Teaching collaborative writing and peer review techniques to engineering and technology undergraduates

Abstract

A recent survey of engineering professionals found that they spent 44% of their time writing, and almost all sometimes wrote as members of a team. Yet E&T students, who typically struggle with writing tasks, generally write as individuals and are evaluated only by their professors. This paper discusses a rationale and methods to provide students with experience in writing collaboratively and critiquing one another's writing. I argue that collaborative writing promotes active learning and provides students with experience working as part of a team. Peer review gives students experience in critical thinking and promotes editorial skills. These classroom techniques raise students' comfort level at having their work evaluated by others in a professional setting. Course evaluation feedback and follow-up surveying confirm that students who complete the course are more likely to write collaboratively in future courses, and students report that they will seek collaborative writing opportunities in the workplace.