discussion also response to 2 other people discussions, due in 5 hours

Providing feedback on an early draft

Giving and getting feedback from colleagues is an important part of the document development cycle in business and industry. Typically, when something goes wrong with a document, everybody’s neck is on the line. Not just the original author, but people who provided feedback and people who signed off on/approved the document. Being a professional, critical, honest reviewer is a core job skill for most people in business and industry.

You'll be participating in the process -- often called peer review but sometimes called peer editing -- several times this semester. Your work on peer reviews is graded. As you build skills and experience, the points-value of your peer review efforts increases. This first peer review, however, is graded just like a regular discussion board post.

Before you begin

Before you post your documents or offer feedback for this first review

1. Read Strategies for Peer Reviewing

Note: It's a quick read, and most people find it helpful.

Goals for this peer review

Writers and reviewers must establish the goals for a peer review before documents they exchange documents or start making comments.

For today’s peer review writers are posting two draft documents

1. the first draft of their revised document

2. the first draft of their memo template with an opening paragraph

These documents are at different stages of development and will require different types of feedback. Allow enough time to give both documents a good look.

Table 1: Feedback goals for this peer review

Directions for writers

When you're ready to share your drafts, follow these steps:

1. Find an open Peer Review Group thread in this forum and post your draft documents as a Reply to the original post in the thread.

2. Begin your post by entering a short message in the comment window for your reviewers to help them understand:

· the writing assignment: what is the topic, your intended audience, purpose, situation, etc.

· any problems or concerns you have about the drafts at this point -- ask specific questions

3. Attach your documents as Word files.

· Use the title of your paper for the document filename: Making_Medieval_Swords-draft1.docx

· Use your name for the memo template: Memo_template_Stefano-Student.docx

· Here’s how: Attach multiple files to your discussion board post

Directions for reviewers

You'll respond to each of the 3 other people in your peer review group.

For each writer, follow these steps:

1. Review the revised document draft looking at these features:

a. Higher order concerns - Cues for the reader

· Examine the title, headings, subheadings, lists, introductions, and conclusions: How do they help you understand what this document is about?

· Can you determine the topic? Audience? Purpose? Main points of the content?

· If so, what is most helpful? What could be more helpful?

· If not, what changes might help you get a better understanding of the document without reading it?

b. Higher order concerns - Organization

· How does the organization support -- or get in the way of -- your ability to make sense of the document?

· What organizational patterns are being used?

· What other patterns might be effective?

c. Higher order concerns -Completeness and conciseness.

· When you read the document from beginning to end, where do you see content that is unnecessary (off-topic, distracts you from the main points, is redundant)?

· Are there places where additional content would be helpful?

· How about more detail or discussion?

d. Lower order concerns - Paragraphs and sentences

· Look for examples of strong, well-structured paragraphs, and for paragraphs that seem long, unfocused, or unclear. Offer a make-over of one or two of the weaker paragraphs.

· Look for examples of sentences that are strong, clear, and concise (let the paramedic editing principles be your guide), and some that are not.

2. Analyze the memo template and read the content

a. What's your response as a reader (or maybe as a potential colleague or business client) to the design of this memo template? What engages you or inspires your trust? Does anything put you off, confuse you, or make this format hard to read?

b. Imagine a hard-copy of this memo landed on your desk with 100 other memos. Does the subject line help you understand what the memo is about? Encourage you to read the memo? Why/why not?

c. Does the opening paragraph help you understand why the writer is writing right now? Can you explain the purpose of the memo? Can you describe the main points/key content that the memo will address? What changes or additions to the opening paragraph would help you answer these questions?

3. Write a Peer Review Summary (you can download a sample excerpt from the link) as a Reply to the writer's original post. Use good memo form, including headings/subheadings and lists to organize the content for the reader.

Washington State University | English 402 | 2020 2