Brutally Honest Self-Assessment

I cannot believe I just turned in my final draft of Project 1.
What. Just. Happened.
It. Is. Over.

Peters, Emma. "It's done". via odysseyonline.

How am I feeling about the project?

• For a while, I thought it was terrible. I did not think I was doing a good job at making the topic interesting for the audience. My first draft was terrible. Some people told me it was good, but I know deep down in my heart, it was pretty bad. I started to feel really good about the project this week, actually! I started massively editing and adding a lot more information. The formatting was especially relaxing in a way, because I was able to piece together the information into sections with cute subtitles and colors. After the previous weeks, being able to sit and make my project nicer to look at and read was almost therapeutic. 

• I would be lying if I said this project was enjoyable the whole time. It wasn't. There were days when I felt really stressed and did not have time to work on it. There were frustrating moments. The whole process seems almost like a storm now. Looking back, I'm like "Did I really find time to put that whole thing together?". At this time, I feel confident about what I created.

• Personal story time. As my blog title says, I really did use to want to be a writer. I wrote short stories throughout middle school. I stopped because I didn't have as much time as I wanted. And from then on, I told myself I did not have enough time to write for fun anymore. This project has shown me I can find the time. I just need the stress of an impending deadline to get me to truly prioritize writing. I am beginning to realize if I truly want to write, I will find the time. No excuses.

What are the major weaknesses of the project? Explain how and why.

• The QRG might be too long.
• I have often been told I have a tendency to over explain. I have also been told I am very thorough, which is a good thing. A combination of both of those things can probably be seen in the project. I thought all of the information I included was important and necessary, but some audience members may disagree.

• I might not always explain how the stakeholders make claims.
• I know when I addressed the Seattle City Council, I did not really know what to say about them because their involvement was short. But I think adding more information about the council would have distracted from the overall message.

• Some of the paragraphs may seem repetitive. 
• I like repeating a few key points throughout the piece for emphasis and to remind readers on what both sides of the issue believe. It is a delicate balance.

What are the major strengths of the project? Explain how and why.

• I thoroughly explain the stakeholders and their claims.
• I outline the major demands of the UWHA and then in parallel outline in the next subsection, I analyze if the demands are reasonable and explain why the UWHA feels these changes need to be made. I think this allows for the goal of the controversy postmortem to be met.

•  The Hyperlinks and Further Reading Section
• I add a good amount of hyperlinks and directions to other sources that will allow readers to continue researching the topic.

•  Good information flow and extensive knowledge of topic
• I think I am a credible author because I outline the controversy in a logical, flowing way and I provide hyperlinks to sources. 
• I do a good job at explaining the background info such as who a medical resident is, what they do, and how they get paid. This is essential to understanding the controversy. I also explain the demands of the UWHA thoroughly and why they believe the current system is unfair.

How did time management go? Did I give the project enough time and effort? Procrastination?

• Time management was difficult. I did not have time to work on the project every single day, but I did my best.
• I read all the directions for blog posts as soon as they were posted so I had a rough estimation of how long the posts would take and when I would have adequate time to complete them.
• I wrote down ideas of what I would include in blog posts even if I did not actually publish the post until days later. 
• For the most part, I guess I liked spending the majority of the week working on my other classes so I could spend the bulk of my Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday homework time working on the project.
• I found that working on this project in bulks of time was more effective because I felt less rushed and more concentrated.
• I devoted a good amount of time and effort to this project. If I were asked if I could have spent more time, I would probably say yes. But if I were asked if I did not spend enough time on it, the answer is a definite no. I set aside time that worked for me to complete the project.
• I did procrastinate a little bit. But I was still responsible and completed my work on time.

What are your thoughts on Project 1?