Introduction

Over the course of the semester, I have gained a deeper appreciation for the journey of effectively communicating my ideas through writing. The class has provided an invaluable opportunity for me to explore various learning outcomes, including to but not limited to using various online sources for projects as well as enhancing strategies for reading, drafting, and editing. By working on a diverse range of assignments, I effectively have been able to write in a way that caters to different audiences and use feedback to improve my drafts. These experiences have helped me establish goals that are also applicable in the engineering field: learning to use feedback to continuously refine my writing, collaborating with peers to expand my understanding, and mastering the art of detailed technical writing.

Lab Report

Throughout the semester, I have realized the importance of communication. Communication is a way of helping your audience understand your writing but it also so much more than that. We, as people, all come from different backgrounds, whether it be educational or geographical. I was able to learn the importance of acknowledging my own as well as others’ range of linguistic differences (course learning objective 1). In my initial draft, with the help of a classmate’s peer review as well Professor Brown, I was able to identify concepts and descriptions that I wrote and assumed that my audience would be able to understand, when that was not the case at all. I had the right idea and was headed in the direction, but there was room for improvement. For example, when listing the materials such as epoxy, it was suggested that I include what kind. I also included a plastic box as one of the materials but was advised to write down its measurements. After reading my reviewed draft, I came to see that for me, it was obvious as to what kind of epoxy and what size box I would be using, but to someone who has never build a plasma ball or had any exposure to hands on projects, it would be difficult for them to identify the specifics. I believe that this draft was a start to helping me develop rhetorical sensibility as I recognized the connections between context, audience, and purpose. When writing the final draft, using the constructive feedback I received, I discovered that writing a paper was not a one time activity, but rather a process that consists of drafting, revising, and self-assessing (course learning objective 2). To help my audience better understand the experiment, I added details entailing how data would be collected, and explained more in depth the correlation between ionization and plasma, in which the goal was to help the reader understand how the experiment would achieve the desired result from a scientific perspective. The drafting process of the lab report allowed me to learn how to use feedback as a source of guidance to enhance my writing.

Engineering Proposal

The engineering proposal was a collaborative project where I partnered with three other students to come up with an idea that would solve or improve a system. Our proposal involved creating AI bins that would be used in university to campus to reduce waste as well as utilizing it as a tool to promote a circular economy within the local community. By using platforms such as Zoom meetings and the exchange of ideas through WhatsApp, we were able to set clear writing as to what we hoped to achieve in this proposal. One of the ways we were able to do this was through the group contract. As stated in learning objective 3, the group contract was an opportunity to “negotiate” my own “writing goals and audience expectation regarding conventions of genre, medium, and rhetorical situation. To ensure that the proposal would flow, and interest the audience, the presentation would be a powerful tool which would allow my group members and I to describe the project with a visually appealing aesthetic. In the slides I did specifically, I created a chart that conveyed the efficiency improvement goals of the project along with an explanation column that included quantitative goals to help the audience visualize what the successful implementation of the AI-powered waste sorting system would look like. Aside from cultivating my ideas and thoughts into the presentation, there was developing “…and engaging in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes” (Course Learning Objective 4), into the project as a whole. As an example, when it was time for my group and I to decide on a topic for the proposal, we all had a range of various ideas. Some of us were interested in addressing problems about transportation while others about marine environmental issues. However, I came to realize that we did share a common interest in learning more about artificial intelligence, specifically its applications to solving real-world problems. Having said that, we were able to formulate a proposal to encourage sustainability within university campuses and the community involving the use of artificial intelligence machine learning systems. By discussing our areas of expertise, we were able to split up the project by section (i.e. summary, conclusion, etc). In doing so, I was able to further develop my ability to collaborate with others and utilize it as a tool to observe and write from different perspectives.

Technical Description

The technical description was an opportunity to use the skills learned throughout class about technical writing and implement it in this assignment. Prior to this assignment, I was not aware just how much could be written about the simplest of objects. For this assignment, I chose to write about natural reed diffusers. To be honest, at first I had no idea how I would be able to write a seven page paper on reed diffusers. My initial thoughts consisted of “okay—well the purpose of them is for it to enhance the scent of an office or any room in general—and it’s made out of reeds—that’s about it.” However, I started conducting research using the internet and was able to compile my initial findings in the technical description template (course learning objective 7). Compared to my initial thoughts, I discovered various scientific processes behind the function of the diffusers such as capillary action and the movement of reeds. Additionally, by outlining the components, I recognized that the diffuser isn’t just a diffuser, it consists of various components such as scented oils, reeds, and the diffuser bottle. Through this assignment, I was able to accomplish writing in great detail, allowing my audience to truly understand the content they are reading.

Conclusion

I have come to learn that writing is more than putting words on paper; it is a process with a purpose, and aim to achieve something. This semester has been a transformative experience in my journey as a writer. From understanding how feedback can be used as a source to improve my writing to incorporating diverse perspectives, I have seen my writing improve through each assignment. As I continue to grow as a writer, I plan to build on these skills, applying them not only in academic settings but also in professional endeavors.