Sangita's Web Folio

Weaknesses

As a writer, I have identified some weaknesses that I need to work on, including not providing enough details and not reading instructions carefully. In cases where I am explaining a complex concept, I have a tendency to assume that my audience has the same level of knowledge as I do and this can result in me skipping over important details that would help them better understand the concept. I noticed this weakness in the Definition Assignment were I was asked to define a technical term in 3 types of definitions. To address this, I have been working on breaking down complicated ideas and providing clear examples to ensure that my audience understands my points. On the other hand, not reading instructions carefully enough has led to mistakes in my writing and missed opportunities to improve the quality of my work. This weakness was present in my draft for the formal report, as I did not include an ethical statement in my survey, and I also did not define a specific person to address my report to. Therefore, I have made a conscious effort to read instructions multiple times, making sure to take note of any critical details or requirements that I may have overlooked. Identifying these weaknesses has been a critical step in my growth as a writer, and I am confident that by taking measures to overcome them, I will continue to develop my writing abilities and produce high-quality work.

Strengths 

One of my greatest strengths as a writer is my ability to incorporate feedback into my writing. Rather than becoming defensive or resistant to suggestions for improvement, I am open-minded and receptive to constructive criticism, therefore the peer-review processes were very helpful to me. I believe that feedback is an essential part of the writing process and that it can help me further develop and refine my skills. This strength has helped me improve the overall quality and content in my Unit 3 assignments compared to Unit 2. Another strength is that I am open to learning new concepts and ideas. I think this strength has helped me in the for-you attitude assignment because despite not having prior knowledge of the concept, I was able to quickly grasp the fundamentals and succeed in this assignment. I believe these strengths will help support me in my future goals of working in the tech industry. For example, technology is constantly evolving and changing, and being able to adapt quickly and efficiently is essential to staying competitive as a developer. Therefore, it is important to be receptive to feedback and open to learning new concepts and ideas. Additionally, the tech industry requires clear and concise communication of technical information to a diverse audience, which can be challenging. However, my strengths in receiving feedback and learning new concepts can help me overcome these challenges and produce effective technical writing that meets the needs of different audiences. In conclusion, my strengths in receiving feedback and being open to learning new concepts and ideas are essential to my success as a writer. These skills have helped me improve the quality of my work and will continue to support me in achieving my goals of working in the tech industry.

Organizing Web Folio

For the very last assignment of ENGL 301, we were tasked with creating our own Web folio to highlight a specific topic based on the intended audience. For example, for students planning on pursuing graduate school, they may want to create a web folio that highlights academic achievements and future aspiration. I have decided to create a web folio that documents my progress as a technical writer throughout the term because I feel that I have grown a lot more confident with composing technical documents compared to the beginning of the term. As such, I want to build my web folio upon the existing blog that I have created for ENGL 301. Organizing the web folio was intuitive as I had already created a structure for my blog posts throughout the term. However, I had to make some adjustments to ensure that the web folio is well-organized and user-friendly for the intended audience.

Creating Web Folio

Firstly, I made a homepage that introduces the purpose of the web folio and then made a list of all of the pages required by the assignment, including a page for application package, an online resume, and a page with my best works in ENGL 301. Then I also decided to have a page that is all of my blog posts that I have a written throughout the term. I also wanted my audience to navigate my web folio with ease, so I hyperlinked all of these pages so that they can simply click on it to see the page. Once I have all the individual pages made, it was very straightforward as I only needed to write content for each page. Overall, I had a very easy time with organizing and creating the web folio because I believe that writing various technical documents throughout the term has prepared me on how to compose well-structured and organized document that is clear and easy to read.

Researching, Organizing and Writing the Formal Report Draft 

For my formal report, my research included primary data gathered from an online survey, and secondary data from literature relevant to my topic. Gathering data from secondary sources wasn’t a huge challenge for me, as I have extensive experience conducting literature reviews, analyzing published research studies  and writing lab reports from my previous degree in health sciences. For example, I know how to effectively use google scholar to search for relevant literature, and also how to identify whether a source is credible or not, which saved me a lot of time in this aspect of the research. However, gathering primary data in the form of a survey was very new to me. It was bit challenging coming up with appropriate questions to include in the survey because I wanted to make sure I asked the correct questions so that I can collect data that is relevant to my report. Nonetheless, it was a very interesting experience because I had to figure out where and who to distribute the survey to. It was rewarding to see all the responses coming through and then analyzing the data to support my claims in the report.

The organization part of the draft wasn’t too difficult because we had already completed a few outlines for the formal report and established a writing schedule. As such, when I started writing the draft, I simply referred to the formal report outline I had previously created in a past assignment and then expanded upon that. This made me realize the importance of creating outlines before writing any lengthy and technical document like the formal report. It can make the writing process more organized and efficient, ensuring that all necessary information is included and presented in a logical and coherent manner. It also helps to identify any potential gaps or inconsistencies in the content, allowing for easier revisions and improvements. Ultimately, creating an outline can saved a lot for me when writing the formal report draft.

Although I had a lot of previous experience analyzing data and interpreting results of scientific research studies, the data section still took the longest time in the writing process of the draft. I had to make sure that my tone is objective and professional. I also had to make sure that I was explaining my results in a way that is accessible to my readers. Overall, I enjoyed this assignment as I got to experience collecting primary data in the form of a survey, and write a technical document that is different to the ones I am used to writing in my previous degree.

Peer Review Process

In the peer review process, I got to review my team member Emilyn’s formal report draft. Similar to the previous two peer reviews, I found this process to be highly beneficial for both Emilyn and myself as it provided an opportunity to give and receive constructive feedback. By reviewing Emilyn’s formal report draft, I was able to identify areas that can be strengthened and offer suggestions to help enhance the overall quality of her formal report. Additionally, reviewing Emilyn’s work allowed me to learn from her approach to the project and gain a better understanding of her thought process.

I was very impressed by the Emilyn’s primary data source as she chose to review the websites of 6 different hackathons, in addition to sending out online surveys to students. By utilizing multiple sources of data, Emilyn was able to gather a wide range of perspectives and insights on the topic of hackathons and their impact on student learning and professional development. I believe that Emilyn’s approach to data collection sets a high standard for the rest of our team and demonstrates the importance of utilizing multiple sources of data in research projects. I was also able to make some suggestions to Emilyn on how her work could be strengthened. For example, I suggested that she keep a consistent format for her figures as she sometimes had it at the end of a paragraph, and sometimes it was embedded in between her sentences. Keeping a consistent format may help make the document easier to read. I also suggested that she add figure labels to her figures, so that she can clearly refer to the figure she is talking about in her data section. Like the last peer review process, reviewing my peers work serves as a good reminder on what I need in my own report. Every time I thought about what could be strengthened in my peer’s report, it served as a good reminder to myself on whether or not I have this component in my report as well. In addition, after reading Emilyn’s work, I realized that I was missing a table of contents that should’ve been included in the beginning of my report.

Emilyn also provided some feedback that was very helpful to me in the revision process. For example, I didn’t realized that I made a type in my data section where I  from Section C to Section E. Without her peer review, I most likely would’ve overlooked this typo since I was so used to reading my own report. She also suggested that I add more details to my recommendations for implementations section. This was helpful to as it made me realize that I should’ve explained some topics in more depth, and it can help me make a stronger case about my recommendations in my report. Overall, I believe that the peer review process is an essential component to writing any technical documents and can lead to improved outcomes for all team members involved.

301-Formal-Report-Draft-Sangita-Dutta

LinkedIn Best Practices Assignment

For this assignment, we were asked to research and study best practices for professional networking on LinkedIn and then share our findings with our writing team. I thought this was a very useful and practical task because as we step further into the digital era, it has become increasingly more important to have a robust online presence. Having a comprehensive understanding on how to utilize professional social networking sites like LinkedIn will be an essential tool for building an online presence to expand our professional network, showcase our personal brands, or find new job opportunities. Although I already have a basic LinkedIn profile prior, I was not using the platform to its fullest potential. For example, I already have a professional profile picture, and  a summary of experiences and achievements. My network consisted of mainly friends, classmates, and colleagues that I know in real life. This assignment has made me realize that I should be networking and building relationships with other professionals and potential employers in my industry with the same values, so we can exchange insight and potential opportunities for each other. There are several built-in LinkedIn tools and features that can help with networking, such as LinkedIn groups and events, which will allow you to connect with like-minded professionals to share knowledge and further expand your network.  Overall, the new knowledge that I have gained from this assignment has alleviated some feelings of intimidation on how to grow an online presence, and I now feel more prepared and excited about creating a professional social network profile.

Report Proposal and Outline

For this assignment, we were asked to investigate, analyze, and create a recommendation on how to act upon an inefficiency in a public setting that we have recently been a part of, such as a workplace, a volunteer or a community organization. I had a very easy time brainstorming for an idea because the inefficiency that I decided to examine – the lack of ergonomic setups at UBC study areas – was something that has been on my mind even before this assignment. As someone with a background in Kinesiology and physical therapy, this is a topic that I am extremely passionate about, since I have had first hand experience working with patients with musculoskeletal injuries as a result of improper ergonomics at work and/or school. Therefore, preparing for my report proposal and outline was not too challenging as I have some background knowledge of the problem that exists, and can systematically come up appropriate scope and methods in formal report proposal to conduct my investigation. In terms of the progress of the report, the completion of a formal report outline, and a memo addressing the progress of the formal proposal has given me a lot of clarity and structure on how the final formal report will come together. I feel prepared to carry out my research plan, as I feel like I have taken into account all areas of the inefficiency that needs to be analyzed and addressed. Moreover, with the writing schedule that I have established, I am able to pace myself throughout the month to complete the assignment without stress.

Peer Review Process

In the peer review process, I was able to review the formal report proposal of one of my writing team’s member, Tanya. I thought she did a great job and it was very beneficial for my own learning and understanding. Firstly, her proposal is very well-structured and was able to clearly convey the intent of the proposal and the problem that is to be addressed. This made me double check my own proposal to make sure it was just as well-structured and I was able to clearly identify an issue and the steps on how to address the issue. We had a very similar way of organizing our document, so it was good to read someone else’s work and double check that I also have everything that the other person has. I also suggested that Tanya should carefully consider who her target audience is, because she was addressing the proposal to UBC students, when it should’ve targeted towards someone or an organization that has more power to act upon her recommendations. Again, while I was giving this feedback, I was able to double check that I had an appropriate target audience for my own proposal.

Tanya was also able to provide review and feedback for my own formal report proposal. She suggested that I should make some revision to my scope, by simplifying redundant questions, and giving more details on how the scope will be carried out. I really appreciate her feedback because it’s would have gone unnoticed by me. I realized that sometimes I lack detail in my work and I should more clear about what I am trying to convey. Overall, the peer-review process was very beneficial to me as I was able to compare my work to others, and also get exposed to other perspectives that can help me strengthen my writing. I feel confident about completing my final formal report based on the peer-review that I have received.

Revised peer review

Peer’s review of report proposal 

Original Drafting Process:

In unit one, we were assigned to define a technical term for a non-technical audience. My term is object-oriented programming. I chose this term because it is a term that I recently learned in my computer science course, but it is very abstract and technical, so I would like to be able to define it for another student in a simpler way. As such, my target audience are first year computer science students with little to no knowledge of computer science. In the assignment, the term was defined using 3 distinct categories of  technical definitions: parenthetical, definition, sentence definition, and expanded definition. Parenthetical definition is a brief definition that explains the term using parenthesis. When a term requires slightly more elaboration than a parenthetical definition, sentence definition is used. Sentence definition starts with the term, and then its distinguishing features are described. I did not find it too challenging to compose a parenthetical and sentence definition because it was relatively straightforward. Expanded definition provides a thorough explanation of the technical term through various methods like describing its operating principle, history, and/or using visuals. Writing this definition was the most challenging in my opinion because I had to make sure it was well-organized, concise and also not get carried away with using other technical terms that are not accessible to my target audience. I enjoyed learning about all the different expansion methods that can be used to supply the expanded definition, and which one would help my target audience gain a better understanding of my term. Overall, through this assignment I learned about the different categories of definitions and how I can use them to define a technical term for a non-technical audience.

Peer Review Process:

In this part of the assignment, I had the opportunity to perform a peer review for my writing team member ‘s (Helen) technical definition. She also provided feedback and critique for my technical definition in return. Examining my peer’s work allowed me to recognize different ways on how to improve my work. For example, Helen’s definition was very well structured, and she did not use any technical jargon that was not suitable for her targeted audience. This made me realize that I have to make sure I am not including any words that may be hard to understand for my own target audience.  Overall, reading and reviewing other’s work allowed me to gain insight on how I can further strengthen my own writing

Editing Process:

After the peer review process, Helen was able to provide some help constructive feedback and pointed out things that I had overlooked. For example, I was using some words that may be too technical and not suitable for my target audience. I edited my definition to omit those terms and replaced it with words that may be easier to understand for my target audience. I also found some parts in my definition that may be unnecessary. She further pointed out I did not include the main definition of my technical term in the parenthetical definition. Instead, I was using the parenthetical definition for other words in my definition because I had misunderstood how to properly employ the parenthetical definition. This writing process was very helpful and I believe that my technical writing skills have improved after this assignment. I look forward to learning more strategies on technical writing in future assignments and continue to grow as writer.

To: Helen Zhou, English 301 Student <hzhou2@student.ubc.ca>

From: Sangita Dutta, English 301 Student <sdutta06@student.ubc.ca>

Subject: English 301 Professional Writing Team

Date: February 1, 2023

Dear Helen,

Thank for the opportunity to work together in a professional writing team for this semester of ENGL301. I appreciate you for taking the time and effort to review my application and providing your critique. Like you have stated, we have several overlapping skills and experiences, including writing professional and technical correspondence in a medical context. As such, I believe our writing styles will complement nicely and we can both work on strategies to further strengthen our written communication. I look forward to working together for the upcoming assignments.

Kindly,

Sangita

To: Tanya Mozafari, English 301 Student <tanyamozafari@gmail.com>

From: Sangita Dutta, English 301 Student <sdutta06@student.ubc.ca>

Subject: English 301 Professional Writing Team

Date: February 1, 2023

Dear Tanya,

Thank you for taking the time and effort to review my application and reach out to me about forming a professional writing team together. I have reviewed your application as well, and I believe your experience being an editor to evaluate and edit political papers means you are very detail-oriented and meticulous is your written communications. In addition, you were the Vice President of Academic Affairs for the UBC PSSA, which is a very unique and impressive experience. In this role, you would have gained a high proficiency for writing professional and technical correspondences. I think these experiences will complement my experiences writing professional  correspondence and technical documents in a medical setting. As such, I would like to accept your invitation and I am very excited about working together.

Kindly,

Sangita

To: Emilyn Sim, English 301 Student <esim01@student@ubc.ca>

From: Sangita Dutta, English 301 Student <sdutta06@student.ubc.ca>

Subject: English 301 Professional Writing Team

Date: February 1, 2023

Dear Emilyn,

Thank you for taking the time reach out and inquire about forming a professional writing team together. I have also reviewed your application letter and believe your expertise in creative writing would balance nicely with my skills in writing scientific and technical documents. As such, I would like to accept your invitation and I am looking forward to working together.

I appreciate that you have already made an effort to contact other prospective students to join our team. I will review their application and contact them as well.

Kindly,

Sangita

Memorandum

To:  Dr. Erika Paterson

From: Sangita Dutta, ENGL 301 Student

Date: January 25, 2023

Subject: Writing Team Application Letter Submission to Blog

Please note that I have completed and posted the application letter to be a part of the ENGL 301 writing team on my blog.

The application letter includes my:

• interest to be a part of a professional writing team
• academic background: current computer science student and bachelor’s graduate in health sciences
• experience writing technical academic documents: lab reports and research papers
• professional experience: physiotherapy assistant
• personal strengths: extensive knowledge in writing professional documents and correspondence, strong collaborative skills, and effective communication skills

Please let me know if you have any questions or require additional information. I look forward to hearing from you.

Enclosure 301 Sangita Dutta Application Letter

Dear fellow ENGL 301 peers,

Please consider my application to be apart of the professional writing team for ENGL301 2023W session. I am currently studying Computer Science as part of the BCS program at University of British Columbia. Previously, I graduated from the University of Waterloo with distinction in Honours Medical Physiology and Biology. In this degree, I have honed my skills in scientific research and writing. I have had the opportunity to write numerous lab reports, research papers, and other technical documents, which have strengthened my ability to write professionally with attention to detail.

Additionally, I have experience working as a Physiotherapy assistant at a Physical Rehab clinic, where I would collaborate with patients and doctors to prescribe functional exercises as part of their recovery plan. In this role, I learned how to develop a professional relationship with the patients while maintaining an empathetic and encouraging attitude toward their injuries. I also assisted with administrative duties, which included writing correspondence addressed to patients, insurance adjusters, and personal injury lawyers. I enjoy helping others, therefore I often seek out roles that would allow me to make an emotional connection and positive impact in someone’s lives. With both my academic and professional experience, I am confident in my abilities to collaborate and communicate effectively with my peers.

If you believe we would make great team together, please do not hesitate to reach out. I have attached a copy of my application letter 301 Sangita Dutta Application Letter Thank you for your time and consideration.

Kindly,

Sangita Dutta

English 301 Student