Learning in the Wild: Exploring the Practice of Learning in Open, Online Forums

Abstract

The Internet provides many opportunities for learning from static resources to conversational spaces for questions, answers, commentary and exploration of topics of interest to participants, whether organized as Q&A sites such as Reddit, hashtag communities on Twitter, or knowledge-sharing sites such as Stack Overflow. Yet, there is limited research on how learning is happening in these spaces. This paper reviews literature and studies about learning in open, online forums to begin to synthesize what is known so far, and to set a research agenda addressing the question: How do people learn in open, online forums? The review builds on work by the author and colleagues, exploring what we refer to as ‘learning in the wild’ (in recognition of Hutchins’ “Cognition in the Wild”, and to reflect the ‘wilds’ of online forums such as Reddit). The increasing use and reach of these sites raises questions not only about what is being learned and what motivates participation in such sites, but also what kind of organization and learning practices are emerging. While it may be thought that such learning, taking place outside the bounds of institutional settings, is informal learning, the research suggests a more complicated picture, dependent on conversation, networks, membership in communities, and community practices, needing to be addressed by drawing on multiple disciplinary perspectives.