This document discusses lurking as a potential new learning style in online education. It defines lurkers as those who receive online communications without contributing. An estimated 90% of internet users are lurkers, and 50% of students in an online educational setting are lurkers. The document explores whether lurking is a bad thing or could be a valid learning style. It considers reasons why students may lurk, such as tools being difficult to use, feeling unwelcome, time constraints, or preferring to reflect before posting. The document suggests relabeling lurkers with terms like "listeners" and proposes activities for listeners to demonstrate their learning without posting, such as summaries, surveys, or group projects. It concludes by arguing lurking could

1. Lurking: A New Learning Style?
Jennifer Freeman , UT System TeleCampus
Michael Anderson , UT System TeleCampus

2. My Course Is Interactive
• Interactivity is the heart of my course
• But some students aren’t posting
• Yet they’re mastering the concepts!
• Can students learn without interacting?

3. What is Lurking?
• A “lurker” receives online communications without
contributing
• An estimated 90% of internet users are lurkers
• 50% in an educational setting
lurk - a : to lie in wait in a place of concealment
especially for an evil purpose b: to move furtively
or inconspicuously c : to persist in staying
- Merriam-Webster
• Negative connotations…new term needed?

4. Is Lurking a Bad Thing?
• Are lurkers just being lazy?
• Lurking seems “anti-interactive”
• Lurking makes it difficult to measure or grade
students’ participation
• Are lurkers “robbing” their peers of student-
student interaction?
• Do lurkers feel isolated?

5. Lurkers Speak Out
“I lurk because I hate to type … It feels like a
lot of meaning and immediacy gets lost in
the process.”
“Sometimes I don't post because so many
others find their voices before I can get my
own responses together & coherent.”
“…if I posted more, I'd miss some great stuff
due to time constraints…”

6. Lurkers Speak Out
“…as a new user it seems all too easy to make
'dumb mistakes' so it seems safer just to be
quiet until the interface is more familiar.”
‘I often find it difficult to enter the fray
when the conversation seems to be
dominated so much by a few individuals…”
“I definitely remember the disappointment at
not getting any response at all to my first
few posts.”

7. Why Are They Lurking?
Problems We Can Address
 Provide detailed instructions;
• Tools difficult to use provide technical support
and/or internet issues  Provide social areas; encourage the
• New to online newly de-lurked; provide “greeters”,
mentoring and prompt feedback
communication  At least one easy, non-threatening
• Don’t feel welcome topic to get started; provide surveys
or rating activities; periodically
• Time constraints create low-stress opportunities for
posting
• Pace of conversation  Management of threads; disable all
• Information overload but the current topic of conversation
 Be sure that everyone adheres to
basic netiquette; quickly censure
aggressive or inappropriate posts

8. Why Are They Lurking?
Because They Prefer It
• Shyness
• Need to process and reflect
• Fear of commitment
• Linear thinking
• Language issues
• Writing issues
• Pace of conversation

9. Traditional Learning Styles
• VARK – Fleming & Mills
(visual, auditory, read/write, kinesthetic)
• Myers-Briggs
(introvert/extrovert)
• Multiple Intelligences - Gardner
(visual, verbal, logical, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal,
intrapersonal)
• ILS – Felder & Soloman
(active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, visual/verbal, sequential/global)

10. Attributes of Lurkers
Found in Established Learning Styles
• Reflection and listening (ILS)
• Introversion vs. extroversion (Myers-Briggs)
• Sequential vs. global learning (ILS)
• Intrapersonal traits (Gardner)

11. Informal Study
Discussion Requirement < 50% of Course Grade
60 100
90
50
80
70
40
60
30 50
40
20
30
20
10
10
0 0
Discussion Requirement > 50% of Course Grade
60 100
50 80
40
60
30
40
20
10 20
0 0

12. Lurking as a Learning Style
Respecting the Lurker
• Differing levels and methods of interaction and
participation are valid and to be expected
• Forcing students into an uncomfortable situation may
decrease achievement, satisfaction and motivation
• Lurking as cognitive apprenticeship
• Giving back to the learning community doesn’t have to
be in the original forum

13. Benefits of Accepting Lurkers
• Lurkers haven’t “invested in” an opinion, and can present
a new point of view and raise new questions
• Lurkers are at the edges of the community and can
make connections, build bridges
• Student achievement, satisfaction and motivation are
increased

14. New Labels for Lurkers
• Read-only participants (Williams)
• Peripheral participants (McDonald)
• Peeps
• Observers
• Vicarious participants
• Listeners

15. Listener Activities?

16. Activities for Listeners
 Topic summaries
 Use the course statistics
 Require thread summaries (you’ll know they’re reading!)
 Anonymous posting; avatars

17. Activities for Listeners
 Surveys; rating systems
 Case studies
 Learning Logs
 Portfolios
 Literature review
 Group project (researcher role)
 Determine strengths and assign alternate tasks

18. http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html

19. http://www.oswego.edu/plsi/taketest.htm

20. http://www.learning-styles-online.com/

21. Suggestions for Learning Styles

26. References
“Are You a Lurker?” Online discussion. [http://www.well.com/conf/vc/16.html]
Felder, R. M. and B.A. Soloman. Learning Styles and Strategies.
[http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/ILSdir/styles.htm]
Fleming, N.D. and C. Mills. VARK: A Guide to Learning Styles. 1992.
“Involving Lurkers in Online Discussions.” Teaching OntheNet. LERN.
[http://www.teachingonthenet.org/articles/involvingLurkers.htm]
“Learning Styles.” Teaching and Learning With Technology. Penn State.
[http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/research/learning_styles.shtml]
McDonald, Jacquie. “Let’s Get More Positive About the Term ‘Lurker’.” CPSquare Class Project. July 2003.
[http://www.groups-that-work.com/GTWedit/GTW/lurkerprojectcopworkshopspring03rev.pdf]
Nonnecke, B. and J. Preece and D. Andrews. “The Top Five Reasons for Lurking: Improving Community
Experiences for Everyone.” Computers in Human Behavior. 2,1.
Soroka, Vladimir and Sheizaf Rafaeli. “Invisible Participants: How Cultural Capital Relates to Lurking
Behavior.” IBM Haifa Research Lab. [http://www2006.org/programme/files/xhtml/1018/p1018-soroka-
xhtml.html]
Vinson, Jack. “Lurking Builds Commonality.” Blog entry.
[http://blog.jackvinson.com/archives/2004/02/06/lurking_builds_commonality.html]
Williams, Bill. “Participation in Online Courses: How Essential is It?” Setubal Polytechnic, Portugal.

27. Jennifer Freeman
Michael Anderson