Abstract
Social relations are an essential component of group learning online, because through them, the process is managed and controlled. In addition, learning cannot be understood in isolation from its situated nature. To identify patterns of participation and social connections in online group learning, this study analyzes the social network among university students who work in online discussion forums and are required to solve higher order learning tasks. Discussion forums were used, focusing on three types of tasks: analyzing case studies, evaluating websites, and creating WebQuest. The structures of social networks that arose out of 96 discussion forums over three academic years were analyzed. The results demonstrate that as the opening (lower level of structuration) of the learning task increases, so too does the need for social interaction in the group. The social structure of the groups is modulated by the type of learning task. Finally, the educational implications of the results are discussed.
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