During your collaborative writing group meetings, keep a log of events. Record specific observations of both effective and ineffective things that group members do. Then evaluate the performance of the other members of your group. (If there are two or more other people, write a separate review for each of them.)

In your first paragraph, summarize your evaluation. Then in the body of your message, give the specific details that led to your evaluation by answering the following questions:

■ What specifically did the person do in terms of the task?

Brainstorm ideas? Analyze the information? Draft the text? Suggest revisions in parts drafted by others? Format the document or create visuals? Revise? Edit? Proofread?

(In most cases, several people will have done each of these activities together. Don’t overstate what any one person did.) What was the quality of the person’s work?

■ What did the person contribute to the group process? Did they help schedule the work? Raise or resolve conflicts? Make other group members feel valued and included? Promote group cohesion? What roles did the person play in the group?

Support your generalizations with specific observations.

The more observations you have and the more detailed they are, the better your review will be.

As your instructor directs,

a. Write a midterm performance review for one or more members of your collaborative group. In each review, identify the two or three things the person should try to improve during the second half of the term.

b. Write a performance review for one or more members of your collaborative group at the end of the term. Identify and justify the grade you think each person should receive for the portion of the grade based on group process.

c. Give a copy of your review to the person about whom it is written.