Building and Analyzing Node-Link Diagrams to Understand Social Networks

Abstract

A common trend in online learning involves a focus on interactivity (how learners engage with others in the online classroom) and long-term social interactions over time (for competitive advantages). This presentation will introduce a software program that creates node-link diagrams to map social networks to show connections between centers and peripheries, the thick nodes and the thin ones, and some of the conclusions that may be drawn from these visualizations. Social network analysis has been used in a variety of fields: epidemiology, terror group analysis, cultural analysis, and even online learning. This will include a smattering of some of the findings of the research on social networks. This may include the analysis of some homegrown data from an institution of higher education in Kansas