Welcome to the LAK workshop Social Network Analysis for Newbies!

Date: Monday, March 18, 2024

Time: 9AM - 12:30PM

Room: 510

Welcome!

  • This workshop introduces education researchers to social network theory and its applications in educational contexts using LASER materials. Instructors will offer presentations and discussions on SNA applications, data collection, and storage techniques. Participants will gain hands-on experience analyzing network data using tools like R, RStudio, and GitHub. The course aims to demonstrate how SNA can enhance understanding and improvement of student learning and its environments.

  • All LASER materials and information can be found at the LASER website https://go.ncsu.edu/laser-beam .

Learning Objectives

At the end of the tutorial, participants will be able to:

Theory Comprehension: Acquire knowledge on the theoretical underpinning of social network analysis, and understand its application in solving critical problems and addressing pertinent questions in the educational sector.

Identifying Data and Metrics: Learn to pinpoint potential data sources for network analysis, and familiarize oneself with related metrics such as centrality and degree. Software Mastery: Become adept at utilizing current software and tools like R, enhancing skills in the execution of workflows for data preparation, analysis, and dissemination.

Analytical Understanding: Grasp the analytical procedures and techniques such as sociograms and clustering in network analysis, essential for comprehending and augmenting learning as well as the environments conducive to learning.

Effective Communication: Develop an understanding of the fundamental concepts and terms in SNA, empowering individuals to convey basic SNA methods, analytical outcomes, and discoveries to a broad spectrum of stakeholders in education.

Pre-requisites

  • Basic familiarity of statistics
  • Basic familiarity with R

Schedule

Schedule

Time

Topic
9:00 - 10:30 AM

Introduction & SNA for Newbies
10:30 - 11:00 AM (Coffee Break)
11:00 - 12:00

Case Study 1
12:00 - 12:30

Wrap up & next Steps

Acknowledgements

The LASER This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DRL-2025090, DRL-2321128, and DRL-2321129.