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Collaborative Writing Assignments

In many disciplines, collaborative authorship is the norm, and there is no reason not to engage students in such activities.  In fact, collaborative writing can be useful in a wide variety of disciplines as it helps students account for a variety of perspectives, share the research burden, and negotiate drafting and revision with peers such that one’s reasons for writing in particular ways must be more overt.  The added benefit of fewer papers to grade when 3-4 students are composing a single paper is, however, frequently overshadowed by the extra preparation and intervention necessary to help collaborative writing be successful.

Elements of a Good Collaborative Assignment

• pedagogical goal of assignment

• purpose for writing (what are students trying to prove, etc.?)

• audience (who should they imagine as readers besides the teacher?)

• reason for collaborative work (groups work better if they understand why the paper needs many writers rather than only one)

• direction on what the final text should look like, specifically

• should the text look as if it were written by one author or can different styles and voices be obvious?

• does the group need to reach consensus on their topic/project or can they include their disagreement (and reasons for it) in the final document?

• can they use headings and sub-headings in the paper? any other organizational aids you can provide?

• a “grievance” procedure for resolving conflicts or have students create one at the onset of collaborative work.

Staging of Tasks

• Assign due dates for different portions of assignment (research, first draft, etc.).

• Require that students create a “working” plan that clearly defines the distribution of labor and projected dates of completion for tasks.

• Perhaps break the paper down into sections due at different times and then put together.

• Possibly include individual as well as group assignments (short papers or journal entries from individuals that will then be used in group paper).

Style of Collaborative Work
Many students will have never collaborated on a paper before, so it’s helpful to address different ways groups might work together in class or through a handout and then ask students to develop a “working plan” for their group that they will pass in.  Considering how they will work together prior to getting into the research and writing is essential so that the group does not end up negotiating all of this at the last minute.  Some options for ways to work and/or assign a particular style include having

• groups divide actual writing tasks into units that each student takes responsibility for.

• groups gather to write all of the paper together.

• groups delegate various writing process responsibilities.

• groups divide research responsibilities but write together.

• each group member draft the entire paper, then cut and paste sections from each person's draft into a single draft.

Assigning the Groups
Most instructors have found assigned groups to be more effective than allowing students to choose, particularly since “friends” do not make the best collaborators.  The best group assignments are done with some reason in mind, whether it be the expertise each member of the group might bring, the different writing strengths each has, or a deliberate mix of people with different perspectives.  When assigning groups, however, it is important to let students know what criteria you were using so that they value each member’s contribution.  Further, it is recommended that you collect each person’s schedule of available times outside of class to ensure at least a two-hour block in common with other group members.  If time together is difficult, suggest modes of communication for group (e-mail, bulletin boards, shared drafts over network as well as group meetings)

Monitoring Student Progress
In addition to requiring drafts as you would for most other assignments, collaborative work requires more monitoring to ensure that each member is “pulling his weight” and that there are no group conflicts spiraling out of control.  Some ways to keep up on what groups are doing and how well they are working include the following:

• Topic Proposals: In addition to working out their topic, have students include information about negotiating the group tasks (e.g., what happens when someone misses a meeting, who is responsible for what parts, a time line for completing certain sections, etc. ).

• Progress Reports: Progress reports from groups can include what has been done, what's left to do, and what plan and schedule the group has for the remaining work.

• Status Memos: At certain stages, ask each member individually to report in on the progress of the group membership and their working relationship; if problems are to be included, be sure to ask for specific recommendations about how they can be resolved.  For longer projects, require weekly or bi-weekly status reports via e-mail.

Updated September 3, 2008

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