Assignment: Integration of the Results of Social Network Analysis in Gephi

In this assignment, we will integrate the knowledge and skills gained in the hands-on activities and apply them to the dataset available for the use in this course from the Connectivism and Connective Knowledge 2011 course (CCK11) as described in dataset for social network analysis. In this assignment, you are asked to compare the two networks (Twitter vs. blogs) for week 12 of CCK11. Specifically, you are asked to prepare a reflective report that will compare the two networks in the following aspects:

• Density and centrality measures of the networks;
• Identify if there is any overlap in the main brokers and central nodes across the two networks;
• Compare the number of the communities across the two networks and check if there are some potential similarities;
• Prepare a report (300-400 words with a few figures) outlining the main results of your analysis
  • Describe and interpret the results of all the analysis and address the above items and try to provide interpretation for the findings, such as: What does it mean if one network is denser over the other one in terms of the impact on the experience of the students in course (CCK11)? What does it mean to have brokers and central nodes in common for both networks? If you haven’t identified central nodes in common for the both networks, what does it mean in terms of integration of different social media used in a single course? What implications can you draw based on the modularity analysis and the communities identified in the two networks?
  • Reflect on the possible educational contexts in which you would apply similar analysis types. Of special importance would be to identify the learning contexts that are of direct relevance to you such as work (e.g., teaching), study (e.g., courses you are taking), or research (e.g., projects). Discuss possible questions that you would be able to address in those contexts by applying the analyses used in this assignment.
• Share your report as a blog post (preferred as it allows for the broader reach). Once you have created your blog post, please, share the blog reference (URL) on Twitter with the #dalmooc hashtag and Pro Solo.
  • Once you have posted and shared your blog on social media, please, read and engage into conversation of the blogs posted by at least two our participants of the course. The conversation can be done as direct comments on the blogs and/or via other social media used in the course.
  • When connecting with other peers, try to compare the findings presented in their reports, connect their findings with the readings you found in the course and/or elsewhere in the web. Ideally, it would be great if you could also reflect on the applicability of each other’s results in the real-world studies/contexts.

Note: In case you do not have a blog and would not like to set up a blog, please, initiate a discussion thread on the edX forum, and share the post reference (URL) on Twitter and Pro Solo as describe above.