Content analysis: What are they talking about?

Quantitative content analysis is increasingly used to surpass surface level analyses in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (e.g., counting messages), but critical reflection on accepted practice has generally not been reported. A review of CSCL conference proceedings revealed a general vagueness in definitions of units of analysis. In general, arguments for choosing a unit were lacking and decisions made while developing the content analysis procedures were not made explicit. In this article, it will be illustrated that the currently accepted practices concerning the ‘unit of meaning’ are not generally applicable to quantitative content analysis of electronic communication. Such analysis is affected by ‘unit boundary overlap’ and contextual constraints having to do with the technology used. The analysis of e-mail communication required a different unit of analysis and segmentation procedure. This procedure proved to be reliable, and the subsequent coding of these units for quantitative analysis yielded satisfactory reliabilities. These findings have implications and recommendations for current content analysis practice in CSCL research

Social network analysis for technology-enhanced learning: review and future directions

Sie, R. L. L., Ullmann, T. D., Rajagopal, K., Cela, K., Bitter-Rijpkema, M., & Sloep, P. B. (2012). Social network analysis for technology-enhanced learning: review and future directions. International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 4(3/4), 172-190.By nature, learning is social. The interactions by which we learn from others inherently form a network of relationships among people, but also between people and resources. This paper gives an overview of the potential social network analysis (SNA) may have for social learning. It starts with an overview of the history of social learning and how SNA may be of value. The core of the paper outlines the state-of-art of SNA for technology-enhanced learning (TEL), by means of four possible types of SNA applications: visualisation, analysis, simulation, and interventions. In an outlook, future directions of SNA research for TEL are provided

An application of social network analysis to knowledge building

Paper presented at the structured poster symposium of AERA Annual Meeting 2003Theme: Probing individual, social, and cultural aspects of knowledge buildingThis paper is a design study that explores the use of server log data to guide knowledge building. We use the Analytic Toolkit for Knowledge Forum™ (KF) and techniques from social network analysis to analyze participation and interactivity in two KF databases. In doing so, we connect individual measures on the use of KF features with measures that probe collaboration at a more systemic level. In this, we are attempting to move from a view of assessment that in our view is overly individual (Chan & van Aalst, in press). The first case study is drawn from a grade 4 class studying electricity and First Nations issues; the second study is drawn from a grade 9 class preparing for the International Baccalaureate Program. In each case, the results uncover useful information about participation and interactivity. In the first study, there were correlations between the use of KF features and the social network variables that deteriorated over time; there also was a lack of reciprocity in the interactions. The students in the second study used the features of KF more extensively, which was accompanied by more reciprocity. In that study there were no significant relationships between the use of KF features and the social network variables. We emphasize not the findings of the studies themselves, but argue that analyses like these be used to inform a class’s ongoing efforts to improve its knowledge building discourse.postprin

Framework for analyzing online asynchronous discussion by integrating content analysis and social network analysis

Online Asynchronous Discussion (OAD) is a powerful way to conduct online conversation and a significant component of online learning. Unfortunately, existing Learning Management System (LMS) that generally provides online discussion cannot afford a comprehensive evaluation on the content of the transcripts and the level of interaction among participants. Therefore, this research explores the analysis process of OAD qualitatively and quantitatively. The work focuses on Content Analysis (CA) and Social Network Analysis (SNA), two popular methods employed by educators and researchers to analyze online discussion in e-learning environment. Although these two methods are well established, the techniques remain manual. Furthermore, presently, these two methods of analysis are conducted and studied independently. Hence, this research proposes a new framework integrating CA with SNA called CASNA, which provides comprehensive information of the result, and automation of the processes. CASNA is applied and embedded in LMS (Moodle) to validate the proposed framework. This research also introduces sentence as the unit of interaction instead of message to assess the level of participation among students. In addition, in order to qualitatively analyze the online discussion, two text classifiers; the Support Vector Machine (SVM) and the Back-propagation Neural Network (BPNN) approaches are employed to categorize the sentences based on Soller’s model and the results are compared. The evaluation of these two classifiers is done based on precision, accuracy, recall and F-Measure. The result shows that SVM outperform BPNN in terms of precision and accuracy; falls behind BPNN in terms of recall and F-Measure. This research also discusses the use of network indicators of SNA. Adjacency matrix, graph theory and network analysis techniques are applied to quantitatively define the network interactions among participants. This framework takes advantage of the strength of each method and offers dynamic analysis of the textual messages. It is expected to be more informative to educators as well as researchers in measuring the quality and quantity of OAD

L’apprentissage coopératif en ligne à travers de la plateforme Campus Andaluz Virtual. Une analyse des interactions

One of the most important aspects of cooperative group work is the type of interactions that take place within the group, either among students or between students and the teachers responsible for the group dynamic. If the quality of these interactions is the key element in face-to-face teaching, then it is even more so when tasks are performed out online. This research aims to analyse empirically the phases of cooperative work, its timeline development and the structural factors of the interactions in the learning processes that occur in the performance of cooperative work and in activities within distance learning contexts via digital platforms. To meet this objective, the teachers responsible organized the students into eight secondary groups from the nine universities in the region of Andalusia enrolled in academic year 2008/09, within the framework of the «Intervening in risky behaviour» elective course offered on the Campus Andaluz Virtual. The methodology used was the analysis of activity registers in discussion forums. This article describes how the investigation developed, the tools and resources used, the methodological strategies, and the main results and conclusions. The latter highlight the importance of the teacher-tutor’s actions as the dynamic element in online cooperative work, the fact that the frequency of interactions within the group is a winning factor in the success of learning communities, and the confirmation of the potential of the Net and virtual teaching for the performance of collaborative tasks in which processes of shared reflection are developed.Uno de los aspectos más importantes de los grupos de trabajo cooperativo es el tipo de interacciones que dentro de éstos se producen, bien sea entre el alumnado participante o de éste con el profesorado encargado de dinamizar los grupos. Si la calidad de estas interacciones es clave en la docencia presencial aún lo es más si cabe cuando las actividades se realizan on-line. Mediante esta investigación se pretende analizar empíricamente las fases del trabajo cooperativo, su desarrollo temporal y los factores estructurales de las interacciones en los procesos de aprendizaje que se producen en la realización de actividades cooperativas, en contextos de enseñanza a distancia, a través de plataformas digitales. Para el objetivo propuesto, en el marco de la docencia en el Campus Andaluz Virtual de la asignatura de libre configuración «Intervención sobre conductas de riesgo», el profesorado responsable organizó ocho grupos secundarios entre los estudiantes, de las nueve universidades andaluzas, matriculados en ella en el curso académico 2008/09. Como método se utilizó el análisis de los registros de participación en los foros de discusión. en este artículo se describen el desarrollo de la investigación, las herramientas y recursos utilizados, las estrategias metodológicas así como los principales resultados y conclusiones, entre las que cabe destacar la importancia de la acción del profesor tutor como dinamizador del trabajo cooperativo on-line, el hecho de que la frecuencia de las interacciones en el grupo es un factor que facilita el logro de comunidades de aprendizaje y la comprobación del potencial de la Red y de la enseñanza virtual para la realización de actividades colaborativas donde se desarrollen procesos de reflexión compartida.L’analyse du travail coopératif nous montre l’importance des interactions qui s’établissent entre les groupes, que ce soit entre débutants, ou entre débutants et enseignants, et les dynamisent. Si la qualité de ces interactions est essentielle quand on parle d’apprentissage traditionnel, elle est d’autant plus importante si l’on parle d’apprentissage en ligne. Cette recherche avait pour objectif l’analyse empirique des phases du travail coopératif, son développement temporal et l’observation des facteurs structuraux de ces interactions dans les processus d’apprentissage, pendant la réalisation des activités coopératives en ligne, à travers des plateformes digitales. en réalité à partir de la plateforme Campus Andaluz Virtual et dans le cadre d’une matière à choix appelée «Intervention dans conduites à risque», les enseignants ont organisé huit groupes composés d’étudiants appartenant aux neuf universités andalouses, durant l’année académique 2008/2009. La méthode utilisée a été l’analyse des enregistrements de participations aux forums de débat. Cet article décrit le développement de la recherche, les outils et ressources utilisés, les stratégies méthodologiques et les principaux résultats, ainsi que les conclusions. entre celles ci, il faut remarquer l’importance du dynamisme du professeur lors du travail coopératif en ligne. Il faut souligner aussi le fait que la fréquence des interactions en groupe est un élément positif pour les communautés d’apprentissage. Le potentiel de l’enseignement en ligne pour la réalisation d’activités en collaboration, durant lesquelles on développe des processus de réflexion a été vérifié

Mapping Extremism: The Network Politics of the Far-Right

In recent decades, political parties espousing extreme nationalist, xenophobic, and even outright racist platforms have enjoyed variable success in national elections across Europe. While a vibrant research literature has sought to better understand the sources of support for such parties, remarkably little attention has been paid to the interplay between parties and the broader social networks of extremism in which they are embedded. To remedy this deficiency, the present study examines the relations between far-right parliamentary parties and their extra-parliamentary networks. One level of analysis tests whether there is a relationship between a party’s position within a network and its sustainability. Social network analysis is employed to assess the nature and structure of ties between Belgian organizations online. In addition, systematic textual analysis of website content is used to determine how a party’s ideological position within the network impacts its sustainability. The second level of analysis is a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with members of Flemish nationalist organization in order to better understand how actors experience social networks. Evidence suggests that the most sustainable parties are those that have dense connections with other nationalist organizations. Mapping relations between far-right parties that compete openly within the rules of institutionalized democracy and their wider social networks can provide important policy-relevant insight into contemporary challenges posed by illiberal forces

Wikis in higher education

For many years universities communicated generic graduate attributes (e.g. global citizenship) their students have acquired after studying. Graduate attributes are skills and competencies that are relevant for both employability and other aspects of life (Barrie, 2004). Over the past years and due to the Bologna Process, the focus on competencies has also found its way into universities' curricula. As a consequence, curricula were adapted in order to convey students both in-depth knowledge of a particular area as well as generic competences (Bologna Working Group on Qualifications Framework, 2005, Appendix 8). For example, students with a Master's degree should be able to “communicate their conclusions, and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these, to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously” (p. 196). This shift has been supported by the demand of the labour market for students that have achieved social and personal competencies, in addition to in-depth knowledge (Heidenreich, 2011). On course level, this placed emphasis on collaborative learning, which had led to “greater autonomy for the learner, but also to greater emphasis on active learning, with creation, communication and participation” (Downes, 2005). The shift to collaborative learning has been supported by existing learning theories and models (Brown et al., 1989; Lave and Wenger, 1991; Vygotsky, 1978), which could explain the educational advantages. For example, collaborative learning has proved to promote critical thinking and communications skills (Johnson and Johnson, 1994; Laal and Ghodsi, 2012). As Haythornthwaite (2006) advocates: “collaborative learning holds the promise of active construction of knowledge, enhanced problem articulation, and benefits exploring and sharing information and knowledge gained from peer-to-peer communication” (p. 10). The term collaboration defies clear definition (Dillenbourg, 1999). In this article, cooperation is seen as the division of labour in tasks, which allows group members to work independently, whereas collaboration needs continuous synchronisation and coordination of labour (Dillenbourg et al., 1996; Haythornthwaite, 2006). Therefore, cooperation allows students to subdivide task assignments, work relatively independent, and to piece the results together to one final product. In contrast, collaboration is seen as a synchronous and coordinated effort of all students to accomplish their task assignment resulting in a final product where “no single hand is visible” (Haythornthwaite, 2006, p. 12). Due to the debate about digital natives (Prensky, 2001) and “students' heavy use of technology” in private life (Luo, 2010, p. 32), teachers have started to explore possible applications of modern technology in teaching and learning. Especially wikis have become popular and gained reasonable attention in higher education. Wikis have been used to support collaborative learning (e.g. Cress and Kimmerle, 2008), collaborative writing (e.g. Naismith et al., 2011), and student engagement (e.g. Neumann and Hood, 2009). A wiki is a “freely expandable collection of interlinked Web ‘pages’, a hypertext system for storing and modifying information - a database, where each page is easily editable by any user” (Leuf and Cunningham, 2001, p. 14; italics in original). Thereby, wikis enable the collaborative construction of knowledge (Alexander, 2006). With the intention to take advantage of the benefits connected with collaborative learning, this doctoral thesis focuses on the facilitation of collaboration in wikis to leverage collaborative learning. The doctoral thesis was founded on a constructivist understanding of reality. The research is associated with three different research areas: adoption of IT, computer-supported collaborative learning, and learning analytics. After reviewing existing literature, three focal points were identified that correspond to the research gaps in these research areas: factors influencing students' use of wikis, assessment of collaborative learning, and monitoring of collaboration. The aims of this doctoral thesis were (1) to investigate students' intentions to adopt and barriers to use wikis in higher education, (2) to develop and evaluate a method for assessing computer-supported collaborative learning, and (3) to map educational objectives onto learning-related data in order to establish indicators for collaboration. Based on the research aims, four studies were carried out. Each study raised unique research questions that has been addressed by different methods. Thereby, this doctoral thesis presents findings covering the complete process of the use of wikis to support collaboration and thus provides a holistic view on the use of wikis in higher education.:Introduction Theoretical foundation Research areas and focal points Research aims and questions Methods Findings Conclusions References Essay 1: Factors influencing wiki collaboration in higher education Essay 2: Students' intentions to use wikis in higher education Essay 3: Facilitating collaboration in wikis Essay 4: Using fsQCA to identify indicators for wiki collaboratio