CLAIRE'S FEEDBACK WIDGET
v0.0.7b (public release)

HELP, FAQs, etc.

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1. What is this thing even?

Claire's Feedback Widget is a very simple widget that blurts out feedback based on the buttons you press. (It could have been coded to spout drunken Victorian insults in haiku, but this seemed a slightly less productive use of time.) Anyway, it is designed to aid with the clarity, structure, and helpfulness of feedback on academic work, from student papers to journal articles to book proposals and more.

This widget is by no means suitable for all academic disciplines. I wrote this entirely from the perspective of social sciences (specifically linguistics) so for your own field you can and should modify it to suit your dietary requirements. See question three for more on this.


2. How do I use it?

Click the buttons and like magic, text shall appear in the feedback box. Don't press buttons for sections that aren't relevant. Once you have auto-generated your text, you need to fill in the blanks and prompts. You'll note that the answers contains things like, "Specifically, ..." and "To improve on this, ..." That's your cue to add in something that targets the strengths/weaknesses in the work and helps the writer to improve.

You can edit the text in the box as you see fit - it is, after all, only a general scaffold to hang your own feedback on. (If you want to edit the text on a more permanent basis, see question three.) When you've got what you want, click select all and copy/paste it to wherever it needs to go.

The widget doesn't store or save feedback or send it anywhere. If you want that functionality, get coding.


3. Can I share or modify it?

Firstly, you'll need the files from me. See question six for more. Once you have them, then the answer is: Yes, you can share and/or modify it, but with some conditions. This widget is released under the Creative Commons licence CC BY-NC. In short you are free to share and modify, but (a) you must not use this material for commercial gain, and (b) you should credit me. The easiest way to do that is to leave the link back to the original source in this widget.

Once you've decompressed the zip file somewhere, go into the folder. To change...

A decent editor will let you open, edit, and save all three of these file types.


4. I really want to know some of the technical details.

This widget is just a webpage that combines HTML (layout), CSS (colours and fonts), and JavaScript (the "engine" that powers the buttons when you click them). This widget has been tested on iOS 9.3, Windows XP, Vista, 10, etc., and in the Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and Explorer browsers. To make it work, you may need to enable Java. If you don't like the sound of that, then you should go back to your previous feedback system.


5. Who are you, and why are you doing this?

I'm Claire and I had a dream, once, that marking could be an easier and more productive affair.

Also procrastination.


6. I have this burning desire to get in touch.

Best bet is email. Otherwise try Twitter.


7. Revision history

This is version 0.0.7b - the first public release of this software. Be nice to it.


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