Dynamics of cMOOC learner interactions in different social media: a longitudinal network analysis

Social media may have an impact on people's interaction patterns and social relationships. Investigating the interaction patterns of learners across various social media platforms can provide profound insights into the characteristics and mechanisms of connectivist learning. This study explores interaction network characteristics and the dynamic evolution of interaction patterns across multiple social media platforms within a cMOOC by using SNA and SIENA. The results show that cMOOC learners' interaction patterns have evolved with different characteristics on WeChat, blogs, and forums, eventually forming distinct interaction networks on each platform. The interaction networks on WeChat demonstrate superior performance in terms of size, cohesion, and connectivity, followed by the networks on blogs, and lastly, those on forums. WeChat and blog interaction networks exhibit a multi-center structure and modular characteristics, while forum interaction networks display a single-center structure. The evolution of interaction patterns on WeChat reveals more significant effects, such as reciprocity, transitivity, homophily, and preferential attachment, in contrast to blogs and forums, where transitivity and homophily are not prominent. The paper concludes with a discussion on the interaction patterns and network characteristics supported by three types of social media. Additionally, it highlights the significance and implications of these findings for educational practice.