The instructor identifies a section from a book or class reading and structures a question for the students to answer. A list of directed writings can be provided at the beginning of the quarter, or given to the students throughout the term. Students may also create their won directed writing questions from the text. Students write weekly summaries and identify critical incidents which occurred that week at the service site. Sutdents can rotate as a moderator of the discussion.
Instructors can post questions for consideration and topics for directed writings.
Near the end of the term, a log of the email discussions can be printed and provide data to the group. It is helpful for students to hear the experiences of other service learning particpants. Non-participants can also see how the readings relate to particular parts of the service experience, thus bringing out another side to the class for themselves. Students listening to each other can often offer advice and collaborate to identify solutions to problems encountered. UWired is presently offering a workshop that teaches instructors how to create a web page for student collaboration and peer review.