This is the post for the September 25, 2014 class meeting.
We will finish this week with peer review for Project 2. Your projects are due on Tuesday, and we’ll begin Project 3, an Informational Report and Proposal on Job Application Needs, on Thursday.
Class Work for September 25
Today we focus on peer review. Here are the tasks to complete for today’s work:
- Refresh yourself on using the comment system in Google Drive.
- Post drafts for Project 2 in the forums.
- Respond to two students on Google Drive and in the forums.
- Review the comments on your own work.
Important Dates
- Thursday, Sept 25 by noon: Project 2 Rough Drafts Due for Peer Feedback
- Tuesday, Sept 30 by 11:55 PM: Project 2: Writing in Your Field Due
- Tuesday, Oct 7 by 11:55 PM: Project 2: Writing in Your Field Deadline (end of grace period)
Refresher on the Google Drive Comment System
If you need a reminder on the comment and sharing systems in Google Drive, use the step-by-step instructions for how to use Google Drive for peer review on the FAQ site, which includes details on how to share your document, how to comment, and how to respond to comments. If you need a more detailed explanation, be sure to check out the Lynda video on “Commenting on a file.”
Posting Your Drafts for Project 2
You will post the share link to your draft in the forums:
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Go to the Project 2: Analysis of Writing in Your Field forum, and find the topic you created with your name or your username and career or field (e.g., my example was “Traci, college writing instructor”).
- Post a reply in your topic, doing the following:
- If you do not want to share your last name in the forums, change it in your draft to a pseudonym. You can use a generic last name like Doe or Smith, or you can change it to Lastname.
- Share the link(s) to your Project 2 draft(s) in Google Docs, using the FAQ linked in the section above. You will have a link to your spreadsheet, and if you are going for an A, you will also have a link to your analysis memo.
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Let your classmates know about any specific concerns that you want them to consider as they comment on your draft.
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Be sure to Preview your draft to make sure everything shows up the way you want it to, and then submit your post.
Responding to Your Classmates’ Drafts
Follow these instructions to respond to your classmates’ drafts:
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Read and comment on the drafts of at least two of your classmates:
- Find one post that no other student has replied to (so that we can be sure everyone gets a reply).
- Find a second post that has only one other student reply.
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Use the Share link to go to your classmate’s draft on Google Drive and do the following:
- Check the title of the document, and add a comment to tell your partner if it is clear and effective.
- If you notice any spelling errors, punctuation errors, or typos, mark them as you read, but please focus more on the content rather than editing.
- Add comments on the content of the draft. Comment on at least three things your classmate does well and at least three things that your classmate could improve on. It’s fine (excellent, even) to include more than the minimum number of comments.
- If your classmate has included the optional analytical memo, check whether the draft addresses all six characteristics of technical communication. If anything is missing, add a comment that lets your partner know.
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Once you finish commenting on the document, go back to your classmate’s post in the forums and add an overall comment that sums up what you thought of the paper and gives your partner some encouragement.
Reviewing the Comments You Received
Once you have finished adding comments to your classmates’ projects, return to your own draft, read the comments that your partner gave you, and add replies as appropriate. For instance, you might thank your partner for catching an error, ask your partner for more detail on feedback you don’t understand, or share a revision and ask your partner if it is an improvement. Your goal is to reply today so that your classmate can respond if you need more information.