Reflecting on ENGL 301 – The entire journey
Looking back at everything I have done this semester for ENGL 301, one phrase sums it all up – ‘WOW, that’s a lot of writing’. This final entry in my blog will be reflecting on both my strengths and weaknesses in the learning processes and the assignment components of the English 301 course.
Strengths in My Learning Process
Signing up for my first online course, I was unsure if I was capable of staying on top of task as this course contains a huge amount of self-directed learning. This course requires one to have some self-discipline and to be meticulous with the due dates and the various assignment requirements. With more than 3 months into this course, I am happy to say that I made it till the end. I have thus proven my level of self-discipline and self-motivation and demonstrated to future employers that I do not need to be micromanaged. Despite not having a normal classroom setting and a regular teacher-student communication network, given the right tools, I was able to self-teach and persevere through all the unique challenges.
Strengths with My Assignments
Coming from a pure scientific background with little knowledge of technical writing, I have learned a lot in terms of business and professional writing. I find that through the various assignments of this term, I started to pick up some of the techniques and ethics of written and online communication that are vital to business and professional communication. The assignment on “you-attitude” was especially important in showing what to avoid in professional communication. Furthermore, the peer review component of this course allows for collaborative feedback and provided the opportunity for me to practice and perfect the skills required for effective and efficient communication. Together, if there is one single strength that I have developed through this course, it would be meticulous – details like needing to initial beside your name on a memo would cost you a few marks.
Weaknesses in My Learning Process
Not having traditional classroom environment does give you freedom but it comes at a cost. It was unfortunate that I have to learn it the hard way. For the first few assignments, I waited until the very last minute before sitting down in front of the computer during the wee morning hours trying to finish the assignments. Aside from technical writing, this course allowed me to learn how to better manage my time. Time management is vital not only in the academic realms but also in the professional world. Able to efficiently and effectively allocate time for all the assignments is a skill that I have gained through this course.
Weaknesses in My Assignments
Looking at the feedback that I received, I realize a lacking in my grammatical skills. Generally, I found three main issues that was constantly mentioned in the feedbacks:
- Subject-verb agreement
- Sentences structure
- Wordy sentences
Moving forward, further editing of my work would help me focus on solving these issues. As mentioned, I tend to procrastinate my work which results in less than optimal quality of writing. I believe that improvement in my time management skills would undoubtedly lead to a rise in my grammatical skills as I would be able to factor in more time to edit and polish my work before submission.
The future
Due to the subjective nature of writing, it is impossible to reach the ultimate level of perfection especially just within three short months. For now, I look to the future, brimming with hope and doubt, knowing that whatever challenges I face ahead, ENGL 301 has equipped me with tools and knowledge that transcends this course.
Keep in touch. We never know when our paths may cross again!
Timothy E. Goh