Abstract
We examine patterns of participation in an educational environment that exists solely for the purpose of providing help to those in distress. FreeMathHelp.com is a free, open, online homework help forum that is staffed by volunteers worldwide to help students to complete homework assignments in mathematics. We focus our attention on tutoring exchanges that concern related rates problems, a topic taught in introductory calculus that is often difficult for students. From social theory, the bystander effect has been used to explore online participation between members of a classroom. We propose a variant of the bystander effect in order to account for tutor participation patterns in online exchanges between anonymous participants. The Good Samaritan effect, named to capture the spirit of volunteers who come to the aid of strangers in distress, has four underlying mechanisms: self-awareness, social cues, blocking/inviting, and responsibility. The way each of these contributes to participation is discussed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Conference, CSCL |
| Pages | 430-437 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Edition | PART 2 |
| State | Published - 2008 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | International Perspectives in the Learning Sciences: Cre8ing a Learning World - 8th International Conference for the Learning Sciences, ICLS 2008 - Utrecht, Netherlands Duration: Jun 23 2008 → Jun 28 2008 |
Other
| Other | International Perspectives in the Learning Sciences: Cre8ing a Learning World - 8th International Conference for the Learning Sciences, ICLS 2008 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Netherlands |
| City | Utrecht |
| Period | 6/23/08 → 6/28/08 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Education