Lurking: A New Learning Style

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Lurking A New Learning Style?

• Jennifer Freeman , UT System TeleCampus
• Michael Anderson , UT System TeleCampus

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My Course Is Interactive

• Interactivity is the heart of my course
• But some students arent posting
• Yet theyre mastering the concepts!
• Can students learn without interacting?

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What is Lurking?

• A lurker receives online communications without
  contributing
• An estimated 90 of internet users are lurkers
• 50 in an educational setting
• lurk - a to lie in wait in a place of
  concealment especially for an evil purpose b to
  move furtively or inconspicuously c to persist
  in staying- Merriam-Webster
• Negative connotationsnew term needed?

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Is Lurking a Bad Thing?

• Are lurkers just being lazy?
• Lurking seems anti-interactive
• Lurking makes it difficult to measure or grade
  students participation
• Are lurkers robbing their peers of
  student-student interaction?
• Do lurkers feel isolated?

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Lurkers Speak Out

• I lurk because I hate to type It feels like a
  lot of meaning and immediacy gets lost in the
  process.
• Sometimes I don't post because so many others
  find their voices before I can get my own
  responses together coherent.
• if I posted more, I'd miss some great stuff due
  to time constraints

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Lurkers Speak Out

• as a new user it seems all too easy to make
  'dumb mistakes' so it seems safer just to be
  quiet until the interface is more familiar.
• I often find it difficult to enter the fray when
  the conversation seems to be dominated so much by
  a few individuals
• I definitely remember the disappointment at not
  getting any response at all to my first few
  posts.

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Why Are They Lurking? Problems We Can Address

• Provide detailed instructions provide technical
  support
• Provide social areas encourage the newly
  de-lurked provide greeters, mentoring and
  prompt feedback
• At least one easy, non-threatening topic to get
  started provide surveys or rating activities
  periodically create low-stress opportunities for
  posting
• Management of threads disable all but the
  current topic of conversation
• Be sure that everyone adheres to basic
  netiquette quickly censure aggressive or
  inappropriate posts

• Tools difficult to use and/or internet issues
• New to online communication
• Dont feel welcome
• Time constraints
• Pace of conversation
• Information overload

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Why Are They Lurking? Because They Prefer It

• Shyness
• Need to process and reflect
• Fear of commitment
• Linear thinking
• Language issues
• Writing issues
• Pace of conversation

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Traditional Learning Styles

• VARK Fleming Mills (visual, auditory,
  read/write, kinesthetic)
• Myers-Briggs (introvert/extrovert)
• Multiple Intelligences - Gardner (visual,
  verbal, logical, kinesthetic, musical,
  interpersonal, intrapersonal)
• ILS Felder Soloman (active/reflective,
  sensing/intuitive, visual/verbal,
  sequential/global)

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Attributes of LurkersFound in Established
Learning Styles

• Reflection and listening (ILS)
• Introversion vs. extroversion (Myers-Briggs)
• Sequential vs. global learning (ILS)
• Intrapersonal traits (Gardner)

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Informal Study
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Lurking as a Learning StyleRespecting the Lurker

• Differing levels and methods of interaction and
  participation are valid and to be expected
• Forcing students into an uncomfortable situation
  may decrease achievement, satisfaction and
  motivation
• Lurking as cognitive apprenticeship
• Giving back to the learning community doesnt
  have to be in the original forum

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Benefits of Accepting Lurkers

• Lurkers havent invested in an opinion, and can
  present a new point of view and raise new
  questions
• Lurkers are at the edges of the community and can
  make connections, build bridges
• Student achievement, satisfaction and motivation
  are increased

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New Labels for Lurkers

• Read-only participants (Williams)
• Peripheral participants (McDonald)
• Peeps
• Observers
• Vicarious participants
• Listeners

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Listener Activities?
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Activities for Listeners

• Topic summaries
• Use the course statistics
• Require thread summaries (then youll know
  theyre reading!)
• Anonymous posting avatars

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Activities for Listeners

• Surveys rating systems
• Case studies
• Learning Logs
• Portfolios
• Literature review
• Group project (researcher role)
• Determine strengths and assign alternate tasks

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http//www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.htm
l
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http//www.oswego.edu/plsi/taketest.htm
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http//www.learning-styles-online.com/
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Suggestions for Learning Styles
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References

• Are You a Lurker? Online discussion.
  http//www.well.com/conf/vc/16.html
• Felder, R. M. and B.A. Soloman. Learning Styles
  and Strategies.http//www.ncsu.edu/felder-public
  /ILSdir/styles.htm
• Fleming, N.D. and C. Mills. VARK A Guide to
  Learning Styles. 1992.
• Involving Lurkers in Online Discussions.
  Teaching OntheNet. LERN. http//www.teachingonth
  enet.org/articles/involvingLurkers.htm
• Learning Styles. Teaching and Learning With
  Technology. Penn State. http//tlt.its.psu.edu/su
  ggestions/research/learning_styles.shtml
• McDonald, Jacquie. Lets Get More Positive
  About the Term Lurker. CPSquare Class Project.
  July 2003. http//www.groups-that-work.com/GTWe
  dit/GTW/lurkerprojectcopworkshopspring03rev.pdf
• Nonnecke, B. and J. Preece and D. Andrews. The
  Top Five Reasons for Lurking Improving
  Community Experiences for Everyone. Computers
  in Human Behavior. 2,1.
• Soroka, Vladimir and Sheizaf Rafaeli. Invisible
  Participants How Cultural Capital Relates to
  Lurking Behavior. IBM Haifa Research Lab.
  http//www2006.org/programme/files/xhtml/1018/p10
  18-soroka-xhtml.html
• Vinson, Jack. Lurking Builds Commonality. Blog
  entry. http//blog.jackvinson.com/archives/2004/0
  2/06/lurking_builds_commonality.html
• Williams, Bill. Participation in Online Courses
  How Essential is It? Setubal Polytechnic,
  Portugal.

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Jennifer Freemanjfreeman_at_utsystem.eduMichael
Andersonmanderson_at_utsystem.edu
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