Online Collaborative Writing: A Tool for Fostering Critical Thinking and Process-Based Teaching

This paper examines the qualitative role of collaborative writing among teachers. It was conducted during the spring of 2020 among international English teachers in an e-course at the University of Iowa USA, one of the authors was part of the project. Initially the teachers' commented on writing, they analyzed and then re-examined their comments after familiarizing themselves with online software by doing an e-written task. The comments and writing of teachers were coded with NVIVO and was qualitatively analyzed leading to some major themes. Contrary to individual writing, collaborative e-writing showed to be one of the most effective teaching methods which can alleviate tensions in writing. Although online task fosters accuracy, it does not help fluency and time-efficiency. This research involved teachers to practically collaborate in an online writing task. Moreover, if collaborative tasks are welcomed, more educational opportunities can be provided for all teachers, especially language trainers in developing countries since exchange of ideas at international level provides a comprehensive perspective for teachers on using collaborative learning, critical thinking, and process-based teaching.