From the transition to unit two to unit three in ENGL 301, I can confidently express how far I have come in my technical writing skills. In unit three, I learned how to write letters of complaint while providing a respectful tone as well as I have learned how to respond to such letters, with empathy and professionalism.
In reviewing my assignments for unit three, I have noticed my transition from writing the memorandum to Evan Crisp identifying YOU-attitude to the recent peer-review of the formal report draft. I have seen my writing improve by reducing common grammatical errors and limiting the word “it”. I have learned to write and respond professionally while getting the point across in a concise manner and most importantly while using YOU-attitude.
Regarding the formal report, I was struggling at the beginning with finding an appropriate topic and how I was going to proceed with the research process. Over time, completing all required assignments for this course has influenced the writing of my formal report.
I found the writing of the report rewarding because I am very passionate about the chosen topic. Although being passionate about the report doesn’t necessarily mean it was easier, I found the design of creating the report to be challenging. In terms of the research process, this was also a challenge that only seemed to get better after I found the appropriate sources to include. I gathered a ton of primary and secondary sources that I wrote in a new word document and after a couple of weeks of reviewing, I was able to narrow down the top sources that needed to be included. I found the process of researching, writing, and drafting the report to be time-consuming, which was expressed ahead of time.
In writing the report draft, I have learned how to become a better writer by using YOU-attitude, I learned more about the research process, and most of all I learned other people’s opinions who are facing similar struggles as other BC residents who are wanting to apply to veterinary school in Canada. Overall, I have been very impressed with the participants who voluntarily took the time to participate in my survey. The survey results were very rewarding for me.
I can undoubtedly say that the peer-review of the formal report draft was my favourite peer-review assignment. I say this because I had Kathryn Simone as a peer-review partner for the initial formal report proposal and I was able to see how her writing and her research process has transitioned from the proposal to the report draft. Kathryn has chosen to write about a very important topic that can impact individuals. I enjoyed reviewing her work and learning about what the World Health Organization had to say. When peer-reviewing her report, I was able to reflect on the YOU-attitude and I was able to reflect on my recommendations for my report as well. Kathryn has offered some great recommendations that I have incorporated into my formal report draft after the peer-review process.
Despite how challenging unit three was and how many fears I had starting this unit as I was very unfamiliar with writing with YOU-attitude and writing a formal report, I have overcome the nerves and I have developed even stronger technical writing skills that I will use in the future.