Hello everyone!
As part of Unit 1:3 assignment, I was asked to choose a complex term related to my field. I had to define the chosen term using parenthetical, sentence and expanded forms so that the readers/audience who are unfamiliar with the term can comprehend it. I chose to define “Bruxism” as this term is relatively common in the dental profession, however, it is intriguing for those unfamiliar with dental jargon. I tried my best to define the term for the audience. The sentence definition gave a brief description and covered the basic information about the term in fewer sentences. The expanded definition served the purpose of elaborating on all important facts related to the term. I tried to cover all the information that can unravel potential questions arising in the minds of the audience. After careful evaluation of my definition assignment, I was very confident that my assignment is free of errors and will fulfill its motive. One thing that I forgot to mention is that over the last few weeks of doing assignments, my writing skills have improved.
The most interesting part that I had not experienced before was the peer review that I had to do on my own. I partnered up with my team’s member Chae Rin to complete the peer review for the definition assignment. As I was reading through Chae Rin’s definition, I not only gained an insight about Special Purpose Vehicle but also about reviewing someone else’s work. In the first round of reading, I learned all about SPV. I was amazed to realize that well written words can make complicated things so easy to understand. My perspective of reading got a new dimension after the reviewing process. Never before had I taken technical writing so seriously. In my second round of reading, I noted minor grammatical errors that mattered a lot for the audience. Even though the assignment was well done overall by Chae Rin but these minor grammatical mistakes could not be overlooked. I had to bring those minute details to attention of Chae Rin. I could not forget my turn to receive the feedback for my definition assignment. To my surprise, I had punctuation errors too. Chae Rin suggested to fix those errors. So I went back to reading my assignment and quickly picked out those double spaces and comma placement mistakes. I learned about the careful observation of my reviewer which is expected of the audience.
The outcome of the review process was the editing of the definition. I was to rectify the errors noted by Chae Rin and post the revised version of my definitions. I am so glad that we were given this opportunity to review each other’s work. One thing that I am unlikely to repeat in my future writing is grammar/punctuation mistakes. This assignment has granted us the liberty of writing with being able to accept constructive criticism from peers. A mistake is not a mistake if you learn from it. Therefore, I accepted Chae Rin’s suggestions as a learning tool for me.
Throughout the assignments for unit one, I had the opportunity to experience different types of writing. From creating a blog to writing letters to team members for creating a writing team, from email memo to formal emails addressed to team members expressing gratitude or requesting them to accept me in their team. All in all, it has been a great writing experience that I can count on in my profession. Learning from peers with diverse fields is an added advantage of this course.
Thanks
Tarandeep Atwal
https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-99a-2019wa/2019/09/30/revised-definition-of-bruxism/