Here is some of my best work for ENGL 301: Technical Writing, an online UBC course.
I learned a lot from these assignments, including how to:
- Write a formal report
- Compose tactful emails and even complaint letters
- Peer review without being overly critical
- Revise my work objectively (well, to the best of my ability)
Revised Definition Assignment and Peer Review
The purpose of the Definitions Assignment was to learn how to take a complex term and communicate it to a general audience. Regardless of the field you work in, there will always be jargon specific to your job. It’s important to be able to describe it to anyone (whether it be a fellow colleague or a member of the public) in a way that is easily digestible and simple. I chose the term “genetic drift” because I am a biology student with a specific interest in genetics.
We also had to peer review our teammate’s Definitions Assignment. This gave us further experience with peer editing, as well as made us reflect on our own definitions.
Revised-Peer-Review-of-Definitions
Revised Formal Report Proposal and Progress Report with Surveys
The purpose of the formal report was to give us experience identifying, researching, and constructing a professional, informative document. It also gave students the opportunity to practice our technical writing skills, conduct surveys/interviews, analyze data, and synthesize large amounts of abstract information.
Revised-Formal-Report-Proposal
Revised Complaint letter and Response letter
The goal of this assignment was to practice writing with YOU attitude. This form of writing addresses the recipients needs before the writer’s. It forced me to learn how to write with a minimal amount of pronouns, as well as why this type of writing is so necessary not only in business but generally.
Revised-Letter-of-Complaint-and-Response
Revised Peer Review of Application Package and Formal Report
Peer review assignments provide students with the opportunity to analyze other student’s work with a critical, but tactful eye. Not only does it help us reconsider our own work and whether we performed it correctly, but it teaches us to communicate kindly and constructively.
These works are a summary of some of my best assignments from the ENGL 301 course. They taught me so much in terms of writing, peer review, formulating professional reports and documents, and writing with purpose. I hope you enjoyed this overview of my ENGL course, feel free to explore the rest of this blog.