This blog post was written as a conversation piece involving collaborators who started as a student (written by Kira Campagna) and professor (Caroline Ketcham) and became colleagues. The post focuses on work style and the different approaches and experiences we have had.  

Identifying Your Work Style: Pace, Perfectionism, Patience 

Question 1: How have you been able to identify your work style in terms of collaborative work? For example, in relation to patience, perfectionism, and pace? How has it impacted your collaborative relationships 

Caroline: Collaborative work is my jam. I was a student-athlete throughout my childhood and college, and thus, teamwork was central to who I was and my identity. That translated from the court to my workspaces. I have always been one to think through an idea by talking it out. While I always completed readings for a course, it wasn’t until the discussion that many of the connections were made for me. My ideas become generative in conversation. I am one who can think quickly on my feet and am able to find and share my voice in any conversation. This has meant I often seek out collaborative projects.  

Writing, however, for me was a skill I learned with patience and time. I identified as a “bad writer,” which was reinforced by teacher feedback. It wasn’t until graduate school, working with a mentor who spent loads of time helping me translate my voice to paper, that I started to see promise in my writing capabilities. I began to learn that perfection on paper wasn’t “good writing,” but rather found ways to lean into my collaborative spirit to become a better writer.  

At this point in my career, much of my writing is collaborative and I have had to find writing partners that can work at my pace—I tend to be fast because I don’t have an ounce of perfectionism in me. I just get stuff out and am ready for feedback on my ideas and writing. My patience comes in supporting the iterative process that academic writing takes. One of the greatest joys of my career is collaborative writing with students and colleagues.  

Kira: Initially, my collaborative work style was the same as my overall work style, which is fast-paced and as close to perfect as I can make it. I have always been the kind of person who completes assignments three days ahead of time and prepares thoroughly for events and exams. While some of my colleagues work similarly to me, I quickly realized that my work style needed to change to work more productively and positively with others.  

When working on a professor/student project, schedules do not always align the same way. Therefore, it is necessary to be able to “go with the flow” or change plans whenever needed. This was not an easy change for me whatsoever. I had to realize through experience that to successfully work collaboratively with others, you must become open to any suggestions and try new forms of work style. Challenging my norm was the only way I was able to become a successful partner in this team. I have gained much knowledge from this challenge and have come to use new styles in my day-to-day life.  

Cultivating a Culture of Communication and Trust  

Question 2: How have you worked to create a culture of communication and trust in your collaborative work? 

Kira: Forming trust is the most pivotal step in a partnership. If there is no respect or trust for each member of a team, there is no way to change or succeed. That being said, forming respect and trust does not happen overnight. It takes conscious time and effort to create a culture where each team member feels safe, seen, and heard. We all work hard, and all have a strong passion for the work being done. Having a shared passion was a key point in this relationship. Our group meets weekly during the summer to collaborate and continue working on our projects. During this time, I try to check in with each member individually and offer help or assistance in any way possible to make them feel supported. I also began writing blog posts (just like this one) with Caroline to build our relationship. As we near the end of summer two, I feel that we have created a close relationship with each member of the team. Needless to say, sometimes all it takes is a kind gesture, or a simple “How are you?” to begin cultivating a culture of communication and trust.  

Caroline: Trust, in my experience, comes from open and honest communication. It comes from showing up and doing the work within the time frame you promised (at least most of the time). It comes from seeing the humanity within the relationship, the dance of supporting team members through the ebbs and flows of life. It is not about being equal in the collaborative relationship at all moments but having balance across projects. It is about leading, following, listening, and voicing concerns as if it was a dance or playing music together—I don’t do either of these well, but it is what I imagine dance partners do. I also find that trust comes from being vulnerable and not feeling trounced on when you are vulnerable.  

Kira and I built our relationship by trying a collaborative project and seeing how it went. Our first attempt went well, and so here we are. While it might make sense that I led this as a seasoned faculty, I have found the strength of our work is that we are both open to one or the other leading ideas. This is a culture we leaned into together. (It is also the culture of CEL Student Scholars.)  

Question 3: We have worked together on several pieces of writing. How did that relationship develop and strengthen from your perspective? 

Kira: Caroline and I began collaborating on blog posts in the fall of 2024. Initially, I had reached out to Caroline in hopes of forming a deeper connection and relationship. We set up a meeting at The Oak House [a local coffee shop] and started brainstorming possible blog post ideas. We immediately realized the potential of our collaborative writing. I have a student perspective when it comes to attending Elon University as a neurodivergent learner, and Caroline’s insights bring a well-rounded set of ideas, questions, and perspectives. Since that initial meeting, we have worked together several more times, each time beginning with an initial brainstorming session, where we always spitball hundreds of ideas before landing on a topic and subject we both feel passionate about. The experience of writing with Caroline has deepened our relationship significantly. We have been able to have very intellectual conversations and offer each other suggestions to further our thoughts. It has given me the chance to connect with a professor like I never had before, where we have mutual respect and continue to help each other grow as individuals, both in our professional and personal lives.  

Caroline: I am writing after Kira wrote her thoughts, and so it feels right to respond in some way. I tend to enter collaborative relationships with students as partners. I am able to co-write in their voice and not feeling the need to make it my voice. I have learned over time that it isn’t easy for many to do this type of co-writing. I thrive in this and have found Kira a collaborative partner who also thrives in this type of writing. It has been fun to watch her find her voice and lead me on topics that are meaningful to our audiences. It has been meaningful to talk with her about her experiences and her next steps. This blog specifically was born out of having different academic paces than some of our colleagues—which is not bad, but important to recognize. 

Our Experiences Around Neurodivergence 

Question 4: What was the role of neurodivergence in this particular partnership? 

Caroline: We asked each other how the topic of neurodivergence fits into this topic, and what I would say is it is a part of our shared work, but does not impact our collaborative writing. Kira is dyslexic, and we had the conversation very early about that as part of our collaborative writing. It was a vulnerability that we talked through, and I think she has found freedom to write while knowing I am supporting ideas, not the mechanics of her writing. We address mechanics later, but only after she has a chance to read through our drafts. I hope she feels that freedom, but also recognizes that she is likely spending extra time in this writing process to “perfect” her contributions.  

Kira: As Caroline mentioned, we felt it was critical to discuss neurodivergence and its impact on our collaborative writing. As a dyslexic, I often struggle with spelling words correctly right away. Regardless of tutoring, this has always been the case. This was usually seen as a roadblock in my academic success and the root of a lot of my anxiety when it came to working in groups. I was fearful that my peers would judge or not understand my spelling. While this did not happen often, it happened enough times for me to lose confidence in my overall writing skills.  

Having a strong connection with Caroline and knowing we have a shared understanding of neurodivergence, it was easy for me to step outside of my comfort zone and write from my heart whenever we began a blog post together. Yes, the Word document is always filled with red lines under several words, but Caroline helped me see that writing without all the anxieties of getting it all right made it much more enjoyable. I was able to truly express myself. This is a wonderful feeling, and something I am very grateful for. Having a mindset like this is necessary when it comes to working and collaborating with neurodivergent peers.  

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We hope this conversation shows readers how collaborative writing can build and flourish. We also want to highlight that sharing our perspectives on growing to work together in this format continued the process of building trust in this partnership. The importance of communication, sharing appreciation, and valuing each other for the time and vulnerability we both bring is the joy. Stay tuned, as we have more to say … together.   

About the Authors 

Kira Campagna is a 2024–2026 Center for Engaged Learning (CEL) Student Scholar, collaborating with participants in the CEL Research Seminar on Affirming and Inclusive Engaged Learning for Neurodivergent Students. She is majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Environmental Education. Learn more about the current Student Scholars. 

Caroline J. Ketcham is a professor of Exercise Science at Elon University and a seminar leader for the 2024–2026 CEL Research Seminar on Affirming and Inclusive Engaged Learning for Neurodivergent Students. She served as the 2021–2023 CEL Scholar, focusing on Supporting Neurodiverse and Physically Disabled Students in Engaged Learning. In 2023, she received Elon’s Distinguished Scholar Award.  

How to Cite This Post 

Campagna, Kira, and Caroline J. Ketcham. 2025. “A Conversation on What Matters: Collaborative Writing.” Center for Engaged Learning (blog), Elon University. September 12, 2025. https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/a-conversation-on-what-matters-collaborative-writing.