Social network analysis for peer inclusion in undergraduate online discussions

Abstract

Asynchronous Online Discussion (AOD) is useful for learning at university, but it loses effectiveness as student participation decreases. This study provides a method based on Social Network Analysis (SNA) that addresses this issue, by identifying students with a high potential for peer-to-peer inclusion during asynchronous debates. To test this method, we created discussion forums in Moodle and examined the interactions of 93 undergraduate students in the field of Educational Sciences. We analysed the social networks that emerged from the discussions, including 1818 connections. The results showed that some students had more closeness centrality and were more accessible than the others. Once this group was identified, the teacher was then able to encourage those students to include others with less active participation in the discussions. Peer-to-peer inclusion made sense when there were participants who engaged in the debate but did not easily get a response from their classmates. This study leads the way for more research on the effectiveness of teaching strategies based on SNA, specifically on removing barriers to learning and participation in AOD with university students.

Keywords

• Discussion
• Social learning
• Didactic use of computer
• Educational technology
• Network analysis
• University