"It takes more time to read student work, write comments on the papers, and then write comments in the LRO"

For some teachers, this method can take more time because they write double the comments — on the paper (if students turn in a hard copy) and in the LRO; for others, who type quickly and write slowly, this method is much quicker.

One reason this method can take longer is because many teachers actually write their comments twice. However, this is not necessary. I write my sentence level grammar comments on the student paper (I always have students turn in a hard copy of major papers). In the LRO (under work samples), I my write general comments concerning organization, support, etc. Sometimes, this method does take a little longer because you actually have to be at a computer (taking the time to sit down, log in, and navigate through student records).

An even better method is to open the student's work sample (in Word, WordPerfect, etc.) and use the annotation feature to make all of your comments; for teachers new at using this feature, this process will initially take longer (as with anything that is new). However, after working through several papers, the process usually takes no longer than the traditional method of commenting on student work.

After you comment on student work, simply upload (under the appropriate work sample) the annotated document; you may choose to write general comments at the bottom of the paper or in the comments box (click 'Add Comment' underneath the corresponding work sample).