What does crowdsourcing mean?

Crowdsourcing means open interaction and problem-solving focused on a limited task. Crowdsourcing can be used to produce content for a shared digital platform, evaluate ideas, classify materials or vote among different options, for example.

Groups formed in different ways that have a common interest participate in crowdsourcing. The participation is motivated by promoting a shared cause or benefit gained through work or studies.

Concepts related to crowdsourcing include crowd wisdom, crowd creation and crowdvoting.

Crowdsourcing methods

Content production

  • producing shared content, such as text, images and presentations for a digital learning platform
  • using cloud services, social media and content sharing services to produce and share content
  • chats, virtual discussion forums and electronic bulletin boards in generating shared content

Brainstorming

  • a problem is brought up to be solved by the crowd
  • first, ideas are developed and then different options are voted and given a thumbs up
  • word clouds and mind maps are created based on key concepts
  • ideas are shared and discussed (chats, virtual discussion forums and electronic bulletin boards)

Categorisation

  • tagging content (tags and hashtags)
  • organising materials
  • compiling link lists

Surveys

  • asking for opinions
  • testing competence
  • voting among options

The ecosystems of working life can be used in crowdsourcing, such as the teachers’ professional, working life and social media networks, as well as similar networks formed by students on their own part. When several networks are combined, the group of crowdsourcing participants expands and becomes more diverse.

Crowdsourcing experiments in the eAMK project

Digital crowdsourcing with Innoduel has been described in the article ‘Ammattikorkeakoulujen eAMK -hankkeessa digitaalinen joukkoistaminen on jo arkipäivää’ (in Finnish). A webinar has also been held on the subject. The Workseed application has been used in practical training, and you can read about the experiences in the article ‘Työharjoittelua ohjaava opettaja ja oppimisen jatkuva dokumentointi’ (in Finnish). The Digipölytys blog post discussed the possibilities of crowdsourcing in an online course.

Tools and channels for crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing uses different kinds of digital tools, such as voting and survey applications, platforms suitable for joint content production and sharing, social media channels, and tools intended especially for crowdsourcing.

Tool Purpose
Answergarden word clouds out of answers
Doodle schedule surveys and selections
#edchat PLC network for teachers on Twitter
Facebook online community
Flinga communal message wall and whiteboard
Google Crowdsource development of search services via crowdsourcing
Google Forms conducting surveys
Howspace communal work platform
Innoduel inclusion and co-creation
InTo the business idea evaluation tool used by Savonia
IQPolls online voting
Jaxber mobile storing and sharing insights, feedback and knowledge for saving and sharing
Kahoot quizzes, discussions and voting
Kirjoitusalusta.fi communal writing
Kyselynetti conducting surveys
Mentimeter online voting
Moodle Q-kysely Moodle surveys
LinkedIn using professional networks
Linoit content production and brainstorming on an electronic wall
Office Forms conducting surveys
Office Planner project planning
Office Teams communal work and communication
Padlet content production and brainstorming on an electronic wall
Pinterest picture walls
Poll Everywhere online voting
Pollev.com online voting
Quizizz multiple choice tool
Skillshare sharing information and competence
Slack communal work and communication
Socrative.com surveys, opinion polls and random tests
Survey Monkey surveys and reporting the results
Teachertube video sharing service in the field of study
Tricider brainstorming, commenting and voting
Twitter reaching a large group and communication with hashtags
Viestiseinä interaction, participation and voting
Webropol surveys and reporting the results
WhatsApp instant messaging within the group
Wikipedia shared content production
Workseed managing the practical training process, remote guidance and automating communications between the student, the practical training location and the teacher
Yammer communal work and communication

Publications

Muurimäki, R., Simolin, J., Virtanen, M., & Tyrväinen, P. 2017. Digitaalinen joukkoistaminen, case innoduel. https://youtu.be/wcInEgBEXE4.

Ammattikorkeakoulujen eAMK -hankkeessa digitaalinen joukkoistaminen on jo arkipäivää. https://www.itewiki.fi/julkaisu/ammattikorkeakoulujen-eamk-hankkeessa-digitaalinen-joukkoistaminen-on-jo-arkipaivaa.

Liukkonen, J. 2018. Kirjasto- ja tietopalvelun opiskelijat testasivat workseediä. https://www.eamk.fi/fi/digipolytys/kirjasto--ja-tietopalvelun-opiskelijat-testasivat-workseedia/.

Varpelaide, H. 2019. Joukkoistamalla sisältöä verkko-opetukseen. https://www.eamk.fi/fi/digipolytys/joukkoistamalla-sisaltoa-verkko-opetukseen/.

Hakala, A. 2019. Joukkoistettu tulevaisuustyöskentely OPSin osaamisiin. Digipölytys-blogi 2.5.2019.