Investigating Interaction Patterns in Educational Forums: A Social Networks Analysis Approach

摘要

Social networks analysis allows to study and understand the structural properties of a wide spectrum of natural or artificial systems. In the field of education, online social networks arise quite naturally in the virtual classrooms as an inherent part of the learning activities. In this work we focus in forums participation, modeling and investigating the social relationships taking place during an undergraduate course on computer networks. Our findings show significant correlations among the patterns of engagement and the structure of the networks and the students' achievements.