer. I learned to appreciate my strength as well as acknowledge my weaknesses. It’s easier for me to see what I need to work on versus what I’m good at.
Revised Definition:
Revised Write Three Definitions – “Machine Learning”
My Peer’s Review:
