Stockton 1

Kaitlyn Stockton
Dr. Carney
ENGL 4963
6 December 2013
Virtual Collaboration: An Exploration of Virtual Collaborative Writing
In todays workforce and schools, group work is becoming a useful and popular tool.
Collaboration allows members with different backgrounds to come together with different ideas
and mindsets. This teamwork promotes diversity and enables groups to experience more
creativity in their projects. However, while this practice sounds like something that could only
produce a better product or a more successful result, it does have its downfalls as well. Group
work has been labeled as a double-edged sword (Myaskovsky, Unikel, and Dew 645).
Bringing people with a multitude of personalities and ideas together can create conflict. In the
21
st
century, gender and race play a large role in the diversity of group work. While it brings
voices that have never been heard before to groups, it has also been problematic. As group
members may not get along while working with each other in person, the idea of adding
members with different beliefs and personalities becomes even more problematic once group
work becomes virtual, where team members do not even have the chance to interact with one
another face-to-face. While there are many new tools to connect individuals from all over the
country and world to each other, obstacles can still occur. Such programs as Skye and ooVoo
allow users to communicate with one another; however, these technologies are not always
perfect. While face-to-face groups struggle with personalities clashing, virtual teams must
likewise face the same but to a different extent. For example, members of virtual groups must
communicate through various media, some in which prevent one member from hearing the tone
Stockton 2

of one anothers voice. As a result, miscommunication may occur and result in a disagreement or
argument. If the same event had taken place in person, the insulted individual may have heard
the sarcasm in the insulters voice.
However, while virtual teams appear problematic in which they often are if not
prepared correctly they also carry many advantages. For example, many researchers claim that
a group of diverse backgrounds and skills will result in more creativity and ideas for a group.
While in some areas, this situation is not probable, in other areas, this situation is not possible.
Because of virtual group work, people from different states and countries can come together with
a variety of skills to produce a creative, one-of-a-kind product. In my project, I was not a
member of a specific group but acted as a technical writer/editor to six groups. While the groups
members met in person and contacted each other through e-mail and other forms of media, I only
communicated to the students through virtual means. Throughout the course of a semester, I
work with the students on the correct format for business letters, assisted the students on drafting
their chair ratings, and reviewed their progress reports. All of these correspondences were
conducted through e-mail. In only a few occasions did I have face-to-face contact with any
students. In my situation, I did not come into contact with any of the disadvantages of media in
group work myself, but I witnessed many struggles between group members through their virtual
communication. Likewise, many of the groups featured a diverse cast of members. While many
believe mixed membership results in success and would prefer to have this makeup for optimal
results, it did not necessarily work this way in all situations. However, there were also some
silver linings. I saw virtually groups composed of different demographics succeed in being a
creative team as well. While researchers point to women and minorities bringing negative
Stockton 3

influence to group morale, I witness neither of these groups leaving such an effect on the group
work. Rather, I saw the opposite.
Because there are many questions regarding the success of group work and the makeup of
the most successful groups, researchers have started to study both face-to-face and virtual teams
to elevate some of these difficulties and to help teams only find success in their endeavors.
Through my experiences from this course, I have had the opportunity to verify and debunk the
current research, and to offer advice and recommendations for the next Virtual Collaborative
Writing class.
Literature Review
Myaskovsky, Unikel, and Dew (2005) introduce group work as a double-edged sword
(645). As the female civilian labor force has increased by 74% since 1975, the women decide to
study the implications of having a female voice in group work (646). The researchers believe
their results will showcase a womans ability to partake in the same tasks as the opposite sex. In
their experiments, participants were trained to assemble the AM portion of an AM/FM transistor
radio (647). The authors labeled this activity as a male-centered task. In the individual training
condition, participants were not allowed to talk to each other. He or she had to raise his or her
hand to ask the instructor a question. In the group training condition, the participants
accomplished the task in groups and were allowed to discuss the construction of the radio. A
week later, the participants returned and were placed into teams even those that had worked
individually before joined the others. They were made to construct the radio again but with no
help from the instructor (648-649). At the end of the study, the women came to the conclusion
that mixed-gender and same gender groups perform equally well on tasks. In mixed-gender
groups, women were less task-orientated than those in an all-female group. However, men in
Stockton 4

mixed-gender groups were more task-orientated than those in the same gender group. Solo
women were less talkative than women in the majority, whereas solo men were more talkative
than men in the majority (654). The study followed the pattern of past research by resulting in
the male participant being more assertive than the female. The male also appeared to work better
on his own than a woman attempting to work by herself. However, the researchers results point
to interpersonal differences in group work. While the genders completed the task in different
manners, both sexes achieved the same result. While women may operate in different ways, they
can achieve the same end as their male counterparts. This research indicated that gender
diversity tends to affect behavior, communication, and individual experience within groups,
rather than group performance (654).
Allan Brown and Tara Mistry (2005) write of problems found in working with mixed
membership work groups. The team focuses on finding ways for black and white people
and/or women and men to interact. The authors highlight that the key to successful teamwork
depends on in-group anti-oppressive practice which is an essential starting point for social
group workers (134). The team defines this practice as a model of empowerment and liberation
that requires a fundamental rethinking of values, institutions and relationships (134). By using
this process, the researchers believes group members will be able to put aside differences to
create a safe atmosphere for growth and cooperation. By working with members of different
backgrounds, this process will ultimately allow group members to achieve their goals and create
a finished project by learning about one another and overcoming any social boundaries.
Throughout their study, Brown and Mistry focus on six theories to prove the importance of the
anti-oppressive practice. The team combined past research to come to a first conclusion: 1)
The sex and race of group workers and group members has profound effect on group behavior
Stockton 5

and process (134). The authors write that past researchers have found that even a group leaders
gender or race may impact the groups situations and completion of a project. In the second
conclusion, the authors believe that groups are a social microcosm of the wider society (135).
As groups of mixed membership show the interactions of varying races and genders, many
researchers have come to ask if work groups may show and replicate what is true in the real
world. In a mixed group, members enter the group unequal in power, structurally and
interpersonally (140). Past researchers believe they can examine the interworking of group
work to discover how these races and genders interact with each other in society. Likewise, the
team comes to the third conclusion that [t]here is widespread evidence of the efficacy of same-
sex and same-race groups for women and black people, respectively (136). Based on past
research, the authors believe that women and African Americans work better in groups with
similar backgrounds of themselves. The authors emphasize the strengths of women-only groups
. . . for women to experience groups which can combine both personal and political change, they
need to be without men (136). For women, the authors state that the fairer sex can often find
themselves at a disadvantage in mixed groups as their needs tend to get subordinated to those of
men(137). While this piece was published in 2005, it references texts that are over ten years old
that depict women as expressive and in touch with their feelings and that men focus directly
on male violence and aggression (137). This fact makes the authors portrayal of the female sex
questionable as they do not look at recent studies. However, the authors point out that this
uniformity will allow these groups to feel empowered and liberated without any negative
feedback from other genders or races. Likewise, the authors fourth theory questions the ability
for groups to provide the option for social action and empowerment. For instance, the authors
state the chance to create an external agenda of collective social action must be coupled with
Stockton 6

the same internal action (138). In order for members of a certain gender or race to feel
empowered and create a change outside of a group, the individuals team members must also
accept and be focused on internal actions as well. The authors fifth point focuses on the
intersection of race and gender in groups. Brown and Mistry point out that in different countries
the two focusing on Britain and the United States different races and genders act different
towards each other. For instance, in America, many black women reacted negatively to the white
dominated feminist movement. As a result, researchers have found that some African American
women prefer to work and sometimes even work better with white men compared to white
women. In their final theory, the author decides to consider the idea that [a]nti-oppressive group
work is about feelings as well ideology and theoretical formulations (139). In this section, the
authors highlight the importance of expressing their feelings on the matters of prejudices and
stereotypes to allow members to feel empowered and continue towards the completion of their
projects. Although the authors do not officially conduct a study or experiment, Brown and Mistry
look at various models, practice principles and methodology to create the protocol for the
appropriate environment for a group that both believes in counteracting social oppression and
facilitating empowerment to members. The authors focus on the practice of agency context. If
group members empower themselves by an agency which is serious about equality and shared
decision-making, are in a much better position to facilitate the empowerment of those with
whom they work (141). Likewise, Brown and Mistry focus on the compositions of groups. Like
other researchers, the two believe that as long as there is a balance of races and genders on a
team, then a group will be able to craft diverse and creative ideas without favoring a certain
group. Before working with a team, the authors suggest prepping by finding a location where all
members can meet and looking at ones own attitudes and history towards the races of other
Stockton 7

members. Once examining these, individuals now know their beliefs and areas they can improve
on to work towards equality. To actually take part in an anti-oppressive work style, the authors
emphasize trust. This can be created through personal interaction or by small things such as body
language. For instance, the authors even mention communicating non-verbally and empathically
with individual members particularly those in minority positions through the kid of eye-
contact that conveys recognition, awareness, and feeling (144). By creating a trusting
atmosphere, individuals are able to become comfortable with one another and can even discuss
factors of race and gender. To end the article, the authors mention that groups should handle
some of their group work in an area outside of their usual comfort zone. By going to other
locations, the group members are able to interact in the real world and in society. Overall, the
authors use six theories proposed by past researchers and various models and practices to
highlight the groups needs for in-group anti-oppressive practice to empower and unify groups of
mixed genders and races.
West et al. state gender affects judgments in work settings (1209). According to past
research, once women join work groups, members views and evaluations of other members may
be negatively affected. This theory arises from past beliefs that women have not adapted to the
male-dominated careers and work force and do not display stereotypical masculine
characteristics Judgments of work groups . . . are affected by gender such that gender-diverse
task groups are perceived as less effective than are task groups with more men (1209).
Likewise, Perceptions of women's incompetence and negative evaluations of their performance
arise from the belief that women are deficient in the male stereotyped agentic attributes (e.g.,
ambitious, competitive) that are required for success in male sex-typed roles (1209). However,
researchers are now beginning to believe that men in work groups with many women are
Stockton 8

now viewing their own work in a negative light. As a result of these attitudes, when men and
women begin to take part in work groups, these past values and viewpoints can begin to emerge.
The authors create a study to investigate this theory and to see if these attitudes are still apparent
in todays work force and society. The authors found 110 graduate students 71 who were
female to partake in a task believed to be more suited towards men. Participants were
randomly assigned to groups and were told that their goal as a group was to build a replica of a
complex model made of Legos. Groups had 30 min to plan a strategy, followed by another 30
min to build their replica (1210). After the task, participants made . . . evaluations of the other
group members task contributions and of the overall effectiveness of their group. To explore
whether perceptions of group members competence persisted beyond this immediate task
setting, ten weeks later participants reported their interest in working with their group again on a
graded group project (1210). After the study was conducted, the authors came to the conclusion
that the female members of a group did not affect a groups performance. However, the womens
presence did indeed affect group members evaluations of one another. In reality, women
actually saw their fellow women in the groups as having a negative impact on the group work.
[I]n groups with a greater proportion of women, all team members rated each other as
contributing less to the task, regardless of the gender of the person being judged or the gender of
the person making judgments (1211). Likewise, groups with a higher number of women were
less likely to work together again. The authors results only supplemented past research on the
topic of gender diversity in group work. These findings demonstrate a potential dark side to
gender diversity in the workplace. (1211).
Rosser (1998) writes of a class project conducted by Peter Adams an assistant professor
at the Generic Institute of Technology. After being given a mediocre teacher evaluation, the
Stockton 9

professor attempted group work in his classes. Group work has become popular in disciplines
ranging from the humanities through the social sciences to the sciences. For some professors, the
group work represents an unusual or isolated experience, which they attempt during one class
period or for one project or assignment outside of class. For others, group work has become the
focal point. While many professors and teachers stray away from group work, research has
show that many minorities have enjoyed the possibilities granted by collaboration.
Minority women students . . . understand the significance of group work. Their
highest priority advice to other women minority students seeking graduate
degrees in science, engineering, and mathematics was to become a member of a
study group. Moreover, many of these minority women revealed that they had
been excluded from study groups, which they felt had hindered their success in
graduate school.
Luckily for Adams, he found himself with a diverse study body that semester. In addition to. . .
ten white and six Asian American men, the class also contained two Asian American women,
two white women, and the four Howard Hughes students . . . He divided the students into six
study groups for informal support and study outside of class. Adams sorted his diverse class
into groups based on gender and race equality. Each group included one female, one Asian
American male, and at least one white male. Four groups had two white males. He placed the
African American male in a group with a white woman and the Hispanic male in a group with an
Asian woman. While Adams based his groupings on race and gender equality, Rosser states that
group members should take size, ability, and intersection of gender and race into account when
organizing groups:
1) Size
Stockton 10

According to Rosser, groups should be composed of three and six members. However,
the size of a group ultimately depends on the project. Thus, before selecting their
groups, teacher should reflect on what should be learned from the task and the ideal way
to accomplish it.
2) Ability
Rosser agrees with others researchers and emphasizes the need for groups to be
composed of individuals with mixed abilities. A useful alternative in upper division
undergraduate and graduate courses is to explain the important characteristics needed for
viable groups and then ask the students to use those characteristics in forming their own
groups. Thus, after being informed about group dynamics, the students are allowed to
take some responsibility for forming groups.
3) Intersection of Gender and Race
Rosser believes gender and race should be considered in initial grouping. Having
minority perspectives represented in each group will help the majority to understand
other approaches and ideas of people from diverse backgrounds. However, inside the
groups, many women and members of other races felt isolated if left the only non-white
male in a group.
Adams placed women and students of different races into the roles of leaders. While he
thought he was doing the right thing, he did not think about the difficulties some of the
students would face.
Assigning a Hispanic woman the role of group leader, assuming that the
other group members include a Hispanic male and a white male and
female, places her in a role counter to the stereotypes of male dominance
Stockton 11

for her race and gender. Although many Hispanic women do not fit the
stereotype and feel comfortable with assuming leadership positions, in an
introductory course, when students do not know each other or the teacher,
this initial leadership task may be difficult for some Hispanic women.
However, other women found the leadership role welcoming. Sometimes a woman
prefers or may be assigned the role of group manager. Growing up as a female in our society
may have provided her with better skills in social organization than most males. She may be
better at working with other members of the group to ensure that the group functions smoothly to
complete the task on time. While some people of different genders and races may take time to
step up to the plate, others enjoyed the opportunity to take a role they may have not been able to
before.
Overall, Rosser believes professors and teachers should begin incorporating group work
inside their classes and classrooms in order to allow different races and the female sex a chance
to use their own voices and have a say in a group.
In the work world, teams or groups are used to solve problems where the
perspective, skills, or knowledge of one person are inadequate or where
the complexity and/or amount of time required are excessive for one. Each
person actively depends upon the other members of the group because
they understand that they cannot complete the project alone. They
cooperate with the group because their self-interest depends on successful
completion of the team project.
Although Adamss evaluations did not improve that semester, after taking comments on
the course into consideration, the professor organized his groups where the minorities were not
Stockton 12

singled out and alone in one group. The next semester, Adams made sure that there were more
than one sole representative of different races and genders in each group. Throughout her article,
Rosser highlights the factors that should be taken in account when organizing work groups and
focuses how members of minorities should not be isolated in these teams.
While diversity in groups has led to many issues, writers and researchers have begun to
research the use of group work in school and company settings to improve these problematic
situations and to offer suggestions in order for groups to have the utmost success in their projects
and endeavors.
Zemliansky (2010) uses his article to prepare writers for virtual work groups. He begins his
piece by disproving myths writers often tell themselves. For instance, writers are said to be
resistance to handing over their writings and works to others. They also are known to be solitary
creatures and introverts. To overcome these obstacles, Zemliansky wants writers to see
collaborating as a social process. He states to [g]ive writing teams sufficient time to complete
writing projects. Adequate time allows them to break projects into stages, thus enabling them to
discover their ideas, revise, and discuss the project with their teammates before having to
produce the final version of the document (340). As it may be hard for solitary writers to adjust
to group work, providing writers with time will allow them to alter their past tendencies to adapt
to this new world. Likewise, he wants writers to know that writing is a collective activity. While
one person can write a story, others can help edit the authors works and provide feedback to him
or her. On the other side of this equation is the need to get writers acquainted with the idea of
contributing to a text that was started by someone else (341). Since many writers see their
writing as their own, they may be hesitant to change someone elses own words. Zemliansky
hopes that writers can come to see this situation in the same lines as providing an author with
Stockton 13

feedback. Zemliansky also offers general strategies to assist writers in the transition to work
groups. The author emphasizing that it takes time to transition into a different mindset. The only
problem with this statement is that a writer may not always have time with deadlines often
looming on the horizon. Likewise, writers must learn how to self-manage and self-regulate.
These tasks allow writers to determine and reach for their own goals as well as working towards
their groups goals. Through this route, writers are able to remain solitary at heart while still
working towards a goal with a team. Before venturing into the world of virtual teams,
Zemliansky suggests for writers to work in face-to-face groups to learn the ropes of collaboration
before attempting to work with a team in the virtual world. As virtual settings can be more
difficult to maneuver especially during the first try or without any training a new virtual
writer may learn the basics and be trained to work with groups by face-to-face communication.
The author ends his article by providing educators and trainers with possible activities to foster
and promote virtual collaboration. Zemliansky offers such ideas as collaboratively created
dictionaries, glossaries, and encyclopedia entries, collaboratively-written essays, reports, and
white papers, and specific web-based writing projects (346-347). Overall, Zemliansky hopes to
help the solitary creatures known as writers in the transition to a writer in a virtual collaborative
setting. His text presents many suggestions and tips in surviving this move and in finding success
in group work. To overcome such attitudes and to prepare such students for workplace
collaboration in writing, instructors and trainers must show students what successful
collaboration looks like, provide them with useful strategies and opportunities to learn it, and
teach them how to overcome the inevitable obstacles and pitfalls they will encounter as
collaborative writers (348).
Stockton 14

Eyman (2010) uses his article to frame writing within the context of multimedia/new
media productions (350). He highlights this innovation by focusing on the creation of the
journal Kairos. It is at this historical convergence of theory and application that a group of
graduate students decided to launch an online journal that would take on the questions of
technology-mediated writing as both its content and its delivery platform (351). Kairos
provided researchers with scholarly work that could itself be composed of multiple media and
could take advantage of the network and the link (351). Kaiross unique structure called for one
of the first instances of virtual collaboration. The graduate students lived in six different states
yet pulled off something that feature writing in a digital media in 1996. It was cutting-edge
(352). However, ten years later, the editors met to redesign the website and to fix any
shortcomings. With ten years of technological advancement, the website had missed out on many
innovations in web creation and design. To begin the new project, the team moved passed e-mail
communication onto synchronous IM for weekly meetings (354). The team took the design of
the website to the next level. As rhetoricians, [they saw] a deep connection between writing and
design content and form both of which are rhetorical processes (356). To begin the project,
the team researched their audience. Although used to researching as technical editors, the team
had trouble deciding how to communicate with its audience. After having trouble making follow-
ups with interviewees, the team settled on e-mail and phone calls. Although the team had no
trouble with interacting with one another, its members had trouble contacting stakeholders and
other important officials in the project. After focusing on this and the needs of the audience, the
group ran into problems. A few members of the group felt as if their voices were not being heard.
Eyman believes if the team had focused more on the members accessibility to various parts of
the project, then they would not have ran into these challenges. Likewise, the group also ran into
Stockton 15

many time constraints Many times, group members schedules varied and competing interests
threatened to derail the smooth operation of the process (357). However, to combat these issues,
the group always held meetings to get everyone back on track. Eyman ends his piece by
highlighting that although [t]he art of rhetoric in many ways relies upon the rhetor to examine a
series of assumptions about audience, style, and effective means of presenting an argument
(357). However, the team realized that sometimes a designer has to step back and look at the
needs of its audience rather than design on assumptions. The audience while mostly composed
of the journals users also includes the team members. While creating the project, team
members had to also remember to listen to the needs of their fellow creators. To continue this
thought process throughout the project, the members focused on the overall goal of the project as
well as the roles that they each played to reach this goal. By reflecting on their progress
throughout their journey, members were able to keep these thoughts in their mind and remind
themselves that rhetoric although important and useful sometimes comes after the needs of
the audience.
Williams (2010) writes his article Forming Trust in Virtual Writing Teams: Perspectives
and Applications to emphasis the importance of trust the single most important component of
successful teams in virtual writing teams (95). Williams uses his own personal experiences as
the foundation for his piece. The author was once part of a virtual team that was about as bad as
it gets (89). His team began in dysfunctional terms and ended in the same. The team [brought]
together a group of subcontracted writers and some members of the internal communications
group from the bank 12 people in all with a goal of delivering 900 pages of documentation in
less than 3 months (88). To make matters worse, the participants of this work group lived in
different states. The inability to be face-to-face with one another lead to many arguments
Stockton 16

between group members. Such stresses as which heading to choose and which format to use
caused the group to be disorganized and affected the groups end result. Based on his interactions
with his teammates, Williams came to the conclusion that trust is a must when it comes to group
work, especially teams in virtual settings. Williams begins his article by looking at the history of
group work in American. Groups had been a part of the U.S. workforce for decades but were
looked down upon as social psychology studies of the 1920s argued against collective work.
(90). It was not until the 1970s, when the United States saw other countries producing better
goods at lower prices, that the country decided to try them. American firms began to examine the
practices of their foreign competitors, and Japan in particular, where the concept of had become
rooted (91). In the 1980s, this practice grew as a result of multiple successes. In the 1990s
2000s, teams have become so commonplace that their existence has become transparent and
popular (91). However, to reach this success, a group has to be constructed and managed well
(91). Williams creates six constituents for teams to follow to reach success:
1) Limited Team Size
Williams designates that groups of three to five members are most successful (92). While
past research recommended 20 to 25, recent studies shows that too many members will lead to
too many stylistic differences. Rather than focus on the project, group members may debate on
such little items as which heading to use or to put a comma in a certain place.
2) Diverse Team Membership
In this group of three to five members, it is important for team members to have diverse skill
sets. If you are working with a group on a project to create a website, it would be more
advantageous for the members to have different backgrounds and skills. For instance, a group
of English majors may have difficulties creating a website whereas an English major and
Stockton 17

Computer Science student may have more luck. Each team member [knows] what [is]
expected based on negotiations prior to beginning the collaboration. Each team member also
relie[s] on the work of the others to create the final document (92).
3) Interdependent Relationships
[W]hen individuals do not view their own contributions in light of larger team goals, they
fail (93). When working in a team, members want to feel appreciative and feel like their work
is helping the group reach the end product. When team members are simultaneously held
accountable, team members will see their actions as simultaneously individual and
collaborative, enhancing a sense of interdependence (93).
4) Shared Team Vision
Like mentioned above, it is important for team members to feel like they are contributing
to a shared goal. The common identity builds cohesion, and cohesive teams generally
perform better than noncohesive ones (93). If members are working toward their
individual goals, competition may arise between each other.
5) Performance Orientation
Teams should work toward the same goal and should continue to take action towards this
goal during the duration of the project. While it is fine to have some free time it may
even help to have a group outing the group should continue to focus on working
towards the final goal and product.
6) Articulated Team Process
Before beginning a project, setting goals and stating who will do what and when will help
group members to remain on task. [A]rticulated processes . . . ensures that the team
Stockton 18

produces uniform products because everybody understands the criteria against which their
work will be judged (94).
Williams labels these six concepts as the foundation for trust in virtual groups. After creating
this list, Williams discusses the difference in trust between face-to-face groups and their virtual
counterparts. While many face-to-face groups do not have to work with technology, it is the only
way virtual groups can survive. These groups may use e-mail, instant message or even video chat
to continue their projects. Technology, however, can have negative results. The receivers of
these messages may misunderstand the context of messages and may take the words as insults.
However, if team members choose the correct form of technology for their group, then these
problems will mostly not arise. Likewise, virtual teams must also overcome the inability of
seeing their fellow members. It is harder to build trust and to get to know members through
technology compared to in person. While team members have more difficulties in this aspect,
they do not have to overcome the initial setbacks of group work. As most members do not see
one another, there is no way for judgments towards looks or clothing to arise. Williams uses the
social information processing theory to describe how trust operates in virtual work groups.
According to him, groups form trust by following six rules:
1) Get started right away.
2) Communicate frequently.
3) Multitask by getting organized and doing substantive work simultaneously.
4) Acknowledge that you have read anothers messages.
5) Be explicit about what you are thinking and doing.
6) Set deadlines and stick to them.
Stockton 19

Williams believes that if a group follows these six rules, then trust will continue to grow and
operate in a group. The author ends his article by providing more tips on how to survive and
succeed in a work group. Most of his suggestions stem from the six foundations of trust. These
constituents will allow a group to build a strong virtual team.
Carney (2010) writes of suggestions for removing barriers in collaborative virtual writing
projects. The author begins the piece by highlighting the program TOPIC/ICON at Texas Tech
University. This program used locally written software to support what the developers and
program administrators hoped would be more objective grading of undergraduate student
writing . . . the software and new practices were intended to offer students more opportunities to
practice writing (128-129). Likewise, the creators believed this program would help professors
continue to grade papers with an incoming increase of freshmen. Students submitted drafts
online; two graduate student instructors then read and accessed the writing (129). The
developers and administrators of the program hoped this process would result in more objective
and accurate grading. Although the program sounded like an excellent idea, its implementation
was disastrous. The author provides four barriers to effective collaboration to highlight the
setbacks of TOPIC/ICON. In the first barrier, the program was unsuccessful because of the
training provided to the participating graduate students. The students received little training
while the creators of program did. To achieve success in such a program, the intended users must
receive a decent amount of training rather than being thrown to the wolves (131). Likewise,
the creators must also conduct usability tests in order to see how typical users would interact
with the software. In the second barrier, the organization of the program and work groups can
affect the results and success of such software. Carney lists three types of organization: formal,
foot loose, or fractured (133). According to past research, a formal organization is one featuring
Stockton 20

face-to-face contact that offers interaction and socialization. A foot loose organization is made
up of transient or temporary workers, those unlikely to take part in further collaboration. A
fractured organization is one made up of the past two types of organizations. The TOPIC/ICON
program was prevented from succeeding as it was composed of transient workers mostly
graduate students who as a result of this fact were not completely immersed in the project. In
the third barrier, the project did not succeed due to the psychological and social of the students.
As most writers tend to be introverts and prefer keeping their works to themselves, the graduates
were unlikely to collaborate on their ideas and scores of the students papers. Likewise, in the
last barrier Team Composition, the graduate students were also competing against one another to
earn their degrees that it was unlikely that the students would work together on such a project.
After highlighting these barriers, Carney suggests tips to overcome such barriers to help further
audiences to succeed in virtual collaborative programs. The author emphasizes that all
participants should receive training before working on such a program. Before the program
officially begins, the creators should select the correct organization type and users for the
program, learn more about the possible users, and continue to check back to see the results of the
program.
While diversity has appeared to be both advantageous and problematic to group work,
overall, most of the current research appears out-of-date, or at least over ten years old. There
should be more research conducted on the female role in group work in todays society.
Likewise, the same should be done for other races and minorities. For now, members of virtual
groups can use the tips and suggestions from many scholars to have the most successful
experience in this type of collaboration and take away valuable knowledge to use on future
projects.
Stockton 21

Virtual Collaborative Writing Independent Study
The first day of school, I took part in my CITI training. As I would be looking at research
from many different sources, Dr. Carney advised me to take test and become certified in case any
problems were to occur.
Although I had a class at the same time as Intro to Technical Writing, I was able to attend
the first day of class for a few minutes. I made it in time to see and meet the students in Dr.
Carneys class. After I was introduced to the class, Dr. Carney told students to merge into
groups. While the students attempted to divide themselves into groups, I was able to see the first
interactions between group members. The group members handed each other their contact
information and found out they would have to create a technical document for an organization on
campus. Once the groups decided which organization they would like to work with, the members
were set to begin. The students received my contact information as they would soon be sending
me documents to look over.
The groups sent a letter of interest to me to look over before they sent it to the official
contact of each organization. I looked over each of these letters. I both edited these documents
and provided feedback to the students. The most alarming errors appeared to be related to
formatting a letter into business format. As the students had just started learning the format, there
were some fixable mistakes. There were also many grammatical errors that I pointed out and
helped the students to fix. The students then began their projects.
While I was providing feedback to the students on this area, I was also researching virtual
group work on my own. Dr. Carney gave me the book Virtual Collaborative Writing in the
Workplace to use as my textbook to study various aspects of successful group work. Like
mentioned above, virtual collaborative writing and other projects can offer many challenges.
Stockton 22

This book covered such topics of how to prevent obstacles from occurring, developing trust in
groups, the importance of rhetoric and design to virtual writing, and how to prepare writers for
writing, working together in groups and in virtual spaces. In each of these studies, I was given a
specific example or anecdote to look at the in the beginning of the piece. In most of these
articles, the example provided readers a look at a failed experiment and results from a virtual
collaborative writing group. However, the author then followed the failed porject with ways to
improve the disaster. After reading these studies, I met with my adviser to discuss the articles
and to connect each of these studies to my current work with the Intro to Technical Writing class
and my past experiences with the Computing and Technology Department. By looking at my
own personal experiences from my Writing Internship and my own Intro to Technical Writing
class, I was able to see many of this theories come into play. For instance, I often found it odd
that Dr. Liu would require us to have reflections on our assignments or how the team leaders of
the Informational Systems would constantly provide us accounts on what work we have done so
far. However after reading the texts, I found that this is the correct way to conduct a project as
participants can see how far they have come and make them want to continue the project until
completion.
After beginning my readings, I had students sending me their chair ratings and
guidelines. Each group would have a different chair each few weeks. Because of this, the groups
proposed guidelines to grade their chairs. While some groups went up and beyond and had many
areas to grade each other on, others attempted the minimum and asked if their chair completed
everything asked of him or her. I provided feedback to each group. For those that wrote such
ratings as The chair met expectations, I asked the groups to be more specific on what
expectations they wanted their team members to reach. Most groups chose to use a 1-5 scale with
Stockton 23

comments. I preferred this technique and suggested a similar method as well to other groups that
only had yes or no answers. While most groups have only sent me these ratings when they
were told to do so, certain groups have continued this practice and inform me of what is going on
at the current point.
Throughout many points throughout the semester, the students would send me progress
reports detailing what the group or group members had accomplished that week. While some
groups sent informal e-mails composed of only a few words, stating we did this and that, other
groups sent more detailed accounts and even forwarded their messages to one another. I
preferred the latter even though this often this resulted in seeing and reading some unprofessional
documents. I was glad to see the students actually working and putting some effort into their
project. This communication also allowed me to see the dysfunction in conflict among some
groups as well. While I could not physically be in class to see the conflict unfold in person, I was
able to see some dysfunction through the virtual communication.
After reading through four essays in Virtual Collaborative Writing in the Workplace, I
found that I was drawn to the social aspects of group work. In different texts, I liked looking at
how people had to learn how to trust one another and how group members were able to get along
even though they may have different personalities or backgrounds. As an English major, I have
learned that many of my fellow kind are introverts and prefer working and writing alone. Some
dislike even having others look at their writing. Because of this, I had issues seeing how trust
could be developed or how members would eventually get along. As I had already enjoyed
looking at feminist theory and at a females role in groups especially after my own experiences
working with older gentlemen on the Computing and Technology project I decided to research
the role of women and minorities in group work. At first, I found every few sources on the topic.
Stockton 24

And of the ones I did find, many were complex diagrams or equations that I did not feel
comfortable with. However, I eventually found four sources that I enjoyed looking at and
learning from.
I was then assigned to write a review of the literature from the four sources from the book
and four scholarly sources found elsewhere. Throughout the research, I found that although we
as a society have improved greatly from past beliefs, sexist and racist stereotypes still exist in
todays world. In one study, the researchers found that while women could produce the same
result as a man, groups felt less efficient with the more women in their groups. Likewise, a
leaders ethnicity can affect his or her group members. In my paper, I enjoyed the opportunity to
see the current research of the role of the outsiders alongside the ways groups can find success
in group work and virtual collaborative projects. The fact that many researchers emphasis the
importance of diversity in group work almost contradicts results of these studies. However, from
what I have seen so far, the more diverse a group is, this does not necessarily mean that a group
will work well together. While the group may have creative ideas, this does not matter if the
group cannot work together to produce the content. However, this is one of my few observations
from virtual communication which can be misleading. For me, I would like to continue further
research on this topic as the workplace will only become more diverse and include even more
women and minorities. As many of the research was over ten to fifteen years old, I realized that
some of the studies may not be applicable in todays workforce. However, some of these theories
and the researchers results may still exist.
While the groups continued to work on their technical documents for organizations on
campus, they were also given a new project. The groups will be making proposals for actions
inside the Cameron community and outside in the Lawton community. Groups sent me
Stockton 25

information and even more progress reports about this project. I continued to look over these and
provided feedback to the students. If any students wished for me to look over their letters or e-
mails to university or community leaders, I was available to them as well. I look forward to
hearing more about their second projects and their final presentations. I hope to return to the
class one day to observe how the groups work together and to see if what the researchers believe
and predict rings true.
My final project for the class entailed writing a twenty page paper covering my own
experiences through the class, research and suggestions for how the class can be improved.
Throughout this class, I have been able to find my niche in the technical writing world. I
enjoyed looking at the social aspects of group work and look forward to researching this subject
even more in the future. From my experiences in the other department, this area interests me as I
have been a part of group work both in person and virtual. This fact has enabled me to look at
the situation and see what kind of reactions the students had towards me, my fellow women and
students of other races. Likewise, it allowed me to see how team leaders and other members were
able to incorporate the authors suggested techniques to have successful group work whether in
person or virtual. Overall, my previous Writing Internship course led me directly to my Virtual
Collaborative Writing class. The course has not only helped me learn about the world of
technical writing but has also pointed me in my direction for future research. The course has
assisted me in becoming interested in applying for a masters in professional and technical
communication.
Recommendation and Conclusion
Group work has become a complex issue. With the rise of new technologies, group work
has expanded into the virtual world. In this new concept, all of the previous problems found in
Stockton 26

traditional group work still exist and are even harder to prevent and quell conflict. In the 21
st

century, these virtual groups are becoming popular and have brought the inclusion of groups
formerly excluded from work groups. For instance, women and members of other races have
begun to join the workforce in larger numbers than ever before in the past century. As a result,
these individuals roles inside group work have yet to be examined. As many researchers believe
that groups are most successful when they consist of diverse team members, new research should
be conducted to follow up on the roles of such members in group work and how groups can
incorporate all members for the best outcome. In my own work, I experienced little problems. At
some points, however, it did seem as if the students did not take my role in the project as
seriously as they should. For instance, when the students were supposed to put effort into their
assignments and send specific details to me, some groups offered three words at most to describe
their progress for that week. While the amount of effort a student will put into a project depends
on each student and his or her personality, I expected more from some groups. I believe if I had
visited the class more often and interacted with the students in person, then I think they would
have seen me as more of an asset to their projects. For the next student who takes the class, I
would advise for them to be able to attend the Introduction to Technical Writing class every few
weeks. Even though the class is Virtual Collaborative Writing and runs on that virtual aspect, I
think the next student and class would benefit from having the technical writer and editor
physically present in the class. Because of this and my experiences in the course, it is hard to say
if successful virtual collaborative writing is possible or effective. From the studies above, virtual
collaborative writing appears as a possible tool for companies to harness the best minds around
the country and world to make and offer the best products. However, like also mentioned above,
such work groups are complex and can result in much conflict. I believe more practices and
Stockton 27

application of such virtual groups will ultimately result in more research and advice for future
groups. With the rise of new technologies each year, group members will only find new, simpler
ways to stay in contact with one another and achieve success in these virtual groups. For now,
virtual groups can examine past and current research for advice and tips for conducting their
work groups and projects. Throughout their experiences, members can find the advantages and
faults of collaborative writing for future participants of similar groups as well. For the future of
the Virtual Collaborative Course, I recommend that the next student is able to attend the Intro to
Technical Writing course every few weeks. For both parties to get the most out of the
experience, I believe the students should be required to send a progress report to the technical
writer every other week when they are working on their project and that this task will be a
part of their grade.












Stockton 28

Works Cited
Brown, Allan and Tara Mistry. Group Work with Mixed Membership Groups: Issues of Race
and Gender. Social Work with Groups 28.3/4 (2005): 133-148. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
Carney, William. Removing Barriers to Collaborating in Virtual Writing Projects. Virtual
Collaborative Writing in the Workplace. Eds. Beth L Hewett and Charlotte Robidoux.
Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, 2010. 128-143. Print.
Eyman, Douglas. Case Study: Writing, Rhetoric, and Design: A Virtual Collaboration Case
Study. Virtual Collaborative Writing in the Workplace. Eds. Beth L Hewett and
Charlotte Robidoux. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, 2010. 350-359. Print.
Myaskovsky, Larrisa, Emily Unikel, and Mary Amanda Dew. Effects of Gender Diversity on
Performance and Interpersonal Behavior in Small Work Groups. Sex Roles 52.9/10
(2005): 645-657. OmniFile Full Text Select. Web. 5 Oct. 2013.
Rosser, Sue Vilhauer. Group Work in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics:
Consequences of Ignoring Gender and Race. College Teaching 46.3 (1998). OmniFile
Full Text Select. Web. 3 Nov. 2013.
West, Tessa V., et al. Building Blocks of Bias: Gender Composition Predicts Male and Female
Group Members Evaluations of Each Other and the Group. Journal of Experimental
Social Psychology 48.5 (2012): 1209-1212. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Oct.
2013.
Williams, Sean D. Forming Trust in Virtual Writing Teams: Perspective and Applications.
Virtual Collaborative Writing in the Workplace. Eds. Beth L Hewett and Charlotte
Robidoux. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, 2010. 88-110. Print.
Stockton 29

Zemliansky, Pavel. Preparing Writers for Virtual Environments. Virtual Collaborative Writing
in the Workplace. Eds. Beth L Hewett and Charlotte Robidoux. Hershey, PA:
Information Science Reference, 2010. 335-348. Print.