The three major writing assignments you will do over the course of the semester will be developed in Google Docs. This is where your instructor and peers will provide feedback in the form of inline edits, comments and suggestions, which you will respond to by dates specified in the course schedule. You will work individually and collaboratively in a series of stages. At the end of each stage you will download your writing from Google Docs, save it as a Microsoft Word Document, and submit it to Blackboard.
The purpose of this guide is to walk you through the technical particularities for each stage of the writing process in Google Docs.
Setting up
First, create a Gmail account or use your existing gmail account. Send an email from your Gmail account to [email protected] , writing your full name and “Gmail address” in the subject line. You will shortly receive an email from the instructor inviting you to contribute to a shared folder. Click on “Open” in the body of this email and you will be redirected to Google Drive, where you will find your team’s drafting document, which you will be working with all semester.
To access Google Drive from Gmail, click on the Google Apps icon in the upper right hand corner of your screen, find Drive and click on its icon. This will take you to Google Drive. Click on “Shared with me” in the menu on the left to access your team folder. Open this folder and you will see your drafting document. This document is where you and your teammates will draft all major writing assignments throughout the semester. After carefully reading the assignment instructions, click in the drafting document page and start typing.
Note: While you draft, revise and keep your writing in the drafting doc on Google Drive, always save a Microsoft Word version on your personal laptop or flash drive. To save a copy on your device select File> Download as> Microsoft Word (.docx).
Formatting your document
You can use default font Arial, default size 11 and single space unless the instructor specifies otherwise. If you need or want to change these settings use the drop down menu and icons on the ruler at the top of the page. For a comprehensive list of editing and formatting functions see the G Suite Learning Center Section 2 Edit and Format.
At the top of the page specify course and section, instructor’s name, assignment and draft number, your name and the date. Write your first draft by the deadline specified in the course schedule. Label your draft by renaming it “[first name last name] ENGL 2150T assignment [number] Draft 1”. Labeling is very important for the smooth flow of the course, so make sure you remember to relabel your draft at each stage of the drafting process.
First Peer Review
Before you begin the peer review, set the “Editing” drop down menu underneath the “SHARE” button at the top right of the screen to “Suggesting.” Keep the document in suggesting mode when you provide feedback to your peers. Following the peer review guidelines the instructor gave you, thoughtfully read your peer’s draft, make suggestions and add comments. To make suggestions type directly inline in your peer’s draft. To add a comment, first highlight a section of text and then from the drop down menu at the top of the page select Insert > Comment. When your peer has reviewed your draft you will see their comments. You can reply to your peers’ comments and suggestions by writing in the “Reply…” box under each suggestion and comment on the side of the document. You can also use the chat feature with teammates who are on the Google Doc at the same time with you, or click on Email collaborators in the File drop-down menu to contact your teammates via email.
As you revise and edit a peer’s draft using the “Suggesting” feature, you will see that the changes you make are tracked. The changes your peer makes in your document are similarly tracked. You can accept or reject changes by clicking on the ticks or crosses in the boxes that appear on the right side of the screen. Make sure you have resolved all comments and accepted or rejected all suggestions by the end of the First Draft Review Day and the Second Draft Review Day so that the instructor can find your document clean and be able to give you feedback.
In addition to making any changes in your draft that you consider appropriate during the First or Second Draft Review Days, you are welcome to go into your document and work on your writing at any time. Note that no comments or tracked changes should remain in your document unless they are addressed to the instructor or writing fellow.
Revision of First Draft
When the instructor has read your first draft and added comments and suggestions you will be able to see these in little boxes down the right side of your drafting document. When you have read the instructor’s comments and suggestions and made any changes you consider appropriate, accept or reject all suggestions and resolve all comments.
Make a copy of your draft for yourself. To make a copy, select File > Make a copy and rename the document but do not share your copy with the instructor or writing fellow. Your copy should serve as additional backup and something you can experiment with. The only document you will be working on with the instructor, writing fellow and peers is the drafting document. Note that you can always retrieve older versions of your drafting document because all prior versions are automatically saved and can be accessed at any time in the Google Docs revision history.
Preparation for Group Conference
In the small group conference with the instructor you will discuss the content and organization of your work. In preparation for group conference you will formulate questions about your work. Prior to the conference make sure you accept or reject all suggestions and resolve all comments in your draft. Remember to relabel your draft by renaming it “[first name last name] Assignment [number] Draft [number] – revised”
Second Peer Review
Using the notes and thoughts you take away from your conference, first draft review and the instructor’s comments, revise and edit the first draft so as to turn it into a good second draft. To retrieve comments and suggestions and look at earlier versions of your first draft, select File > Version History > See version history. Accept or reject all changes and resolve all comments not addressed to the instructor but feel free to communicate concerns and questions to the instructor via comments. Make sure your second draft is ready by the date specified on the course schedule.
Relabel your draft by renaming it “[first name last name] ENGL 2150T Assignment [number] Draft 2”
The procedure will be the same as in the first draft review: the instructor will tell you who to share your draft with and who will review your work. When your peer has reviewed your draft, make any changes you consider appropriate. Make sure you have resolved all comments and accepted or rejected all suggestions after the Second Draft Review Day so that the instructor can find your document clean and be able to give you feedback.
Revision of Second Draft
The instructor will read your second draft and add comments and suggestions. Just like in the first revision, you will see comments and suggestions down the right side of your drafting doc. You can respond to these by writing in the “Reply…” box under each suggestion and comment. When you have made any changes you consider appropriate, accept or reject all suggestions and resolve all comments except those addressed to the instructor. Make sure you have revised and edited your draft by the date specified in the syllabus. Remember to make a copy of your draft for yourself.
Relabel your draft by renaming it “[first name last name] ENGL 2150T Assignment [number] Draft 2 – revised”
Preparation for Individual Conference
In the individual conference with the instructor you will focus on language. In preparation for the conference revise your draft carefully and formulate questions about your draft that are about word choice, sentence structure, grammar, clarity of meaning, style, and any other language issues. Prior to the conference make sure you accept or reject all suggestions and resolve all comments in your draft. Remember to relabel your draft by renaming it “[first name last name] Assignment [number] Draft [number] – revised”.
After the individual conference, make any changes to your draft that you consider appropriate. When you have read the Instructor’s comments and suggestions and made any changes you consider appropriate, accept or reject all suggestions and resolve all comments. Revise and edit once more, and turn your second draft into your final draft, which you will save as a Microsoft Word Document and submit to Blackboard.
Relabel your draft by renaming it “[first name last name] ENGL 2150T Assignment [number]”
Submit the assignment
Select File> Download as> PDF (.pdf) and save the downloaded document to your computer, naming it “[First Name Last Name Assignment Name].” Then upload the PDF file to the Google Drive Folder called “Final Drafts”.
Congratulate yourself
At this point you will have completed your writing assignment and gotten comfortable with Google Docs. Congratulate yourself. You will repeat the same process for the remaining assignments for English 2150T.
Next assignments
Throughout the semester you will continue to work with the same drafting doc in Google Docs. Refer back to this guide as you repeat the drafting process for each assignment. If you are unsure about anything explained in this guide or need help with technical issues contact your instructor.