COMP1678 – User Centred Web Engineering - Twitter Research #swine u: Twitter predicts swine u outbreak in 2009 Dr Ed de Quincey, Dr Patty Kostkova and Dr Martin Szomsor
COMP1678 – User Centred Web Engineering - Twitter Research “Epidemics of seasonal influenza are a major public health concern, causing tens of millions of respiratory illnesses and 250,000 to 500,000 deaths worldwide each year” Ginsberg et al., Nature Vol 457, 19 February 2009 doi:10.1038/nature07634
COMP1678 – User Centred Web Engineering - Twitter Research 1 Word to Left 1 Word to Right Word Frequency Word Frequency swine 1,193,777 vaccine 123,156 the 159,064 shot 88,361 h1n1 77,968 cases 46,098 seasonal 25,150 shots 43,676 bird 13,097 death 26,665 stomach 8,425 deaths 21,893 regular 8,119 pandemic 18,527 pig 6,650 season 17,521 man 7,630 vaccines 17.277 pandemic 6,626 virus 17,245 Collocation of words, one word to the right and the left of the word “ u”
COMP1678 – User Centred Web Engineering - Twitter Research The use of twitter by students and lecturers: the potential impact on feedback and engagement. Dr Ed de Quincey and Avril Hocking
COMP1678 – User Centred Web Engineering - Twitter Research Dr Ed de Quincey @eddequincey @DrEddeQuincey Senior Lecturer, School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences Head of the Web 2.0/Social Web for Learning Research Group, eCentre http://www2.gre.ac.uk/research/centres/ecentre/research-groups/web-2.0 Avril Hocking @AvrilHocking Senior Lecturer, School of Health and Social Care Member of the Web 2.0/Social Web for Learning Research Group, eCentre
COMP1678 – User Centred Web Engineering - Twitter Research Using twitter with this course We are intending to use twitter with this course in 3 ways: 1. As an alternative method for posting useful course specific information to students e.g. links to articles, emergency changes to lecture times etc. 2. Enable students to ask questions about courses e.g. clarifying something from a lecture, asking about coursework specifications etc. 3. Encourage students to help one another and create communities of practice/learning.
COMP1678 – User Centred Web Engineering - Twitter Research you could also use hashtags such as #COMP1314Lec1 if you are asking about something in the first lecture, #COMP1314Lab1 for the first lab session, #COMP1314CW for information about the coursework and so on. Just make sure that the hashtag includes #COMP1314
COMP1678 – User Centred Web Engineering - Twitter Research Twitter was introduced during the first tutorial session for 3 courses at UG and PG level, across 2 Schools within the University by 2 lecturers (@DrEddeQuincey and @AvrilHocking).
The use of twitter by students and lecturers Tweets collected 1. All tweets posted from lecturer accounts 2. All tweets that contained the relevant course codes 3. All direct messages and replies (for @DrEddeQuincey and @AvrilHocking)
COMP1678 – User Centred Web Engineering - Twitter Research 161 tweets (56%) were @mentions i.e. the lecturer replying to a student’s tweet indicating a good level of 2 way- communication
COMP1678 – User Centred Web Engineering - Twitter Research received 40 direct (private) messages from 11 students, all asking questions, again indicating a good level of 2-way communication
The use of twitter by students and lecturers The hashtags for the 2 courses had less impact than the use of messaging, with #COMP1444 being used 98 times (50% by the lecturer account) and #COMP1314, 75 times (33% by the lecturer account).
The use of twitter by students and lecturers Around 31% students used twitter as a way of communicating with @DrEddeQuincey regarding the course and although a few individuals made attempts at sharing information by the use of hashtags, this was not the primary use
COMP1678 – User Centred Web Engineering - Twitter Research Students were willing to sign up for twitter and the majority sent at least one tweet, but their continued use was very much dependent on whether they were already active users or whether they understood it’s potential uses during and after the course
The use of twitter by students and lecturers A number of students have utilised twitter as a quick method of communication between themselves and the lecturer. This enabled for almost real time communication outside of lectures and tutorials and immediate resolution of issues
The use of twitter by students and lecturers students have to ask concise questions that can be answered within the same limitation. From the lecturer point of view, replies can be quick and to the point, no need for email etiquette and format e.g. salutations and sign-offs.
The use of twitter by students and lecturers For lecturers that utilise twitter on a continuous basis as a natural part of their work, the ability to monitor and send quick replies to students via a range of devices is more efficient and does not get lost amongst other work related email.
The use of twitter by students and lecturers other students who follow the user who sent the @mention can also see the @reply from the lecturer, potentially reducing the number of communications that ask the same question.
COMP1678 – User Centred Web Engineering - Twitter Research The hashtag course codes were primarily only used by the lecturer and were sparsely used in all courses to share information, discuss course content etc. by students.
COMP1678 – User Centred Web Engineering Twitter Research Tweeting Credibility and Thankfulness: An Exploratory Study of Charity Twitter Accounts in the UK Dr Ed de Quincey and Dr Nicky Garsten
1. Profile information The accounts’ start dates, and total number of tweets and followers were ascertained, along with a number of other attributes. 2. Tweet activity Tweets over a one-week period (1st November to 7th November 2011) were collected and the contents analysed to identify common words used, retweets, links, hashtags and emoticons.
Authorship
Percentage
of
accounts
No.
of
accounts
No
name
of
individual
or
team
specified
84%
53
Func&onal
team
name
(e.g.
PR
or
digital
team)
13%
8
Chris&an
name/s
10%
6
Full
name
2%
1
An emoticon (/ɨˈmoʊtɨkɒn/) is a pictorial representation of a facial expression using punctuation marks and letters, usually written to express a person's mood. >:] :-) :) :o) :] :3 :c) :> =] 8) =) :} :^) ""