The web folio forced me to review almost everything I have written for this course, as well as everything I have learned. It’s interesting because when you do an assignment, you don’t realize how impactful it can be. We often don’t realize what skills we are learning. The process of creating a web folio made me realize just how much this course has taught me.

Very briefly, I have learned:

• How to write with YOU attitude
• How to craft a professional formal report
• How to conduct research in a business setting
• How to provide insightful, constructive peer reviews
• How to reflect thoughtfully and meaningfully
• How to think creatively and professionally
• How to write tactfully and professionally
• How to design a website

This is only the tip of the iceberg.

My strengths in this whole process have been the fact that I am very interested in web design. It’s helped me design things probably much quicker than other students. I would consider another strength to be that I am quite a fast writer, which of course is helpful in a technical writing course. Another strength would be that I already had a lot of professional documents prepared, like a resume and cover letter.

My weaknesses, however, extend to the fact that I can make errors in my writing because I produce it so quickly. I am also not a particularly reflective person; putting thoughts to paper doesn’t come naturally for me. I tend to move on from one thing to the next once something is complete. I don’t like to dwell or analyze my work, so that was a little bit tough for me. Revisiting and revising my past work did not come easily.

Beyond this course, I am excited to apply what I have learned. Writing with YOU attitude was particularly impactful for me and I can’t wait to take it to a business environment. Although I am a bio major, my interests lie mainly in sales and business, so I can now say I have experience writing professional documents and formal reports. I also know how to provide constructive criticism tactfully and professionally. I am also a lot more confident with my email and memorandum etiquette, something that is invaluable in this digital age.

I struggled initially with how I should present my work. There seemed to be an endless variety of ways to showcase it. In the end, I wanted to create a web folio that was simple and easy to navigate. I briefly considered creating a whole new website, but I soon realized how much time that would take.

I did my best to think about the web folio from my audience’s perspective: how could I guide their navigation? Present my work in a simple, yet professional manner? I thought about changing my theme, but I’ve become quite fond of it. I do think it works well with my blog and enjoy the simplicity of it. It has a neutral, blue/grey theme which not only suits my style, but allows my work and experience to shine through.

I chose not to include any past projects because I did not feel that they were at a stage to be displayed publicly. I felt it would be better to wait until I had fully completed to the best of my ability, then add them to the web folio at a later date.

The entire process was very meaningful and it made me reflect on all the work that has led up to this point. The Best Works page is a perfect example of this. It gave me the opportunity to look at each assignment and realize how it has contributed to my learning. For example, the letters of complaints assignment was crucial in helping me understand how to write with YOU attitude

As I finish up this reflection, I’m grateful that I enrolled in this course. As someone who’s only really had experience in scientific writing, I’ve learned so much about business-related and professional writing. This course has really expanded my writing repertoire and I’ll surely carry it beyond this semester!

This reflection is regarding the process of the formal report assignment. It touches on my thought process behind the idea, how it made me think deeper about environmental issues, and how the peer review process affected me.

Formal Report Process Reflection

I appreciate the process of the formal report. It turned an issue at work that I was mildly concerned about into a topic I feel passionately for. Prior to the assignment, I would change price tags absent-mindedly, occasionally wonder why a tech-based store like Best Buy didn’t have a digital system. Without this assignment, I would have never learned that most retailers are moving towards digitizing the system, as well as how much water and energy producing paper takes. 

I have learned so much about what it would take to implement such a system. While it would initially be very expensive, it would be worth it in the long run. Not just financially, but morally. We have a moral obligation to our planet and to our fellow species to do what we can to preserve the Earth and take actionable steps towards reversing global warming. Companies share this responsibility just as much as individuals, if not more. The formal report assignment has taught me the value of making the extra effort to research and explore the small, but consistent, issues that bother you and see what steps you can take to remedy them. 

The peer review process was very interesting as well because I had the opportunity to learn more about what issues my peers were tackling. I found Brenda’s topic particularly interesting because I am a biology major, so I could make those direct connections between her place of work and the science behind the issue. Reviewing her work also gave me some ideas for my own, such as including a separate methods section. It also gave me an idea of how I would like to layout my graphics. 

I’m looking forward to wrapping up the formal report and discussing it further with my manager. I think the issue of paper price tags is a long overdue discussion that should be had and I’m excited to present my findings to the company.

First Draft of Formal Report: Formal Report Draft

I almost didn’t bother with this assignment. It seemed redundant to fix something that wasn’t broken. I had already obtained several recruitment messages with the profile I had initially. I soon realized how arrogant this was of me; profiles, resumes, and cover letters always require updating and improvement. There is always something that can be worked on, revised, and further analyzed. This assignment helped me realize the importance of constantly updating your job application portfolio.

Reflecting on the process of creating a LinkedIn profile

This was an interesting experience for me because I had already created quite an in depth LinkedIn profile quite a while ago. While I would consider it quite a successful profile, this assignment forced me to revisit and revise it. This gave me the opportunity to improve it and consider things I hadn’t before, such as:

• How professional my profile picture looks?
• How much white space do I have in each section?
• How readable is my profile, is it easy on the eyes?

Had I not done this assignment, I most likely would have left my profile as is, and as research shows, readily editing your profile is necessary.

How do you feel about creating a professional social media network? 

In regards to how I feel about creating a professional social media network, I felt quite comfortable with it. Again, I already had experience with LinkedIn. I am still striving to increase my network though. A personal goal of mine is to hit 500+ connections, as that seems to be a marker of success on LinkedIn.

Reflect on the process of brainstorming and preparing your report proposal and outline; how do you feel about your progress with the report? 

I thought the requirement to write a schedule was interesting. I’m not someone who usually sets hard deadlines for myself, I tend to just fit in the work whenever and wherever possible, but I think some structure will be an interesting experiment. I also think it’ll keep me accountable and prevent procrastination. In terms of progress, I think it’s going quite well. This is an issue that’s plagued me for quite some time, so I’m more than happy to explore it and look into it.

Do you have questions about how your investigation is going to become a Formal Report — or, put more simply, with how this is all going to come together? 

To be completely honest, I’ve had so many deadlines and exams from other classes that I haven’t really had a chance to fret over it. I’m someone with a “let’s cross that bridge when we get there” attitude. I have no doubt that it’ll be quite stressful, but I’m also confident in my writing, problem-solving, research, and synthesis abilities.

Reflect on your peer review for your partner’s proposal; what did you learn? 

Reading my partner’s proposal was very interesting. I think we often operate in a closed environment and forget that other people’s ideas even exist or are just as interesting as our own. I really enjoyed reading Brenda’s proposal, and thought she brought up an excellent problem that should be addressed, self care for healthcare professionals. I learned that ironically, dental hygienists aren’t forced to follow hygiene procedures that would protect themselves from harmful bacteria. We’re so inwardly focused that we often forget about the people on the frontlines of healthcare. Brenda’s proposal reminded me to consider the health and safety of those who take care of us.

And finally, reflect on the peer review process: what have you learned about your writing and reading by reviewing your team’s writing forum. 

Again, I think we write in a vacuum sometimes. It’s hard to edit and critique your own work, so having it peer reviewed by someone has been so helpful. My team has made points I never would have considered; I think it’s smart to have people from diverse backgrounds and different majors review your work. I’ve learned that my writing is decent, but can definitely get a bit too jargon-y. I have to remember that not everyone understands the same terminology as I do, I’ve just become habituated to the terms. In regards to reading, I’ve learned that it’s important to read someone else’s work with the same care and scrutiny you’d want them to give your work. I do my best to read my peer’s work thoroughly and provide them with comments that are positive, but still helpful. I think I’ve really learned to be straightforward, but tactful.

Have you been surprised by what you have read in your colleague’s work? 

Absolutely. Like I mentioned before, we often work in solitude. In traditional classes, there usually isn’t any opportunity to view anyone’s work but your own, so you never know what your peers are doing. In this class, it’s been so nice to see other people’s unique ideas and backgrounds.  

How do you think peer reviewing has impacted your view of your writing?

It’s made me realize how important the peer review process is. If not a peer, at least someone who has NOT written your work should read it through to catch any grammatical or clarity issues. I’m actually surprised I made it through most of university without consistently asking someone else to look over my work. It’s not like having someone else review my work is a foreign concept, it’s something I’ve always been well aware of, but just haven’t realized HOW important it is.

REVISED Report Proposal

Peer Review Link: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-99a-2019wa/2019/10/15/formal-report-peer-review/

Initially, I was hesitant about why an assignment like this mattered. I quickly realized the importance of making complex, subject-specific terminology accessible to people with varying levels of knowledge. This assignment taught me how to breakdown scientific jargon in a way it could be communicated to the general public.

Definitions Assignment

This is a reflection of my Definitions Assignment concerning the term: Genetic Drift. I was tasked with defining the term on three different levels (parenthetical, sentence, and expanded). Those definitions were then peer reviewed. I then revised my definitions based off the critique to produce final, edited definitions.

The Original Writing: This was an interesting exercise for me. I’m very accustomed to technical writing, so this assignment forced me to cut out or explain all jargon. I found myself struggling to describe a topic that I understand very well, in language that was concise and understandable. It made me realize how scientific research must seem so foreign to novice readers.

I found the textbook extremely helpful, especially considering I’d never heard of parenthetical, sentence, or expanded definitions before. I think knowing the difference between these three definitions will improve my writing skills, because I’ll be able to write for audiences with different scientific knowledge levels.

The Peer Review Process: I really appreciate the peer review process. It was nice to get almost immediate feedback. It really clarified any suspicions I had about certain sections that I wasn’t sure were jargon-y or not. The process made me realize how important it is to define the specific audience you are writing for. This determines the level of detail and type of terminology you can use, and whether certain terms should be explained.

I also found it interesting to review my peer’s work because it gave me practice critiquing other’s assignments with tact and constructive criticism.

The Editing Process: After editing my original definitions assignment, I think my term is much more developed and understandable for novice readers. The entire process was very eye opening. I spent years studying topics that many people have never even heard of. Not only does this make me appreciate my education, but it definitely makes me a better writer. This assignment gave me the opportunity to practice a style of writing that I am not accustomed to, but is extremely important for the scientific community if we are to convey new discoveries to the public.

I can also appreciate the applications to business and sales. The ability to write clearly and articulate complicated topics to people are invaluable. Knowing who your audience is and writing for them, in a way they’ll understand is one of my greatest takeaways from this assignment.

My original definitions assignment: Revised Definition
Peer Review by Adrienne Yap: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-99a-2019wa/2019/09/26/peer-review-of-definitions/