The global goal of the course was to acquire and develop the skills of fundamental research and technical writing in information technology (IT). It was interesting for me to work on various research projects, as I think they are entirely consistent with the purpose of the course. While working on course assignments, I became good at selecting relevant information that clearly and reliably describes technical problems, solutions, and procedures. Even though I was pretty confident in academic writing before taking the course, I also learned to distinguish it from the professional genre of paper and use them. The most useful skill I learned from the study is the ability to create an e-portfolio to showcase and critically reflect on my development as a researcher/writer.
The topics covered each week allowed me to broaden my knowledge of various aspects of the course. It helped me understand the responsibilities of researchers in respecting the copyright by using citations and references to literature (Castleberry & Nolen, 2018). I think using multiple formatting tools has become a profitable skill. When starting this course, I believed that professionalism lies in ethics, and thanks to the course, I only confirmed this opinion.
Navigating through databases and other research sources to find the proper materials for assignments and note-taking projects was rewarding because it allowed me to scrutinize and decipher the information. Not all of the resources I used turned out to be reliable, but I learned to select the correct information through critical analysis. In addition, together with other students, we practiced not only group work and the role of a reviewer, which, I believe, immensely helped us advance our skills. Although I found some topics difficult, such as formulating a research question and simple, critical reading, I find the course useful for self-development.
Reference
Castleberry, A., & Nolen, A. (2018). Thematic analysis of qualitative research data: Is it as easy as it sounds? Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 10(6), 807–815. Web.