Assignments and Project Ideas
15 Persuasive Writing for Peer Review
If writing an op-ed isn’t in the cards for you and your students, you want want to consider abbreviating that assignment to persuasive writing for peer review. When teaching this course online, I use this assignment as a way for students to think deeply about our course in the context of the (marketing) world around us. Just like the op-ed assignment, we watch documentaries to help us contextualize concepts and see them in action.
I assign 2-3 persuasive writing for peer review assignments in my Consumer Behaviour course over the term. Each student writes a paragraph (or so) and submits it to the Learning Management System (“LMS” – in our case, Moodle) for review, evaluation, and feedback by two classmates. So the assignment ends up looking like, “submit one; grade two.”
The objectives and framework are similar to the op-ed assignment; instructors may still want to use the scaffolding (op-ed analysis) exercise to help students become more familiar with identifying the key components to persuasive and evidence-based writing. This peer review exercise may also be used as a means of scaffolding before students embark on the larger op-ed assignment.
The rubric is very simple and scored out of 2 with more emphasis on feedback and suggestions so the author can learn from their reviewers. Reviewers are automatically given full completion marks for their reviewing work.
Persuasive Writing for Peer Review
Instructions
Write a paragraph (or so) that demonstrates how at least one concept from the course relates to the documentary.
- Select a concept from the course that you believe relates to the theme of, or events in, the documentary.
- Define the concept and explain how it works. (Be sure to cite your sources whether you are quoting or paraphrasing).
- Provide at least one example that demonstrates how you chosen concept(s) is evidenced through this documentary. It may relate to the theme of the documentary, events in the film, or quotes by people in the film. Be sure to include a citation where appropriate.
- Each student submits once and reviews twice.
Evaluation
If a rubric is desired for this assignment, then I suggest using a simple one that focuses less on the scoring and more on providing meaningful feedback. The table below has been created in H5P so users can modify and adapt it to meet their own specific needs. The examples that follow draw on this rubric.
Table that lists the criteria for grading the persuasive paragraph for peer review. Criteria includes grading the concept (has one been selected?); grading the definition (has one been provided and cited?); and grading the examples/evidence (has at least one relevant example been provided?). Criteria can be scored out of 2; feedback and suggestions should be given to the author to support future writing work.
| 0 not completed |
1 somewhat completed |
2 fully completed |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade the concept: has the author select a concept from our course that is relevant for this assignment and related to the events in the film? | |||
| Grade the definition: has the author included a well-crafted definition for this concept? Is the definition accurate and cited? | |||
| Grade the examples/evidence: has the author used at least one example from the film to support the concept and demonstrate how it applies to the events in the film? Has the author selected a relevant and meaningful example to help us learn and understand the application of this concept? |
Instructor Examples
I include a few examples of my own so students can familiarize themselves with this assignment more.
Example #1
In the Coca Cola Conquest we see observational learning and modeling used in advertising by both Coke and Pepsi. Observation learning is a type of learning that involves close examination of the behaviours and actions of others to inform our own understanding of situations, objects, and events. Modeling is, “related to observational learning” and involves imitating the behaviour of others (Niosi, 2021).
Pepsi often used young, hip, and influential people in their advertisements, including the most popular celebrities of the time, to depict the brand as “cutting edge” and “trendy.” Coke used youthful and “wholesome” models in their advertisements to portray the brand as one that is family-friendly and an icon of American values. Observational learning in advertising helped inform consumers (are you “hip” or are you “pure”) and modeling provided a way for young consumers to imitate the choices made by the people they admired most. Cognitive learning theories are often used in marketing and advertising to appeal to consumers of any age.
References
Niosi, A. (2021). Introduction to Consumer Behaviour. Licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA.
How would you assess the paragraph above? Here are my suggestions and how I would assess this submission.
1. Is there at least one concept from the course that is suitable and relevant to the topics and events in the film?
- Yes, the author has selected “Observation Learning and Modeling” which are concepts from Chapter 2 (Learning). Score: 2/2
2. Has the the author included either a quoted or paraphrased definition of the concept(s) along with a citation? Or, has the author written their own explanation of the concept in their own words that doesn’t require a citation, but still provides a clear and accurate definition of the concept(s)?
- The author has used their own words to explain observational learning and then cited the definition of modeling from the textbook. A citation was provided at the bottom to show the source of the quoted definition. Score: 2/2
3. Has the author accurately used events or topics from the film as evidence and examples of the concept(s) they have chosen? (Are these examples suitable and relevant to the concept(s) chosen?)
- The author has provided examples of how these concepts relates to the film. Score: 2/2
Overall feedback?
- The submission fulfills all the criteria in this assignment and makes the concept of Observational Learning easier to understand!
Example #2
Coke used perception in its marketing of the brand. They used the colour red on the bottle labels, in advertisements, and on store fronts.
How would you assess the paragraph above? Here are my suggestions and how I would assess this submission.
1. Is there at least one concept from the course that is suitable and relevant to the topics and events in the film?
- Yes, the author has selected “Perception” for this submission which is a concept that comes from Chapter 2. Score: 2/2
2. Has the the author included either a quoted or paraphrased definition of the concept(s) along with a citation? Or, has the author written their own explanation of the concept in their own words that doesn’t require a citation, but still provides a clear and accurate definition of the concept(s)?
- The author has not provided a definition or explanation of what the term “Perception” means. (Score 0/2)
3. Has the author accurately used events or topics from the film as evidence and examples of the concept(s) they have chosen? (Are these examples suitable and relevant to the concept(s) chosen?)
- The author has provided some examples, however these are vague and could be more specific and relevant to the concept, “perception.” The author has discussed colour, but hasn’t related this to perception in a meaningful and accurate way. (Score 1/2)
Overall feedback?
- The connection between the concept “perception” and the colour red is missing so it’s not clear what argument the author is making. Either there is no connection between perception & the colour red (and if so, the author should select a new concept), or the author needs to take a deeper look at what point they are hoping to make. Since perception is such a broad topic, the author may want to explore concepts that are related to sensory marketing, or attention, for example, since those terms could be better used to discuss how Coke uses the colour red to make a statement about its brand and attract consumers.
Example #3
In the Coca Cola Conquest we see a classical conditioning used as a marketing technique by Coke. Classical conditioning is, “a type of behavioural learning theory developed by Ivan Pavlov that explains how our responses to one situation can inform our response to a new situation” (Niosi, 2021). A constant repeated pairing of an “unknown stimulus” with the a “known stimulus” creates the conditions for consumers to become familiar and comfortable with a new brand. Coke was very successful at doing this in their marketing.
How would you assess the paragraph above? Here are my suggestions and how I would assess this submission.
1. Is there at least one concept from the course that is suitable and relevant to the topics and events in the film?
- Yes, the author has chosen Class Conditioning in this piece and has even included the mention of Associative Learning. Score: 2/2
2. Has the the author included either a quoted or paraphrased definition of the concept(s) along with a citation? Or, has the author written their own explanation of the concept in their own words that doesn’t require a citation, but still provides a clear and accurate definition of the concept(s)?
- The author has provided a cited definition but they have forgotten to include the source at the bottom of the page. The author should list the resource in the following way: Niosi, A. (2021). Introduction to Consumer Behaviour. Licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA. Score: 1/2
3. Has the author accurately used events or topics from the film as evidence and examples of the concept(s) they have chosen? (Are these examples suitable and relevant to the concept(s) chosen?)
- The author has not provided any examples of how classical conditioning was used by the brand. (Score 0/2)
Overall feedback?
- The author has not provided examples and evidence as to how classical conditioning was used by Coke to become a worldwide brand. They need to go back and include some examples from the film to demonstrate that classical conditioning is relevant to the events in the film and the history of the cola wars. They also need to include the source of their quote at the bottom of the paragraph.
Media Attribution
- Image of vintage teal typewriter on a wooden surface by RetroSupply on Unsplash.
