REFLECTION
English 202C, Technical Writing, exceeded my expectations for an English course. Being an engineering major, English classes are typically seen as “boring” and are approached with the mindset it is a required course and “I just need to pass”. Additionally, coming from the Architectural Engineering Department, which places a heavy emphasis on the importance of communication, I feared the course would cover rudimentary topics and be a review of many of concepts already covered in other classes. Much to my surprise however, this class opened my eyes to new ways of writing and communication strategies through technical documents. While I felt I was already effective at writing and presenting technical information, this class strengthened my ability to format documents and objectively evaluate written work. Additionally, reading assignments provided insight to how technical communication varies across cultures and geography, which is not typically considered in college classes.
While completing the six class assignments, I noticed the focus of my writing had shifted. Rather than preparing for a presentation or technical report with a focus on the deliverable and what a professor would like to see, I found myself considering how effective a piece was at communicating to a broader audience. This allowed me to realize the importance of anticipating readers beyond your expected audience and formatting your documents accordingly. As seen on the Academic page, assignments such as the Instruction Set provided challenges in terms of design decisions, writing styles and vocabulary choices, and emphasized the importance of conciseness. Creating this instruction set extended my field experience to create a deliverable tutorial, outlining not only my experience and knowledge, but using that experience to assist others.
With graduation right around the corner in May, my goals have shifted from academic success to preparation for a future career. As someone planning on becoming a project engineer, and potentially a project manager in the future, communication is critical to complete a project. This class has improved my ability to express ideas and thoughts through the written word, which is crucial on job sites. Working with a construction management company, I need to be able to communicate within the company to coworkers, to project architects and engineers, and to subcontractors, each of which have varying levels of education and communication preferences. My ability to understand and prepare for several audience types was strengthened through this course, allowing me to effectively communicate with company executives one moment, and field laborers the next. Additionally, the combination of this class and prior Architectural Engineering classes have provided me with experience in formatting documents and presentations which capture the audience’s attention while strengthening the discussion.
For the final assignment, the E-Portfolio you are viewing, I chose to take a simple approach in the design process. My goal was for my work and experience to speak for itself, meaning the primary focus would be on the website content, not the background and secondary material of the page. I felt it was important to break up academic and professional work on the E-Portfolio as the audience was drastically different for the two categories. While my academic projects have always focused on creativity and effectively communicating ideas, there is always pressure to produce what is expected of you and required for the project. In the case of my professional work, which includes two end-of-summer presentations, there was unlimited freedom to present concepts which could potentially improve company procedures. Overall, I wanted to keep the site functional and simple, so it was easily navigated by any audience member.
In conclusion, I was very impressed by English 202C and found it to be a beneficial class rather than one to simply “get through”. The six assignments, peer reviews, and reading assignments provided a strong foundation to build my writing and communication skills upon. While my academic career is nearly complete, this class can extend its influence into my professional career for the rest of my life.
*Image from http://jufusa.com/2014/07/
