Self Assessment:

As a final blog submission, I reflect on strengths and weaknesses related to the learning process and assignments for ENGL 301. 

Strengths and Weaknesses

Having a background in dental hygiene did not exactly set me up for automatic success in this course. This was an intensive, challenging writing course to say the least. The extent of my writing experience before this course included taking clinical notes for my patients, and although these notes required me to pay close attention to detail, my experience did not give me the skills required to successfully complete a course such as this, I knew I was going to have to work hard. In the introduction to this course our instructor explained that writing is like anything else you want to do well at in life, you must learn the proper techniques, and practice those techniques often to become adept and successful. There were a number of different writing assignments to complete and the course was designed to accommodate a wide range of expertise. Working through this course online allowed us to collaborate and to benefit from the experience of our peers. It was evident once I got into the thick of this course that my weakness’ include using too many imperative verbs, and not writing using a ‘YOU’ attitude. This is something I continue to work on as I edit my writing style. Having experience working in a team environment, I am confident in collaborating and offering positive constructive feedback, therefore my strengths in this course include the peer review process.

Future Career Goals

My future career goals include becoming a Dental Hygiene Educator. My goal is to be a role model for hygiene students, and to provide an environment that is conducive to learning, and to utilize effective teaching strategies. Dental hygiene educators work in a variety of settings, including online, in the classroom, laboratory, clinics, at universities, colleges, and technical institutions. However, working within the educational system requires some adaptation and learning of new skills as clinical practice experience alone is not enough to transition into education. I believe the skills I have obtained while completing this course will enable me to pursue this endeavor.

Unit Four:

Unit four of ENGL 301 Technical Communications has proven to be the most intense yet. With placing the finishing touches on the final draft of our Formal Report, creating a customized application package, and finally developing this web folio I was forced to continue to step outside of my comfort zone, work hard, and pay close attention to the details of each assignment. Developing this web folio is a great way to review previous work, edit, and re-edit to ensure I am placing my best foot forward. I believe this course has given me the tools I need to continue to advance towards my goal as a future educator.

Reflection on the process of creating a Web Folio:

The first step to creating this web folio was for me to determine what a web folio actually was. A web folio allows you to pull a collection of your assets together and creatively display your work and discuss what you have learnt. Once I felt confident that I understood the assignment, I wanted to be sure I determined who my target audience is. Since the driving force behind me returning to school after almost 20 years in the dental field was to increase my knowledge base, enhance my critical thinking skills, gain personal satisfaction, and improve employment opportunities as a dental hygiene educator, I felt it best to target this web folio towards potential employers. I wanted to ensure this website included worthwhile content, containing all the relevant information my target audience might need. It was important to me that the arrangement of this website made sense and was easy to follow, allowing my readers to navigate the site without any difficulty. To balance lengthy readings of assignments, I tried applying visuals to ease flow and create a more inviting space. As a Registered Dental Hygienist, I have not had the opportunity to develop my computer skills. This course and the creation of this site has forced me to learn and grow in that department, and although do not consider myself a pro, I am a lot more confident that I am evolving with the ever changing times.

Unit Three:

The main assignment for Unit 3 was to create the first draft of our Formal Report. This proved to be a major undertaking as the draft document consisted of 12 to 15 pages, and like most of my classmates, I had never written a formal report. We completed in depth peer review of our partners initial draft of the report, which enabled me to think critically about my own draft and where if fell short.

Reflection on the process of researching, organizing, and writing the formal report draft:

For 301 ENGL Assignment 3:2, we were asked to write a draft of our formal report. Prior to this course I was not even sure I knew what a formal report was. After reading the text and the instructor’s blog, I realized I was in for an exciting challenge. The formal report is an essential component to workplace problem solving. My goal in researching and organizing the formal report draft was to gather the necessary information needed to present to the reader. My proposal is addressed to Gurbaz Sandhu Dentist/Owner of Spencer Dentistry and is investigating the issue of diagnosing and referring the periodontally involved client within the practice. My primary research for this proposal was in the form of survey questions that I developed to gain an understanding of where other Dental Hygienists in Ontario stand on this issue. My hope was that the result of the survey would support my recommendations to Dr Sandhu and the practice. Once the survey questions had been approved, they were distributed to 22 practicing dental hygienists in Ontario. I was pleasantly surprised as I had 90% response rate within 24 hours. This information confirmed that there were improvements that could be made at Spencer Dentistry to calibrate the clinicians on diagnosis, as well as the referral process. Next, I dug into the secondary research to further support the proposal. I pulled information from the RCDSO, CDHO, ODA, CDHA, and most importantly the AAP (American Academy of Periodontology) to aid in constructing a list of recommendations that Spencer Dentistry can utilize moving forward, to ensure all patients are receiving a proper periodontal diagnosis and prompt periodontal referral when needed. When constructing the draft, I tried to ensure the document was professional, and respectful. As I am learning, presenting a YOU attitude, as well as avoid any negative tone is an important skill for any technical writer.

Reflection on Partner Peer Review:

We were asked to complete a peer review of our partner’s draft of their formal report. I had the pleasure of reviewing Shahd Khudher’s draft as well as accept constructive, valuable feedback from her on my own draft. Shahd formulated a well organized, detailed draft with the subject of improving infection control protocol within the orthodontic clinic after the covid-19 pandemic. As a fellow oral health professional, I can appreciate her passion for this topic and understand the importance of such a subject. The pandemic has placed a lot of extra stress on everyone, and dental professionals are no exception. I have enjoyed the peer review process during this course as it has allowed me to look at my partners work through a different lens causing me to reflect and improve on my own work.  For this peer review we were asked to give our partner constructive and balanced feedback, employing a YOU attitude throughout the review. The YOU attitude is a work in progress for me, but I am starting to assess documents in a different manner as I gain confidence with this aspect of writing. In reviewing Shahd’s draft, I tried to look at the overall document and give advice on how to enhance the final report. I reviewed the report for content, organization, design, and style offering praise for a job well done, as well as minor suggestions for the final draft. I appreciate the opportunity to be a member of the RDH Writers team, as I have learned a lot from reviewing their technical writing assignments, which has allowed me to reflect on my own writing style, making adjustments and improvements where necessary.

Please see ‘Best Work’ page for links to these assignments

Unit Two: 

The central goal of Unit two was to investigating best practices for using LinkedIn an online networking site as well as begin the process of creating the formal report. We worked hard to understand the process of different types of analysis including the elements of an effective analysis to aid in the formulation of the Formal Report. By the end of unit two we were on track with the Formal Report process by choosing a topic, creating an outline for the report as well as posting a progress report of the process in the form of a memo to our professor. 

Reflection on the process of Researching LinkedIn:

For 301 ENGL Assignment 2:2, we were asked to write a memo to our team summarizing our research concerning best practices for professional networking on LinkedIn. This assignment was a challenging one for me because I have never navigated the LinkedIn site, nor was I fully aware of its uses. This assignment has proven to be beneficial because I was able to investigate best practices which will help in determining if this networking site is suitable for me and my future career goals. Professional social media networking can be a great strategy to make connections and further your career. This can be advantageous because you no longer need to wait for the next networking event, with sites like LinkedIn, you can network anytime and anywhere from the convenience of your devices. Research shows that employers prefer to hire people they have connections with, and networking using LinkedIn is a form of building connections and relationships. When deciding if I will utilize LinkedIn in the future, I will consider the pros and cons of networking online.

Reflection on preparing the Formal Report Proposal and Outline:

For 301 ENGL Assignment 2:1, we were asked to investigate a deficiency in a public setting of which we have recently been a part of. For me, the logical choice of setting was Spencer Dentistry because this has been my fulltime place of employment for 8 years. Next, we were to specify which problem or deficiency we could usefully explore and analyze to help improve through reasonable recommendations for change. With the addition of new staff, and the current uncertainty navigating the new AAP Periodontal classifications, I determined that there is a need for training on the abovementioned classifications as well as a need to develop a step-by-step approach for diagnosing and referring the periodontally involved patient. The final objective is that this approach could be utilized by staff both new and old. There is a common goal among the dental team at Spencer Dentistry to provide treatment that is only for the betterment of the patient, therefore this topic is of great interest to all, and I will be able explore objectively. After creating the outline for the report, it is easier to see how it will all come together. Once the survey questions have been approved, they will be distributed with the hopes that the results from the survey will support the proposal. Creating a Formal Report is essential when recommending implementing changes in the workplace and is a valuable component to workplace problem solving. This skill is one that will only advance my professional career.

Reflection on Partner Peer Review:

We were asked to complete a peer review of our partners Formal Report Proposal. I had the pleasure of reviewing Gabriella Meroli Assad’s Formal Proposal as well as accept constructive, valuable feedback from her on my own Proposal. Gabriella constructed a concise document proposing an increase in oral health education of UBC Medical Students. Peer review is a valuable aspect of professional writing as it allowed me to look at my partners work and reflect on my own. Gabriella created a beautifully detailed initial draft of her proposal. Gabriella followed all the assignment requirements closely and clearly identified the setting and deficiency and chose a topic relevant to her qualifications. Reading the proposal through the lens of a dental professional I was able to offer constructive feedback for minor areas of clarification and improvement. Reading Gabriella’s Proposal was a privilege, which demonstrated areas within my own proposal that needed improvement. The peer review process, along with the opportunity to assess the writing techniques of fellow members of the RDH Writers team has provided insight into what it takes to be a professional, technical writer. I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside this team and feel confident that the high caliber of writing that they deliver will positively impact my own writing technique.

Please see ‘Best Work’ page for links to these assignments

Unit One:

 In order to fulfill the objectives of this course, unit one found us exploring the course description and schedule as well as familiarizing ourselves with our online textbook (Technical Communications). We were given the challenging task of setting up our Student Blog (my blog can be found here, feel free to explore 🙂  https://blogs.ubc.ca/mirandahoang/ ) as well as organizing ourselves into writing teams. I was fortunate to be a member of the RDH Writers Team with three likeminded, brilliant, and encouraging team members who share my passion for all things dental hygiene. We were then asked to study and practice writing techniques for writing three definitions of our chosen term. The definitions included a parenthetical definition, a sentence definition, and an expanded definition. 

Below is my reflection of unit one

Reflection on original writing of definition assignment: 

For Unit One of ENGL 301 we were asked to study and practice writing techniques for definitions. We were asked to choose a relatively complex term used in our profession and rewrite the term using a parenthetical definition, a sentence definition, and an expanded definition for the nontechnical reader. This was a difficult task for me as I do not have a lot of experience writing definitions for nontechnical readers. In the dental hygiene profession we are often require to explain a sign, symptom or condition to a patient using layman’s terms, however writing out the definition posed another set of challenges.  The term I chose to define was Xerostomia (dry mouth).  This term is frequently used in the dental setting, but I would imagine anyone who does not have a general medical/dental background would be unfamiliar with this term.  The first step in this process was to read the text Technical Communications to familiarize myself with these definitions.  A parenthetical definition can clarify the meaning of a word by using a more familiar synonym or a clarifying phrase in parentheses. A sentence definition is used when a term requires more elaboration. And, lastly an expanded definition is used when a document requires more detail and your audience and purpose must be determined.  For the expanded definition of the term Xerostomia I had to decide which four methods I wanted to use to adequately define this term.  This process was more demanding then I anticipated but after completing my initial draft I felt a sense of accomplishment and felt I had learned something. It is a skill to be able to take a technical term and break it down for the nontechnical reader and this skill will prove to be useful in my future endeavors in academia.

Reflection on peer review process:

For the next step of this assignment we were asked to complete a peer review. I had the pleasure of reviewing Simone Harris-Evans definitions assignment, as well as accept constructive criticism from her of my own work.  This part of the assignment was a very important and valuable part as it allowed me to look at my partners work and reflect on my own.  Simone provided an excellent initial draft of the definitions assignment, and provided strong examples for defining her chosen term. Taking the perspective of the technical and nontechnical reader I was able to offer my partner constructive feedback for slight areas of improvement. By reviewing her work using the guidelines and steps provided for peer reviews I was able to see where my work fell short and areas where I needed improvement as well.  Simone was able to review my document and offer feedback on minor errors and areas of improvement which allowed me to submit an improved final draft for this assignment. This process has further developed my skills of reviewing work through an analytical lens and I feel more confident offering feedback moving forward.

Reflection on editing process of definition assignment:

After I received the peer review of my initial draft from my partner I was able to go back and look at my work and the suggestions that were given. I found that by completing my review of Simone’s work and reading the feedback that I was given allowed me to look at my definitions from a completely different lens, and make adjustments accordingly based on what I learned. I was grateful to have been partnered up with a strong student such as Simone and I am thankful for the constructive criticism I was given.  I was able to find areas of my document that didn’t clarify my chosen term properly, improve my sentence definition, and select an image that was more appropriate to my definition. I am unfamiliar with MLA referencing style so I was able to complete some research and strengthen the referencing and citing of my document.  In conclusion, the value of the peer review process is immeasurable, and has improved my technical writing skills.

Please see ‘Best Work’ page for links to this assignment