Abstract
ABSTRACT This paper reports on research undertaken in two fully online, asynchronous university courses. Representing two masters’ programs, one led to a degree in reading as a reading specialist, and the other, to a degree in special education as an educational diagnostician. This investigation explored how writing conferences helped graduate students to better communicate within their new professions. This comparative case study, framed by social presence theory, was conducted across one semester. The findings of this study point to three themes, (1) Components of the Online Learning Environment, (2) Metacognitive Thinking, and (3) Building Professional Identity. The three themes provide glimpses into graduate students’ perceptions of synchronous writing conferences. The purpose of these conferences was to provide graduate students with the tools and support needed to encourage professional writing for their soon-to-be careers.
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