Writing has never been my strong suit however I always did find a level of enjoyment in being able to compose literary works based on various prompts and ideas. As a student interested in entering the field of engineering, I always found more direct subjects such as math and science to be my strengths. When it came to creativity in subjects such as writing, I found myself struggling however I was willing to work on my flaws to ultimately take steps forward in my academic journey toward the study of engineering, My experience in this class was a humbling yet extremely educational one as I faced many difficulties throughout the composition of each of my papers. Nevertheless, I was able to take away lessons from each of my works and learn from them. In writing my formal letter of introduction, product review essay, lab report analysis, technical description, and collaborative project, I found myself pushing through my struggles and generally developing skills that would make me a better writer as a future engineer, ultimately allowing me to complete course learning outcomes and become a better writer.
Formal letter of Introduction
The formal letter of introduction was the first assignment I completed for writing for engineering. Before even composing the essay, I understood the expectations of the writing quality necessary from professor Rodwell. Through class meeting’s dedicated to how to compose a formal letter of introduction, I realized that the writing style I needed to adopt for this class was not like my previous writing courses taken in college. Although I have previously written letters for assignments in highschool, the formal letter of introduction was my first taste as to what was to be expected in college. My grade for this assignment reflected my understanding of the expectations placed before me and that I was an adequate writer when it came to letters.
Product Review Essay
The product review for the KitchenAid Classic Can Opener/Bottle Opener was an enjoyable writing experience as it allowed me to explore the specifics of product analysis and evaluation, which was new to me. I was able to describe and evaluate the product in a detailed manner while writing this paper which is one of my best strengths. My ability to utilize user reviews and personal experiences allowed me to add depth to my writing, making my review one that people can relate to and find to be comprehensive. However, I also met setbacks, especially in adopting a neutral position while expressing my thoughts. The task of the mediator between the subjective and the objective components is a field I have to work on. Besides, most of the work was done in the process of teaching clarity and conciseness without the oversimplification of the information. In writing this paper, I enhanced my capacity to form a strong opinion and express it clearly, which is the most important aspect of writing reviews. This corresponds with the course learning outcome of formulating and articulating a stance through and in your writing. Moreover, I sharpened my skills for revising, self-evaluation, and the strategies of drafting, revising, and self-assessment by constantly reviewing to have things clear and the whole thing coherent, the course outcome related to these writing processes. The genre analysis was a writing element I used to comprehend the different features of product reviews and utilize them to modify my writing. This can be drawn back to the course learning outcome which is to engage in genre analysis and multimodal composing to explore effective writing across disciplinary contexts and beyond. I also worked on using a variety of sources, such as user reviews and product specifications, to support my analysis and thus, to enhance my source use practices. In conclusion, this paper was a perfect opportunity for me to use linguistic differences as resources, enhance my rhetorical sensibility, collaborate with others, and get feedback on my writing.
Lab Report Analysis
The Lab Report Analysis Essay was a difficult but certainly practical experience for me. This task forced me to go through the rules and subtleties of scientific writing, which was the sphere where I faced so many challenges. It was one of my strengths that I was able to analyze the presented topic in writing this paper. My attention to the critical analysis and the detailed comparison gave me a holistic view of the lab report’s effectiveness. Nevertheless, I had to overcome some problems that were mostly related to the comprehension and usage of the technical terms and the rules of scientific writing. My lack of knowledge in regards to composing scientific papers caused me to be unable to analyze the lab report properly. I found the process of grouping my ideas and research results in a manner that is coherent and logically structured to be a major obstacle. Despite these struggles, I experienced a lot of progress in different fields. A significant part of the development progress was the improvement of the methods for reading, drafting, revising, editing, and self-assessment. This assignment made me adapt my drafts more than once, each time I improved my analysis and structure. This is exactly what the course outcome of improving writing processes. Besides, I also learned how to set my own writing goals and audience expectations when it comes to the genre, medium, and rhetorical situation. The knowledge of the specific needs of a lab report analysis enabled me to customize my writing to the academic standards, the principle of the course outcome related to the genre, and the rhetorical situation. This paper presented me with the opportunity to recognize and utilize linguistic differences as resources, to develop rhetorical sensibility, and to engage in the criticism aspects of the writing processes through review and feedback from my professor.
Technical Description
The process of writing the Aroma Digital Rice Cooker Technical Description enlightened me and helped me to improve my technical writing skills. This assignment made me explain a complicated kitchen appliance clearly and simply, and present its components and functions to an audience that might not be familiar with the technical terms. One of my strengths while writing this technical description was the attention to detail. My ability to arrange information logically and to present it clearly and concisely helped create a user-friendly technical document. Nonetheless, I met with obstacles in the reduction of complex technical information while maintaining the same level of detail. Maintaining the technical correctness while at the same time making the text readable was a never-ending challenge. Besides, the accuracy and clarity of my descriptions were ensured by multiple revisions and a deep and thorough review process. Through this assignment, I realized that I have done much better in several aspects. The principal area of development was the process of improving the method of reading, drafting, revising, editing, and self-assessment. The technicality of the document made it necessary to have proper planning and several revisions to guarantee clarity and correctness, which is in line with the course outcome of improving the writing processes. I also discovered how to compromise my writing targets and the audience’s assumptions about the conventions of genre, medium, and rhetorical situations. The technical description helped me to comprehend the specific requirements of a literary genre, which in turn enabled me to suit my writing to professional standards, the course outcome related to the genre, and the rhetorical situation. In a word, this paper enabled me to recognize and use linguistic differences as resources, develop rhetorical skills, and collaborate in the writing processes through peer review and feedback on my outline. The skills and strategies I learned while writing this technical description have enabled me to create clear, accurate, and user-friendly technical documents in my future academic and professional activities.
Collaborative Project
The last assignment for this class was a collaborative project where I worked with five other students in order to create a proposal for a new invention that could be marketed and sold. My strengths for this project was research and using my creativity to contribute to ideas such as the groups name and materials that the product would use. My group decided to create a product named Toasty Toes that was a reusable heated insole. While working on the project, I learned many skills such as communication, sacrifice, and research. This project gave me insight on how it is to be an engineer, and working with teammates I learned how to effectively build off another person’s idea and contribute to the group in a meaningful way. In addition, I learned that I would have to sacrifice time, preferences and personal thoughts if I wanted this project to be a success. When creating Toasty Toes, a lot of research was required as this was a unique product with one similar competitor in the real world. This resulted in me doing research for costs, materials, labor, and the assignment as a whole tested my writing and research capabilities. The collaborative project ultimately allowed me to use all of the course learning objectives together in one setting.
My journey throughout this course has been a transformative one due to the significant developments I have made regarding my writing abilities. Despite my many challenges, each paper that I wrote, including the formal letter of introduction, product review essay, lab report analysis, technical description, and collaborative project,, played crucial roles in allowing me to understand my strengths and weaknesses when it came to writing. From my ability to clearly articulate my thoughts through written language, to developing an understanding of the elements of scientific writing and technical descriptions, I was able to develop the necessary skills to move forward in my writing journey as a future Engineer. Moving forward, I expect to utilize the skills I have gained during this course in my future academic and professional endeavors while pursuing the field of engineering so that I can remain confident in my ability to compose effective and impactful written pieces.
