Accuracy of Web Survey Data: The State Of Research on Factual Questions in Surveys

Surveys have long become a standard data collection tool. In more recent times web surveys have become particularly popular given their cost-effectiveness on one hand, and the ubiquitous nature of the internet and the World Wide Web on the other. Regardless of the type of survey, a number of issues still challenge survey researchers and practitioners. The accuracy of data collected for socio-demographic and other factual –type research questions is of utmost importance if the researcher is to make any claim about the data collected. Accuracy as characteristic of data quality is perhaps the most important issue of all. This paper specifically reviews the body of literature on work completed on data quality and identifies and analyzes studies on accuracy and reliability of data. This paper critically examines the most significant published research in the literature that addresses the issue of accuracy and reliability of survey data. Specifically, this review addresses and critique existing research methods, identifies and discusses important limitations, and concludes with a discourse on key questions to be answered and suggestions for future research

Computer Science Educators’ Use of Twitter for Conference Engagements: A Grounded Theory Analysis

This study explored how computer science education community used Twitter as a conference backchannel. Using Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology, four themes and ten categories emerged. These themes are: Promote Scholarship; Connect, Promote and Extend the Research Community; Engage in Professional Learning; Humanise the Conference Space. Participants using the conference backchannel contributed to the scholarly discourse, extended the reach of the conferences they attended. They benefitted from various discourses, gained publicity, engaged in networking opportunities, enhanced their own professional learning while extending care for other participants. The findings of this study have implications for the computer science education research community. The study provides insights to organisers on how to extend and enhance conference experiences. For researchers, attendees and users of research output, the study demonstrates tangible benefits of connecting, networking and professional learning. For those responsible for assessing researchers’ contribution to scholarship, this study highlights researchers’ engagement in public scholarship. Opportunities for future research are identified

Learners on the periphery: lurkers as invisible learners

Lurkers, who are also known as silent learners, observers, browsers, read-only participants, vicarious learners, free-riders, witness learners, or legitimate peripheral participants (our preferred term), tend to be hard to track in a course because of their near invisibility. We decided to address this issue and to examine the perceptions that lurkers have of their behaviour by looking at one specific online learning course: CLMOOC. In order to do this, we used a mixed methods approach and collected our data via social network analysis, online questionnaires, and observations, including definitions from the lurkers of what they thought lurking was. We then analysed the data by using social network and content analyses and interpreted the research findings using the concept Community of Practice, with the Pareto Principle used to delimit types of learner. Our research findings revealed that lurking is a complex behaviour, or set of behaviours, and there isn’t one sole reason why lurkers act the ways that they do in their respective communities. We concluded that for a more participatory community the more active, experienced or visible community members could develop strategies to encourage lurkers to become more active and to make the journey from the periphery to the core of the community

Rethinking lurking

No abstract available

Rethinking lurking

No abstract available

Understanding lurkers in online learning communities

In an open online learning community there are different types of learners. Hill (2013) identified four: Lurkers: Enroll, just observe/sample a few items at most. Drop-Ins: Become partially/fully active participants for a select topic within the course, do not attempt to complete the entire course. Passive Participants: View course as content to consume, expect to be taught. Active Participants: Fully participate. Though other learner types are known, lurkers are more of a mystery in the literature since they are generally invisible in contrast to other learner types. We propose the following research questions: Why do people lurk in online communities? Is it a lack of confidence, competence or something else? Is there one main reason for lurking, or a variety of different reasons? What shifts a lurker into becoming an active member? Our participation in open online courses over recent years has prompted each of us to think about these issues. Until recently there had not been much research into looking at the different motivations of these silent participants – who can often form the majority of members of such communities (Sun 2014) and our research aims to address that gap by adding to the positive literature about lurkers. This presentation summarises the results of our ongoing research about lurker motivations in one open online course, where Twitter was one of the main platforms for learner participation (#CLMooc). Much of the literature about lurkers focuses on what they do not do. In our research we focus instead on what they actually do and argue that, contrary to popular belief, lurking can be a positive action that empowers independent learners. We begin by sharing our social network analysis (SNA) of #CLMooc tweets and explain how we used this to identify and contact potential lurkers. We then discuss the findings from our interviews with our lurkers explaining how we use these to refine models in the current literature. Some lurkers believe that they benefit as much from lurking as they would do by actively participating (Sun, 2014). Although this might conflict with social constructivist principles, there is evidence from research into peer review (e.g. David Nicol’s REAP and PEER projects) that suggests learners can learn more from seeing how their peers would approach questions than from answering questions themselves, and we will ask whether online lurking has the same positive effect and is actually vicarious learning. We conclude our presentation by suggesting that online lurking be understood not as freeloading, but as a cognitive apprenticeship (Lave & Wenger 1991), and asking how lurkers can make the transition to become active members of a community. We consider possible strategies for motivating participation from quieter members and invite an audience discussion about strategies for encouraging active learning

A Taxomomy of Personas

No abstract available

An analysis of peer reviewed publications on openness in education in half a century: trends and patterns in the open hemisphere

Openness in education is an evolving concept which is shaped by the changing needs of societies, cultures, geographies, and economies, thus, it does not have a precise definition. By focusing on four sets of generic keywords - open education, open learning, open educational resources (OERs), and open educational practices (OEPs) - this paper examines research in openness in education through a systematic review of peer reviewed literature. In doing so, the researchers sought to draw attention to existing trends and patterns and possible future trajectories of openness in education. Content analysis, social network analysis, and text-mining are the methods used for data collection and analysis. Findings show that there has been growing interest on openness in education, particularly on OERs, across different fields. Findings also point to OEPs as an emerging area of study, which offers a fertile ground for future research. However, on closer inspection, a divide can be observed between the global north and global south in terms of research output

On lurking: Multiple perspectives on lurking within an educational community

Lurkers, or as defined in this research, Legitimate Peripheral Participants (LPPs), have been a fundamental aspect of online communities and more research is needed to better understand them. This paper, therefore, examines lurkers in a mixed-method study through the lenses of Transactional Distance, Interaction Types, and Self-Determination Theory and aims to identify their defining features. The findings show that the degree of engagement of any particular LPP is influenced by different aspects of distance and interaction. Time, as an external factor, and lack of interest, as an internal factor, emerge to be the most influential considerations; but a combination of these factors can also lead learners to be an LPP. Characteristic words to define LPPs seem to be ones that have positive connotations and indicate that LPPs learn through less active and visible methods than other learners

Understanding lurkers in online learning communities

In an open online learning community there are different types of learners. Hill (2013) identified four: Lurkers: Enroll, just observe/sample a few items at most. Drop-Ins: Become partially/fully active participants for a select topic within the course, do not attempt to complete the entire course. Passive Participants: View course as content to consume, expect to be taught. Active Participants: Fully participate. Though other learner types are known, lurkers are more of a mystery in the literature since they are generally invisible in contrast to other learner types. We propose the following research questions: Why do people lurk in online communities? Is it a lack of confidence, competence or something else? Is there one main reason for lurking, or a variety of different reasons? What shifts a lurker into becoming an active member? Our participation in open online courses over recent years has prompted each of us to think about these issues. Until recently there had not been much research into looking at the different motivations of these silent participants – who can often form the majority of members of such communities (Sun 2014) and our research aims to address that gap by adding to the positive literature about lurkers. This presentation summarises the results of our ongoing research about lurker motivations in one open online course, where Twitter was one of the main platforms for learner participation (#CLMooc). Much of the literature about lurkers focuses on what they do not do. In our research we focus instead on what they actually do and argue that, contrary to popular belief, lurking can be a positive action that empowers independent learners. We begin by sharing our social network analysis (SNA) of #CLMooc tweets and explain how we used this to identify and contact potential lurkers. We then discuss the findings from our interviews with our lurkers explaining how we use these to refine models in the current literature. Some lurkers believe that they benefit as much from lurking as they would do by actively participating (Sun, 2014). Although this might conflict with social constructivist principles, there is evidence from research into peer review (e.g. David Nicol’s REAP and PEER projects) that suggests learners can learn more from seeing how their peers would approach questions than from answering questions themselves, and we will ask whether online lurking has the same positive effect and is actually vicarious learning. We conclude our presentation by suggesting that online lurking be understood not as freeloading, but as a cognitive apprenticeship (Lave & Wenger 1991), and asking how lurkers can make the transition to become active members of a community. We consider possible strategies for motivating participation from quieter members and invite an audience discussion about strategies for encouraging active learning