Depicting online interactions in learning communities

In this article, we detail a system that provides contributes for analyzing and characterizing interactions that occur between participants of online communities. We adapted and applied the Social Network Analysis methodology to online discussion forums to create a dynamical interaction graph. The graph can be embedded in learning managements systems and accessed through a web page. The functionality of the system provides a suitable environment to characterize the interactions between actors and their participations in discussion forums. In the article we describe the use of the system in two real-world situations. Our conclusions lead to the verification and the rapid identification of some important situations that occur in learning communities, such as: the location of actors more or less active; distinction of positions and roles; identification of different ways of organization/interaction in groups; characterization of the interactions of a group or of a community as a whole.