What a long, crazy semester it has been and it’s amazing how much my perspective has changed regarding my writing talents. Prior writing and English classes for me have been usually literature based. Usually limiting the types of material in which to use as subjects for the writing assignments. This class has been different. While I have always been good at writing in essay form regarding a wide range of topics, having assignments that are meant not to convince but to explain, I have to say were challenging to me for most of the semester. I had in the past only had to explain science to others verbally, and now writing about the subject in a way to kind of just explain the technical side without having a side to defend was not something I have done at all in the past. I could always explain to someone how only renewable energy should fit into society’s future, but I have never had to write about the types of renewable energy as if I was writing a manual for the systems and how they work. This requires a different type of skill that challenged me to rethink my writing style and the genre that was used.
In the writing class, I had taken previous to this, I had gotten the chance to write about political topics. This was my first foray out of traditional, novel-based writing. It opened my eyes to the fact that writing might actually be enjoyable if you get a chance to write about topics you are passionate about. Looking back now this writing for Engineering class was the logical next step in my evolution as a wordsmith. It began challenging me to write differently and for a different purpose than any of my previous encounters with a writing class. This is a good thing. Once I’m outside my comfort zone I can grow. Because of this, my semester even to this point is a constant work in progress. My drafts are sometimes completely changed from the results in terms of genre and writing style because of how often I had to revisit my work to make sure I was breaking free of my previous experiences and not bringing my past habits into my current work. Even up to this portfolio’s final draft, I am continuously incorporating feedback gathered from my peers to try to keep tweaking the final product. I only have the pressure on me to keep changing for the better because I’m uncomfortable and I feel it’s bringing out the best in me. It is for reasons like this, I think writing for engineering class or writing for any type of science class is important. Because firstly these skills of scientific writing are rarely taught in earlier academics, and secondly, they have so many real-world applications. Instructions for all types of electronics, computers, software, and devices require the scientific world to communicate with the layperson. Many times, this communication gets lost in translation because we as scientists do not always have the skills to transfer our knowledge to someone who may not be as technically in tune. I believe much of the vaccine hesitancy that does exist is because the scientific community and society at large have a communication gap. This gap can only be bridged if we come together and communicate effectively with each other and classes like this, are a big part of it.
The first assignment, the technical description was my first opportunity to really negotiate my own writing goals and audience expectations regarding conventions of the genre, medium, and rhetorical situation. At first, I didn’t know where to start as I have never written anything technical before. The professor assigned us a blackboard assignment that gave us examples of technical descriptions and how they were set up. This gave me a starting point of what I should be looking for in my description. I decided to write about renewable wind energy turbines. I knew my passion for the environment would lead me to something that had to do with renewable energies. When I first started on my draft, however, the old ways of writing traditional essays began creeping in. During my teacher conference, I was challenged by the professor to write more descriptively and less traditionally. My introduction for example was written in terms of a historical perspective for context but it wasn’t what the teacher was looking for. Below is an example of my first draft.
“The power of the wind has been used by humans since sailing ships. For more than two thousand years wind has powered machines from water pumps to grain grinders. Wind power was harnessed by windmills as early as 1886 on the banks of fast-flowing rivers and streams. When electrical power was developed new applications, such as providing light to buildings through a centrally located power generator. Today wind power generators operate on every size scale from powering isolated towns to large-scale offshore wind farms.”
This description introduction was too much like a history lesson. I needed to renegotiate my writing goals, so they meet the expectations of my targeted audience. This would also help with my description being used for real-world applications as a reader might have lost interest if they were looking for technical information on wind turbines. I also wanted to use the introduction as an opportunity to set up how the description would flow and what to expect to be found in the paper. I used this feedback to change my introduction to the following.
“As our climate continues to deteriorate due to the overuse of fossil fuels for energy, it has become apparent that new ways of harvesting energy to sustain our civilization will be needed going forward if we are to continue to thrive. Harnessing the power of the wind is not a new concept and has been around since the late 1880s. At its heart wind turbines are simple generators whose power is generated by airflows. These days powerful units known as Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT) can provide enough power to provide for a whole city. This paper will show the layperson how these HAWT units produce power as well as some of the benefits and drawbacks of their use. “
The second assignment which was the technical report was a more in-depth version of the technical description. This project required the use of research conducted in the library using journal-quality sources to formulate and articulate a stance through writing. This was also practiced using various online databases as well as internet sourcing to find relevant information to my topic. I decided I wanted to stick with the theme of renewable energy when it comes to my report and wanted my paper to be a comparison of the different renewable energy types. I wanted to break down the cost and efficiency of each type and coherently present the information to my audience, who are prospective renewable energy investors. Finding relevant source information whether it be online or from another type of database is a skill that has many real-world applications. Most situations whether it be researching a work project or something simple like finding a new doctor require investigation skills to get the best relevant data. Through my research process, I found much information that was seemingly relevant at first but upon further review it was unhelpful. That made this project more challenging because finding useful information was harder than anticipated. The discussion board stated that it was wise to have backup choices and I see why, as sometimes your topic has a lot less information than first realized.
The technical report in many ways was my favorite project because it allowed me to have an opinion in my writing and that is something I’m most comfortable doing. I followed my research to articulate my stance on what renewable energies would be the best. The research I did led to my opinion not the other way around, so the information-gathering stage was critical. After peer reviews, I knew I had good information, and it was presented well but I needed visuals to drive my points home. That’s the major change that was made between my draft and my final report. The addition of several graphs and charts to show what my research showed and what exactly I believed were the smart energy investments. The visuals would help grab the reader’s attention and is another way to reinforce my articulated stance. Again these skills have real-world applications as being able to form an opinion based on research and then articulate that opinion in order to convince people of the data will always be sought after in this world.
The third assignment about the RFP responses was the most collaborative and was my chance to really acknowledge my classmates, and all our unique linguistic differences and skills. Having to work together in groups to build a project from concept to presentation, enabled us to view each other as resources that be used to create a result. It’s as if we all were ingredients and it was up to us to recognize the different spices in all our skill sets and add them together to make a delicious meal. When first assigned this, I was very confused. I wasn’t sure what exactly an RFP was or what even the difference was between the actual RFP and the response proposal. When examining the New York State database containing a list of the available RFP I began to understand what the assignment was asking for. I originally chose an RFP that was requesting an open-ended neighborhood development that was asking for affordable housing and neighborhood amenities in East New York. I figured it would be a decent choice because it was local, non-specific regarding design specifications, and would have enabled a group to find a way for its members to contribute in ways that pertain to their field. After posting mine on the discussion board, I found that many of my classmates had simpler more specific options. That first made me think that maybe a simpler RFP would be best because instead of having to come up with the concept and design, one would only have to come up with the design and implantation. When discussing further in class with my group regarding how to attack this assignment, I at first was still trying to push for my RFP proposal, to the East New York neighborhood. The rest of the group pointed out to me that because it was open-ended maybe it wasn’t the best choice because of having to take that extra concept creation step. Since I had already thought that to myself while reviewing the other post, it resonated with me. We decided to create a response to the Niagara Falls Heritage Gateways. But the start of the project was not the only place confusion existed for me and the group. The first drafts were less of a proposal and more of a restating of the RFP. We were not sure of where to begin so using the RFP as a guide we kind of recreated what they were looking for without going into specifics about the actual project itself. For example, we stated the project’s goals and scope of what would be asked, but not the project cost, how long the project would take, or why we were the right firm to handle the task. This made our first draft read more like the RFP itself than a particular response. Also, because our draft lacked visuals, there was little separating the genre of our proposal from a traditional essay. The only part that would have looked different in that respect is the presence of a table of contents.
The peer reviews and group conferences changed all that. By getting useful feedback, we were able to see the weaknesses in our original draft and what should be changed to make it a more concise read for the desired audience. This is where we as a team was able to enhance strategies for reading, drafting, revising, editing, and self-assessment. The first major change that was made was the scope of the response itself. Instead of submitting a proposal focused on everything that was asked for in the original RFP, we decided to focus on a smaller part of it and go deeper into that design concept. At first, we were going to design two buildings and a pathway connecting them. We designed our proposal with only the pathway connecting the two gateways called the Heritage path which would also connect the downtown Niagara Falls area. We also added a key element to the proposal such as a visual of the design elements, a cost, and labor estimate, and a timeline showing key dates and a pay schedule. This gave a more authentic feel to the proposal and served as a base for what important points should also be present in the class presentations. The next change was to the formatting of the proposal itself. We used the RFP as a guide and created exactly what was required down to the correct licensing information and experience in our fields. We even included a cover letter stating the experience of our firm, who we were as founders, and why we should be the right choice for the job. We also edited fonts to draw the reader’s attention in and added visuals and maps so the decision makers can know exactly what we are proposing should be built. These edits and revisions were only the results of constant self-assessment, and this assignment enhanced those strategies.
Creating the proposals presented to share in class was a chance to acknowledge my groupmate’s linguistic differences, use these differences as a resource, and use them to develop rhetorical sensibilities once again. The first step was to streamline the proposal into what would be a ten-to-fifteen-minute presentation that our audience consumes. This meant cutting out some of the parts that were required in the original RFP but would not be necessary to convince our target audience of why our proposal should be chosen. Again, this is to reread, revise, edit, and self-assess our previous work and come up with new solutions for the last part of the assignment.
One example of a change that was made from the proposal to the presentation, was the shortening of the details listed in the action plan for the actual project. The proposal called for the timeline to be more comprehensive. It had many details such as when payments were due when materials were to arrive, and how long each part of construction would take. This would have made the presentation look cluttered. It would have also been hard to present all those different dates coherently while staying on track and keeping the audience’s attention. I decided to change the format for the presentation to streamline the schedule and make it more palatable. I cut out most of the scheduled parts and kept just the parts delivery, work started and completion, and the date the property would be handed back over to the city. These revisions reflect situations that would happen in a real-world scenario as different aspects of the project will need to be sold in different ways at different stages. The corporation’s legal team might want to see the full details of the project while the marketing team wants to skim the basics of the proposal, and we have to be able to adjust for both settings.
I did not get over all my old habits gathered over years of traditional essay writing. On the contrary, and in a way the fact that the portfolio is the last assignment that could be written as a regular-style essay was relieving to me. Maybe old habits die hard, or maybe I need more practice. Either way, I am grateful for being challenged to think outside of my box because most times in life things are going to be expected and requested of you, that are outside our comfort zones. All three of the writing assignments so far have had times where I was downright frustrated with how much I was reverting to my old ways and needed to be addressed. Whether it be not including enough visuals, which are usually not required in traditional essay writing, or it is changing fonts on headings to grab a reader’s attention, I always found myself lacking in some of the ways my content was presented. I guess I’m a work in progress in that respect, but I persevered and that is what I’m most proud of this semester.
