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Supporting Distributed Relationships: A study of relations and media - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Supporting Distributed Relationships: A study of relations and media - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Supporting Distributed Relationships: A study of relations and media use over time Caroline Haythornthwaite Graduate School of Library and Information Science University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign haythorn@uiuc.edu IBICT , June 2009
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The Social Informatics of Elearning
Distributed Environment
Distance Program
Master’s program for online learners Initial face-to-face 2-week “boot camp” All other courses completed at a distance Students at a distance from campus and each other
Internet-based instruction and interaction
Lectures: Real-Audio and Chat Homework & Assignments: Discussion Boards, Web
Pages, Email
Group-wide communication: Discussion Boards, Chat Person-to-person communication: Chat whispers,
Email, Phone
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The Social Informatics of Elearning
Data Collection
Each month for three months, members of two classes were asked:
How often, over the last month, did you
1.
Collaborate on class work
2.
Exchange information or advice about class work
3.
Socialize
4.
Exchange emotional support
With each other member of the class and via each of the available media
Chat, Webboard, Email, Phone
At end of semester, also collected data on friendship
Friend (Close Friend, Friend) or Non-Friend (someone they worked with only, or just another member of the class)
Data were collected by phone. A student research assistant called each person and asked them the questions.
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The Social Informatics of Elearning
Different Class Structures
Class F97
Live lecture with Chat weekly Bulletin board postings required weekly Grading based on Group projects 14 members (13 participants)
Class F98
Live lecture with Chat weekly Bulletin board -- used early but abandoned Weekly exercises with different pairs of students
responsible for discussion each week
Grading based on Individual projects 19 members (15 participants)
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The Social Informatics of Elearning
Social Networks Basics
Actors
Nodes in the network Interact and maintain
relations with each other
Relations
Lines in the network Connect actors in specific
kinds of interaction
Ties
Lines between actors Ties exist between actors
who are connected by one
- r more relations
Networks
Whole configuration of ties
and actors
Configurations of discussion board conversations in two online classes 2001 and 2002
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The Social Informatics of Elearning
Analysis
Social network analysis used to examine:
The size of the personal networks in these classes
How many people a class member reports
interacting with overall, and about each kind of relation
How media were used to maintain social network ties How friendship affected media use Changes over time
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The Social Informatics of Elearning
Friendship effects
Friends talk to each other more frequently, about more
types of things (relations), and via more media
Regression analysis shows frequency of communication
(log) is positively associated with the number of relations maintained and the number of media used in both classes. N Frequency Relations Media F97 Non-Friends 95 41.1 3.03 2.36 Friends 49 77.1 3.45 2.82
- F98
Non-Friends 184 20.0 3.27 1.59 Friends 19 92.2 3.95 2.95 (N is the number of pairs) (Frequency of 60 is approximately once a day over the semester)
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The Social Informatics of Elearning
Average number of people students report talking to (their personal network size) and Mean frequency of communication by relation. Note: Friends communicate more about everything.
1 3 7 6 4 4 7 7 2 4 6 8 1 1 2 C W E I S O E S C W E I S O E S F 9 7 F 9 8 5 1 1 5 2 2 5 3 3 5 4 4 4 3 3 4 2 1 3
Yellow & Diamond=Non-Friends; White & Square=Friends
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The Social Informatics of Elearning Average personal network size and Mean frequency of communication by medium Note: High email use by friends
6 7 3 1 2 9 1 9 2 4 6 8 1 1 2 1 4 I R C W e b b r d E m a i l P h
- n
e I R C W e b b r d E m a i l P h
- n
e F 9 7 F 9 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 3 4 2 1 1 1 1 1
Bottom & Diamond=Non-Friends; Top & Square=Friends
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The Social Informatics of Elearning
Differentiation between Weak and Strong Ties
Number of relations maintained and number of media
used increases with increasing frequency of communication
“Media multiplexity”
Media use conforms to a unidimensional scale
(Guttman scaling)
(1) Chat + (2) Discussion + (3) Email + (4) Phone Weaker ties (low frequency of communication)
Use only the media required for class: Chat and
Discussion Boards
Stronger ties (high frequencey of communication)
Use class media + optional media: Email, Phone
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The Social Informatics of Elearning
Changes Over Time: Relations
In the first month, those who work together are those
who socialize together
This suggests socializing as pre-requisite or co-requisite for work relations
From the first to the second month, network sizes and
range of relations increased
From the second to the third month, network sizes and
range of relations decreased
This suggests a wider circulation of ideas, information, etc. during the second month
Over time, individuals engaged with fewer people
with whom they maintained more relations, i.e., with stronger ties
F97: narrow to strong work relations
F98: narrow to those with whom they socialize
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The Social Informatics of Elearning
Dual Pattern of Media Use
Unidimensional scale showed that
Required media connect weak ties Optional media were added by those with stronger
work or social ties
This shows
(1) the type of medium selected by the instructor as
the required class medium has an effect on who talks to whom via which media
(2) the type of tasks selected by the instructor as the
required class tasks has an effect on who maintains strong ties with whom, and thus also who talks to whom via which media
Let’s look at some pictures …
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F97: Collaborative work via IRC and Email by Time
Chat Email
Group projects; Webboard also used for discussion, connected all to all.
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3
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F98: All communications, IRC and Email by Time
Chat Email
No group project; Rotating pairs for presentations; Webboard use started but abandoned in this class; it connected very few after abandonment
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3
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The Social Informatics of Elearning
Differences due to Class Structures
Class F97
Semester-long projects created a focus on work-oriented relationships and thus increased the importance of work ties
Interactions, including socializing, became highly organized around project team members
Class F98
Changing pairs of presenters did not provide an enduring basis for work-oriented relationships and individuals fell back on social ties
Relationships become those associated with socializing, built on non-work ties
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The Social Informatics of Elearning
Conclusions
Different organizational mandates lead to the formation of
Different bases for relationships (e.g., work or social)
Different social structures
Different media use
Two patterns of interaction for groups …
Class-wide exchange of information
Task-focused work completion
And two patterns of media use
Low frequency, group-wide exchanges with the class as a whole, supported through group-mandated media
Higher frequency, close-tie exchanges with team members and friends, supported through group media plus optional media
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The Social Informatics of Elearning
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The Social Informatics of Elearning
Recommendations
Awareness of dual demands for support of weak and
strong tie exchanges
weak tie contact for exposure to new information, and new
- thers with whom stronger relationships may be built
strong tie contact for completion of tasks, help in a crisis, interpersonal support
Recognition of the impact of group-mandated means of
communication on group structures
creates a latent tie infrastructure through which weak ties can be initiated
forms group media use structures
Recognition of the impact of group-mandated forms of
interaction on group structures
- rganizational decisions also lay the groundwork for latent
and weak tie formation
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The Social Informatics of Elearning
Recommendations
Provide
a variety of means and opportunities for
communication, including means for
group-wide, public communication person-to-person, private communication
technical, social and organizational interventions
that promote
group-wide sharing of information and resources the growth of weak ties into stronger, self-
sustaining ties
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