Becoming a Networked Scholar

Bonnie Stewart University of Prince Edward Island

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dissemination of knowledge

what people had for lunch

CHANGE IN

HIGHER ED

Premise:

Online networks enable different forms of academic identity and influence

than institutions do

• THE WHY

Why? Multiple Axes of Change

knowledge scarcity

knowledge abundance

anytime, anywhere

public funding

marketization

set time & place

Knowledge Abundance

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Structure of abundance = Networks

Price of admission = public identity

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Networks are not just for consuming, but connecting.

Many-to-many communications

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Knowledge abundance enables us to create ourselves as network

nodes, forming webs of visible (& invisible) connections

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Democratizing?

Some nodes are more equal than others

Networks & institutions are both reputational economies

To become readable in networks, you need to learn how to read.

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• THE HOW

“Those within the academy become very skilled at judging the stuff of reputations. Where has the person’s work been published,

what claims of priority in discovery have

they established, how often have they been cited, how and where reviewed, what

prizes won, what institutional ties earned, what organizations led?”

Willinsky, 2010

Reading Status Signals

•  Where you went to school •  Who your supervisor was •  Where you’ve published

(& their impact factor) •  Your h-index

•  Your citation count •  The associations you belong to

•  Your rank in the academic hierarchy

…but now…

Networks = self-dissemination & new signals

Intersecting Prestige Economies

Institutional Scholarship Google

How work gets seen/known/used

Google yourself. What do your signals say?

•  Are you visible on the first page? •  Can I find an interactive platform through which

to engage with you or your work? •  Do you share your own work and that of others

openly? •  Can I see you speak/talk/teach?

•  Are there any red flags?

For building academic identity &

influence online, you need a platform.

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Networked Scholarship: A Study

What do you SEE when you look at a Twitter profile?

images!

Institutional affiliation doesn’t matter (except Oxford)

longevity!

Shared contexts & standing out

capacity to contribute to

“The Conversation”

scale of visibility

common interests & disciplines

shared ties

Influence = perception of capacity to contribute

Sometimes…I’ll choose someone with twenty

followers, because I come across something they’ve

managed to say in 140 characters, and I think

“oh, look at you, crafting on a grain of rice.” - @KateMfD

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• THE WHAT IT DOES

Is the effort worth it?

Benefits as human: support & care

Benefits as thinker: just-in-time choral conversation

Benefits as writer: crowdsourcing

Benefits as learner & scholar: engagement & perspective

Benefits as learner & scholar: access & profile

Benefits as teacher: opportunities to connect students to real

audiences

How will I know if I’m succeeding?

9 years blogging, 8 years on Twitter, 3 months with a Ph.D

•  4 peer-reviewed publications (+ 3 more pending review)

•  17 public articles on higher ed & networks (Salon, The Guardian UK, Inside Higher Ed)

•  474 citations •  11 keynote/plenary presentations

•  30+ conference talks •  5 local/national CBC radio appearances

•  place at the table in leading conversations in my field

+ uncountable flops, failures, rejections, dead-ends, and sites of

confusion & uncertainty

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What signals will you send?

Questions?