The Computer as Means of Communication m for Peer-Review Groups

In a scientific-writing course, 15 of 54 students used o review-supporting computer program, PREP-EDITOR (PREP), to communicate with their peers about drafts. In an exploratory study, 10 students were interviewed regularly: 5 used PREP and 5 met face-to-face to exchange comments on drafts. The study showed that use of PREP did not increase time spent on various writing activities. The PREP group reported a large number of computer-related problems, whereas the non-PREP group reported more difficulties with assignments and course organization. It appeared that the technology was omnipresent in PREP users’ perception of the course. The system of computer-mediated peer review has many of the drawbacks of “distance learning, ” but because networks are increasingly used by collab-orating authors, we should teach our students how to use them sensibly. coauthoring composition instruction computer-assisted writing instruction computer-mediated communication evaluation research peer review PREP-EDITOR COMPUTER-MEDIATED SMALL-GROUP WRITING Opting for Collaboration’ The literature on computer-assisted collaborative writing and writing instruction suggests a wide range of reasons why teachers want their students to write collaboratively. Some of these articles (often citing the work of Bruffee) seem to value collaborative writing because it represents collaborative learning; their goal is, in the first instance, pedagogi-cal. They believe learning in general should take place in an environment that enhances active involvement of students: Collaborative writing groups provide such an environment in a challenging instructional situation. For others (often quoting Bakhtin), the main value of collaborative writing seems to be didactic: These teachers want to make clear to their students that producing written language is communicative. By definition, writing is a social act, part of and contributing to an existing, complex universe of communicative acts. Furthermore, many teachers want to make their students more aware of the process (sometimes conceived as a sociocognitive process, sometimes as a group or organiza-tional process) that to a certain extent determines the outcomes of writing efforts (Flower