Peer Exchange – Getting Feedback from Others

 Peer Exchange (Compare/Contrast Essay)

Directions: 

  1.  You have been assigned into groups of 4-5 people. You will have to post a copy of the 1st draft of your compare/contrast essay in the discussion forum to allow other students to read it. Once you do this, please begin reading your other classmates’ essays and do the following:
  • Edit the paper for any mistakes/errors you see.
  • Read deeply and carefully for content, while “correcting,” and create a written response (post it as a reply in the discussion forum) for the author that addresses at least two of the following questions/suggestions:

o In what ways has the writer deepened your thinking or caused you to think differently about the topic (or some aspect of the topic)?

o Are there any other “points”/“parts” that you could see being useful to the writer? When you look at the subject matter chosen by the writer, how do you see them being of benefit? Where would they fit in?

o Did the writer organize his/her essay in a logical manner (one-side-at-a-time or point-by-point)? If not, can you suggest how the writer might organize it more efficiently and effectively? Explain why you are confused and offer suggestions to the writer on how to make it less ambiguous.

o Has the writer constructed a strong thesis or introduction? Why? How could the writer make a stronger thesis or introduction? (Remember, a strong thesis/introduction makes a specific claim. It is not too broad or general. It should be more than a simple statement of fact. It should do more than reiterate common knowledge or restate what already seems clear or obvious to most readers).

o Is the writer’s perspective an informed perspective, one that seems to have emerged after thoughtful consideration of the topic(s) and examination of the ideas surrounding the issue(s)? What in the writer’s paper leads you to your conclusion?

  1. Once you have completed your response/post, repeat this process with another classmate’s essay. Do this process until you’ve read and responded to all of your classmates’ essays (those in your group) that are not your own.