How do you connect? Analysis of social capital accumulation in connectivist MOOCs

Connections established between learners via interactions are seen as fundamental for connectivist pedagogy. Connections can also be viewed as learning outcomes, i.e. learners' social capital accumulated through distributed learning environments. We applied linear mixed effects modeling to investigate whether the social capital accumulation interpreted through learners' centrality to course interaction networks, is influenced by the language learners use to express and communicate in two connectivist MOOCs. Interactions were distributed across the three social media, namely Twitter, blog and Facebook. Results showed that learners in a cMOOC connect easier with the individuals who use a more informal, narrative style, but still maintain a deeper cohesive structure to their communication.