Traditionally, research about collaboration in business communication classes has focused on small-group interaction and peer review of documents. Yet, computer classrooms and electronic networks used for teaching business communication today are affecting how traditional collaboration works and are opening up new possibilities for collaborative activity. One exciting possibility is using network technology to promote collaboration beyond the four walls of a single classroom. This article outlines a model for distance collaboration between business writing classrooms using network technology and discusses new ways to teach national and international audience awareness, problem solving, and the contextual nature of cases.Recent work promotes the value of teaching collaboration in business communication courses, emphasizing an interpersonal exchange of ideas within groups to prepare students for the workplace. Forman (1991) and Scheffler (1992) each present evidence for the value of collaborative assignments, thus representing much research on collaboration that either presents a theoretical impetus for integrating collaboration into courses or outlines specific collaborative assignments. Yet, this research does not fully examine the ways that classes today are being heavily influenced by networked communication.While a large number of business writing classes are taught in the computer classroom, the possibilities for networked communication do not seem to be used in a manner that reflects the diversity present in the workplace. Sproull and Kiesler (1991) assert that new computer-based technologies are changing interaction in the workplace and are having a greater impact than either the mainframe or the personal computer revolutions. In this respect, a collaborative approach to writing that takes advantage of network technology could generate a wider variety of student interaction, more realistically simulate the diverse range of workplace communication, and promote more conscientious writing.This article discusses how we developed a technological, cross-class exchange to enhance distance collaboration in our business writing classrooms. Our model employs local and wide-area networks to provide new ways to teach rhetorical aspects of collaborative communication, including both national and international audience awareness, problem solving, and the contextual nature of cases. After defining goals for &dquo;successful&dquo; distance collaboration, we modified two existing assignments in our business writing courses. This article discusses goals for distance collaboration, sample assignments, the pros and cons of network technologies, and the construction of a model for enhancing distance collaboration in business writing assignments. Goals for Distance Collaboration Traditional collaboration in business communicationclassrooms is most often implemented as small-group interaction that includes both text creation and peer review. Some benefits of this type of collaboration include providing multiple perspectives for ...
In 1994, the Chicago Tribune announced in a blaring page-one story that fraud had been discovered in an important nine-year-old medical study which compared two treatments for early-stage breast cancer. The study had assured women that lumpectomy plus radiation was as safe as the more invasive mastectomy procedure for early-stage breast cancer; however, the revelation of fraud called these results into question. We examine the reactions of two professional medical journals to demonstrate how negotiations for upholding ethical norms in science took place within the pages of these publications. Then, we analyze the public discourse surrounding the fraud and show that much of the coverage was devoted to scandal. Both forums missed opportunities: professional journals ignored a chance to explore the blurry boundary between “writing up” and “making up” results that all scientists must negotiate in interpreting and publicizing data, while public discourse neglected women affected by the fraud.
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