215 Copyright © 2012, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Chapter 12 DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61350-444-4.ch012 INTRODUCTION In this contribution we propose an empirical cor- relation between the stages of development of a learning community and a set of social network metrics. We applied Social Network Analysis (SNA), defined as set of methods and tools to dynamically assess the growth of value derived by social interactions. We used SNA metrics to observe a learning community built around a Master’s Program launched by the e-Business Management Section of Scuola Superiore ISUFI, University of Salento, Italy. The program was de- signed to train talented young students to become “e-Business Solutions Engineers”. The program adopted a project-based learning strategy that Francesca Grippa University of Salento, Italy Marco De Maggio University of Salento, Italy Angelo Corallo University of Salento, Italy Observing the Evolution of a Learning Community Using Social Network Analysis ABSTRACT During the last decades, social and computer scientists have been focusing their efforts to study the effectiveness of collaboration in both working and learning environments. The main contributions clearly identify the importance of interactivity as the determinant of positive performances in learning communities where the supportive dimension of exchanges is balanced by the interactive one. In this chapter, authors describe a method based on social network metrics to recognize the stages of develop- ment of learning communities. The authors found that the evolution of social network metrics - such as density, betweenness centrality, contribution index, core/periphery structure – matched the formal stages of community development, with a clear identifcation of the forming, norming, and storming phases.