Reflection on Project 1

Challenges of the project

The biggest challenge the project presented was for me to stay unbiased. The quick reference guide was meant to be objective. I had trouble keeping my opinions on the matter from leaking out. This is where the help of my peer reviewers was quite helpful.

Successes of the project

I thought that the final product I produced looked very professional. The organization was pleasing to the eye and easy to follow. None of the passages were too long, which is something a good quick reference guide has. It doesn't intimidate the reader and communicates ideas concisely. I did this by paying attention to other QRG's and how they held my interest. I found that a lot of more wordy guides would cause me to lose interest.

What strategies did I find to be most effective?

Because I was attempting to stay relatively unbiased, I found that the most effective technique was to address the most common questions about fracking with based information while providing a reference. In terms of design and organization, I found that linking each of my subheads in a progressive style gave the piece nice flow and was easy to follow.

What strategies were not effective for my project?

I often found myself wanting to elaborate too much on some of the ideas. The point of each passage would be lost in minor details. When I was revising I made sure to scrutinize each paragraph carefully, ensuring that each paragraph stuck to and developed its point.

How was the writing process for this project similar to other school writing experiences I've had in the past?

This writing process was similar in that I wrote multiple drafts for the project. As per usual, my final draft did not differ greatly from the original.

How was the writing process different to other school writing experiences I've had in the past?

I enjoyed the way this project was set up. Normally a writing project is assigned all at once with a distant deadline. This leaves it up to the student to proactively research, draft, and review their work. By having us work on one small step at a time, come writing time I had everything I needed and knew exactly what I wanted to create.

Would any of the skills you practiced for this project be useful in your other coursework?

Something that was very valuable was the process for evaluating sources. That process can be applied to any discipline, and it is especially important for any science related fields. It was also very helpful to learn about different databases and how to navigate them properly.