Crowdsourcing Education: A Role-Based Analysis

Abstract:

Learning online has significantly evolved over the past
decade due to emergence of Web 2.0 and 3.0 technologies
that facilitate social learning in adaptive online
environments. The open content movement and the associated
techniques of crowdsourcing in knowledge production have
further influenced education using the web. This chapter
investigates the concept of crowdsourcing in education
through an analysis of case studies dealing with two open
online educational communities, Peer 2 Peer University,
and PlanetMath.org. The case studies proceed via an
analysis of the various roles played by the individuals
involved in each organization. The outcomes of this
analysis are used to extract general recommendations for
building online communities and applying crowdsourcing
techniques in educational contexts.

To appear in "Collaborative Learning 2.0: Open Educational
Resources", IGI Global, 2011.