Examines the relationship between the characteristics of second-year MBA student writing groups and the quality of their group-written reports. Finds that the most significant correlation between the groups and their writing was whether or not individuals chose to form teams on the basis of having worked together previously in writing projects.…

Studied five students to investigate whether socially distributed cognition can be used in design of computer system to support collaborative writing. Data show "group" talk is bound with procedural, executive, and substantive talk and a system that allows for only text-based forms of communication is likely to limit ways in which talk acts as…

Provides a dynamic model of communication that informs rhetorical invention in the hypertextual writing space. Defines hypertext as a writing space of possibilities where readers interact with writers in a collaborative effort to make meaning. (RS)

Discusses problems of collaborative writing. Introduces the "collage" as a teaching activity and lays out directions for its use. Suggests several methods for helping solo writers get comfortable collaborating with other writers and improve their solo writing. Attempts to make collaborative writing easier, more inviting, but more complex, and…

This study investigated the collaborative patterns (internal, national, international, and mixed national and international) of 33 Nordic, United Kingdom, and Netherlands universities by analyzing institutionally co-authored articles from Science Citation Index (1993). Found no major difference between universities in articles with internal,…

Discusses the attribution of authorship in academic science, emphasizing the extensive collaborative projects characterized by large-scale multi-authorship. Describes how the conflict between scientific authorship and copyright principles raises concerns regarding property rights of the author and the concepts of credit and responsibility. Asserts…

Considers how many students walk into the class with an array of technical communicating perspectives that open the door for practical experiences. Believes that a technical communicator employs the ethnographic process for the purpose of creating technical documents. Presents an ethnographic framed assignment that requires a collaboratively…

MySpace and Facebook may have been pioneers in the world of social software, but nowadays, colleges and universities across the country are embracing better and more targeted forms of technology, to enable their campus users to interact. Today, the world of social software includes traditional venues and formats: (1) blogs; (2) wikis; and (3)…

An instructor teaching professional writing found that groups collaborating on the final project required for the course, the creation of a brochure, experienced considerable infighting and tension. In reexamining his course objectives, he confirmed his sense that indeed collaboration in one form or another is inevitable in American professional…

A study examined the role of critical reflection in one particular writing context--that of collaborative planning. Subjects, 22 college freshmen enrolled in two core composition courses, were audiotaped as they planned course papers with a peer. Students formed pairs each consisting of a "writer" and a "partner" (supporter).…

Students can benefit from collaboration long before they are ready for draft feedback. By analyzing writing assignments, anticipating and diagnosing student problems, and introducing necessary skills through appropriate exercises, students can be provided with cognitive and social supports that help them address the challenges of academic writing.…

Investigating the common perception that collaborative writing in composition classes is being used primarily with finished products, an informal survey was conducted in which writing instructors who used collaborative learning estimated the amount of time they allowed for each stage of the writing process (Prewriting/Invention, Focusing/Thesis,…

Students must reconsider the nature of composing and their identities as writers when working on a jointly authored piece of writing, such as a two-page report on a particular area in a university library. Looking at the ways workshop groups interact to produce a piece of collaborative writing and a joint oral presentation offers insight into the…

Describes instructional and departmental forces creating the following problems for undergraduate creative writing teachers: (1) they hold an uneasy position in the English department hierarchy; (2) courses are radically different from creative writing courses in either high school or graduate school; and (3) instruction has lagged behind…

Individuals mostly write texts which are directed to other persons, the readers. Even though individuals cannot rely on immediate reactions, as in spoken dialogue, they are nevertheless able to communicate successfully with them. A writing experiment focused on the role of the addressee in the writing process. Writers grouped in pairs were asked…