Symposium 2: Understanding emerging knowledge spillovers in small-group learning settings, a social network perspective

Symposium Introduction

Abstract

This symposium tries to assess whether teams also learn from the experiences of other teams in their class through their friendship relationships within the networks and what the underlying mechanisms for creating these learning spaces are. It will be explored how dynamic Social Network Analysis allows researchers and teachers to capture and understand the complexity of knowledge spillovers occurring inside and outside the classroom. Social Network Analysis (SNA) can be considered as a wide-ranging strategy to explore social structures to uncover the existence of social positions of (sub)groups within the network (Katz, et al., 2004; Krackhardt & Stern, 1988; Rienties, et al., 2009). In a review of Social Network Analysis (SNA) for small groups, Katz et al. (2004) argue that the network perspective can help researchers to identify and explore social network interaction features in teams or networks. The three papers of this symposium, which are situated in small-group settings in Oviedo (Spain), problem-based learning in Maastricht (The Netherlands), and project-based learning in Guildford (UK) all use active learning methods in combination with technology supported networked learning arrangements, whereby students learn and interact in small-group settings but also have several formal and informal activities to share knowledge between students and teams. All three papers use Social Network Analysis (SNA) in their analyses, and together their contributions address three fundamental questions in the symposium

1) How do knowledge spillovers between learners and teams develop (over time)?
2) How do prior friendships enhance or hamper knowledge spillovers in networks?

Answering these questions will create a better theoretical foundation for the design of group based networked learning environments that enhance knowledge spillovers. Analysis of the relation between social network relationships and knowledge spillovers can provide insights into the boundary conditions under which these knowledge spillovers occur. These insights can subsequently be utilized in the design of learning environments and for implementing structures that help to install these boundary conditions in educational institutions 

Discussant

Dr Tuire Palonen, Senior researcher at Center for Learning Research at University of Turku, Finland.