Instructor coursework expectations.

Hypothetically, a student could attend a class, listen to lectures, and pass the class without knowing or interacting with other students. What happens to the network when the classroom expectations change? For example, there is a coursework expectation that students exchange contact information, or the instructor uses collaborative learning practices. Or what if the principal investigator (PI) of a scientific team goes on a sabbatical? This study uses the framework of classrooms because of their relatability across science. We asked how do different instructor coursework expectations change network structures within a classroom or other learning environments? A social network survey was administered at the start and end of the semester (pre- and post-test) in six university sociology classrooms to explore how expectations impacted the communication and learning networks. We found practical changes in course expectations impact the communication and learning networks, suggesting that instructors, facilitators, and others could be the archintorTM (architect+instructor+facilitator) of the network. Understanding that expectations can impact a network’s structure marks a paradigm shift in educational assessment approaches. If the archintorTM has identified the “optimal” network structure, then their task is to design expectations that result in specific interactions that ultimately improve student achievement and success. This work provides recommendations for classroom archintorsTM to create the most impactful classroom networks. Future research should extend beyond education and classroom networks and identify the best or desired networks in other areas like public policy, urban planning, and more. If these “optimal” networks were identified, an archintorTM could design a social network to solve wicked problems, manage a crisis, and create social change.

试想，一名学生可在不结识其他同学、亦不与其产生任何互动的前提下，完成课堂出勤、听课并通过课程。当课堂互动要求发生变化时，社交网络会产生何种演变？例如，当课程要求学生交换联系方式，或是授课教师采用协作式学习模式时；又或是某科研团队的首席研究员（principal investigator，PI）休假离岗，又将出现何种情况？本研究选用课堂作为研究框架，因其在科研场景中具备普适性。我们旨在探究：授课教师提出的不同课程互动要求，会如何改变课堂或其他学习环境中的社交网络结构？本研究针对6个大学社会学课堂，分别在学期初与学期末（即前测与后测阶段）开展社交网络调研，以剖析互动要求对沟通与学习网络的影响机制。研究结果表明，课程互动要求的实际调整会对沟通与学习网络产生显著影响，这意味着授课教师、学习引导者及相关人员均可成为该网络的archintorTM（架构者+授课者+引导者）。意识到互动要求能够影响网络结构，这标志着教育评估范式的重大转变。若archintorTM能够确定“最优”网络结构，其工作目标便是设计相应的互动要求，引导产生特定的社交互动，最终提升学生的学业表现与综合成果。本研究为课堂archintorsTM打造高影响力课堂网络提供了实践建议。未来的研究可突破教育与课堂网络的范畴，在公共政策、城市规划等其他领域中探索最优或理想的社交网络模式。若能确定此类“最优”网络模式，archintorTM便可通过设计社交网络来解决棘手难题、应对危机并推动社会变革。