[Air-L] SoLAR Webinar: Analyzing Learning and Teaching through the Lens of Networks with Dr Sasha Poquet and Dr Bodong Chen

[Vitomir Kovanovic]

Hi all,

It is my pleasure to invite you to our April SoLAR Webinar "Analyzing Learning and Teaching through the Lens of Networks" presented by Dr Sasha Poquet from the University of South Australia, Australia, and Dr Bodong Chen from the University of Minnesota, USA.

To register, go to https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/analyzing-learning-and-teaching-through-the-lens-of-networks-registration-102270329308

Time and date: Mon April 20, 2020, 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM Eastern US time (1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Pacific US time, 9:30 PM - 10:30 PM London, UK time)
Location: Zoom (meeting URL provided in the registration email)

(Also, make sure you follow SoLAR's Eventbrite page<https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/society-for-learning-analytics-research-solar-21953992681> to get updates for the future events).

We are looking forward to seeing you at the webinar!

Kind regards,
Vitomir

Analyzing Learning and Teaching through the Lens of Networks

Networks is a popular metaphor we use to make sense of the world. Networks provide a powerful way to think about a variety of phenomena from economic and political interdependencies among countries, interactions between humans in local communities, and to protein interactions in drug development. In education, networks give ways to describe human relationships, neural activities in brains, technology-mediated interactions, language development, discourse patterns, etc. The common use of networks to depict these phenomena is unsurprising given the variety of educational theories and approaches that are deeply committed to a networked view of learning. Compatible with this view, network analysis is applied as a method for understanding learning and connections involved in learning.

This webinar will explore the conceptual, methodological, and practical use of networks in learning analytics by presenting examples from real-world learning and teaching scenarios that cover the following areas. First, in learning analytics networks are a powerful tool to visually represent connections of all sorts in ways that are straightforward for humans to act upon. Second, network analysis offers a set of metrics that are useful for characterising and assessing various dimensions of learning. Third, the modelling of networks can help to develop explanatory theories about complex learning processes. We will present case studies in each area to demonstrate the utility of networks in learning analytics. By doing so, we argue for a wider conception of learning as a networked phenomenon and call for future learning analytics work in this area.

Dr Sasha Poquet
Sasha Poquet is a researcher at the Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning (C3L), University of South Australia. Sasha uses learning analytics to understand learner networks form and how peers influence each other in digitally-mediated communication.

Associate Professor Bodong Chen
Bodong Chen is an associate professor and Bonnie Westby Huebner Chair in Education and Technology at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. His research is focused on the design of digital environments and analytics for collaborative learning. At the University of Minnesota, he co-directs a newly formed Learning Informatics Lab and teaches Applied Network Analysis in Education and Learning Analytics.