- This assignment was written with the purpose of defining a complex technical term pertaining to my discipline, computer science The term full-stack developer, was defined using three different types of definitions: parenthetical definition, sentence definition and expanded definition. Expansion techniques used for the latter definition type included the following: operating principle, analogous comparison, visuals, compare and contrast, examples of use and required conditions. The success of this assignment was dependent on the consideration given to the target audience and objective. Therefore, extensive effort was dedicated to explaining the term in a manner that individuals lacking the relevant disciplinary background were able to gain a sufficient understanding. This composition is indicative of my capabilities as a writer and my strong communication skills.
2. Peer Review of the Definition Assignment
- The peer review process allowed me to put myself in the perspective of an individual with minimal background in dental hygiene and critique the readability and thoroughness of my team member’s three definitions. The success of this assignment relied on provide constructive feedback in a positive and congruent manner.
3. The Formal Report Proposal and Progress Report
- This assignment was definitely my most favourite component of the course. For the proposal portion of this assignment it was our job was to investigate a problem that is occurring at our job, and we were to create a proposal that addresses the problem and calls for action. I chose to advocate for the implementation of subsidized hot beverages on campus, and directed my proposal towards Colin Moore, the Food Services Director at UBC. The progress report was formatted as a memorandum addressed to my English 301 instructor, Dr. Erika Patterson, providing further experience on how to compose professional correspondence with a specific purpose.
4. LinkedIn Best practices memo
- LinkedIn profiles are necessary for gaining employment in a media-centric world, and this assignment helped me create a stronger, more readable, and easily accessible page that showcases my experiences and accomplishments to potential employers.
- The evaluation and reconstruction of Evan Crisp’s letter allowed me to learn about “You Attitude” and how important it is to concisely yet professional communicate your thoughts and opinions without coming off as demeaning. This assignment overall helped me recognize the to-do’s and not to-do’s pertaining to correspondences.
6. Complaint letter and Response letter
- While appearing to be written by two parties, this assignment was entirely written by myself to demonstrate knowledge of how to receive and give criticism. My scenario described a mock situation where I received poor treatment from Zara regarding a package delivery. I put myself in the place of both parties, trying to create an amicable resolution for a difficult situation. This was very helpful to help me in the future with conflict resolution over written media.
7. Peer Review of a Formal Report
- This assignment allowed me to provide feedback for another English 301. The aim of this assignment was to offer insight on how to improve the provided draft to meet the writing type, organization and formatting requirements of formal reports. Completing this assignment not only required utilizing You-Attitude writing, effective organization and professional formatting but also an in-depth understanding of formal report structure and content. Overall, this work reflects my extensive knowledge technical writing but also highlights my capabilities as a writer.
- The final draft of the report differed from the initial draft in that it included a letter of transmittal, abstract, an additional two visuals and an appendix. The biggest challenge with putting the final draft together was making the entire document coherent, and concisely communicating the issue at hand with an appropriate proposed solution. What made this report successful was being able to stick to guidelines and schedule deadlines for myself in order to ensure surveys and interviews were conducted in a timely manner. This lead to completing the formal report on time, while still having collected all the necessary data to create a thorough evaluation of my original proposal.