NodeXL Teaching

From CASCI

A number of instructors have been using NodeXL to help teaching social network analysis. Its integration with Excel and the way it displays network data, metrics, and visualizations side-by-side can be a powerful tool for teaching social networking concepts. The fact it is fairly easy to use as compared to other social network products and is freely available also helps. This page is meant to collect information that can be useful in teaching with NodeXL. Please email Derek Hansen (dlhansen@umd.edu) if you have been using NodeXL in your teaching or have resources that may be helpful to instructors.

NodeXL Tutorial

The NodeXL Tutorial by Derek Hansen, Ben Shneiderman, and Marc Smith introduces some of the core functionality of NodeXL using a few simple datasets. The current draft of the tutorial is based NodeXL Version 1.0.1.88 and was uploaded June 22, 2009. The tutorial will serve as a basis for the Communities and Technologies 2009 Workshop. It takes approximately 4 hours to go over in a classroom setting with students following along on their own machines. The tutorial relies on the following datasets, which are NodeXL files:

• Kite Network dataset
• Serious Eats dataset
• US Senate 2007 dataset

If you plan to use this tutorial in a classroom setting please contact Derek Hansen (dlhansen@umd.edu) who is keeping track of courses where NodeXL is being used. Feedback is welcomed.

Courses that have Used NodeXL

• Communities of Practice (LBSC 708P), Spring 2009, University of Maryland's iSchool. Instructor: Derek Hansen
• Complex Systems in Business (BMGT808L), Spring 2009, University of Maryland's Smith School of Business. Instructor: Bill Rand
• Social Networks (SOC709), Fall 2009, University of Maryland's Sociology. Instructor: Alan Neustadtl
• Social Computing and Web 2.0 (BUDT 758v), Fall 2009, University of Maryland's Smith School of Business. Instructor: Xiaoqing Wang
• Group Processes (Sociology 419/519), Fall 2009, Ohio University, Instructor: Howard Welser

• See Courses on Social Network Analysis for a list of Social Network Analysis courses more generally.

NodeXL Publications

• Bonsignore, EM, Dunne, C, Rotman, D, Smith, M, Capone, T, Hansen, DL, Shneiderman, B (2009). First Steps to NetViz Nirvana: Evaluating Social Network Analysis with NodeXL. International Symposium on Social Intelligence and Networking (SIN09), Aug 29-31, Vancouver, Canada.