In Unit 1, students had a chance to improve their writing with respect to definitions. Each student had to write three definitions of a chosen term: one parenthetical, one sentence definition, and an expanded definition. The last one gave a bit more freedom to students in the sense that they can choose what sections to include in the writing.

The term I chose was probably not the easiest to define, but it was all could think of at the moment. After a session of brainstorming, I ended up choosing a key concept for programmers: the boolean variables. My main problem was that I would not be able to give a one-sentence definition of the term, but a friend of mine immediately reminded me to use the light switch analogy, and I think that worked well. I tried to steer away from using too many jargon words, but computer science is very esoteric in its nature, so I had to use a few. As pointed out by Kaylee, I should have explained better what a function call is, or what logical operators are.

Peer reviews are undoubtfully the most meaningful part of this assignment. When I read Kaylee’s article about Prosopagnosia, I realized that there are not many things that she can improve on. Her assignment contains good explanations, and the picture provided offers an interesting perspective on what Prosopagnosia is.

With Kaylee’s review in mind, I was able to modify some key areas of my assignment. First of all, I managed to change the vague introduction, and I made more explicit that my intended audience is people who never coded before. I also excluded the digression about Boolean Objects, because it is indeed a bit irrelevant to the topic presented. Furthermore, I added an explanation of function calls, and I included some relevant information about naming conventions for boolean variables.

Overall it was a great experience, and I admit that I have learned a lot by writing the three definitions for boolean variables. The peer review provided me with some good insight into what was to be done.

Attached Revised Definitions: 301 Razvan Nesiu Definitions

Link to Peer Review: Peer Review of Definitions for Razvan Nesiu

From: razvannesiu@gmail.com
To: kaylee.jeong@alumni.ubc.ca
Date: January 11, 2019
Subject: Writing Team Invitation for English 301

Dear Ms. Jeong,

I have read your application letter and your biography and I conclude that you would be a good fit for my team of writers for section 99C of English 301 (Technical Writing).

I consider your expertise essential to our team because of your experience in writing scientific papers for your Biochemistry labs. Secondly, it is very admirable that you volunteered for Mount Saint Joseph, and that proves that you have a strong work ethic.

If you have any questions regarding this team please feel free to contact me via facebook or via email at razvannesiu@gmail.com.

Best Regards,

Razvan Nesiu

Student at The University of British Columbia

From: razvannesiu@gmail.com
To: mahsa_09@hotmail.com
Date: January 11, 2019
Subject: Writing Team Invitation for English 301

Dear Ms. Ehtemam,

I have read your application letter and biography, and hence I would like to invite you to participate as an official team member of my writing group. There will be many assignments over the course of this term, and I consider your expertise very valuable.

One of the main reasons to choose you as a team member is that you have written over 20 articles in your undergraduate degree. Secondly, your interest in Psychology helps you better understand the human brain, and hence you can probably give us good tips on how to study more effectively.

Please find my application letter attached under the Memorandum post. If you have any questions regarding it, do not hesitate to contact me via facebook or via email at razvannesiu@gmail.com.

Warm Regards,

Razvan Nesiu

Student at The University of British Columbia

From: razvannesiu@gmail.com
To: ayashkam@alumni.ubc.ca
Date: January 11, 2019
Subject: Writing Team Invitation for English 301

Dear Ms. Makhambetova,

I would like to extend you an invitation to join my writing group for English 301, section 99 C. Over the course of the term we will have some assignments that we will work together, and I found your expertise in this domain very useful.

There are a couple of reasons for which I decided to choose you as a writer. One is that you are in a combined major of statistics, mathematics, and computer science, and what that means is that you are already familiar with writing coding documentation, which is an asset that I value greatly. Secondly, ever since we were classmates in Multivariable Calculus, I noticed your ability to manage time in a proper manner, and I consider that a very important skill to have in the academic life.

Last but not least, please do let me know if you are interested in joining this group and if you are, then feel free to contact me via facebook or via email at razvannesiu@gmail.com.

Kind Regards,

Razvan Nesiu

Student at The University of British Columbia

To: Dr. Erika Paterson, ENGL 301 instructor
From:  Razvan Nesiu, ENGL 301 student
Date: January 10, 2019
Subject: Application to Become a Team Member

As per your request, I attached the application letter that serves the purpose of describing myself as a writer and it contains details about my academic background. The file is named “301 Razvan Nesiu Application Letter” and it can be found below. Please find below some of the key points of my application letter:

• An overview of my academic background and past work experience
• A description of myself as a writer
• My contacts

I would appreciate if you could kindly let me know if there is any feedback you can provide regarding my application.

Thank you!

Enclosure: 301 Razvan Nesiu Application Letter