HOW TO…

Submit peer and self-evaluations

We’ve created this guide to help you navigate the lesson plan evaluation process. Please do let
us know (in the Lesson Plan Phase 1 Problems forum) if there are places that need to be
clarified. We hope this helps!

Your course instructors Deborah, Jeff, and Elizabeth

To submit peer evaluations and a self-evaluation in Phase 1, please follow these steps. If you
have a problem, refer to this document and the step that you were on. It is best if you also
attach a screenshot (Snipping Tool or Alt-PrtSc on Windows, Control-Shift-4 on Mac) that shows
where you got stuck. Mention the step where you got stuck and attach your screenshot in the
Lesson Plan Phase 1 Problems forum.
Step 1: Click on Lesson Plan Project on the left menubar

Click here

Step 2: Click on the blue button, Go to assignment >

Scroll down to see this part

Click
here

This is a program of the U.S. Department of State, administered by the University of Oregon.
MOOC Shaping the Way We Teach English. Copyright 2015 University of Oregon. All rights reserved.
Phase 1 Peer Evaluation Guide Page 1
The image below should be like what you see.
Step 3: Click on Student 1

Note: The “due in” date will vary, but it will be accurate at the specific time that you first look at
this page. Remember that you should NOT WAIT to submit your peer evaluations; Coursera will
not be able to handle the load at the last minute.

Step 4: Viewing the lesson plan

You should now see a link to your peer's lesson plan or the text of the lesson plan that your
peer copied and pasted into the submission box.

Step 4a: If there is a link, click on the link to view the lesson plan. It is best to DOWNLOAD the
file so that you can be sure that you are seeing it accurately. You can download the file by right-
clicking (or Control-click on a Mac) and selecting Save File As…
Save the file, then open it from the saved location.

This is a program of the U.S. Department of State, administered by the University of Oregon.
MOOC Shaping the Way We Teach English. Copyright 2015 University of Oregon. All rights reserved.
Phase 1 Peer Evaluation Guide Page 2
Step 5: Review your peer's lesson plan
1. Read the full lesson plan first, then
2. Go through the evaluation, question by question.
3. If the information you need is not in the appropriate section of the lesson plan, look
through the lesson plan for it. It will count even if it is not in the right place.
4. Use the detailed rubric at https://class.coursera.org/shaping1landscape-
002/wiki/phase2_lesson_plan_rubric (or the PDF on that page) to help you fully
understand each point.
5. Pull down the arrow by the description and click on the most appropriate choice, from 0
to 4.

Step 6: Save as Draft or Submit. Be sure to SUBMIT YOUR

EVALUATION!
It's a good idea to save the first one or two as draft, then go back to them and click on Submit
evaluation.

Coursera suggests that you Save draft so that you can view all three submissions before you
make a final decision. This is a good idea, since you may change your mind after you review
more lesson plans. Be very careful, though. You will not get credit for drafts, only for
submissions.

(Please continue on the next page)

This is a program of the U.S. Department of State, administered by the University of Oregon.
MOOC Shaping the Way We Teach English. Copyright 2015 University of Oregon. All rights reserved.
Phase 1 Peer Evaluation Guide Page 3
Step 7: After you Save draft or Submit evaluation, go on to the next
student.
Click on Preview next submission.

Follow steps 5 and 6 until you have viewed all three. You can click on Evaluate next student, if
that button appears, or on Preview next submission.

Step 8: SUBMIT YOUR EVALUATIONS!

Depending on whether you are doing this all at once or coming back, you may see an option to
<- Return to list. This will also allow you to review your evaluations and make sure that you have
clicked Submit evaluation.

Step 9: Self-evaluation
After you have submitted (not saved as draft) three peer evaluations, you will be able to do
extra peer evaluations (optional but useful) and your required self-evaluation.

Here too, you will be able to Save draft or Submit evaluation. Be sure you SUBMIT YOUR
SELF-EVALUATION! Saving as draft does not count.

This is a program of the U.S. Department of State, administered by the University of Oregon.
MOOC Shaping the Way We Teach English. Copyright 2015 University of Oregon. All rights reserved.
Phase 1 Peer Evaluation Guide Page 4
Evaluate yourself in the same way, using the pull-down rubric.
If you are successful, you should see something like this:

Read your self-evaluation carefully. You can change and re-submit it before the deadline.
Make sure that it looks right. If not, follow the steps above, and click on Re-submit evaluation.

Step 10: Double-check

Come back to the page in an hour or so and double-check that you have SUBMITTED ALL
EVALUATIONS! Make sure that you see green checkmarks by 2. Evaluate peers and 3. Self-
evaluate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Uploading-related technical questions
Q: I uploaded a lesson plan, but when I do the self-evaluation, I can see there’s something
wrong. Can I re-upload it?
Q: Why don't I see my lesson plan? I'm sure I uploaded it. Can I upload it now?
A: After the deadline for submitting a lesson plan, you cannot change your submission or upload
a submission. That's why it's a good idea to submit early, then review your submission before
the deadline.

Peer’s submission is missing or unreadable

Q: I don't see anything in the Submission box. What should I do?
Q: There are words in the Submission box, but nothing opens when I click on them. What
should I do?
A: If there is nothing in the submission box, or if the words in the submission box are in black
rather than in blue and they don't open when you click on them, you need to assign a zero in
every category. In the final comment section, you need a minimum of 20 words. Put "There
was no lesson plan for me to evaluate, so I could not evaluate this lesson plan. The overall
score is zero." or "There was no lesson plan attached for me to evaluate, so I could not
evaluate this lesson plan. The overall score is zero."

Q: I clicked on the link in blue, but it does not open, or it's unreadable.
A: Please try to download the file: right-click (or Control-click on a Mac) on the filename, and
choose Save Link As… See if you can open the file on your computer. If it does not
download, if you cannot open the file, or if you cannot read the file when it opens (it's filled
with something other than English), then assign a zero in all categories. In the final comment
section, you need a minimum of 20 words. Put "There was a link, but the file did not
This is a program of the U.S. Department of State, administered by the University of Oregon.
MOOC Shaping the Way We Teach English. Copyright 2015 University of Oregon. All rights reserved.
Phase 1 Peer Evaluation Guide Page 5
 download or open. As a result, I could not evaluate this lesson plan." or "The file
downloaded, but the content was not readable. As a result, I was not able to evaluate this
lesson plan."

Content issues
Q: The lesson plan doesn’t use the template, or I can’t find items that are in the template in the
right place.
A: Please look through the lesson plan to see if you can find the missing elements. If they are in
another location, it’s okay. If you cannot find a required element, then score that element
appropriately, following the rubric.

Q: The lesson plan instructions say that the lesson plan should be for 45-60 minutes, but this
lesson plan is much longer.
A: It’s okay if the lesson plan is longer than 60 minutes. Look for the required elements, and
score according to the rubric for each element.

Plagiarism
Q: The lesson plan appears to be a copy of the sample lesson plan. What should I do?
A: Give a score of zero in every element that appears to be the same or nearly the same as the
sample lesson plan. The lesson plan can use similar basic ideas – that's all right – but it
should not use the same words, especially in the procedure and reflection, as the sample
lesson plan. The lesson plan must include the sample lesson plan in the Materials and
Sources section, or it should get a zero in that section as well. In the comment box, write that
the lesson plan appears to plagiarized. It seems to be the same or nearly the same as the
sample lesson plan. Submit your evaluation, then go to the Lesson Plan Phase 1 Problems
forum and report that you evaluated a lesson plan that appeared to be plagiarized. Your
course instructors will review the lesson plan and determine the appropriate action.

Q: Parts or all of the lesson plan appear to be plagiarized from a specific source.
A: If you can, name the specific source. Give a score of zero in every element that appears to
be the same or nearly the same as the source. The lesson plan can use similar ideas – that's
all right – but it should not use the same words, especially in the procedure and reflection, as
the source. The lesson plan must include the specific source for the ideas in the Materials
and Sources section, or it should get a zero in that section as well. In the comment box, write
that the lesson plan appears to plagiarized. It seems to be the same or nearly the same as
[please mention the specific source]. Submit your evaluation, then go to the Lesson Plan
Phase 1 Problems forum and report that you evaluated a lesson plan that appeared to be
plagiarized. Your course instructors will review the lesson plan and determine the appropriate
action.

Remember – if you have questions, please post them in the Lesson Plan Phase 1 Problems
forum, linked from the left menubar. Read through the forum to be sure that your question has
not yet been answered. It is best to create a new thread for your question. Your question is
more likely to be seen if it is in its own thread rather than added to another thread.

This is a program of the U.S. Department of State, administered by the University of Oregon.
MOOC Shaping the Way We Teach English. Copyright 2015 University of Oregon. All rights reserved.
Phase 1 Peer Evaluation Guide Page 6