Unit 3 was an opportunity to further enhance and polish the technical writing skills taught throughout the course.
Complaint and Response Letter
The complaint and response letter was similar to a role play exercise. It required students to create and inhabit the perspectives of a disgruntled customer and a seasoned customer service representative. The exercise also highlighted the importance of the “you” attitude in formal written correspondence. It may be emotionally satisfying to point fingers when something goes awry but maintaining a professional tone is key to resolving conflicts.
Formal Report
The current Creative Writing Student Association (CWSA) Interim Director is anticipating the formal report. She also provided detailed feedback on the survey. These additional notes helped in polishing the questions and making it user friendly. The respondents of the survey include students from a variety of different Creative Writing degree programs. It was a pleasure watching members of CWSA support this initiative.
The results from the survey influenced the research for the formal report. For example, the results from question 7 highlighted that members were not visiting the CWSA Sandbox course. The CWSA Sandbox is akin to an online newsletter; it contains information on the CWSA and reminders of recent events. Reviewing the websites of other student organizations at UBC provided inspiration for alternative communication methods.
The organization of the report was inspired by the guidelines in the textbook and examples in the Instructor’s Blog. Instead of writing large chunks of text the report contains sub headings when needed. Philip, my peer reviewer provided excellent suggestions on the report’s structure and organization. This advice will inform the revisions to the report.
Peer Review
Philip produced a well researched report on the effects of sedentary work on computer science students. My peer review consisted of strategies to enhance clarity to showcase the report’s research. It will be great to read Philip’s report after it is completed.
It has been pleasure learning techincal writing throughout this term and I look forward to submitting my Formal Report, Applicaltion Package and Web Folio.
The below link will take you to the original ENGL 301 blog where the Formal Report Draft was originaly submitted.
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