Barker and Kemp reinforce this idea with the argument that the traditional proscenium classroom layout cannot effectively support group work. Barker emphasizes the breakdown in authority and hierarchy which results from the changing roles of the teacher. If we see the teacher as the author or shaper of the classroom narrative and the student as reader or consumer, then this argument for an upturning of these roles has its parallels in our discussions of hypertext. Other research has focussed directly on the collaborative composition process. These studies can be instructive in light of the lack of published results, involving hypertext systems such as Intermedia .
Barker shows how collaboration supports the transactional writing model.
The primary advantage of accessing work at each stage is that the process itself is revealed for examination. A common claim in this area is that just as word processors have made revision effortless in comparison with typewriters, so too shall collaborative groupware make teaching composition effortless in comparison with paper methods. However, this optimistic assertion assumes that the technology itself is neutral. Some fledgling steps have been made to counter this naive position. Schwartz notes that access to computers is not equal for students of differing economic backgrounds.