Adapted June 1999. In the first class session of each week papers are exchanged, then taken home for peer-grading, and finally returned at the next class session. In all classes, I've used a questionnaire to give students a chance to anonymously evaluate this procedure. The initial exchanging of papers generates some confusion. A few students are convinced they cannot evaluate a peer's paper.
Some students are upset because of insufficient written feedback on their papers and they like.
But after the first few exchanges, most students adapt and begin to appreciate the process sometimes adding innovations of their own. The following positive aspects of this method find support in anonymous, written student feedback, shared oral comments, and my own observations. The process creates an overall cooperative atmosphere in the classroom. Writing skills are improved. As students grade papers, they review the material through the eyes of another person.