The networked student

Abstract

In a university Master's program, for educational professionals seeking professional development, a networked learning intervention was conducted to facilitate students' construction of learning relations for their academic development. Answers were sought to the question on how adult distance university students experience informal learning networks with peers as part of their academic socialization processes. The development of learning networks in two cohorts of students was analyzed using Social Network Analyses (SNA) at three moments during the course. Based on SNA results, 16 students were interviewed on their experiences with these learning networks. Results show that students used their learning networks for knowledge construction, for academic socialization and to mitigate feelings of social and cognitive inadequacy. Results suggest that there is a relation between the ability to engage in learning relationships, and academic socialization processes and the utilization of new knowledge in students own professional practice.