Teacher Education Investigates MERLOT Factors that Influence Online Communities MERLOT International Conference August 3-6, 2004 Costa Mesa, California USA

Research Questions What elements assist in building and sustaining an online community? Should access to shared online resources be controlled?

Whittaker, Isaacs, and O’Day, 1997 Shared goals, interests, needs, or purpose. Shared context (conventions, language, protocols). Reciprocity of information, support, and services. Repeated active participation, commitment. Strong ties and supports among participants. Policies to determine access to shared resources.

Community Design On-going and sustained interactions. Shared purpose or goals. Shared resources with policies to control access. Reciprocity of information, support, services. Protocols or conventions to establish strong ties among participants.

Study Design http://is4.instantsurvey.com

Years of MERLOT Involvement

Initial vs. Continued Participation first motivated you reason for persistence

Keys to Productivity

Impediments to Productivity

How work gets done

Frequency of Contact

Editorial Board Characteristics

Benefits of Participation

Design Principles Activity and Object Building – allowing users to have their own space to construct and modify objects (assignments, reviews) Navigation – ease in maneuvering and using various sites within MERLOT Culture and Policies – sharing resources, help documents Whittaker, Isaacs, & O’Day, 1997

Control access to Resources? MERLOT is not a good to consume No system to monitor and sanction behaviors No threat of loss or scarcity Capacity of growing but not diminishing Distributive leadership Material resources (time, learning objects) Human capital (skills and abilities) Social capital (collective value of network, relations built on trust and collaboration)

Challenge sustains the MERLOT Community Reciprocity Repeated active participation, persistence Personal contact for strong and collegial ties among the participants Benefits outweigh costs Time Lack of professional reward

Emergent Themes Shared goals and commitment Leadership support Collegiality and networking Trust and commitment for productivity Lack of professional recognition for time commitment Distributed leadership without policing or sanctions

Round Table Are you a Cyber-Groupie?