Examining MOOC superposter behavior using social network analysis

Abstract

This paper examines quantity and quality superposter value creation within Coursera Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) forums using a social network analysis (SNA) approach. The value of quantity superposters (i.e. students who post significantly more often than the majority of students) and quality superposters (i.e. students who receive significantly more upvotes than the majority of students) is assessed using Stochastic Actor-Oriented Modeling (SAOM) and network centrality calculations. Overall, quantity and quality superposting was found to have a significant effect on tie formation within the discussion networks. In addition, quantity and quality superposters were found to have higher-than-average information brokerage capital within their networks.