Computer-Supported Collaborative Writing Phases

A collaborative hypermedia system was used in a five-week course for computer science students. Authoring tasks were assigned to individuals, groups, and organizations. Students took roles and used the system to perform the tasks. The aim of this research was to see whether collaborative hypermedia systems could improve upon results achieved in traditional collaborative and individual learning environments without a computer. Though technology can support collaboration, the students themselves did not feel positively disposed to sharing their ideas and work with their peers. The group experience did not improve the quality of individual writing. To facilitate group writing, we may want to ensure that the group is coordinated throughout the authoring process and not just at some phase of it.