If you want to suggest minor changes to a student's document without directly editing it, what feature in Docs should you use?

Using the feature for suggested edits in Google Docs is the most appropriate way to propose minor changes without directly altering the student's original content. This feature allows you to make changes that the student can see and review. When you use suggested edits, your modifications are highlighted and clearly marked as suggestions, which the student can either accept or reject.

This enables a collaborative process where the student retains the ability to control the final version of their document while also receiving your input in a clear and organized manner. The benefit of suggested edits is that all modifications are easily reversible, and the original text remains intact until the student chooses to implement the changes.

Other available options do not serve this specific purpose as effectively. Comments, while useful for providing feedback, do not allow for the demonstration of direct edits. Track changes is not a feature of Google Docs like it is in other word processing applications, which limits its usefulness in this context. Annotations provide additional notes but are not focused on text modifications. Thus, suggested edits are uniquely suited for this situation, facilitating a constructive dialogue around the document's content.