Using Computers for Collaborative Writing: An Interdisciplinary Project (1001).

An interdisciplinary project was developed in which faculty and students learned to use writing in new and innovative ways. The 3-year project focused on five problems in the teaching and practice of college writing: the negative attitude of faculty towards the teaching of writing; the negative attitude of students towards writing; the relative inability of students to think critically in their written essays; the lack of knowledge and imagination in most of the teaching of writing; and the students' lack of experience in collaborative learning projects. Students in courses across the curriculum used a local area computer network to create co-authored essays in which they could communicate on-line with each other and with their professor throughout the process. Results indicate that the project improved student and faculty attitudes toward writing, student writing, the ability of the faculty to teach writing, and the collaborative skills of the students. Most of the professors who participated in the project were convinced that students can learn about subject matter through the process of writing, and that student essays can be interesting to read. Most of the students recognized that academic papers do not have to be a chore to get out of the way quickly, but can be a means of discovering what they really think and feel about the material in their texts, and where their viewpoints fall in relationship to those of their peers and teachers. An executive summary is provided. (Author/SWC) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** Using Computers for Collaborative Writing: An Interdisciplinary Project (1001) Summary