ABSTRACT

This chapter uses the social capital perspective to interpret department-level SNA of discussions among department members. In particular, we present a reanalysis of instructional discussion networks from three SNA studies of postsecondary STEM departments. Results include basic SNA metrics, trends in the metrics, and suggested implications of metrics. The analysis is centered on connectedness and distribution of roles, and how these network features can inform change agent actions. We conclude that change agents should be aware of potential factions in the networks and consider how the networks might be used to engage the department members in systems-level thinking.