Class Notes

Peer Review for Project 2

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This is the post for the July 21, 2014 class meeting.

Hope you all had a nice weekend are are ready to go with another week of classes. This week, we will finish up the analysis assignment for Project 2 and begin work on technical instructions, definitions, and descriptions for Project 3. By the end of the week, I will post additional information on how your work in the forums and general participation are graded as well.

Class Work for July 21

Today we focus on peer review. The process will be a little different from last week, since your work is on your Google Drive, but the idea is basically the same. Here are the tasks to complete for today’s work:

  • Go over documentation on using the comment system in Google Drive.
  • Post drafts for Project 1 in the forums.
  • Respond to two students on Google Drive and in the forums.
  • Review the comments on your own work.

Using the Comment System in Google Drive

The Comment system in Google Drive allows you to highlight the text in the draft you are writing and link your comments to the passage. It is one of two tools typically used in the workplace to collaborate on documents (the other is the Comment tools in Microsoft Office). We are using Google Drive because it is free and works on nearly all operating systems in the same way. It’s usually a bit easier to use as well.

If you are unfamiliar with 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. The FAQ 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:

  1. 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., “Traci, college writing instructor”).

  2. 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 drafts in Google Docs, using the FAQ linked in the section above.

  3. Let your classmates know about any specific concerns that you want them to consider as they comment on your draft.

  4. 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’s drafts:

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.