Web mediated collaboration and the development of digital literacy practices in higher education
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Two sections of a university composition course were given the task to write articles for publication - one section using traditional paper drafts, the other using blogs. A study found that the blogging section generated significantly more peer comments that were of higher quality. They also performed better on learning outcomes and had higher rates of publication acceptance. The increased engagement from blogging led to improved quality of writing and learning.
Web mediated collaboration and the development of digital literacy practices in higher education
- 1. Graph 2: Learning outcomes Implications Not only is blogging an authentic literacy practice, it is also a sustainable one, one that resonates with the cultural values of young adult learners who are striving to create a productive future. A recent study reported by GUNI (Global University Network for Innovation, indicates that sustainable literacy is rising among graduates (Granados, Tilbury, and Wright, 2011). Furthermore, Farrel (2010) argues that in order to remain relevant, a responsibility for higher education is to produce graduates with skills and understandings that will lead to a “restorative” society and our curricula should reflect this objective. Blogging software is a sustainable technology that saves valuable resources, not only that, it bridges authentic literacy practice to academic literacy objectives. Sources: Granados, J., Daniella T., & Wright T.S.A. Moving from understanding to action: Breaking barriers for transforming higher education’s commitment to sustainabilityAssociation for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Conference 2011. Pittsburgh, PA. 11 Oct 2011 Farrell, James J. The Nature of College: How a New Understanding of Campus Life Can Change the World. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions, 2010. Print.. Discussion Publishing work-in-progress on a course blog provides a great deal of affordance for the instructor in terms of managing and overseeing student work, allowing for a greater degree of control over students levels of engagement and cooperation. An open course website used for web-mediated writing also brings out the digital critic in students. While students in both groups generated roughly the same amount of naïve and editing comments, students that utilized blogging software produced significantly higher numbers of critical and constructive drafts, a trend, which only increased over successive trials, long after the novelty of web-mediated collaboration diminished, whereas paper drafts produced fewer and a lesser quality of comments over successive drafts. The number of critical comments generated during draft workshop correlated positively with learning outcomes. Students practicing literacy on blogs outperformed the paper group both within and between repeated trials of the drafting process. Web-mediated collaboration and the development of literacy practices Introduction Abstract ABSTRACT: Two sections of university-level composition courses were given an authentic task to write a series of articles for publication. One section was randomly assigned to follow the traditional writing process, utilizing paper draft workshops, while the other section published its work-in-progress on blogs, engaging in web-mediated online workshops. A quasi-experimental study was conducted to determine if there are meaningful differences in learning outcomes between students using traditional writing methods and those using blogging technology to generate articles as measured by the quantity and quality of comments generated during draft workshops and learning outcomes. Web-mediated workshops generated not only a significantly higher quantity of peer comments, but also a significantly higher quality of comments, perhaps, due to higher levels of student engagement and more time spent on task as compared to the paper draft workshop section. Thus, suggesting that incorporating blogging technology, an authentic literacy practice, in the writing classroom might provide a productive learning environment, one that yields high-level learner performance. Introduction Research design and results Jeannette Novakovich, Graduate Student in PhD Program, Educational Technology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec Conclusions Jeannettenovakovich@gmail.com, 514-755-3987 Purpose There’s an old folk saying that goes something like this: God gave you one mouth and two ears, so listen twice and speak once. When students provide peer feedback on rough drafts in the form of a traditional draft workshop, a small group collaborative exchange of papers and ideas, they provide writers with an opportunity to listen and reflect on their writing. This study compared the process and outcome of computer-generated paper drafts to the process and outcome of drafts published on blogs to answer the following question: What effect does blogging technology and web- mediated collaboration have on the writing process and learning outcomes? Chart 1: Peer Feedback Graph 1: Critical feedback and grades A moderately positive relationship between the quantity and quality of peer feedback and grades, r (42) = .371, p < .016, was found; and a moderately positive relationship between the total value of critical comments received and grades, r (42) = .473, p < .002. A two-way repeated measures test revealed significant differences between the treatment and control groups in terms of learning outcomes, f (42) = 11.512, p < .002. A two-way repeated measures test revealed significant differences between the treatment and control groups in terms of acceptance rates for publication, f (42) = 8.364, p < .006. Findings