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Semantic Analysis Of Gatekeepers In Collaborative E‐learning Environments.Stuetzer, Cathleen M.; Carley, Kathleen M.; Koehler, Thomas; Thiem, Gerhard; Diesner, JanaWords and Networks ‐ Roles, Health, MethodsCommunication Networks, Communities Of Practice, Semantic Networks, Role Theory, Learning Commmunities, GatekeepersFRI.PM1The analysis of social roles in social structures has a long tradition in the social sciences. Especially the structural positions of social actors are crucial forstudying processes of innovation and diffusion. Prior research has shown that in digital knowledge networks, gatekeepers acquire crucial positions by formingdynamic chains of flow in the process of knowledge transfer. Therefore it is important to be able to detect and describe the function of gatekeepers for digitallearning processes. We present a case study in which we explore the role of gatekeepers in formal and informal online learning communities through acombination of social network analysis and relational text analysis. Our data come from e‐learning discussion boards that are actively used by elevenuniversities located in the state of Saxony, Germany. In order to examine the flow of information through the network of learners and educators and to analyzethe network data, we use the network text analysis tool AutoMap and the network analysis tool ORA. We extract semantic networks from the data, andcombine them with social network data. By performing structural analysis on the resulting relational data we identify the roles of gatekeepers in this e‐learningenvironment as well as the relationship between semantic network structure and information flow processes. With this research we ultimately aim tocontribute to a better understanding of the relationship between theories about socio‐technical networks, communication, and human learning.Sequencing In Information Dissemination In Scholarly NetworksMo, Guang Ying; Dimitrova, Dimitrina; Gruzd, Anatoliy; Hayat, Zack; Mok, Diana; Wellman, BarryAcademic and Scientific NetworksStructure, media use, information dissemination, SequenceFRI.AM2This study investigates social networks from an original perspective of sequence, which is an important dimension of social structuring time. Althoughinformation and communication technologies (ICTs) enable information dissemination to numerous receivers simultaneously, people do not necessarily sendout messages to all their contacts at the same time. Instead, they choose different media at different times to pass the information to different people. Thesequence of the contacts is a result of the actors’ process of determining on the primary and secondary contacts within social networks. This study investigateshow hierarchical structure in social networks influence actor’s sequencing of information dissemination in scholarly networks. To answer this question, I studyinformation dissemination in scholarly networks within the Graphics, Animation and New Media (GRAND) Network of Centres of Excellence. Interviews wereconducted with 30 professors in GRAND to understand their sequences in providing information within their projects. To find the relationship between socialstructure and sequencing process, I asked interviewees how they contact collaborators under three scenarios: important / non‐urgent, urgent, and routine.Preliminary findings show (1) the stronger the strength of ties, the more prioritized they are in the sequence; (2) formal position in the networks is related toawareness of sequencing; (3) the awareness of network members’ formal positions and personal preference is related to the development of norms ofsequencing. Providing a new perspective for social science research, the findings of this study contribute to a further understanding of the formation of socialnorms in social networks.