Logo image
Back
From correspondence to cloud: The history of research and online writing instruction
Journal article   Peer reviewed

From correspondence to cloud: The history of research and online writing instruction

Jessie Borgman, Amy Cicchino, Heidi Skurat Harris, Casey McArdle and Scott Warnock
Computers and composition, v 80, 103003
Jun 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2026.103003
Featured in Collection :   Drexel's Newest Publications

Abstract

Computers and composition Digital literacy Distance education GenAI Online writing instruction Remote Writing pedagogy
Online Writing Instruction (OWI) has been a key component of Computers and Composition. In this article, we explore the historical trajectory of OWI through five distinct eras. Beginning with the foundational research of the early 1980s, we review landmark publications, organizational initiatives, educational crises, and technological inflection points to trace how OWI evolved into a sophisticated area of inquiry and practice. Across over forty years of milestones, we argue that OWI’s development has been a response to and a driver of innovation in writing technologies, digitally enhanced writing, pedagogy, and digital literacy. During this time, OWI has evolved from the distance learning movement and the early 21st century boom in online educational offerings to become an established field within Rhetoric and Composition. The COVID-19 pandemic and the conflation of emergency remote instruction with OWI illustrates OWI practitioners’ and scholars’ ability to rise in a crises to provide professional development opportunities for those in the discipline unfamiliar with online pedagogy. With the current challenge of GenAI, we argue that OWI must draw on lessons from past technological shifts to meet the moment. We conclude with recommendations for how OWI can build on its rich history to address new and ongoing challenges.

Metrics

1 Record Views

Details

Logo image