Elise Machado

Prof. Sindelar
ENGL2116
2022 June 27
Reflection Essay
Over the course of this semester, I have encountered multiple different forms of writing
that I had never worked with before. Previously, I had not written a memo or thought about how
to make instructions that are user friendly. The assignments within this course allowed me to
approach my writing in a new format and taught me new ways to approach a writing task. I had
to challenge myself to think about certain aspects of writing such as document design and
readability. I think I have seen improvement within my writing skills. I learned how important
writing in plain style can be and the appropriate way to do that. While completing each
assignment, I would think about how I wrote a sentence and would adjust it to make it as concise
as possible. I have also developed new ways of planning my writing which are more detailed
than my old outlines. I have learned to consider how well the paragraphs flow and how to
structure my writing to fit the appropriate style.
My initial goal for this course was to obtain technical writing skills. Throughout this
semester I have been challenged to think in new ways. I was introduced to how a person should
design a document. I saw many real-world examples through lectures and found those to be
helpful. I think I have reached my goal, especially considering the time I had in this course. Even
in such a short amount of time, I have learned so much about technical writing and how to
appropriately communicate in writing. I did many practice editing assignments and interacted
with my classmates to see their thought processes and ways of approaching the technical style.
This helped me with understanding how the styles for each document type that was explored
should be. Studying the course material through the textbook and lectures along with the hands-
on practice really helped engrain the information into my mind. These practices help me execute
my major assignments immensely. Without the practice and readings, I would’ve been
completely lost since I had no prior knowledge of technical communication.
The assignment that I am most proud of is the formal report packet. Even if the white
paper was not my best work, I feel like I learned the most from it. I would not say that the white
paper is my worst work either but since it was a much longer assignment, I had to take a lot of
time to perfect it. I have written other types of formal documents before, but the white paper was
different from any other formal paper. I think once I put all my information together, it helped
me flesh out my structure and design. If I could add an assignment to this class, I would add an
assignment that would help with more memo and email writing. There were practice editing
assignments but learning to write them was hard at first. I think if there was a short memo
writing practice, it would help students learn the appropriate structuring and style it should be
written in.