So while I was out in LA this week, I decided to try out the ride sharing service, Lyft. For those who don't know, it basically worked like this: I downloaded and opened the Lyft app on my phone, marked where I was on a map, marked where I wanted to go, and signaled for the ride. Both times I used it, the driver rolled up less than 2 minutes later. All payment is handled in the app, which is nice. Overall, I had a pleasant experience with the service.
Lyft drivers are rated by passengers on a 1 to 5 star scale. When I requested a ride, the app displayed the driver's photo, their car and license plate, and their rating. This makes sense. The consumer should be able to get an idea of the type of experience they will get. The two drivers I got were both 4.9 out of 5s, but I'm assuming that I could say no if their ratings were low. However, I also noticed that passengers have a star rating. After I got out the car, the drivers rated me (two 5 star ratings!). This weirded me out at first, but I suppose it make sense. If I'm making the drivers wait for me, being rude, or not tipping, the drivers should know about that and be able to not provide service (since they are independent contractors).
This got me wondering about whether a similar reputation system could be useful in online learning environments. For instance, what if we all rated each other in Blackboard on 1 to 5 scale. People who are making positive contributions to the community get high ratings, while those who are just phoning it in get low ratings. Likewise, those who demonstrate collaboration and help others will also get positive ratings. Then, maybe these ratings can influence who we choose for group projects, whose advice we trusted, and who we provide help to. Our actions in Blackboard have more meaning.
Of course, there are plenty of problems with this idea. Chiefly, in my mind, it creates an atmosphere that may not be conducive to learning. We may feel like we're out to get each other, and this could interfere with collaboration and learning. Additionally, since we all know each other fairly well, there is a potential for the system to be abused to harm that one person we all hate (you know who you are). Finally, it could create a situation where all of the "bad" students are sent a "prisoner's island" so that they do not have the chance to improve.
So what do you think? Does a reputation system in an online learning environment sound at all appealing? Can you think of any learning environments that do something like this already?
I think such a system might cause more harm that good. From the instructor perspective ... it's not always possible for folks to handpick their group members (in class or in the real world -- learning to work with difficult people may not have been a class learning objective but nonetheless is important; someone has to work with those folks). It could shift a focus from learning to popularity for some folks. People who struggle to get high ratings may experience unnecessary self-esteem issues.
ReplyDeleteI think an astute instructor knows which end is up -- who is contributing and who is not, who contributes meaningful things, and not -- and can intervene in ways that help both acknowledge good performance and try to change poor performance. However, having that happen via a private backchannel is, IMHO, preferable.
I agree. It creates another stressor in what can already be a stressful situation (a class). I wrote this post with the intention of sparking debate. I never actually thought that it was a good idea. There really is no reason for it. The only potential argument could be for forming groups. But as you have noted, dealing with group issues is an important skill to learn. Assessment and feedback are better as private things.
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