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For many programs, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a shift from in-person workshops to a virtual format. Using a mixed methods approach with data gleaned from feedback forms and a novel pre/post social network analysis (SNA) survey, this paper examines the merits of using online vs. in-person professional development workshops to build collaborative networks of STEM instructors. A series of biomolecular visualization workshops served as our case study, and participant perceptions in online and in-person workshops were compared and contrasted across a variety of metrics. The findings suggest that online workshops present new opportunities for the future of collaboration. Rather than a temporary stop-gap measure, virtual collaborations can increase content knowledge and foster a sense of community.
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Positioning in a collaboration network and performance in competitions: a case study of Kaggle
Abstract Online innovation competitions are ecosystems where institutions source numerous solutions from knowledge workers through a platform intermediary. By considering how an individual competitor’s performance varies based on their social positioning in a competition ecosystem’s collaboration network, we illustrate the value of social networks for individual outcomes in online competitions. The study reports results from Kaggle, a popular online competition platform for data science, where a sample of 350,956 users participated in 2,789 competitions over 4 years. We investigate how the number of collaborations, membership in the largest connected component in the network, and diversity of collaboration experiences impact the points and medals earned and how quickly competitors earn their first medal. Results show that positioning has a positive relationship with performance in competitive ecosystems. Relevant to the future of work, the study considers how knowledge workers in future workplaces should manage their online collaborations.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2104551
- PAR ID:
- 10427247
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford University Press
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
- Volume:
- 28
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 1083-6101
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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