Co-Construction Concept Through Cloud-Based Social Network Platform Design, Implementation, and Evaluation

Authors

  • Ben Chang Institute of Learning and Instruction, National Central University, Taiwan
  • Yen-An Shih Institute of Learning and Instruction, National Central Unversity, Taiwan
  • Fang-Chen Lu Institute of Learning and Instruction, National Central Unversity, Taiwan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v19i5.3419

Keywords:

co-construction concept, social networking organization, cloud-based platform

Abstract

Today’s learners can easily share their thoughts on their social networks, and this movement, undoubtedly, has been affecting their learning. However, learners in such an ad hoc social network environment need a deliberate design to support their idea sharing and concept exchange. Gaining insights into how to stimulate concept sharing in a social network helps learners learn. To this end, this study examined how to design a cloud-based concept construction platform, and analyzed the users’ interaction behaviours on the platform. A cloud-based platform named CoCoing.info was implemented to achieve the aim. The platform has three major functions: (a) co-construction concept building, (b) social network organization, and (c) concept circulation among social networks. Seven hundred and twenty-six accounts registered on the platform. Users constructed 2,121 concepts using 20,049 nodes, and 1,618 files were established. The access statistics results indicated that the platform was used throughout the day, in which the ratio of in-class to after-class access was 0.59:0.41. Among the interactions, 31.24% belonged to concept construction and 68.76% were user responses. Meanwhile, the key player social networking analysis results indicated that teachers appear to play a crucial role in initiating concept construction and triggering social interaction within the type of concept construction social network.

Author Biography

Ben Chang, Institute of Learning and Instruction, National Central University, Taiwan

Ben Chang studied learning technology at National Central University, Taiwan and received a Ph.D. from the Computer Science and Information Engineering Department in 2003. Currently, he is an associate professor of Graduate Institute of Learning and Instruction at National Central University. His research addresses technology enhanced inquiry-based learning, online learning community, and game-based learning.

Downloads

Published

2018-11-27

How to Cite

Chang, B., Shih, Y.-A., & Lu, F.-C. (2018). Co-Construction Concept Through Cloud-Based Social Network Platform Design, Implementation, and Evaluation. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 19(5). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v19i5.3419

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 5 (2018)

Section

Research Articles

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. The copyright of all content published in IRRODL is retained by the authors.

This copyright agreement and use license ensures, among other things, that an article will be as widely distributed as possible and that the article can be included in any scientific and/or scholarly archive.

You are free to

  • Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms below:

  • No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.