Author Archives: timothy goh

Reflecting on Unit 3 –  Formal Report Draft and Peer Review

As per my previous reflection in Unit two, I had hoped to integrate more creativity and clarity in terms of professional communications in Unit 3. I also aimed to incorporate lessons that I have learned from writing with “you-attitude” into this unit. The following reflection demonstrates my effort to incorporate these writing styles onto both my formal report draft and my peer review of Jen-Ai’s formal report draft.

Researching the formal report

One of the main challenges I faced when researching for the formal report was finding a suitable alternative to paper towels for hand drying. I was able to narrow my search to 3 main methods: hand dryers, paper towels and cloth towels. Each method had its own pros and cons and it was hard for me to determine which was the best alternative. Fortunately, after talking to my group members, I was able to select the most suitable method based on environmental and economical impact.

I find it extremely helpful to interview people who are experts in this field of study. They were able to provide helpful insights into which method works the best and past insights of what may have worked well.

Organizing the formal report

Generating an an outline and a formal report proposal in Unit 2 was extremely helpful because it enables me to better plan out things I wanted to include in my formal report and systematically introduce facts and data onto my report. As one who is very familiar with scientific reports, I find the formal report provided more freedom in terms of layout and criteria.

Writing the formal report

This was a huge undertaking for me. As a trained biologist, I found it hard to proceed without having a guiding hand. Interestingly, I found myself constantly referring back to the Technical Communication text for insights. I find it helpful to have read about the “you-attitude” before writing the formal report as it provided me with the necessary tools to integrate professionalism in my writing while engaging the readers at a personal level.

Peer Review

I was extremely impressed by the level of professionalism both in the layout and writing of Jen-Ai’s formal report draft (link below). She has chosen a very relevant topic and provided some very valuable insights into promoting food security and environmental conservation. The suggested areas of improvement were workable and the solutions were logical and affordable. In regards to the tonality of her report, she was able to integrate professionalism while engaging the readers at a personal level. However, as mentioned in my peer review (link below), one of the main weakness I found was the lack of graphical representation in her report. I personally find that visual cues help with the understanding and flow of the document.

Unit 3 has allowed me to practice weaving both creativity and clarity into my writings. I look forward to presenting the improvements I have made in my writing abilities and the set of writing skills I have accumulated over the past two units into the final unit.

By Timothy E. Goh

301-Timothy Goh-Formal Report Draft

Peer Review of Timothy Goh’s Formal Report Draft – by Jen-Ai Lai

Peer Review of Jen-Ai’s Formal Report Draft – by Timothy Goh

MEMO

To: Professor Erika Paterson, Instructor of English 301

From: Timothy Goh (TG)

Date: March 16, 2016

Subject: Progress on graduate school research

Professor Paterson, this memo is to update and outline progress on my graduate school research. Attached to this memo please find the URL for the webpage to Master of Biotechnology at University of Toronto.  Below are the requirements for application to the program.

Requirements:

1. Bachelor’s degree in any area of biological sciences, chemistry or related fields
2. Minimum “mid-B” (75%) average or higher in the last two years of study
3. Academic transcripts
4. Three letters of reference
5. Letter of intent
6. CV/resume
7. Good command of English

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Link to: webpage for Master of Biotechnology at University of Toronto

Reflecting on Unit 2 – Development of a LinkedIn Profile, Formal Report Proposal and Outline, Progress on the Formal Report and Peer Review

February 19, 2016

Unit 2 begins the process of creating two major documents: the formal report and the LinkedIn profile. This unit provided the opportunity for me to practice and perfect the strategies and techniques to craft  documents suitable for business, professional and technical context.

LinkedIn
I enjoyed the process of creating a LinkedIn profile. Creating a LinkedIn profile allows me to translate skills I have learned from this course into real life setting. A profile that is both professional in tone and personal is instrumental in many firms hiring decisions. Making an online resume profile also showcase one’s capability and grasp of the modern technology. An added benefit of creating an online profile is that it enables you to paint a more complete picture of yourself and this greatly increase the chances of landing on a job.

Formal report proposal and outline
This section allows me to practice recommending an action on a problem or an inefficiency in a professional manner. I chose something that most of the students in the University of British Columbia could relate to which is a proposal to implement hand dryers at all UBC’s washroom. The topic that I chose to focus goes hand-in-hand with UBC’s initiative to make the campus a little greener and sustainable.

Generating an outline for the formal report proposal was extremely useful because it enables me to better plan out the things that I want to include in the formal report and the deadline and schedule I have to follow.

Progress on the Formal Report
Everything seems to be following the schedule that I have generated in my formal report outline. The greatest concern is whether I have enough time to compile all the surveys and conduct interviews.

Peer Review
I peer reviewed Jodie Ng’s formal report proposal (link can be found below). She did a great job introducing and providing enough background information on her topic of interest. Some common mistakes like run on sentences and grammatical errors were found in her assignment but it was overall a good piece of writing. The process of peer reviewing provided me with an opportunity to critique but at the same time learn some of my partner’s writing techniques and strategies.

I found that through peer reviewing other’s assignment, it became easier for me to spot my own errors in my writings. It became clear to me that breaking down sentences into chunks can greatly help readers understand a point.

Conclusion
I hope to incorporate the skills that I have gained through the various assignments in Unit 2 and apply them into the next unit. I look forward to integrate more creativity and clarity in terms of professional communication in the next unit.

By Timothy E. Goh.

301- Timothy Goh – Formal Report Proposal (Edited)

Peer Review of Timothy Goh’s Formal Report Proposal – by Jodie Ng

Peer Review of Jodie Ng’s Formal Report Proposal – by Timothy Goh

Reflecting on Unit 1 – Introductions, Definitions & Peer Reviews
January 28, 2016

Unit one was an introduction into the methodology and ethics in professional communication. The last assignment in this unit was broken down into 3 components – definition assignment, peer review and self-editing. As challenging as it can be, each component of this last assignment brought new tools that enables me to grow in my communication skills.

For the definition assignment, we were instructed to choose a complex term and explain it to non-technical readers in varying levels of details through the use of parenthetical, sentence and expanded definitions. The most challenging part of this assignment was to effectively and efficiently define the term in a way that minimizes the use of technical jargons but at the same time concisely explaining the term. As a trained biologist, I found it extremely difficult to choose appropriate words that enables me to cater to my set of audience. This reminded me of how difficult it was for elementary school teachers to introduce new concepts or terminology to their students. Through this assignment, I began to appreciate the importance of definitions in technical writing and I hope to sharpen this set of skills in future assignments.

Peer review was the second component of this assignment. For this assignment, I peer reviewed Jodie Ng’s definition on phenotype (link below). As a trained biologist, I already had a solid understanding of that term. She did a great job explaining the term in an easy and concise manner. The pictorials that she included in her expanded definition allowed a visual learner like me to better understand her chosen term. Some common mistakes like run on sentences or grammatical errors were found in her assignment but it was overall a good piece of writing. The process of peer reviewing provided me an opportunity to critique but at the same time learn some of my partner’s writing techniques and strategies.

The last part of this assignment is the self-editing component. I found that through peer reviewing other’s assignment, it became easier for me to spot my own errors in my writings. It became clear to me that breaking down sentences into chunks can greatly help readers understand a point. Based on the feedback that I received from Jodie (link below), the general consensus was that my writing included all the required criteria and it was a nicely crafted piece. With the feedback that I received, I made some minor adjustments and editing to my piece (edited version of my definition assignment can be found below).

I hope to incorporate the skills that I have gained through the various assignments in Unit 1 and apply them into the next unit. I look forward to sharpening the skills of professional communication in the next unit.

By Timothy E. Goh.

301-Timothy Goh-Definitions of Titanium

Peer Review of Jodie Ng’s Definition – By Timothy Goh

Peer Review of Timothy Goh’s Definition – By Jodie Ng

#3, 9131 Williams Road
Richmond, V7A 1G8
British Columbia, Canada
January 12, 2016
 

English 301
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC
 

Dear English 301 Teams:
 

Please consider my application to be part of your English 301 technical writing team, as advertised in your January 11^th posting on the engl301.arts.ubc.ca blog posting. I am currently in my fourth and last year of my undergraduate, majoring in biology at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
 

My focus over the past 3 years in my undergraduate studies has been on the topic of animal physiology and neurobiology. In my field of study, we conducted a lot of research and analysis. After each set of studies, we would publish our findings in scientific literature and research papers. As a biologist, I was always train to write clearly, concisely and to avoid using informal language such as slang in my writing. The key to writing a good scientific article is to always incorporate references and cite them appropriately. I hope to bring these set of skills that I have accumulated over the past few years into your team.
 

Apart from studying, I also spend my time volunteering at the local UBC hospital in the department of neuro-immunology. My role not only requires me to work hand-in-hand with doctors in providing antibody testing for patients but also involves writing official correspondence to doctors in other provinces informing them of the test results of their patient’s blood sample. This experience coupled with the earlier scientific writing skills, has given me a clear and practical understanding of good communication techniques to ensure a smooth delivery of information.
 

Writing has never come easy for me. The result of today’s achievement has to do with the hours of hard work and commitment that I have put in over the years. However, because of the scientific nature of my degree, I am not much of an expert in the area of professional and technical writing. Through working with your writing team, I hope to strengthen and prefect my technical writing skills.
 

Should you have any questions, please contact me at (604) 728 8315 after 6:00p.m. daily or email me at gohtim@gmail.com.
 

Sincerely,
 
Timothy E. Goh

301-Timothy Goh-Application letter