Exploring Connectivist Massively Open Online Course (cMOOC) Microblogging Data through a Student Assessment Lens Laura Gogia Abstract In 2014 six Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) faculty designed and implemented an eight week-long summer pilot course called Digital Engagement: Living the Dreams, Digital Investigations and Unfettered Minds, or UNIV 200: Inquiry and the Craft of Argument. While most of the course took place on open blogging platforms, an associated Twitter community emerged around the hashtag #Thoughtvectors. Intentionally initiated by course instructors, #Thoughtvectors Twitter activity was captured in a Twitter Archiving Google Spreadsheet (TAGS) and informally shared with all participants through the course website. This study explores the TAGS data through the lens of student assessment. It finds that while it is possible to create dashboards for student assessment from TAGS data, optimal use might require adapting archiving spreadsheets to capture data specific to formalized connected learning objectives and activities. Study Purpose This study was an initial step in a research agenda that aims to advance understanding of how to best document connected learning in formal higher education settings. Research questions included: • What data are captured by Twitter Archiving Google Spreadsheets (TAGS)? • How might data collected in this format be used to describe the microblogging behaviors of learning communities, their subgroups, and individual participants? • Is it possible to develop a dashboard for student assessment from data captured in Twitter Archiving Google Spreadsheets? If so, what are its limitations? Methods ATwitter Archiving Google Spreadsheet (TAGS; Hawksey, 2013) was used to capture #Thoughtvectors activity from the Twitter Application Programming Interface (API). The spreadsheet was monitored and maintained from the first use of the #Thoughtvectors hashtag until one month after the formal course (UNIV 200) had ended. The data captured in TAGS were transferred to Microsoft Excel where duplicates and errors were removed. Participants were sorted into four subgroups for more detailed analysis. A comprehensive quantitative content analysis of the captured data was performed to extract information related to mentions, retweets, and links. Descriptive statistics were generated through Microsoft Excel and social network analysis performed with the addition of NodeXL (Social Media Research Foundation, 2014). 4. Others 480 other individuals tweeted or were mentioned along with the #Thoughtvectors hashtag 3. Open Participants 35 non-students and over a dozen VCU staff formally engaged in at least some UNIV 200 learning activities. Of these, 28 participated in #Thoughtvectors- related Twitter activity.. 2. Instructors #Thoughtvectors was facilitated by six faculty who possessed a total of eight Twitter accounts. 1. Students 95 VCU students enrolled in UNIV 200; of those, 68 were identified as participating in course- related Twitter activities. activity. The Thoughtvectors Community What’s Possible with TAGS Data? 12% 31% 32% 25% Who's Tweeting? Students Instructors Open Participants Others 24% 44% 14% 73% 40% 76% 56% 86% 27% 60% Are Tweets Retweets? Yes No 42% 12% 13% 4% 12% 18% 17% 27% 39% 26% 28% 33% 34% 22% 31% 12% 37% 26% 35% 30% Who’s Being Mentioned? Students Instructors Open Participants Others 30% 57% 61% 62% 56% 70% 43% 39% 38% 44% Do Tweets Include Links? Yes No