‘Breaking Ground’ in the use of social media: A case study of a university earthquake response to inform educational design with Facebook

On September 4 2010, a massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Canterbury region in the South Island of New Zealand. The response from the University of Canterbury was immediate and carefully co-ordinated, with the university's web-based environment and a responsive site developed on the social media platform ‘Facebook’ becoming prominent sources of support for many months. This case study illustrates how the university effectively utilised these environments and their impact within the wider university community. Case study methodology draws upon literature from the fields of social media, social network communities and crisis informatics. The findings propose that social media can effectively support information sharing, communication and collaboration in higher education contexts, in particular in times of crisis, but suggest there needs to be a defined purpose to integrate these within an institution's communications strategy given the resource implications and range of social media already used by students.     

The influence of personal networks and social support on study attainment of students in university education

In this paper, the influence of personal networks and social support on study attainment of students in university education is examined. Furthermore, the paper aimed at clarifying the possible mediating role of achievement motivation, time spent on studying and working, procrastination and self-esteem. The study is a follow-up of the ’89 cohort study, but is restricted to those students who have transferred to university education after finishing secondary education. The students have been approached with a questionnaire in 2004. Multinomial logistic regression shows that social support has no effect on study attainment, but that personal networks do have an effect on attainment. The relationship between social support and personal networks on the one hand and study progress on the other hand is not mediated by the before mentioned variables.

Structural characteristics of the online social networks of maltreated youth and offline sexual risk behavior

Maltreated youth are at risk for exposure to online sexual content and high-risk sexual behavior, yet characteristics of their online social networks have not been examined as a potential source of vulnerability. The aims of the current study were: 1) to test indicators of size (number of friends) and fragmentation (number of connections between friends) of maltreated young adults’ online networks as predictors of intentional and unintentional exposure to sexual content and offline high-risk sexual behavior and 2) to test maltreatment as a moderator of these associations. Participants were selected from a longitudinal study on the effects of child maltreatment (n = 152; Mean age 21.84 years). Data downloaded from Facebook were used to calculate network variables of size (number of friends), density (connections between friends), average degree (average number of connections for each friend), and percent isolates (those not connected to others in the network). Self-reports of intentional and unintentional exposure to online sexual content and offline high-risk sexual behavior were the outcome variables. Multiple-group path modeling showed that only for the maltreated group having a higher percent of isolates in the network predicted intentional exposure to online sexual content and offline high-risk sexual behavior. An implication of this finding is that the composition of the Facebook network may be used as a risk indicator for individuals with child-welfare documented maltreatment experiences.     

Assessing the impact of a program designed to develop sustainability leadership amongst staff members in higher education institutes: a case study from a community of practice perspective

This study focuses on the impact of a sustainability leadership development program (SLDP) designed to develop staff members as leaders who encourage sustainability practices within institutions of higher education (IHE). Using the framework of community of practice (CoP), we explored the program’s contribution by interviewing 16 staff members who had attended the program. At the individual level, we found that the SLDP provided participants with opportunities to learn from and with other members of the CoP and to engage them in debate about the various meanings of ‘sustainability’, increasing their environmental awareness and their environmental involvement within the IHE’s community. At the institutional level, the SLDP disseminated the college’s socio-environmental mission statement, increased its administration’s commitment and involvement, served as a platform for addressing local socio-environmental problems and initiated an Education-for-Sustainability (EfS) activists’ network. However, the participants indicated that the SLDP had limited impact on the environmentalism of other staff members and that the on-going mentoring and support from the college administration was insufficient. This study highlights the importance of such EfS professional programs to the development of both staff members and entire institutions as sustainability leaders. It also suggests ways to increase staff involvement in institutional EfS discourse.     

Limits and potentials of social networking in academia: case study of the evolution of a mathematics Facebook community

The use of social networking services has rapidly increased in recent years, especially by university students. Some authors assert that they have educational potential in terms of promoting collaborative learning practices among undergraduate students which enhance engagement and understanding. This possibility is particularly relevant to mathematics learning, because university communities are frequently experienced as isolating and performance-oriented. This case study reports on the use of Facebook to support mathematical communication and more participative learning identities within a UK university mathematics department. It describes how the reactive formation of a student-led Facebook community became a source of conflict within the wider academic social community and how this conflict was eventually resolved. While it raises questions about the extent to which Facebook can encourage open collaborative learning within the wider context of student aspirations in a competitive climate, it notes its potential for fostering cross-cohort student support in a subject which frequently induces anxiety in its students.     

Agricultural information and knowledge network in rural India: a case of Bihar

Purpose: The key informants in a village setup were studied to understand the existing social and knowledge systems of farmers, their structure, and relationships between different actors. The purpose is to identify different channels of information and use them as a means to disseminate agricultural technologies and related information to farmers.

Design: We use the network map analysis in a case study approach as a tool to demonstrate the linkages between the key actors and stakeholders in the information network of farmers.

Findings: The government institutions are well networked among themselves but have limited interactions with non-government sources. Farmers in Bihar have strong linkages with few network actors, who are important nodes in the social knowledge network. The study showed heterogeneity and complexity in the network shape and structure across different districts.

Practical Implications: Knowledge networks and social networks are the drivers of information sharing and play a significant role in the diffusion of agricultural technology and related knowledge. Understanding these networks provides a platform for introducing the agricultural technologies and getting connected to a wider group of farming communities.

Theoretical Implications: The study shows that the network is formed by different actors and their role determine the nature and shape of the network. Knowledge of this heterogeneity is important in designing or revamping agricultural information systems.

Originality: Information and knowledge networks are least explored in the agricultural information dissemination process. Some studies have shown the role of actors and social networks, but this study uniquely explores and presents the heterogeneity of these networks.     

The educational use of social annotation tools in higher education: A literature review

This paper presents a literature review of empirical research related to the use and effect of online social annotation (SA) tools in higher education settings. SA technology is an emerging educational technology that has not yet been extensively used and examined in education. As such, the research focusing on this technology is still very limited. The literature review has aimed at presenting a comprehensive list of SA empirical studies not limited to a particular research method or study domain. Out of more than 90 articles that were initially found, only 16 studies met the inclusion criteria. Among the included studies were eight experimental or quasi-experimental studies and eight evaluation/survey studies. The SA empirical research has provided some evidence regarding the potential effectiveness of integrating social annotation tools into learning activities. Findings from the gathered literature were synthesized to provide recommendations for using SA technology in educational settings.     

当前获取高等教育机会的不均等——依附于经济之上的社会资本的作用

本文首先分析了教育与社会的关系,教育在社会中的重要地位,从社会学的角度分析了社会系统中教育的功能,然后进一步分析了我国当前社会中高等教育存在的机会不平等的现状,最后从社会资本的角度来对当前社会中高等教育机会不平等的问题进行分析。     

Engaging fans and the community in social media: interaction with institutions of higher education on Facebook

Although many universities use social media to interact with stakeholders, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Drawing on theories of self-presentation and community engagement, we develop a theoretical model to explain these crucial outcome factors. We then test the model based on secondary data from 159 universities. Our findings reveal the double-edged nature of community size: universities with a strong reputation tend to have more Facebook fans, but having many Facebook fans has detrimental effects on individual fan engagement. Furthermore, the frequency of updates is a crucial factor, as too frequent and too infrequent updates lead to lower levels of fan engagement. We discuss theoretical implications for online communities and derive implications for social media managers.     

浅论网络信息污染、危害与图书馆的对策

本文论述了网络信息污染的种类、危害，提出了图书馆的对策：深化网络信息服务，加强信息用户信息素质教育，提出了消除网络信息污染是信息时代图书馆工作者的社会责任。     

建筑学网络信息资源初探

通过对建筑学网站的介绍，分析了建筑学网络信息资源的特点与类型，并初步探讨了建筑学网络信息资源组织利用。     

基于不精确的网络状态信息的路由算法的研究

基于真实网络无法避免获取的网络状态信息不精确的问题,该文致力于研究如何减少不精确信息的QoSR算法.MRP算法可以降低部分不精确信息的影响.该文对该算法进行了改进,并对相关算法进行模拟.模拟结果表明,与MRP类算法和最短路径算法相比较,改进的MRP算法在满足业务流QoS需求、减少网络负载不均和减少不精确网络状态信息的影响等方面大体上均有不同程度的优势.     

网络学习共同体及其构建策略研究

随着互联网的高速发展,基于网络的多种传输工具日益完善,网络学习环境成为一个新的学习空间。这种新的学习环境下的学习研究已越来越受到人们的关注,网络学习共同体的概念在网络环境下应运而生,对网络学习共同体的研究随着网络教育的发展而不断深入。本文在对网络学习共同体的概念描述、基本属性、构成要素分析的基础上,研究了网络学习共同体的构建原则,提出了网络学习共同体的设计框架。制定了网络学习共同体构建的过程模式。     

A case study of academic staff integration in a post-merger Chinese university

The aim of this study was to discover and better understand through a case study, the phenomenon of academic staff integration in a post-merger Chinese university. The analysis was undertaken by using a cultural framework derived from relevant literature. The results indicate that adjustments to academic values and beliefs, the cultural dimension, are crucial in the integration process. This study also identified factors, which could affect academic staff integration, such as leadership, organisational objectives, regulations, geographic division, and cultural differences. Being aware of these factors could provide university managers with useful guidelines on how to facilitate the integration of academic staff members from different pre-merger institutions.     

社会实践应纳入高校的系统教育

大学生的社会实践不应被视为权宜之举或一时一事之功，它是高等教育中合乎社会主义教育规律的基本内容和战略措施，把社会实践纳入高校系统教育之中，对深化教育改革，完善教育环节和内容，巩固社会实践成果，造就适应时代需要的人才，都有着十分重要的意义。     

Measurement of incompatible probability in information retrieval: A case study with user clicks

The incompatible probability represents an important non-classical phenomenon, and it describes conflicting observed marginal probabilities, which cannot be satisfied with a joint probability. First, the incompatibility of random variables was defined and discussed via the non-positive semi-definiteness of their covariance matrixes. Then, a method was proposed to verify the existence of incompatible probability for variables. A hypothesis testing was also applied to reexamine the likelihood of the observed marginal probabilities being integrated into a joint probability space, thus showing the statistical significance of incompatible probability cases. A case study with user click-through data provided the initial evidence of the incompatible probability in information retrieval (IR), particularly in user interaction. The experiments indicate that both incompatible and compatible cases can be found in IR data, and informational queries are more likely to be compatible than navigational queries. The results inspire new theoretical perspectives of modeling the complex interactions and phenomena in IR.     

浅谈高等师范院校适应中小学信息技术教育发展需要的一些举措

我国正在规划实施中小学信息技术教育，而高等师范院校又是面向和服务于中小学的。怎样举措才能适应中小学信息技术教育的发展呢？本给出了一些建议。     

信息网络对高校德育的挑战

随着社会的进步,信息网络已经成为最先进生产力的标志,它对人们道德的影响不可谓不大,给高校德育工作带来了前所未有的挑战,冲击着传统的教育方式。面对信息网络,高校工作者应有效地利用这把“双刃剑”,积极开展高校德育工作。     

The use of Facebook to build a community for distance learning students: a case study from the Open University

Social media platforms such as Facebook are commonplace throughout society. However, within higher education institutions such networking environments are still in the developmental stage. This paper describes and discusses case study data from the Open University’s Faculty of Social Science Facebook page. It starts by giving an overview of the literature surrounding social media in higher education before examining how the Social Sciences Faculty at the Open University has used Facebook to help build an academic community. Data includes numerical information on number of likes, demographic data on students who use the page, analysis on the type and nature of comments and more qualitative extracts from postings related to academic questions. It also discusses challenges and difficulties with using such social media tools in a university environment and suggests fruitful areas for future research.     

网络环境下大学生信息素质教育的对策

在当今以网络信息化为特征的时代,信息素质教育是大学生素质教育的一个重要组成部分。文章从阐述信息素质、信息素质教育的概念入手,在分析大学生信息素质状况的基础上,提出了网络环境下加强大学生信息素质教育的途径和方法。