Collaborative writing assignments are an essential element of teaching technical and professional writing, and they should be included in online writing instruction (OWI). The COVID-19 pandemic was a drastic interruption of regular teaching practices that had the potential of derailing the practice of assigning online collaborative writing…

Responding to the call for the contemplative teaching of writing initiated by O'Reilley (1993) and extended by Kirsch (2008; 2009), Kroll (2013), Kroll (2008), Wenger (2015), and Harrison (2012), among others, this article explores the theoretical considerations, practical components, challenges, and adaptability involved in teaching a…

An approach is described that gradually transitions second-year organic chemistry students to writing full "The Journal of Organic Chemistry" ("JOC") style lab reports. The primary goal was to introduce students to and build rhetorical skills in scientific and technical writing. This was accomplished by focusing on four main…

Carter (2007) identifies four meta-genres associated with writing activities that can help students learn discipline-specific writing skills relative to standards within a given field: these include problem solving, empirical approaches to analysis, selection of sources to use within research, and production of materials that meet accepted…

Describes the use of a personality assessment tool, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, to facilitate effective collaborative writing on the job and in the classroom. (PRA)

Discusses the problems and benefits of teaching technical writing classes in a collaborative computer classroom. Concludes that computers let students write more effectively because computers are compatible with the writing process and that teaching students to write in a collaborative computer environment prepares them for group projects and…

Presents a rationale and method for introducing a hypertext authoring assignment in a professional writing course in computer-aided publishing. Describes a rhetorically centered pedagogy that incorporates portfolio assessment, collaborative authoring, and real world projects for teaching hypertext within the context of situated problem-solving…

Discusses the purpose and effects of collaborative writing in proposal development projects. Suggests how collaboration serves the larger social functions of the modern corporation. Discusses how the circumstances of proposal development affect collaboration. Describes storyboarding--a common and often highly effective tool for fostering…

Describes an effective method for having business writing students work together on a writing project. (JC)

Explores how word processing affects thinking and writing. Examines two myths surrounding word processors and invention in technical writing. Describes how word processing can enhance invention through collaborative writing, templates, and on-screen outlining. (MM)

Describes a collaborative writing assignment which features a series of interconnected business messages arising out of a case study and including inhouse memos and an analytical report. Shows how the design of a collaborative writing assignment can foster creative rather than debilitative tension. (RS)

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…

Describes a classroom project in which students prepare a complex collaborative document (assembled from subparts, each collaboratively produced). Enumerates advantages and problems that grow out of this complex collaboration in relation to overall goals for the teaching of writing skills. (SR)

Maintains that business writing students need to be prepared for the collaborative work and writing they will face in the workplace. Explores ethical problems with the collaborative approach in the classroom. Describes practical solutions to those problems. (SR)

Describes one technical writing teacher's use of group writing projects in which students write and present a marketing report of a product they have invented. Points out that such projects teach students valuable skills in group dynamics, as well as technical writing skills. (ARH)