Tutorama: Week Three: Using Instructor Comments on Short Papers

In the Writing Program, instructors are trained to comment on your essays in a way that may be unfamiliar to you. In English 301, you will not receive a long series of one-word comments like "awkward" or "interesting," one after another. Instead, you will receive longer comments in the margin of your paper, as well as a final comment. These comments will only be useful to you if you read them carefully, respond to them, ask questions about them, and use them to guide your revisions and other essays.

Below is a set of steps for getting the most out of intructor comments on short papers:

• Read the instructor's comments.
  Before doing anything else, read the comments in the margins and at the end of the essay. Read all of the comments-if your instructor took the time to write the comment, it's probably important!

• Review the instructor's comments.
  Then, take a sheet of paper and go through the comments again, one at a time. For each comment, write a note to yourself which puts the comment in your own words. Make sure to mark any comments you don't understand.

• Review your peers' comments.
  Now, look at the comments you received in peer review. Putting them side-by-side with your instructor' comments, see if you notice any common patterns. Are there particular parts of your essay that your reviewers and instructor are trying to call attention to? Are there suggestions that appear more than once? Did your reviewers concentrate on different aspects of your writing than your instructor? Be sure to make note of these patterns when you find them.

• Use the comments when revising papers.
  Finally, try to translate all of the comments you received into directions for revision. In other words, ask yourself, "What are my reviewers asking me do differently the next time I write?" Make a list of all of the answers to this question.

• Discuss comments in office hours.
  Consider taking your work with comments to your instructor's office hours. Office hours are an especially good place to discuss the meaning of comments that may have been unclear, or any conflict you perceive between your peer reviewers and your instructor. If you think you may need more than fifteen minutes to discuss your questions, be sure to make a formal appointment with your instructor so you can have all the time you need.