Quora is a relatively new question-and-answer site that connects users with those who have expertise about a certain topic. While there are many other sites that offer this same question-and-answer model, Quora offers many additional features that enhance the user experience. The model is both informative and social, creating a site that is a cross between Wikipedia and social-networking sites like Facebook, Pinterest, and Digg.
Because of its unique model, Quora is a great place for students to learn more about a topic or to enhance their studies. Here are just a few ways that students can use Quora to enhance their learning:
Get Authoritative Answers
The most obvious benefit of Quora for students is the availability of information. If students have questions about the material they are studying, answers are just a question away. Yet unlike some other question-and-answer sites, Quora provides measures to deliver quality, authoritative answers.
Community moderators ensure that answers are not spammy or irrelevant. In addition, users can vote on the relevancy of an answer, sending it up or down in the results. The more useful and authoritative an answer, the higher it will be voted.
Students looking for authoritative information can trust the answers found on Quora. You won't be able to quote the answers in a research paper, but you will be able to use them to guide your studies, better understand the material for self-directed learning, and find additional resources to help you engage more deeply with the material.
Build Content Catalogues
One question is not enough to exhaust all the information that you will need on a subject. Quora allows you to easily create catalogues of content around a topic in two ways: By creating topical boards and by following a topic thread or a user that you have identified as an expert.
Similar to Pinterest, you can create a board on Quora around a particular topic. You can tag items that you have written or that have been answered on Quora, allowing you to put all the information you need about a topic in one place.
You can also follow the boards that other people have created, helping you to learn even more about your topics of interest. You can also follow users who you have identified as experts in your field, alerting you to new discussions on that topic. In addition, you can follow specific questions and topics.
Creating boards and following users or topics can keep you up-to-date and better informed about your topic. Not only can you learn about all the newest information related to your topic, but you can be sure that you have been thoroughly informed about all aspects of your topic.
Know What You Don't Know
Quora has an intuitive feature that recommends related questions and answers, similar to the search recommendations featured in Google. When you start to type in your question, related searches will appear. When you get your search results, related questions will also appear there. There will even be suggestions for "best questions."
By looking through these suggestions and the related content, you can learn what you don't know. You can learn about aspects of your topic you may not have considered, and you can learn new ways of approaching the material. You get answers to questions you didn't even know you needed to ask.
In this way, Quora helps you explore a topic more thoroughly, guiding you through research. When you combine the ability to explore related content, to follow topics, boards and experts to get complete information about a topic, and to get authoritative answers, Quora provides students a personalized reference tool that can enhance learning. It becomes a sort of personal tutor, available for individuated instruction at your own pace.
Have you used Quora? What are your thoughts on how it has helped you to enhance your studies? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Audrey Porterman is the main researcher and writer for doctoralprograms.org. Her most recent accomplishment includes graduating from Ohio State, with a degree in business management. Her current focus for the site involves executive phd programs and phd in higher education.
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