The first unit of ENGL 301 has been tough but it has also given me a valuable opportunity to practice my technical writing skills. I joined the class very close to Add/Drop registration deadline of January.18th, 2016, so there was quite a lot of catch up for me to complete. This introductory unit was comprised of, but not limited to, setting up a UBC personal blog page that contains a home page for ENGL 301, a biography page and a blog posting page. We were also tasked with forming a writing team, defining a complex term from our field of study and then peer reviewing one of writing members definitions. For the peer review assignment I was paired with Taj Tatla.

I found that the peer review process was quite challenging as I have not done one before. This assignment was difficult for the fact that we had to analyze, compliment and give constructive feedback on our partners definition assignment. It took longer than I originally envisioned because it required attention to detail and careful choice of words so as to not come across as being negative. That being said, I think it was a great chance to catch a glimpse of the fascinating subjects my peers are studying.

The peer review report that I received from Taj was informative as it identified my weaknesses and oversights in the definition assignment.  At the same time, Taj gave me some very encouraging compliments that helped boost my confidence when revising my Cartography definition. I have definitely developed an appreciation for the peer review process after this assignment and I now see the benefit in having a colleague look over my work.

To view my Cartography definition please click here

To view my Peer Review please click here