Engagement in Social Learning: Detecting Engagement in Online Communities of Practice

Pesare, Enrica; Roselli, Teresa; Rossano, Veronica

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-42070-7_15

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…(2003), an online community of practice (OCOP) has three main characteristics: (a) an individual's involvement requires some knowledge of the domain area, (b) members must interact and learn in collaboration with one another by helping each other and sharing information, and (c) members should build a shared collection of online resources such as stories, experiences and methods of addressing recurring problems. The advantages of OCOPs are the ability to connect members, to share information and to promote an effective engagement in the learning process (Pesare et al., 2017), mitigating distance hinderers and time limitation due to busy life, increase knowledge‐sharing opportunities and engage in collaborative activities (Jesionkowska, 2020; Pesare et al., 2017). The popularity of OCOPs and their potential benefits have been explored in previous studies, with one significant stream of research focusing on the reasons that members contribute their time and knowledge to these communities (Kumi & Sabherwal, 2018).…”

Section: Research Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Through engagement, members of an OCOP share their experiences and learn from each other (Kumi & Sabherwal, 2018). As already mentioned, OCOPs mitigate distance hinderers, time limitation due to an adult's busy life, increase knowledge‐sharing opportunities, engage in collaborative activities and sustain these interactions (Jesionkowska, 2020; Pesare et al., 2017). Therefore, it is necessary to identify what may facilitate and hinder online adults' engagement in OCOPs and its potential impact on learning processes.…”

Section: Research Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, it is necessary to identify what may facilitate and hinder online adults' engagement in OCOPs and its potential impact on learning processes. In summary, researchers have focused on the online adult learning in OCOPs to explore adult learners' characteristics in these communities and identify facilitators and hinderers which may interplay with their online engagements because, as we mentioned above, engagement has been identified as a key aspect in an online community to sustain interest and to promote the willingness to collaborate in exchanging information between members (Pesare et al., 2017). Therefore, the scope of this systematic review is primarily on the online learning, both for community and for adults.…”

Section: Research Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Online Communities of Practice (OCOPs) fit within this definition as they are informal groups of individuals engaged in a common practice or interest to share ideas, exchange information and seek advice (Cho, 2016; Gunawardena et al., 2009; Kumi & Sabherwal, 2018; Zhang & Watts, 2003). OCOPs mitigate the hinderers of distance, time limitation and members' isolation and increase opportunities for knowledge sharing, engaging in collaborative activities and sustaining these interactions (Jesionkowska, 2020; Pesare et al., 2017). OCOPs use internet‐connected communication to facilitate interactions through online technologies such as group discussion, question‐answer mechanisms, online discussion, instant messaging and social groups (Kumi & Sabherwal, 2018; Sadeghi & Kardan, 2015; Yilmaz & Yilmaz, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adult learning in online communities of practice: A systematic review

Abedini

Abedin

Zowghi

2021

Brit J Educational Tech

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Adult learning is a lifelong process whereby knowledge is formed through the transformation of adults' experience. Research on online adult learning has been on the rise in recent years, thanks to the innovative opportunities provided to adults by digital technologies. Online communities of practice (OCOPs) a one of such opportunities, which offer the potential to bring geographically dispersed adult learners together through a common interest. Despite an increased growth in the use of OCOPs by adults in various professional sectors, there is still a lack of understanding of the characteristics of online adult learning in OCOPs, and the facilitators and hinderers influencing engagement in these communities. This paper presents a comprehensive synthesis of research literature on online adult learning in OCOPs to understand its characteristics and what may facilitate or hinder adults' engagement in these communities. A review has been conducted using a systematic, rigorous and standard procedure, aiming to summarise and synthesise existing research on the topic and to provide analytical criticism. In total, thirty‐seven studies were included in this review. Findings revealed that members of OCOPs are independent, experience‐centred, problem‐centred, self‐motivated, goal‐oriented, and lifelong learners with the purpose to achieve professional outcomes. Moreover, the results revealed how the engagement of adults in OCOPs could lead to improving learning processes. Findings also showed that the level of engagement is influenced by aging, fatigue caused by a busy life, resistance process due to learning new technologies, lack of personal evolution, interactive learning settings, motivation, self‐regulation and competition factors. This study revealed facilitators and hinderers of engagement in OCOPs. The study extended andragogy to digital environments and contributes to the theory by making sense of characteristic of adult learning in OCOPs. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic The importance of lifelong learning for adults in the digital era has been stressed by past studies. Digital technologies have offered new opportunities for professional adults to continuously develop their skills and knowledge. Online communities of practice can facilitate self‐directed and individual‐centred learning. What this paper adds Enhances our understanding of online adult learners as lifelong learners taking advantage of OCOPs for professional and personal development. Provides a systematic literature review (SLR) of recent studies on online adult learners' characteristics. Presents facilitators and hinderers of adults' engagement in OCOPs. Makes recommendations on future research and practice into lifelong learning in the digital era. Implications for practice and/or policy There is a need to reframe the way lifelong learning via OCOPs is defined, to account for adults' needs more effectively, where individuals are better engaged to share their experiences that are valuable to them and connects them with their peers to build sustainable online communities.

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Section: Research Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Adult learning in online communities of practice: A systematic review

Abedini

Abedin

Zowghi

2021

Brit J Educational Tech

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“…Furthermore, the next step is to identify the subject of interest of the user's participation. As defined in [32] the indicators of engagement are based on the participation both in social life of the community (interaction with other participants) and in the knowledge building activities (interaction with the knowledge resources).…”

Section: B Engagement Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visualizing student engagement in e-learning environment

Pesare

Roselli

Rossano

2016

International Conferences on Distributed Multimedia Systems

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Abstract-The learning assessment in e-learning contexts is one of the latest challenges for educational technology researchers. One of the main issues to be addressed is the definition of dimensions that should be used to measure the learning effectiveness. In this perspective, the research work aims at defining the engagement indicators useful to assess the active participation of students in social learning environments. Moreover, the paper presents the design and implementation of Learning Dashboards aimed at visualizing the student engagement in online communities where the engagement and involvement of students are the key factors for successful learning.

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