This week marks the last week of Technical Editing. I have really enjoyed this class and feel that much of what I have learned has or will serve me in the near future. Here are some of my final thoughts on the course, its final project, and so on.

What happened during the comprehensive edit project that surprised, delighted or disappointed you? Why?

For the comprehensive edit project (CEP), my team used some material I was already familiar with. While I thought that would be advantageous to me, I was surprised to find how difficult it was to separate myself from the material and what I knew about it and make recommendations.

That being said, it was a neat exercise in thinking “outside the box,” and I am hopeful that some of our recommendations will be valuable to our client.

How did the ideas from the instructional materials support your work on the comprehensive edit project in the course? Make sure you discuss how accurate your estimate of scope was in the brief proposal.

I would say the instructional materials prepared our team in two ways: 1) by helping us understand what each type of edit was and 2) by introducing the triple constraints when it comes to editing projects (time, cost, and scope). Since we were given/expected to spend 20 hours each on this assignment, that meant there was a cap on our time. This, in turn, affected the scope of the work we could perform. Since most of our editing team was inexperienced, we estimated a lower page per hour rate. I would say that our estimate was fairly accurate.

How did the use of an AI tool influence your approach to the comprehensive edit? Explain.

I don’t think our team considered the help of an AI tool much when deciding the information within the proposal. However, we did lightly use them throughout our CEP.

I think as AI tools become more familiar and provide more robust suggestions, they will become even more of an asset to projects like this.

What was most meaningful for your own career goals? Why? (If you cannot easily address your career goals, answer based on your course goals.)

As a whole, this class has benefited me in two ways. First, it has strengthened what I already know about editing. I have started applying new information to the work I do now (for example, better ways to present feedback to authors/writers). It’s also opened my eyes to another career area within technical communication that I could really see myself doing one day. While I do love writing, I also equally enjoy the editing process. I see an editor’s role as a writer or author’s partner, helping them make the most of their work. I feels pretty meaningful to me.