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saved by11 people, first byConcepción Abraira Fernández on 2008-04-28, last byAna Falcon on 2008-08-13

  • One behaviour in online groups that has been extensively studied is that of the non-participating members, termed the ‘lurkers’ - Etienne Wenger[2] calls them Legitimate Peripheral Participants. Lurkers are widely known to be among the majority of defined members and they have been found to make up over 90% of most online groups. They are perhaps the most important members in view of their potential to contribute to online groups.
    • online learning communities are grown, not built

    • online learning communities need leaders

    • personal narrative is vital to online learning communities.
    • online learning communities are grown, not built

    • online learning communities need leaders

    • personal narrative is vital to online learning communities.
  • Clark contends that “leaders are needed to define the environment, keep it safe, give it purpose, identity and keep it growing”. He gives a set of mantras for teacher/leaders in any online community:



    • all you need is love

    • control the environment, not the group

    • lead by example

    • let lurkers lurk

    • short leading questions get conversations going

    • be personally congratulatory and inquisitive

    • route information in all directions

    • care about the people in the community; this cannot be faked

    • understand consensus and how to build it, and sense when it's been built and just not recognised, and when you have to make a decision despite all the talking.


    He cites confirmation that “personal narrative is vital to online learning communities. Personal stories and experiences add closeness, and provide identity, thus strengthening online communities.”

  • He gives a set of mantras for teacher/leaders in any online community:



    • all you need is love

    • control the environment, not the group

    • lead by example

    • let lurkers lurk

    • short leading questions get conversations going

    • be personally congratulatory and inquisitive

    • route information in all directions

    • care about the people in the community; this cannot be faked

    • understand consensus and how to build it, and sense when it's been built and just not recognised, and when you have to make a decision despite all the talking.
    • all you need is love

    • control the environment, not the group

    • lead by example

    • let lurkers lurk
  • William Klemm has a more pragmatic approach[9, 10] to student participation, one that tends to coerce the engagement of post-secondary students in online collaborative learning. A minimum level of online participation as well as a deliverable piece of work relevant to the community activity is a mandatory course requirement. Many universities adopt a similar approach in order to ensure minimum online engagement of each student in collaborative study.
  • her guidelines[14] for growing communities within a class of students:



    • communicate frequently with the class

    • make as much interaction public as possible

    • create a space for non-classroom-related interaction

    • understand the limitations and strengths of the technology you're using in terms of fostering interaction

    • ask questions often, and interact with students in the forum you have devised for class interaction.