Enhanced innovative learning through the purposeful development of effective blended teaching and learning environments supported by a variety of interfaces is a strategic focus of the NWU and specifically the Faculty of Educational Science. There are several emerging models to ensure effective online and blended learning but the prominent model that has attracted attention is the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework developed by Garrison, Anderson and Archer in 2000. The CoI framework is conceptually grounded in theories of teaching and learning in higher education and is consistent with John Dewey’s work on community of inquiry. CoI is deeply rooted into pragmatism as is evident in Dewey’s argument where he explains the idea of extracting meaning from experience. The focused of this study was on blended learning in a graduate teacher training course in Technology Education. The content of Technology as a subject is derived from other disciplines such as science, engineering and design. Due to the unique features of Technology as a subject, it was of great value, within this applied discipline, to investigate the unique patterns and relationships occurring among CoI presences in such a module of a teacher training graduate course. The purpose of the study was to:  develop an understanding of how the three presences (teaching presence, social presence and cognitive presence) in CoI enhance online learning;  investigate the extent of CoI in a blended mode of delivery within a TE graduate course; and  develop, implement and evaluate a module for a graduate course in Technology teacher training for a blended mode of delivery, based on requirements for the development of CoI. A design-based research methodology approach was followed for this study and included qualitative and quantitative methods in a multi-strand design. Design-based research is intrinsically linked to, and developmentally nourished by, multiple design and research methodologies, which utilises many data collection and analysis methods and which makes it suitable for a mixed method research. Findings from the literature review on the value of CoI for the effectiveness of online learning indicated that blended learning is dependent on the ability to facilitate a CoI. It is through the application of the principles for CoI that a successful transition from a face-to-face to a blended mode of delivery for the applied subject TE was possible. Findings with regard to the extent to which CoI manifested itself in this Technology graduate course indicated that teaching presence manifested itself to a good extent in the TE undergraduate course. The main findings that were of concern with regard to teaching presence included: insufficient clear instructions and communication, feelings of isolations and disconnectedness, lack of immediacy and the inability to connect online feedback to lecturer expertise. Although social presence did manifest itself to some extent in the TE undergraduate course, it was the hardest to establish out of the three presences. The main issues arising from the manifestation and existence of social presence included: insufficient sense of belonging in the online environment, students didn’t feel comfortable expressing themselves affectively as well as uneasiness to communicate, interact and participate online with other module participants. Finally, cognitive presence did manifest itself to a satisfying extent in the TE undergraduate course. Findings suggest that there was a not sufficient structured triggering events to create a sense of puzzlement which suggests that more activities must be included that will encourage reflection and therefore will improve the movement through the cognitive inquiry process. Other findings from the study indicated that students experienced time management and the coordination and management of group activities as challenging. These challenges experienced by students reflect a lack of self-regulation skills in learning presence. Other challenges included that students experienced in the online environment of blended learning included: accessibility, lack of technology skills and the newness of blended learning. Design principles for the manifestation and existence of CoI for effective learning within a TE graduate module were establish for teaching presence, social presence and cognitive presence. The research contributed to the field by reporting on the process of how CoI can be enhanced in a blended learning environment for a complex subject such as Technology, and by providing evidence based guidelines for the design and implementation of blended learning with CoI principles as guidelines. / PhD (Curriculum Development Innovation and Evaluation), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Technology: Language Practice, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / The innovative application of an online educational portal in everyday teaching and learning is proposed to meet the needs of the new generation of students entering Universities of Technology (UoTs). The setting is against a background of educationally under-prepared but multimedia-literate students, and the university vision of integrating eLearning into the curriculum. The emergence of the Academic Commons Attribution has facilitated the channelling of free-to-use/open source educational information through the dedicated artefact. The investigation combined the challenges of artefact design with the necessity of authenticating subject content so that it was geared to the needs of the students in the Photography Programme. This study highlights the importance of managing knowledge so that it can be passed down to current and future generations in ways which keep pace with their exponential development of digital expertise. This research was carried out within Bhaskar’s critical realist philosophy, which argues that there is a real world which exists independently of one’s perception of it. It must be stressed that the artefact contained in the multimedia portal did not follow a linear, logical development but was a process of transformational iterative change, very similar to the developmental consistency described by Bhaskar. Bhaskar’s philosophical overview was complemented by Archer’s morphogenetic approach. The latter showed that the application of technology in teaching and learning is not just about use of “better tools” but signals a shift in social structure. The main technical challenge was for the researcher to standardise the multimedia resources so that they could be used on most personal computers, with the option of downloading short tutorials on mobile phones for later use. The resulting multimedia portal provides strong support in guiding inexperienced students and novice academics to choose resources appropriate to both the Photography curriculum and rapidly changing Industry requirements. The portal can also reduce the number of time consuming searches on various themes or topics, as it directs users to specific hyperlinked online resources in any given syllabus item. The curated educational portal is, therefore, currently being introduced as an enhancement to the traditional teaching and learning methods hitherto used in the Photography Programme. While the traditional methods have the strong humanist leanings essential for personal development, they are not geared to tackle the cutting edge technological advances required by industry. Moreover, in promoting the Durban University of Technology (DUT) as a centre using cutting-edge multimedia tuition, the portal might better establish influences with Industry (one of the core functions of a UoT) as well as attract international academics and students. The end result is to offer a blended learning model of tertiary programme delivery which is supported by the literature as currently being one of the most effective options. / D

Titel: Varför YouTube? Title: Why YouTube? Författare: Björn Lindgren I den här studien har syftet med undersökningen varit att synliggöra varför några elever använder sig av YouTube i sitt lärande av sång och instrumentspel. Undersökningen började med en enkät med elever från ett musikestetiskt gymnasium i årskurs 3. Utifrån enkäten valdes fem frivilliga elever ut till att delta i intervjuer. Genom enkäten kom det fram att alla elever som använder YouTube i syfte att lära sig något på sitt instrument eller i sin sång främst bara lär sig specifika låtar, vilket också bekräftas i intervjuerna. Databearbetningen av intervjuerna visade på resultat som kunde delas in i fem olika kategorier/orsaker till varför elever vänder sig till YouTube, nämligen smidighet, självklarhet, mångfald, låtarna och skola. I resultatet förklaras hur YouTube upplevs som en plats där eleverna med självklarhet och enkelhet kan klicka sig fram till en instruktionsvideo som passar dem. Här lär de sig i sitt eget tempo, när de vill och när de har tid.

M. Tech. Business Administration / The study was conducted at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Business School in order to assess the degree of interest in the blended method of teaching and learning among Business School students. The study was based on a sample of size 50 students who were enrolled as Year III students while the study was being conducted at the Business School. Data was collected by using a structured, pre-tested and validated questionnaire of study from each of the 50 students who took part in the study. Data analyses were performed by using methods such as frequency tables, Fisher’s exact tests of associations and Marcov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms or Bayesian analysis.

Digital learning is becoming increasingly prevalent in colleges and universities in the United States (Allen & Seaman, 2013; Godev, 2014), including in the social field of second language learning. In larger language programs in particular, online and blended (partially online) courses are gaining popularity, such as the recently cited "hybrid revolution in Spanish-language learning" (Long, 2014, p. 1). Administrators look to digital solutions to tight finances, a lack of classroom space, and student demands. A current challenge in the field is helping instructors and students adapt to digital pedagogy and a new perspective: Technology provides innovative possibilities for instruction and interaction, not solely a distance replication of face-to-face courses (Blake, 2009, 2013, 2014; Goertler, 2011, 2014). To be successful, digital learning must include pedagogically sound course design and adequate support for both instructors and learners, requirements that may make this trend not as economical as originally believed (Godev, 2014).Responding to Hermosilla's (2014) declaration that "a pending task is to gather accurate data on existing hybrid Spanish programs in US colleges and universities in order to carry out comparative studies" (p. 3), this dissertation examines lower-division blended courses of languages other than English currently or recently taught at U.S. colleges and universities. The dissertation follows Wu's (2015) assumption that the courses appearing in the prior research literature might not be representative of the vast number of blended courses that now exist. The dissertation draws upon an original survey of 121 instructor and administrator participants representing 52 language programs and 13 languages, interviews with 21 of these participants, and surveys of 35 students in 4 participants' classes. Conducted using mixed methods and thematic analysis, the dissertation provides information about blended course designs so that other institutions can learn from them and emulate them. The study explores the choices that underlie the selection and development of curricula, materials, and technologies in blended language courses; student, instructor, and administrator perspectives on these courses; and support (training, professional development, and resources) available to participants. Most participants (98 in total) reported being very or somewhat satisfied with the current setup of their blended courses. Variables correlated with instructor satisfaction included a greater number of years of instruction (overall and in the blended format), instructors' amount of influence over the curriculum and materials, their choice of teaching blended classes, and the availability of technology training in their programs. Themes emerging from the interviews included an emphasis on the communicative approach, the use of textbook website packages and (in a few cases) open educational resources, a frustration with inadequate student preparation, instructor autonomy, and varying levels of support for instructors and students. Blended courses in basic language programs are best served when instructors choose their level of technological integration, contribute to the course design, and are offered preparation and support related to both technology and teaching methods. The study recommends ways that institutions, departments, instructors, and students of languages can make the most of digital pedagogy, not only in officially blended courses, but also in courses across the spectrum of technological integration, from fully face-to-face to fully online. Useful strategies include selecting and creating technological materials that align with the skills that instructors and administrators want students to develop, providing training and support for both pedagogy and technology to new and continuing instructors, and offering technological support to students. The lessons of this study are applicable not only to courses that are officially blended, but also to all language programs considering or evaluating new technological integrations.

Taking an action research approach, this study explores the experiences of three intakes of undergraduate students who worked in a cohort-based learning environment where team work and classroom participation was expected. This educational setting required students from diverse backgrounds to work closely together on campus during the intense one-year program. To facilitate in the development of a face-to-face learning community, where individual differences could be celebrated and problems could be solved in an open, trusting environment, an online bridging course was developed. Aimed at decreasing the incidence of minority group marginalization and reduce feelings of isolation, the bridging course provided activities directed towards encouraging students to begin to develop an inclusive learning community prior to their arrival on campus. Exploring how online transitional activities had contributed to the development of a face-to-face learning community, as well as perceived disadvantages to that model, key stakeholders' perceptions were obtained through focus groups, interviews, and surveys. Findings include: (a) an enhanced understanding of the ways in which an online course can be used to aid in the development of a learning community for oncampus students; (b) a heightened awareness of challenges faced by those working in a learning community; (c) a systematic approach to the development of learning communities. This research suggests that an online bridging course can be an effective way for on-campus students to start developing a learning community.

Master of Education (MEd) Research Report University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg, 2016 / This study investigates the impact of the Flipped Learning Model (FLM) on the teaching practices of four educators in a private school in Johannesburg. It investigates the pedagogic processes and experiences of these educators’ respective attempts to shift from their standard educator-centered methodologies to the FLM’s highly collaborative and blended methodology. In so doing, the study exposes the educators’ resistance to the primary assumptions of constructivist epistemologically informed pedagogies. It also demonstrates the extent to which epistemological assumptions underpinning the ‘official curriculum’ are imbued within the dominant pedagogic discourse and aligned with educators’ beliefs and professional identities. The study exposes the necessity for transformations in educators’ traditional thinking, epistemological assumptions, perceptions, attitudes and roles to occur before any substantial attempts to introduce the FLM in ‘classrooms’ are made. Furthermore, the FLM takes for granted the ease of embedding technology in the teaching/learning process. This study exposes the relationship between a lack of technological familiarity/ know-how and the strength of resistance to ‘flipping the classroom’. South African educators work in an environment that promotes very strong boundaries between: classroom/home; educator/learner; and schoolwork/homework. Flipping, weakening or altering these, challenges educators’ strongly held notions of what it means to be a professional educator. It is within this context that Bernstein’s work with respect to the development of such seminal concepts as ‘pedagogic device’, ‘classification’ and ‘framing’ provided the language of description and analytical basis for this research study. / MT2017

A presença das tecnologias digitais e da Internet vem se intensificando em diferentes contextos de nossas vidas: pessoal, profissional e acadêmico. Isso vem trazendo mudanças nas práticas sociais, e nos traz questionamentos, particularmente, sobre as influências das Tecnologias Digitais da Informação e da Comunicação (TDIC) e da Internet no processo de ensino-aprendizagem e nas práticas profissionais do professor. No contexto educacional, observamos a adoção de modalidades híbridas no ensino-aprendizagem, pela associação de aulas presenciais a Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVA), o que traz para o professor o desafio de configurar sua sala virtual, de definir as atividades a serem realizadas com o uso de ferramentas e recursos do ambiente assim como a inclusão de tecnologias. Considerando todos esses aspectos, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi o de investigar como se deu a articulação das duas modalidades de ensino, presencial e virtual através das atividades propostas; a relação entre as atividades e o uso de ferramentas e participação dos alunos em relação ao uso do ambiente associado às aulas presenciais. Nossas reflexões se basearam no referencial teórico que discute a evolução das (Tecnologias da Informação e da Comunicação (TIC) (MONEREO; COLL, 2010); as características das TDIC (LÉVY, 1999; GABRIEL, 2013) e da Internet (CASTELLS, 2003); as orientações teórico-metodológicas que norteiam os cursos on-line (KENSKI; SCHULTZ, 2015); as características das ferramentas digitais e dos AVA (MONEREO; COLL, 2010; TORI 2010; FILATRO, 2008); as características do ensino híbrido (MORAN, 2015; VALENTE, 2014; NISSEN, 2007; STAKER; HORN, 2012; BACICH; TANZI NETO; TREVISAN, 2015) e a formação do professor para atuar nesses contextos (PERRENOUD, 2002, 2010; MAYRINK; ALBUQUERQUE-COSTA, 2013, 2017; MORAN, 2015). Para o desenvolvimento da pesquisa, realizamos um estudo do caso, de natureza qualitativa-interpretativista, que considera as especificidades do contexto, ou seja, a observação da sala virtual na Plataforma Moodle de uma disciplina de formação inicial de professores, de um curso de Graduação em Letras Francês/Português de uma universidade pública do estado de São Paulo. Os dados que constituem o corpus de análise desta pesquisa foram coletados por meio de anotações de observações das aulas presenciais; registros das telas do curso no Moodle; entrevista com a professora responsável pela disciplina; dois questionários com os alunos, o primeiro para constituição do perfil do grupo, e segundo para conhecer seu ponto de vista sobre a disciplina desenvolvida na modalidade híbrida. Os resultados de nossas análises mostraram que a modalidade híbrida pode ser concebida sob diferentes aspectos segundo o contexto no qual ele é proposto. No caso desta pesquisa, as particularidades da disciplina e da sala virtual conferiram ao trabalho realizado características voltadas à organização e funcionalidade dos dois espaços presencial e virtual assim como a valorização dos aspectos interativos e de autonomia dos alunos quando utilizaram as ferramentas do Moodle. A noção de híbrido permaneceu geral, de acordo com a definição de Tori (2015). A contribuição da pesquisa se dá no âmbito da formação de professores para atuar em contextos híbridos, na medida em que, é necessário reconhecer que cada vez mais as TDIC, estão integradas ao cotidiano do ensino-aprendizagem tornando possível o desenvolvimento de novas maneiras de ensinar e aprender próprias ao século XXI. / The presence of digital technologies and Internet has been intensifying in diferente contexts of our lives: personal, professional and academic. This has brought changes in social practices, and brings us questions, particularly, about the influences of Digital Technologies of Information and Communication (DTIC) and about the Internet in the teaching-learning process and in the professional practices of a teacher. In the educational context, we observe the adoption of blended-learning programs, by the association of in-person classes to Virtual Learning Environments (VLE), which brings to the teacher the challenge of configuring his virtual room, of defining the activities to be performed with the use of environmental tools and resources, as well as the inclusion of technologies. Considering all these aspects, the objective of this research was to investigate the articulation of two blended-learning programs, in-person and virtual, through the proposed activities; the relationship between the activities and use of tools and the participation of students in relation to the use of this kind of environment associated to in-person lessons. Our reflections were based on the theoretical framework that discusses the evolution of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) (MONEREO; COLL, 2010); the characteristics of DTIC (LÉVY, 1999; GABRIEL, 2013) and Internet (CASTELLS, 2003); the theoretical-methodological guidelines that guide the online courses (KENSKI; SCHULTZ, 2015); the characteristics of the digital tools and LVE (MONEREO; COLL, 2010; TORI, 2010; FILATRO, 2008); the characteristics of blended learning (MORAN, 2015; VALENTE, 2014; NISSEN, 2007; STAKER; HORN, 2012; BACICH; TANZI NETO; TREVISAN, 2015) and teacher training to work in these contexts (PERRENOUD, 2002, 2010; MAYRINK; ALBUQUERQUE-COSTA, 2013, 2015, 2017; MORAN, 2015). For the development of the research, we carried out a qualitative-interpretive nature case study that considers the particularities of the context, that is, the observation of the virtual room in the Moodle Platform of an initial teacher training course, from a Bachelor\'s degree in Language and Literature qualification in French and Portuguese at a public university in the state of São Paulo. The data that constitute the corpus of analysis of this research were collected through annotations and observations of in-person classes; prints of course screens in Moodle; interview with the responsible teacher for the discipline; two questionnaires with the students, the first one to form the profile of the group, and the second one to know their point of view about the discipline developed in the blendedlearning programs. The results of our analyzes point out that the blended-learning.

eLearning applications have penetrated the world of education as most higher education organizations all over the world choose to deploy eLearning applications. A review of literature and surveys performed confirmed that currently there is very little engagement of students in web-based eLearning applications, especially related to web-based constructive activities. In fact, eLearning platforms are mostly used as on-line repositories for a variety of course related documents without actively contributing to the learning process utilizing available modern learning methods. eLearning aims to actively engage students by making available learning content, but also through using interactive practices in the process of learning. Therefore, students in addition to access learning content may actively participate in the discovery of knowledge rather than being passive receptors to that content. Consequently, engagement of students to eLearning activities and content is important. Two surveys were undertaken in order to identify the reasons why web-based eLearning platforms fail to achieve both constructivist learning and the required engagement by both students and instructors. In addition to that, these surveys investigated and measured the level of interactivity of both students and instructors with on-line Information Technology (IT) services offered by both web-based and mobile applications and services. The rational was to investigate opportunities in creating a technology that can disseminate eLearning content that is mainly offered by institutional eLearning platforms and popular on-line services like social networks and communications services, in order to increase awareness, availability, and simplicity of eLearning activities and thus engagement to eLearning. The findings illustrated that most instructors fail to create and promptly support constructive eLearning activities largely because of the complexity and time required for such undertakings. Consequently, the critical student participant mass is not achieved. Additionally, it seems that most learning platforms rely on email messages and native applications’ notifications to update both students and instructors on new interactions. However, these channels of communication are not within the preferred communication channels and thus updates become outdated and fail to serve their purpose. Finally, web-based learning platforms seem to be oriented around laptop/desktop computer use (i.e. a full sized computer screen) rather than adopting and adapting to current mobile use of technology. The research presents a novel conceptual model of a mobile application that integrates and combines various already existing popular, on-line, web-based and mobile application services (communication, social media, voice command systems, etc.) including relative technologies (smart devices, mobile sensors, application servers), with institutional eLearning platforms. The aim is to increase the engagement of both students and instructors to eLearning, through constructive eLearning activities using a variety of existing popular technologies. This research shows that a Mobile Technology Enhanced Learning (mTEL) technology that integrates eLearning activities to both students and instructors will assist in increasing the awareness of learners to eLearning activities. At the same time, it offers the means to access, respond and participate in learning activities virtually from everywhere, thus making interaction ubiquitous, simpler and prompt, thus addressing key eLearning weaknesses leading to low engagement. These benefits are offered to both students and instructors, for a variety of eLearning activities and tools (positivistic and constructive). The research goes one step further by evaluating mTEL’s effectiveness. A conceptual novel model of a mobile application was designed and positively evaluated to contribute in the resolution of the major problem of low engagement of both students and instructors to eLearning. This is achieved by technologically enhancing mobile learning and introducing learning activities and materials at the current, highly populated on-line ecosystems where learners are already engaged instead of expecting them to directly interact with the institutional web-based platforms.

The field of dental medical education is one of the most rapidly evolving fields in education. Newer teaching methods are being evaluated and incorporated in dental institutions. One of the promising new methods is the blended learning approach that may involve a “flipped” instructional sequencing, where online instruction precedes the group meeting, allowing for more sophisticated learning through discussion and critical thinking. The author conducted a mixed method, experimental study that focused on second year dental students’ perceptions of blended learning and its effectiveness. A sample size of 40 dental students in their second year from a Northeastern Regional Dental School were invited to participate in this study to evaluate a blended learning approach in comparison to a more traditional lecture format. Students who participated in the study, participated in group problem-solving, responded to Likert-type surveys, completed content exams, and were interviewed individually. Based on Likert survey data and interview responses, the participants in the blended learning treatment reported very positive opinions including positive perceptions of the organization, support of meaningful learning and potential merits for use in dental education. There also was evidence that the blended learning group achieved at least as well as the traditional lecture group, and excelled on certain content test items. The results of this study support the conclusion that blended instruction promotes active, in-depth and self-regulated learning. During blended learning, students set standards or goals regarding their learning, evaluate their progress toward these goals, and then adapt and regulate their cognition, motivation, and behavior in order to accomplish their goals. Overall, the results of this research on blended learning, including the use of problem-based learning in group discussions, supports the merits of incorporating blended earning in dental education curricula.