Assesses the compatibility of computer conferencing with collaborative learning. Finds that computer conferencing is another form of computer technology well-suited for the teaching of writing as a socially constituted process. Finds that computer conferencing integrates school life with life outside the school. (RS)

Summarizes information on general and specific uses of computers in teaching business and professional writing. Presents research that examines both general computer usage in business communication courses and specific computer usage, such as electronic communication and text analysis. Provides background information on the importance of college…

Examines the effects of word processing on writing quality and the amount of text produced by basic writers. Finds that students using computers wrote more, but that there was no difference in quality between those who used a word processor and those who did not. (MS)

Presents a method that uses computers for writing placement exams, a "structured decision system." Argues that it is more economical and efficient than the process that uses real people as readers. (SR)

Describes the computer technology called hypertext, especially as it relates to teaching composition. Argues that the ability to redistribute textual control hold both empowerment and danger for hypertext writer/readers, who can be compared to cyborgs. Discusses the implications of hypertext for composition pedagogy. (HB)

Reviews studies on the effects of introducing word processing to basic writers. Presents the findings of an original pilot study which concludes that computer instruction causes basic students to write more. Suggests ways of improving instruction and obtaining more consistent results in future studies. (HB)

Indicates how a dialog between peers concerning their writing can be fostered through computer networking. Argues that computer domains offer one of the best sites for carrying out such dialogs. Describes a curriculum for collaboration emphasizing voice and based on a computer environment. (HB)

Describes an exploratory study of gender and power relationships on Megabyte University, one particular on-line conference. Finds that, although results of the study are not definite, they do suggest that gender and power are present to some extent even in on-line conferences. (MG)

Describes a classroom research project that explores an important feature of the learning context of computer-integrated basic writing classes: verbal response to on-screen student text. Explains methods designed and used. Considers how teachers can work more effectively with basic writers in a computer classroom where writing practice and oral…

Investigates the historical nature of hypertext research on reading and writing. Examines selected literature published between 1987 and 1994, showing that this literature does not move beyond asserting "opportunity" and "potential" when describing the use of hypertext in the writing classroom. Proposes a theoretical and pedagogical agenda for…

Examines the online communications behavior of students with high degrees of writing apprehension as they communicated with both familiar and unknown audiences via Internet newsgroups. Finds that low-apprehensive writers tend to exhibit similar communication strategies in both types of newsgroups, but high-apprehensive writers contributed more and…

A 3-year project examined the cognitive effects of word processing on writing processes and products. In particular, the project examined effects on writers' planning, reviewing, and revising in a series of six assessment studies. Among the most important results of the project were that writers using word processing alone--both student writers…

This report brings together data from three cycles of replication and serves as a summary of the findings of the Learning Disabled College Writers Project at University of Minnesota-General College. From July 1985 through September 1988, teachers and researchers examined the impact of microcomputer word processing on the classroom performance of…

Examines interactions occurring when writers collaborate, and explores how writers use computers to collaborate. Describes a case study of one group in an upper-level business and technical writing course taught in a computer-assisted writing lab. Concludes that students used computers throughout the collaborative process primarily to share drafts…

Analyzes the role of computers in supporting the writing process in a large-scale, multisite action research study into use of computers as tools for learning. Notes that the computers and desktop publishing significantly affected the conduct of the action research as well as the collaborative relationship between teacher-researchers and the…