New directions for collaborative writing in courses across the curriculum, including practices that significantly reduce the grading workload. Slides are for faculty and graduate instructors who 1) use team writing projects in their courses and capstone projects, 2) have used team writing projects in the past and would like to make them more effective, or 3) would take advantage of team writing projects if they had tools for designing effective assignments that reduce the paper workload. Workshop Description Instructors may recognize that writing provides students with unique and powerful opportunities for learning, but the time commitment required for grading writing can be a barrier to using writing in class. Collaborative writing can help instructors realize the benefits of writing to learn while turning the burden of grading into efficient teaching. This workshop presents strategies for designing collaborative writing projects that reduce the paper workload by up to 83% while giving teams the structure they need to work together productively. We address questions about creating diverse teams and grading individual contributions, assigning teammate roles, and structuring peer review. We also discuss strategies for addressing common student concerns about unequal teammate contributions and conflict resolution. Learning Outcomes Participants will be able to Save time when grading student writing assignments Design writing assignments that promote learning of course content Use peer review to reinforce course learning objectives

1. Like the Idea of Writing-to-Learn but Donʼt Like
the Idea of Grading Papers? Take These New
Directions in Collaborative Writing
Dr. Joe Moses, University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
Dr. Jason Tham, Texas Tech University
July 18, 2022
Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick
Room: KBG 14, 10:30-12:00
Limerick, Ireland

2. Some preliminaries
You have access to the slides.
Hereʼs the link. (www.bit.ly/IEEEpcs22)
Make a copy if youʼd like to follow along
and write on your copy.
Weʼll have 20-30 minutes at the end for an
open discussion.
Weʼll be writing.
2

3. Agenda
1. We reflect on course learning objectives and
the classroom practices that support them.
2. We introduce writing requirements that
intersect with course learning objectives in
courses across the curriculum.
3. Participants map their course learning
objectives to selected writing abilities.
4. Participants align writing tasks with course
learning objectives.
5. Participants align peer review activities with
course learning objectives.
6. Q/A open discussion.
3
Learning objectives
Participants will be able to
● Save time when grading student writing
assignments.
● Design writing assignments that
promote learning of course content.
● Use peer review to reinforce course
learning objectives.

4. CW definitions
“Collaborative or team writing
is the process of producing a
written work as a group where
all team members contributed
to the content and the
decisions about how the group
will function” (Vanderbilt
University, 2021).
4
Structured activities for
teammates in writing roles
that complement
course-specific learning
objectives (Moses & Tham,
2021).

5. CW benefits
● Increased student learning
● Increased thoroughness and clarity of writing
● Elevated analysis, synthesis, and critical thinking
● Improved collaboration skills
○ Self-awareness
○ Problem solving
○ Cross-disciplinary learning potential
○ Cross-cultural learning potential
5

6. Cross-cultural learning potential—when groups
value difference over consensus
Traditional group agreements Group agreements that value difference
Consensus (agreements)
Log difference, disagreements (raise awareness,
self-awareness)
Majority rules Integration of multiple perspectives
Practices/policies are fixed Practices/policies account for difference
Power/race-neutral Power and racial dynamics (inequity) is recognized
6

7. What students say they appreciate about CW
Better communication
“The detail and frequency of communication
among our team was by far greater than
communication among teams in my prior
academic courses.”
More learning
“The projects being on Google Drive helped
with inspiration about what to write as well as
ideas for how to organize my writing while
still staying within the bounds of the project.”
7
More productivity
“Setting deadlines for our group
and committing to tasks, both
verbally and electronically, has
greatly improved accountability
and I am far less likely to
procrastinate if I have
communicated to my team
members that I will accomplish ʻXʼ
by this day at this time.”

8. 8
Q 1. What learning
objectives do you already
have in place? 5 minutes
Learning objectives
Q 2: What classroom practices
support studentsʼ pursuit of
course LOs?
Course practices (what you spend time doing
in class)

9. Volunteers?
Describe one learning objective/classroom practice
1. Introduce yourself and the course youʼre working on.
2. Briefly explain the learning objective and practice.
3. Say a little about why the practice important to the
course (to you and to students)?
9

10. Examples of writing abilities by academic unit
African American and African Studies
Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering
Chemistry
Construction Management
Computer Science And Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
History
Industrial Systems Engineering
Journalism Mass-comm
10
Writing Enriched Curriculum Program | University of Minnesota | Unit Writing Plans
Mechanical Engineering
Nursing
Philosophy
Physics
Psychology
Sociology
Spanish Portuguese
Theater Arts, Dance
References

11. Collaboration Critical
thinking
Research Genre/
structure
Synthesis Review/
editing
Writing requirements that support learning
objectives in courses across the curriculum

12. Produce content
appropriate to the
genre
Organize your
work according to
a valid model
Use descriptive
headings to
accurately orient
readers to section
content
Develop a research
question of
appropriate scope
Craft a hypothesis
to test in your
analysis
Clearly and
accurately account
for your research
methods
Collaboration Critical
thinking
Research Genre/
structure
Synthesis Review/
editing
Articulate research
findings
Compare multiple
points of view to
describe their
similarities and
differences
Evaluate claims of
validity in
qualitative studies
Make a claim (about,
e.g., cause and
effect) in a topic
sentence
Provide concrete
evidence from valid
sources to support
your claim
Draw conclusions
from your evidence
Check your work
for consistent use
of verb tenses
Revise to achieve
consistent
terminology
Revise so readers
are not distracted
by patterns of
error
Adapt based on
what you learn
Cooperate by
responding to
teammatesʼ
requests
Include
teammates in
decision
making
Sample criteria that intersect with learning
objectives in a technical writing course
“In this course, weʼll define research (a writing requirement) as
writing abilities such as writing a focused research question,
cra ing a testable hypothesis, and presenting valid
conclusions.”

13. Example
Technical
report project
13
Critical thinking requirement Research requirement
Course LO
Course-specific writing
abilities
Course LO
Course-specific writing
abilities
[Electrical engineering]
Design an electrical
component to meet desired
needs within economic,
environmental, and
manufacturing constraints.
Articulate research findings on
the economic, environmental, and
manufacturing constraints of your
design.
Compare multiple points of view
about the constraints.
[Electrical engineering]
Design an electrical
component to meet desired
needs within economic,
environmental, and
manufacturing constraints.
Develop a research question in
the form “How can (component
X) meet the need for (need Y)?”
Describe your methods for
measuring economic,
environmental, and
manufacturing constraints.
Articulate research
findings
Compare multiple
points of view to
describe their
similarities and
differences
Evaluate claims of
validity in qualitative
studies
Critical
thinking
Develop a research
question of
appropriate scope
Craft a hypothesis to
test in your analysis
Clearly and
accurately account
for your research
methods
Research

14. 14
Requirement 1 (C, CT, R, GS, S, R/E) Requirement 2 (C, CT, R, GS, S, R/E)
Course LO Writing ability Course LO Writing ability
“In this course, weʼll define (requirement) by writing abilities
such as (WA, WA, WA).”

15. Why is the process worth the effort?
With the work of aligning writing abilities with course learning objectives, you gain
the following opportunities for time savings:
1. Have teams do peer review using requirements and LOs as a rubric.
2. Use the same LO rubric when grading.
3. Define writing projects in terms of writing abilities that support LOs.
4. Use the same requirements and writing criteria when assigning
readings/analysis/annotations.
5. Students can use the same writing abilities as a guide to self-editing.
15

16. Produce content
appropriate to the
genre
Organize your
work according to
a valid model
Use descriptive
headings to
accurately orient
readers to section
content
Develop a research
question of
appropriate scope
Craft a hypothesis
to test in your
analysis
Clearly and
accurately account
for your research
methods
Collaboration Critical
thinking
Research Genre/
structure
Synthesis Review/
editing
Articulate research
findings
Compare multiple
points of view to
describe their
similarities and
differences
Evaluate claims of
validity in
qualitative studies
Make a claim (about,
e.g., cause and
effect) in a topic
sentence
Provide concrete
evidence from valid
sources to support
your claim
Draw conclusions
from your evidence
Check your work
for consistent use
of verb tenses
Revise to achieve
consistent
terminology
Revise so readers
are not distracted
by patterns of
error
Adapt based on
what you learn
Cooperate by
responding to
teammatesʼ
requests
Include
teammates in
decision
making
Structured roles for peer review

17. 17
What peer review roles ARE
Roles correspond to requirements that all teammates should meet while
developing projects and drafting content.
During peer review, however, Teammate A is responsible for reviewing group
achievement in one requirement.
Peer review
Structured activities for teammates in writing roles that complement course-specific
learning objectives (Moses & Tham, 2021)

18. Peer review
Structured activities for teammates in writing roles that complement course-specific
learning objectives (Moses & Tham, 2021)
18
What peer review roles are NOT
Teammate roles do not define the kinds of content each teammate should to projects.
The teammate in the research role for peer review is not solely responsible for doing
the research for the team, for example.
The teammate in the review/editing role is not solely responsible for proofreading,
achieving technical accuracy, or performing other tasks commonly associated with
review/editing.

19. 19
Peer review
Structured activities for teammates in writing roles that complement course-specific
learning objectives (Moses & Tham, 2021)

20. Bonus
Naming assessment criteria after learning
objectives keeps students focused on
high-priority writing and learning activities
while simplifying writing instruction.
20

21. ● Respond to the final product as if it were written by a single author; hold all
teammates accountable for attending to all comments.
● Align your critique of the final product with criteria youʼve discussed in class; label
each comment with its requirement name.
● Donʼt comment on all writing errors or every instance of a specific writing error.
● Guidelines
○ Comment on achievement for each criterion
○ Give each team just a few high-priority goals for revision
21
Saving time on grading/response without
diminishing instructional value

22. Google Docs
version history
shows
individual
contributions
22

23. DocuViz character counts by contributor
23

24. Reading DocuViz collaboration history
Contributor colors &
character counts
Contributor/color
Contribution timestamp
Contributor/color
Character count
totals
Timeline
24

25. Synchronous writing sessions Asynchronous writing sessions
Timeline
Contributor/color
Reading DocuViz collaboration history
25

26. Teammate adds paragraph or section and
doesnʼt edit teammatesʼ work
26

27. 27
Teammates edit each otherʼs work

28. In controlled cases, tables accurately* summarize number of edits of self and of
teammates.
A lot can happen to make the counts inaccurate, thus the “?” notation in the table.
Accounting for collaborative editing efforts
28

29. CLOSING
Let’s review
This is an open discussion, but here are some questions to prime the pump:
How will you change the structure of your course to support collaborative
writing assignments?
Based on your experiences with collaborative writing, what pressing needs
do you see for instructor support? Student support?
Questions, concerns, and takeaways?
29
Open discussion

30. Agenda
1. We introduced writing abilities that
intersect with course learning
objectives.
2. You mapped course learning objectives
to selected writing abilities.
3. You aligned writing abilities with
course learning objectives.
4. You aligned peer review activities with
course learning objectives.
30
Learning objectives
Participants will be able to
● Save time when grading student
writing assignments
● Design writing assignments that
promote learning of course content
● Use peer review to reinforce course
learning objectives
Recap

31. Tham, J. (2021). Design thinking in technical
communication. Routledge.
Moses, J. & Tham, J. (2021). Collaborative writing
playbook. Parlor Press.
31
Thank
You!
Dr. Joe Moses, University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
moses004@umn.edu
Dr. Jason Tham, Texas Tech University
jason.tham@ttu.edu
👋 tweets @JasonCKTham