Social network analysis of peer relationships and online interactions in a blended class using blogs

• The students agreed using blogs contributed to their learning and emotional closeness with peers. Adopting blogs expanded learning experience beyond limited class time.
• The in- and out-degree centrality of each student significantly increased at the end of the course compared to that at the beginning.
• The sense of learning community and peer connectedness fostered by the blogging was a key finding given that there was no collaborative assignments and class discussion.
• The significant correlation between online interactions and peer closeness network values was confirmed.

This study examines the social network of the learner relationships and online interactions in a graduate course using weblogs for writing and sharing weekly reflective journals during a 16-week semester. The social network data of the learner relationships were gathered twice by measuring learners' perceived emotional closeness with other learners. In terms of the online interactions among the learners, the numbers of replies that individual learners had posted to and received from others' postings were respectively calculated and analyzed. The findings from these measures indicated that the social network patterns and values as measured by peer relationships were noticeably changed at the end of the semester, when compared to that at the beginning. The impact of blogging activities on such changes was supported by correlational analysis between the peer relationships in the social network and online interactions through the learner blogs.