Unit One Reflection Blog
Technical Definition Assignment
- Overview
The first unit of ENGL 301 focused on writing for different audiences. It emphasized the importance of tone, language, and the amount of detail. The definition assignment required students to define a technical term used in their industry for a non-technical audience. It required three different types of definitions with varying amounts of detail, including parenthetical, sentence, and expanded definitions. The definition assignment also included a peer review and a revision process. These parts of the assignment helped students identify their mistakes and learn from them. The following sections elaborate on each stage of this assignment.
- Writing the first draft
The technical term I chose for this assignment was a concept used in structural engineering called the degree of freedom of a structure. The degree of freedom is a fundamental concept of structural analysis and is introduced to students early in their studies. Although this concept is elementary in engineering, it was hard to define for a non-technical audience. To explain the degree of freedom effectively other concepts must be introduced first. I struggled to avoid jargon while keeping the definitions concise and organized. Although it was challenging, defining the degree of freedom of a structure for a non-technical audience helped me understand the concept more.
The first draft of the assignment consisted of three different styles of definition. The definition types used were a parenthetical, sentence, and expanded, which vary in length and detail. Defining one term using the three different styles solidified my understanding of their characteristics and the methods of expanding definitions. Moreover, it helped me grasp the importance of using the correct definition style for a specific context or audience. Overall, writing the first draft of the definition assignment was an excellent way to learn about the importance of changes in tone, language, and amount of detail.
- Peer review process
The peer review was a valuable part of the definition assignment. There were sample questions to guide students and encourage them to consider details they may not have. Writing a peer review for my teammate, Jeemin Kim, was extremely helpful in improving my understanding of the assignment. Reading their work emphasized the importance of not using jargon in definitions and documents intended for non-technical readers. In addition, it was an excellent opportunity to learn from what Jeemin did well. Finally, it gave me a chance to see things from the perspective of a non-technical reader since I was unfamiliar with the term they defined. The peer-review process furthered my understanding of the definition types and their distinguishing features.
- Revision process
The revision process was an excellent opportunity to learn from the mistakes made in the first draft. Jeemin pointed out errors that went unnoticed during self-editing. The biggest mistake in the first draft of the definition was the lack of introduction and reading situation. As Jeemin pointed out, the lack of context made the definitions unclear. In addition, the peer review mentioned the use of technical terms in the expanded definition. This constructive criticism taught me the importance of carefully considering all terms used in a definition or document intended for a non-technical reader. After reading the peer review, I added an introduction and reading situation to reduce ambiguity. In addition, I revised the expanded definition to clarify or remove all jargon. The revision process was the most helpful part of this assignment. It emphasized the importance of using the correct language and amount of detail when writing for a non-technical audience.
- Links
Revised definitions: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30198a2022s12/2022/06/10/90046/
Peer review: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30198a2022s12/2022/06/10/90007/
Original definitions: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30198a2022s12/2022/06/05/term-definitions/