Dialogizität und sequenzielle Verdichtung in der Forenkommunikation: Editieren als kommunikatives Verfahren

Drawing both on conversation analysis and text linguistics, this article retraces the emergence of a new communicative practice in an online discussion forum: Based on data from an academic learning environment, we demonstrate how peers in a student study group start using the "edit button” which allows them to modify in retrospect not only their own but also other people's posts. This communicative practice of post editing in online discussion forums develops in four stages: It starts out as simple postings of messages on a discussion board. Next, the collocutors make use of the edit button to change their own posts, and, in a dialogical manner that of their discussion partners. Finally, it comes down to a complex form of exchange between the interlocutors who innovatively use the edit button within a single post. By using the edit button in innovative ways the participants bring together sequentially related messages in a single post that are usually spread over multiple posts. We argue that the emergence of this innovative use of the strategy of "sequential compression” (sequenzielle Verdichtung), as we shall call it, may be understood as an answer both to the affordances of asynchronous communication in discussion forums and to the learning situation which is characterized by pressure of time calling for new and innovative strategie

Dialogische Textkompetenz - Routinisiertes Schreiben in studentischer Online-Teamarbeit

Current concepts in writing research primarily focus on monological texts, by which we mean texts that do not demand a reply. But nowadays, dialogical writing - the exchange of messages via e.g. e-mail, text message or internet forum - is increasingly prevalent in private, educational and professional life. We therefore argue that concepts of writing research should also be made applicable to dialogical writing. Based on empirical data from two university e-learning classes, we show how students use communicative routines in order to manage a specific (writing) task: During their group work students face the challenge of initiating new steps and mobilising other group members to proceed with the project. Our study shows that texts accomplishing this task usually follow a three-part structure: They give reasons why writing to the group becomes necessary ("account”), they request the start or continuation of working ("projection”) and they present a personal contribution to the task ("achievement/input”). In cooperative online work, appropriate dialogical writing is a crucial skill. This "dialogical text competence”, as we call it, cannot be taken for granted; indeed it must be taught and practiced as it differs from competences necessary in face-to-face interaction or for writing texts in non-dialogical contexts. We therefore close our paper with a discussion of our results under the aspect of learning and facilitating dialogical text competence in contexts that offer practical experience

Ingenieurabsolventinnen im Beruf : Betriebe in der Schweiz auf dem Weg zu einer gendergerechten Unternehmenskultur

This project attempts to contribute to how innovative companies can reduce the job market barriers for female engineers, that are still in place in Switzerland even though there is a shortage of qualified workers. Although the conditions seem to be advantageous, empirical studies show that female professionals are challenged by bigger problems than their male colleagues. Not only during their academic studies, but also afterwards, in the working environment, gender differences arise. Potential female students anticipate these opportunities. The project focuses on how important non-technical knowledge and non-technical competences are for female engineers in order to create and sustain a gender-just and motivating work environment. Non-technical knowledge, understood here as contextual knowledge and expertise from fields such as social sciences and the humanities, is asked of graduates of the degree programs of engineering (we are looking at the degree programs Electrical Engineering, Computer Sciences and Mechanical Design and Engineering of Universities of Applied Science UAS). It is expected of women (and increasingly of young men) to acquire these competences during their studies. Additionally, the holistic relation of products and services, a gender-sensitive corporate culture and -structure, and a sustainable communication is viewed as paramount by (potential) employers. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to focus on the perspective of companies (two corporate case studies) on the one hand, and on the perspective of female engineers from the degree programs Electrical Engineering, Computer Sciences and Mechanical Design and Engineering on the other. Varied methods were used to receive the results. The results show that while functional aspects and motivating tasks are important, non-functional aspects and non-technical skills seem to be of even greater importance for the attractiveness of companies, a motivating work environment and the interdisciplinary education of students. Multiple courses of action are proposed.Ingenieurinnen sind in der Arbeitswelt der Schweiz nach wie vor unterrepräsentiert. Zum einen, weil es wenig Frauen gibt, die ein technisches Studium wählen. Zum anderen zeigen empirische Studien, dass der Berufseinstieg für Ingenieurinnen schwieriger ist, und dass sich ihre Karrieren langsamer und weniger befriedigend entwickeln als bei ihren Studienkollegen. Das Projekt "Ingenieurabsolventinnen im Beruf" zeigt Massnahmen auf, wie technische Betriebe in der Schweiz ihre Unternehmenskultur gendergerecht ausgestalten können. Die technischen Hochschulen erhalten Empfehlungen, welche Kompetenzen den Ingenieurstudentinnen im Studium vermittelt und welche Massnahmen ergriffen werden müssen, um den Übergang in das Berufsleben zu erleichtern. Die Untersuchung hat ergeben, dass junge Ingenieurinnen gerne in Betrieben und Teams arbeiten, in denen eine kooperative Arbeits- und Organisationskultur gepflegt wird, sie durch anspruchsvolle Aufgaben herausgefordert sind und ihre Laufbahnplanung ernst genommen wird. Ihnen ist wichtig, dass sich ihre künftige Führungsfunktion mit einer Familie vereinbaren lässt, dass Führungskräfte im Betrieb über Genderkompetenz verfügen und dass ein fortschrittliches Image sowie Gleichstellung als Unternehmensziel kommuniziert wird. In Bezug auf die Ausbildung kommt die Studie zum Schluss, dass junge Frauen gerne an technischen Fachhochschulen studieren, in denen Technik und Gesellschaft aufeinander bezogen werden, soziale und kommunikative Kompetenzen einen grossen Stellenwert haben und wo sie lernen, geschickt auf stereotype Erwartungen zu reagieren. Sie legen Wert auf Praktika in technischen Betrieben und wollen auf Führungs- und Projektleitungsfunktionen gut vorbereitet werden. Entsprechende Massnahmen im Studium wie auch in den Unternehmen haben Signalwirkung für technisch interessierte Frauen, welche ein Studium an einer technischen Hochschule in Erwägung ziehen.This project attempts to contribute to how innovative companies can reduce the job market barriers for female engineers, that are still in place in Switzerland even though there is a shortage of qualified workers. Although the conditions seem to be advantageous, empirical studies show that female professionals are challenged by bigger problems than their male colleagues. Not only during their academic studies, but also afterwards, in the working environment, gender differences arise. Potential female students anticipate these opportunities. The project focuses on how important non-technical knowledge and non-technical competences are for female engineers in order to create and sustain a gender-just and motivating work environment. Non-technical knowledge, understood here as contextual knowledge and expertise from fields such as social sciences and the humanities, is asked of graduates of the degree programs of engineering (we are looking at the degree programs Electrical Engineering, Computer Sciences and Mechanical Design and Engineering of Universities of Applied Science UAS). It is expected of women (and increasingly of young men) to acquire these competences during their studies. Additionally, the holistic relation of products and services, a gender-sensitive corporate culture and -structure, and a sustainable communication is viewed as paramount by (potential) employers. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to focus on the perspective of companies (two corporate case studies) on the one hand, and on the perspective of female engineers from the degree programs Electrical Engineering, Computer Sciences and Mechanical Design and Engineering on the other. Varied methods were used to receive the results. The results show that while functional aspects and motivating tasks are important, non-functional aspects and non-technical skills seem to be of even greater importance for the attractiveness of companies, a motivating work environment and the interdisciplinary education of students. Multiple courses of action are proposed

Dialogische Textkompetenz – Routinisiertes Schreiben in studentischer Online-Teamarbeit

Current concepts in writing research primarily focus on monological texts, by which we mean texts that do not demand a reply. But nowadays, dialogical writing – the exchange of messages via e.g. e-mail, text message or internet forum – is increasingly prevalent in private, educational and professional life. We therefore argue that concepts of writing research should also be made applicable to dialogical writing. Based on empirical data from two university e-learning classes, we show how students use communicative routines in order to manage a specific (writing) task: During their group work students face the challenge of initiating new steps and mobilising other group members to proceed with the project. Our study shows that texts accomplishing this task usually follow a three-part structure: They give reasons why writing to the group becomes necessary (“account”), they request the start or continuation of working (“projection”) and they present a personal contribution to the task (“achievement/input”). In cooperative online work, appropriate dialogical writing is a crucial skill. This “dialogical text competence”, as we call it, cannot be taken for granted; indeed it must be taught and practiced as it differs from competences necessary in face-to-face interaction or for writing texts in non-dialogical contexts. We therefore close our paper with a discussion of our results under the aspect of learning and facilitating dialogical text competence in contexts that offer practical experience

Dialogizität und sequenzielle Verdichtung in der Forenkommunikation: Editieren als kommunikatives Verfahren

Drawing both on conversation analysis and text linguistics, this article retraces the emergence of a new communicative practice in an online discussion forum: Based on data from an academic learning environment, we demonstrate how peers in a student study group start using the “edit button” which allows them to modify in retrospect not only their own but also other people’s posts. This communicative practice of post editing in online discussion forums develops in four stages: It starts out as simple postings of messages on a discussion board. Next, the collocutors make use of the edit button to change their own posts, and, in a dialogical manner that of their discussion partners. Finally, it comes down to a complex form of exchange between the interlocutors who innovatively use the edit button within a single post. By using the edit button in innovative ways the participants bring together sequentially related messages in a single post that are usually spread over multiple posts. We argue that the emergence of this innovative use of the strategy of “sequential compression” (sequenzielle Verdichtung), as we shall call it, may be understood as an answer both to the affordances of asynchronous communication in discussion forums and to the learning situation which is characterized by pressure of time calling for new and innovative strategies