Informal Learning in Online Knowledge Communities: Predicting Community Response to Visitor Inquiries

Nicolae Nistor, Mihai Dascălu, Lucia Larise Stavarache, Yvonne Serafin, Stefan Trausan-Matu

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference Article in proceedingAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    Informal learning in online knowledge communities (OKCs) comprises visitor inquiries on specific topics. Learning can occur only if the OKC adequately respond. This study aims to predict OKC response, using a social learning analytics approach based on computational linguistics and Bakhtin’s theory of dialogism. Observing the blog topic (cooking vs. politics & economics) and the visitor inquiry format (off-topic vs. on-topic), a field experiment with a 2 × 2 factorial design was conducted on a sample of N = 68 blogger communities with a total of 25,303 members. For the entire sample, the community response was influenced only by the inquiry format. In a separate examination of experimental groups, only for one examined topic (cooking) this remained true, while for the other (politics & economics) the community response only depended on the previously established dialog quality. The findings suggest identification criteria for responsive communities, which can support OKC integration in learning environments.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationDesign for Teaching and Learning in a Networked World
    Subtitle of host publication10th European Conf. on Technology Enhanced Learning, EC-TEL 2015, Toledo, Spain, September 15-18, 2015, Proceedings
    EditorsGráinne Conole, Tomaž Klobučar, Christoph Rensing, Johannes Konert, Élise Lavoué
    PublisherSpringer International Publishing AG
    Pages447–452
    ISBN (Electronic)978-3-319-24258-3
    ISBN (Print)978-3-319-24257-6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2015
    Event10th European Conference on Technology-Enhanced Learning EC-TEL 2015: Design for Teaching and Learning in a Networked World - Toledo, Spain
    Duration: 15 Sept 201518 Sept 2015
    http://ectel2015.httc.de/index.php?id=693

    Publication series

    SeriesLecture Notes in Computer Science
    Volume9307
    ISSN0302-9743

    Conference

    Conference10th European Conference on Technology-Enhanced Learning EC-TEL 2015
    Abbreviated titleEC-TEL 2015
    Country/TerritorySpain
    CityToledo
    Period15/09/1518/09/15
    Internet address

    Keywords

    • Social learning analytics
    • Computational linguistics
    • Informal learning
    • Online knowledge communities

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