Surprisingly, this semester flew by. I can’t believe that it’s already the last day. I believe that I learned a lot from this class. The discussions and main assignments taught me a lot. In this paper, I will discuss how my perceptions of writing have changed this semester.
For the first assignment, I had to write a technical description. Everyone had to choose an object and describe its function or purpose. For my technical description, I chose to write about the Nintendo Switch. The target audience included Nintendo fans, teenagers, family-oriented people, and gamers. I described everything that’s included with the purchase, how the Switch looks, and the basic functions of the Switch. I got a lot of my information from the Nintendo website along with other reliable websites. Before this semester, I had no idea what a technical description actually was. But, the textbook helped me a lot with this assignment along with feedback from my peers. In my first draft, I was missing pictures which are pretty important when it comes to describing an object. Also, my conclusion seemed incomplete. During my revisions, I made sure to improve my conclusion and add photos (taken and labeled by me). This assignment taught me how to describe an object or idea to someone who knows nothing about it.
For the second assignment, everyone was divided into groups and each group had to write a memo. My group and I decided on the topic “Cogeneration to Prevent Steam Pipe Accidents and Dangers” and it was directed to Con Edison. At first, I didn’t know much about this topic until one of my teammates explained the situation. My group was easy to work with and we quickly assigned roles. I took the role of “research director” where I found useful sources and made sure that all of our information was properly cited. Overall, this assignment gave me the experience of collaborating with others which were interesting. It taught me to work with others and that by doing so I could learn a lot from my partners and vice-versa. Lastly, I learned that everyone has different working styles and that being considerate of your partners is what will allow the work to flow smoothly.
The third assignment was the lab report. I chose to write about genetically modified foods and whether the good outweighs the bad. I used the CCNY database for my sources. I used research held by scientists for my lab report. The three topics that I focused on were whether GM foods provide less nutrition than organic foods, whether GM foods negatively impact human health, and whether GM foods and pesticides sprayed on them affect the environment. The outcome of all three of these questions was based on the research that I found. This assignment taught me how to properly analyze data and how to find useful research for a topic.
The final assignment was the engineering proposal. We had to propose a solution or idea to a specific audience. For my proposal, I chose to write to Boston Dynamics about the creation of robotic guide dogs for the visually impaired. Since this topic is still pretty new, I really struggled with finding sources for some of my ideas for the design of the robotic dog. I determined that Boston Dynamics would be successful in creating robotic guide dogs because of how successful their creation of the robotic dog Spot was. Finding sources for this assignment was the only difficult part, other than that I really enjoyed doing this assignment. While writing my engineering proposal, I noticed that it was as if I was writing a memo, lab report, and technical description all at once. Aside from that, this assignment taught me to be considerate when coming up with a solution or new idea. It also allowed me to tap into my creativity.
These assignments have drastically changed my perspective on writing. They made me realize that writing is very essential. Throughout this semester, writing has allowed me to express my thoughts to others and even to myself. I learned a lot from my professor, my peers, and myself this semester. The feedback I have received has helped me expand on ideas and improve certain parts of my work that I wouldn’t have noticed. Also, when I would look back at my rough drafts, I would always add to them and improve them. It made me realize that writing can always be improved and that it is never really “final”. Realizing that I can always edit my writing later has made it easier for me to express my thoughts and ideas.
This class taught me to consider the appropriate audience for my work and how to target that audience. I also improved at finding library sources which was something completely new to me last semester. The most useful thing I’ve learned was how to properly outline a paper. Outlines helped me a lot with staying organized and on-task. They also helped me formulate what I wanted to say.
I believe that what I have learned in this class will remain with me forever. I used to think that engineers would not have to do much writing. Now I believe that writing is essential to engineers since it allows them to express their ideas. It also allows others to expand on their work.
