The development of online university writing courses analyzed as evolving activity systems

To determine systemic influences on the development of online professional and technical writing courses, four case studies of courses in the U.S. and Canada were analyzed using activity theory. The analysis considered the subjects driving development, the instruments used, the applicable rules, the community context, the personnel who supported development, and the motivations for each course. Courses were shaped by professor experience and existing materials but changed over time due to structural tensions such as broadened admission requirements, new ideologies of open education, a new instructor, and opportunities for community service. Changes by instructors were amplifications of existing approaches such as clarifying requirements, whereas outside influences triggered more fundamental changes in the motivations shaping the courses such as increasing community integration.