Computer-Aided Peer Review of Writing

Abstract

Classes that require writing assignments commonly engage students in some form of peer review. Such reviews can profit from two computer applications: news groups and specialized communication client software. In a recent survey, a majority of the students who conducted peer reviews in a business writing class found the activities useful and worthy of repeating in future semesters. But they suggested that faculty provide more guidelines and topics to enhance the substance of the review, train students more directly in the computer applications, and allot more time to conduct the reviews at a comfortable pace.