Category Archives: Blog

Throughout Unit 2, I continued to be challenged with refining my technical writing, leaving me surprised at how complex this skill really is and respecting the process even more.

Research Proposal & Peer Review

Our first assignment was to develop a research proposal for a public issue that could benefit from our recommendations for improvement. It was a bit overwhelming as there were so many factors to consider for each section, especially the six areas of inquiry. However, once I determined the problem I wanted to research, I was quite excited about preparing this work as it was a great opportunity to shed light on an issue that I have had for some time – pedestrian safety on the Arbutus Greenway. My writing teammate, Karolina, had a great idea for her proposal (an app for navigating Metrotown Mall), so I really enjoyed doing a peer review on her work. It was such a simple idea, but one that I am shocked hasn’t been implemented yet. Doing the review also reminded me how important the structure and quality of our feedback is for our teammates to present their best work, while also forcing me to look at my own work with a new lens. In addition to reviewing Karolina’s proposal, I actually went through all of the class team pages and skimmed their proposal ideas as well. I thought so many of them were fantastic and I am really excited about reading all of the final reports at the end of the term.

Ten Best Practices for LinkedIn

I found the LinkedIn assignment very interesting. Not only did it force me to analyze my current profile with major scrutiny, it enabled me to look at it from an employer’s perspective. I had very little knowledge of LinkedIn’s functions, and that would have been very obvious to anyone who visited my profile. Researching the best practices provided me with so many options to enhance it, and out of the ten that I included in my memo, I personally have only used two of them. This was very enlightening because I realized I have been limiting myself within my profession due to a lack of effort in building and maintaining a profile that is up to date, utilizing the tools available to enhance it and taking advantage of the networking capabilities it provides. I fully intend to revisit my LinkedIn profile over the coming weeks and apply what I have learned.

Formal Report Outline

The report outline was quite challenging for me as I am notorious for jumping into my assignments across all of my courses without doing an outline. I know this has been a major issue with my writing process, but to be honest, it has been something that I always make excuses for. However, being forced to develop and submit an outline as an assignment was invaluable because it made me realize how beneficial they are. By breaking elements down into sections and then further into subsections, a solid structure provides a clear vision and checklist to stay on track. I can honestly say that going forward, I will always do an outline for my writing assignments at UBC and beyond.

Revising Work

A final reflection for this unit has to be in regards to revising my work. A recurring theme on my evaluation sheet for this unit was ‘more detail’, and I found this comment very insightful. I think trying to tame my ‘wordiness’ has affected providing sufficient detail, so I will continue to work on finding the right balance in my future assignments. Furthermore, going back and tweaking my writing based on peer reviews and instructor feedback has been crucial in my learning and development. I revised four of my assignments in Unit 2, and I actually really enjoyed the process. I touched on this in my reflection for Unit 1, but I really do think that having a second or third set of eyes on a piece of writing is crucial to be a successful writer as we can become blind to the finer details, regardless of our intention to produce a perfect piece of work.

Looking forward to Unit 3!

Revised Report Proposal: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30199c2022w2/2023/02/24/assignment-2-1-formal-proposal-for-additional-safety-measures-on-the-arbutus-greenway/

Proposal Peer Review

Original Writing of Term Definitions

When I started Unit 1.3, it didn’t take long for me to realize how complex the process of writing a definition is. We were asked to choose a relatively complex term and write a definition for a non-technical audience. I chose the term Post-Production because it is used in my current profession and I am often asked to explain what it involves to clients and junior team members. As instructed, I wrote three different types of definitions: parenthetical, sentence and expanded. Parenthetical definitions use a clarifying phrase in parentheses, whereas sentence definitions are used to elaborate the term’s meaning even further. Expanded definitions offer the most variety to a writer as many methods can be used, depending on the term. I chose Required Conditions, Examples, Analysis of Parts because I felt that they would be the most successful in conveying the information. In the assignment instructions it said that choosing a situation and an audience to write for was a major component, but I didn’t realize just how crucial they are for producing the most effective definitions.

Peer Review Process

For me, the peer review section of the assignment was the most interesting, revealing so many of my shortcomings. In an earlier assignment, I mentioned that one of my weaknesses is grammar, so to critique someone else’s work (Karolina Atehortua) was quite an uncomfortable process. Two things did help ease this discomfort though. Firstly, keeping personal pronouns like I/you out of my review made it feel more professional and less personal. Secondly, reviewing someone else’s work made me realize that I can actually be useful by tapping into some of my newfound knowledge from the textbook. Receiving my peer review from Karolina also highlighted how a second set of eyes is crucial to the writing process. As writers, I think working on an assignment for a long stretch of time makes us overlook many errors because they no longer stand out. With a peer review, mistakes and suggestions are brought to the foreground, can be corrected and ultimately a better piece of work is produced.

Editing Process

The editing process provided me with a second chance to write a stronger assignment, taking all of Karolina’s positive, critical and constructive feedback into consideration. While she only found minor errors, her comments were very useful. I was able to see mistakes in my APA citations which led me to educating myself further via outside sources. Karolina also flagged my tendency for ‘wordiness’, which I appreciated and am always trying to correct. What I didn’t anticipate in the editing process was how some of the feedback I gave to Karolina carried over to my own revisions. For example, I was more aware of my grammatical errors, the correct use of certain definition types, APA citation guidelines and the overall organization of my assignment.  Overall, this assignment was extremely beneficial and I know I will bring what I learned to my future work.

Jenn’s Revised Definition

Peer’s Review

Dear Emilyn,

I have read your application letter for placement on a writing team for English 301, and I really enjoyed learning about your past academic and professional experience. Specifically, your history with editing written work and the studying of Communications really stood out as I know both would involve a great amount of skill and detail. With this experience, I feel I can learn a lot from you. In addition, I would also like to be more concise in my written work and I feel that both of our learning philosophies could help us get there.

I have attached my application letter for your review and consideration. Please reach out with any questions and I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,

Jenn

301_Jenn Dunbar_Application Letter

Dear Amy,

I have read your application letter in regards to placement on a writing team for English 301, and I really enjoyed learning about your incredibly important position as a registered nurse. In addition to your mentor work, teaching and the development of educational pieces, your interest in writing content for media and marketing really stood out to me. I work in advertising and have a good grasp on how fast-paced and demanding this industry can be!

Like you, I have built a career that has allowed me to strengthen my time management and organizational skills, while also working collaboratively and successfully with other team members. In addition, your passion for writing is clearly evident and I feel this would be very complementary. Although we have both indicated a weakness in grammar, I am confident that we can support one another along the way.

I have attached my application letter for your review and consideration. Please reach out with any questions and I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,

Jenn

301_Jenn Dunbar_Application Letter

MEMORANDUM

To:                   Erika Paterson

From:               Jenn Dunbar

Date:                January 25, 2023

Subject:           Confirmation of Application Letter Posting

As you requested in Unit 1.2 of the assignment schedule, my application letter has been posted for the position of professional writing team member in English 301.

In the letter, I have included the following information:

• An overview of my professional work experience, highlighting specific strengths.
• A summary of my academic standing, faculty of study and previous team project experience.
• An area of weakness in my writing ability.
• My learning philosophy.

Thank you for taking the time to review my attached application letter and I look forward to your feedback.

301_Jenn Dunbar_Application Letter

1234 West 56th Ave.
Vancouver, BC  V6M 1T7

January 24, 2023

English 301 – Technical Writing Class
University of British Columbia
2329 West Mall
Vancouver, BC  V6T 1Z4

Dear Class of English 301:

      Please consider my application for the position of writing team member. I am currently a fourth-year Psychology student at the University of British Columbia, and a freelance advertising producer in the Vancouver area. With both my professional and academic background, I believe I can be a valuable addition to your writing team.

      Over the past two decades I have worked as a producer in the Canadian advertising industry where my responsibilities include production scheduling, estimating, talent sourcing, crew management, post-production supervision and final station delivery of material for broadcast. The coordinating of multiple moving parts has provided me with very strong organizational and time management skills, as meeting deadlines is crucial to a successful project. Moreover, I have developed strong communication skills through numerous brainstorming sessions, briefs, presentations, and correspondence, allowing me to navigate different personalities and situations with successful collaboration and respect.

      Over the past five years I have also been attending college and university to obtain my B.A in Psychology, setting my sights on a potential career shift. Throughout this time, many individual and group projects have strengthened my writing skills using both APA and MLA formats. Specifically, I completed a research project with a team of eight which involved writing a proposal, abstract, informed consent form, debrief and final report, as well as conducting an online study and data collection. High levels of detail, teamwork, time management and ethics were essential for success, and I feel I can bring these skills to your team.

      While I am a very motivated and hardworking individual with a strong work ethic, grammar is an area of my writing I am constantly trying to improve upon. However, I believe my philosophy of always being open to learn and grow will help facilitate this in the coming weeks.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.
I can be reached via email at jenndunbarprod@gmail.com

Sincerely,

Jenn Dunbar
English 301, Student

301_Jenn Dunbar_Application Letter