Author Archives: Zachary Beardsley

Unit two has been a difficult but rewarding experience for me as a budding writer. Our first leap into the new unit had us creating Linked-In profiles for effective networking in the business world. I admittedly had a Linked-In profile already, but most of it was blank and I had very little knowledge on how to navigate using the website effectively. One of our specific assignments was writing a post on “best practices” for Linked-In use which had me researching articles on successful profiles. This arguably gave me the push from knowing little-to-nothing to having a firm foundation to develop my online brand. I have to say, I really am appreciative of the fact that developing this online profile was part of our curriculum. A well established Linked-In profile is a key aspect of any aspiring professional in this day and age.

Next up on the unit 2 agenda was drafting our formal research proposals. I chose to investigate a matter that hit a little closer to home. As an established performer living in Vancouver, I have experienced first-hand the struggles of living affordably on an artists wage. Doing this project gives me the opportunity to investigate public data on funding in BC and current legislature in place to support the arts. Arguably, any student at this time of the year will tell you how stressful courses are getting, as we near the end of our term. I am of course no exception to this rule and so my biggest struggle remains keeping on top of my deadlines. I have gotten better (in my humble opinion) but there is still work to be done. Nonetheless, I am appreciative of the development this course has offered me. In more than just technical writing.

I am excited to gauge responses from local artists and directors I have worked with to get a sense for the general public opinion on my research topic. I believe both my personal expertise on the matter, and the shared experiences of my peers will culminate in high quality responses to the questions I have distributed. As such, I received valuable feedback from Dr. Paterson on my lack of ethical consideration (not including an introduction as a means of briefing the target audience). I have amended my survey responses and included a hyperlink at the end of this post.

I have enjoyed watching the development of my peers as well throughout the duration of this course. I particularly have enjoyed knowledge I have gained from reading my peers’ project proposals. For example, a colleague I have been working with in tandem, Gurpreet Dhaliwal released a proposal that outlines the dangers of apps and developing groups that are exploiting the course registration aspect of our University. This was a matter I was previously unaware of. On the subject of my group member, I have also enjoyed watching his writing develop as this course progresses. He has humbly and graciously accepted my feedback on his writing, and also provided me with valuable guidance on my own work. Through the peer-review process, I have developed my self-awareness as a writer and also honed my proofreading and critiquing skills.

ENGL 301 Research Proposal Questionnaire (2)

Peer Review of Project Proposal

Revised Project Proposal

I would like to preface this article with an explanation on my late post. I apologize for any inconvenience, I had a very trying weekend with some personal matters that hindered my ability to post effectively and in a timely manner. Not an excuse, simply an update.

We are now well over four weeks into our program and I have enjoyed momentous success in the development of my writing abilities and some challenges as well. Concerning our most recent assignment; Definitions and Peer-Reviewed Edits, I received a wealth of useful advice from my teammate Dhaliwal. Particularly in adding a section outlining the symptoms commonly associated with the disorder allowed me to expand upon my article with the inclusion of pre-markers in the onset of early childhood autism development.

Overall, my experience with writing, professionally and non-professionally is being tested regularly in this course and for that I am grateful. At the same time, I am finding some of the material challenging. Particularly without a classroom setting to allow for a forum wherein we could ask questions and receive responses in person. However, I have the utmost confidence in my abilities to take on the challenges of this course and tackle the material head on!

Editing a peer’s material (or giving them advice to edit it themselves rather) is a challenging process. One does not want to insult or criticize their peers and I think that is a common notion found among students in general. However it did give me the opportunity to critically evaluate work on a subject I knew nothing about which in turn actually helped me to see my own writing through a different lens. It definitely proved useful in understanding technical writing.

Perhaps some of the most challenging material so far in the course would have to be staying on top of deadlines when factoring in a working lifestyle and other courses, but that is no different than in other courses so it will just have to be a focus for me to work on.