Category Archives: Unit 1 – Expectation vs Reality

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