Learning and Social Networks - Similarities, Differences and Impact

Previous work in learning analytics have been fruitful in shedding lights on collaborative learning environments, such work has provided insights and recommendations that helped improve the collaborative process in computer-mediated learning environments. Given the importance of social interactions and their influence on learning (e.g., in determining academic growth, perseverance in the course and persistence). In this study, we look at both learning and social networks, what factors they share, how they impact or influence learning, and what influences the formation of these networks. Our results show similarities and differences between both networks such as: interactions in the social network predict those in the learning network, however, only centrality measures in the learning network correlate with performance, probably due to the selective nature of replies and interactions in the learning network.