A Monte Carlo simulation and applications to eight sets of proximity data are presented to support the practical utility of a network scaling algorithm (NETSCAL)--NETwork SCALing. The algorithm determines which vertices within a network are directly connected by an arc and estimates the length of each arc. (TJH)

A study of scientific communication in the United Kingdom indicates that informal communication, which has significantly changed from a decade ago, appears to have had an idiosyncratic impact. Two emerging themes were the effects of information technology and scientists' sense of information overload. Information staff observed increasing emphasis…

Interviews and surveys of participants in five community projects investigated whether the communication process for citizen participation is a factor in increasing or decreasing citizen influence in decision making for a project. Findings demonstrate the importance of social-network analysis in assessing the effectiveness of participation…

The authors conducted a comparative analysis to examine learners' interaction in the Web-based learning environment of 2 distance education institutions. The interaction was critically analyzed based on social, procedural, expository, explanatory, and cognitive dimensions, across 7 categories of exchanges between course coordinator to groups,…

Introduction: Virtual communities play an important role in innovation. The paper focuses on the particular form of collective action in virtual communities underlying as Open Source software development projects. Method: Building on resource mobilization theory and private-collective innovation, we propose a theory of collective action in…

Introduction: The ToLigado Project--Your School Interactive Newspaper is an interactive virtual learning environment conceived, developed, implemented and supported by researchers at the School of the Future Research Laboratory of the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Method: This virtual learning environment aims to motivate trans-disciplinary…

The article deals with blended learning in the context of pre-graduate English language teacher education. Firstly, the concept of blended learning is defined, then, the attention is focused on the online component of a blend, namely on the issue of interpersonal interaction including the challenges, which learning through online networking poses.…

This study examines the development of nanoscience/nanotechnology over a 35 year period (1970-2004) by mapping its social and cognitive structures using social network analysis, bibliometrics and document analysis, and following their changes in time. Mapping is performed based on 580,000 journal articles, 240,000 patents and 53,000 research…

The purpose of this study was to explore and investigate the ways faculty at The School of Information Studies at Syracuse University use Networked Information Sources and Services to support their service tasks. Library and Information Sciences faculty were chosen as the population for this study. The study aimed to answer the following…

This study uses social network analysis (SNA) in an innovative way to describe interaction and explain how interaction influences sense of community of students in online learning environments. The findings reveal differences on sense of community between two similarly structured online courses, and show unique interaction patterns for students in…

The aim of this study is to empirically investigate the relationships between communication styles, social networks, and learning performance in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) community. Using social network analysis (SNA) and longitudinal survey data, we analyzed how 31 distributed learners developed collaborative learning…

Successful collaboration is an art form but can be developed through several smart practices. The authors discuss the meaning of collaboration, stakeholder perceptions of collaborative partnerships, and the experience of Summer Scholars, a nonprofit community organization that successfully uses collaboration to accomplish its mission. Further,…

In this article the authors introduce social network analysis (SNA) as a methodology for analyzing transfer climate prior to training. The literature has indicated that transfer climate is critical to a trainee's ability to apply the new knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes they gain through training back to the workplace. SNA serves as a…

This paper describes a case study of 2 departments in a school, where teachers were inquired about their school's needs for improvement and how the institution and their department impacted upon their own professional development. The results show that the teachers' experiences of professional development, their interpersonal relationships within…

A review of the antecedents of the recent interest in social network analysis makes a case for using network information in mapping professional groups as part of the program planning process. Three major streams of theory and research have converged into a broad multidisciplinary approach to viewing social structure that is termed "network…