Internet Learning Volume 3, Number 2, Fall 2014 | Page 76

Visualizing Knowledge Networks in Online Courses Figure 1. Analytical Framework for Social Knowledge Networks (SKN). of our aim is to be able to understand and visualize the topicSpread of student and instructor-generated content from the course discussions across (and beyond) this map. In this paper we deal mostly with conversational concepts. Work on course concept structure and use of ontologies is ongoing. Knowledge Activity To characterize the focus of student and instructor-generated content in the context of each course discussion, we further wanted to be able to identify the level of knowledgeActivity that resulted from participant engagement. To this end we developed a custom rubric to align with the types of knowledge activities prompted by collaborative and discussion assignments included in the program under study. Levels of Knowledge Activity: 1. Absorb: Determining the meaning of instructional messages and course concepts. 2. Transfer: Transferring an understanding between contexts or disciplinary environments. 3. Apply: Carrying out or using a theory, concept or procedure in a given situation. 4. Innovate: Putting elements together to form a novel or coherent whole or to identify an original product or solution. Not surprisingly, knowledgeActivity is one of the most difficult attributes to code consistently and our understanding continues to develop as we dive deeper into our data and can see more clearly the types and nuances of knowledgeActivity occurring in our context. 75