O serviço público passa por um período de reinvenção e mudança em busca dos valores da Nova Gestão pública baseados na aproximação com as demandas da sociedade e incentivo a um ambiente aberto, transparente e inovador. Em consonância, o servidor público se posiciona cada vez mais de maneira ativa e consciente do seu papel, disposto a participar de um desafio aberto, diferente do imposto por um ambiente burocratizado e desumanizado. Nesse contexto, esta pesquisa apoiou-se em um estudo de caso que se utilizou de uma observação participante permeada por um estudo teórico dos saberes necessários para entendela e pesquisá-la, envolvendo os conceitos de: inovação no setor público, intelectual orgânico e comunidades virtuais de prática. Para isso, foram acompanhadas e analisadas durante dois anos as interações da comunidade virtual de prática do Núcleo de Gestão Ambiental Integrada da reitoria do Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Sul-rio-grandense que se utilizou do e-mail e do ambiente virtual de aprendizagem Moodle para desenvolver práticas no setor público Nesse contexto, a pesquisa sobre a realidade prática durante o período foi permeada pelo estudo teórico que identificou a postura do servidor público como intelectual orgânico, agente da mudança, aberto para a aprendizagem e inovador que se utiliza das Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação atuando em comunidade virtuais de prática. Ao final, a pesquisa delimitou um quadro teórico para identificar, caracterizar e posteriormente auxiliar na organização, condução e análise de experiências com comunidades virtuais de prática como ambiente de inovação no serviço público visando o desenvolvimento da postura de intelectual orgânico. / The public service is undergoing a period of invention and changes in search of the New Public Management values-based approach to the demands of society, and encourage an open, transparent and innovative environment. Accordingly, the civil servant positions itself increasingly active and conscious of its role, willing to participate in an open challenge, other than imposed by a bureaucratic and dehumanized environment. In this context, this research was based on a case study that was used a participating observation permeated by a theoretical study of knowledge required to understand it and research it, involving the concepts of innovation in the public sector, organic intellectual and virtual communities of practice. For this, they were monitored and analyzed for two years the interactions of virtual community of practice of the Núcleo de Gestão Integrada of the rectory of the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Sul-rio-grandense which used e-mail and virtual learning environment Moodle for to develop practices in the public sector In this context, the research on the practical reality during the period was permeated by theoretical study that identified the attitude of civil servants as organic intellectual, change agent, open to learning and innovator who uses of Information and Communication Technologies when working in virtual communities of practice. At the end, the survey identified a theoretical framework for identifying, characterizing and subsequently assist in the organization, conduct and analysis of experiences with virtual communities of practice and innovation environment in the public service for the development of the organic intellectual’s posture.

abstract: The National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP) was established to promote the community college role in the recruitment, preparation, retention, and renewal of teachers. NACCTEP is led by a 13-member executive board consisting of community college teacher education administrators and faculty members from across the United States. Board members expressed concern that their first year consisted of them trying to learn their role as a board member including how to participate in board activities. By the time they became fully knowledgeable about their role and became more active participants, their two-year term was completed. They also indicated that initially they felt disconnected from veteran board members. To address this issue, an orientation/leadership suite was developed for new board members to assist them in transitioning from peripheral roles to full active roles. The suite included activities such as an association orientation web page, participation in monthly board conference calls, a face-to-face leadership session, and mentoring by veteran board members. The communities of practice (CoP) framework shaped this action research study and the activities of the suite were designed to foster a CoP. This action research study utilized a mixed-method research approach in which both qualitative and quantitative instruments were used to gather data. The descriptive statistics indicated that on average, new board members perceived mentoring was effective, understood their role on the board, experienced a sense of a community of practice, considered themselves as active on the board, and believed the leadership orientation suite was effective. An analysis of the qualitative data resulted in four themes: community, communication, participation, and efficacy. Overall, the findings indicated that the new board member orientation/leadership suite assisted new board members transition from peripheral roles to active leadership roles through developing a sense of community; facilitating and sustaining communication; defining, supporting, and encouraging participation; and increasing efficacy in their roles. Through the learning of their roles, the new board members became knowledgeable, comfortable, and confident in serving as board members, which facilitated their participating in the NACCTEP board's CoP. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2013

O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar o processo de adoção do Software Livre na Universidade de São Paulo. É de especial interesse o estudo dos aspectos culturais e organizacionais que contribuíram para a adoção do Software Livre entre os administradores de sistemas. O estudo de adoção, não se limitou à adoção individual, mas se estendeu à adoção organizacional uma vez que a adoção de inovações tecnológicas em organizações difere de modo especial da adoção individual. A adoção organizacional aborda aspectos como a extensão do uso da inovação e, o quão profundamente o uso da tecnologia altera processos, estruturas e cultura organizacional. O fenômeno de adoção na Universidade revela-se particularmente importante por ter se tratado da adoção de uma nova tecnologia, em grande escala e bem-sucedida. Esta pesquisa estuda quais são os fatores condicionantes e os que favoreceram a adoção da nova tecnologia, bem como o contexto social e cultural desta adoção em diferentes Unidades da USP. / The objective of this work is to study the adoption of Free Software in the University of São Paulo. It is of special interest the study of the cultural and organizational aspects that contributed to the adoption of the Free Software among the systems administrators. The adoption study, was not limited to the individual adoption, but it extended to the organizational adoption once the adoption of technological innovations in organizations differs in special ways from the individual adoption. The organizational adoption examines aspects as the extension of the use of the innovation and, how deeply the use of the technology affects processes, structures and organizational culture. The adoption phenomenon in the University is particularly important for having it been a voluntary adoption of a new technology, in great scale and well succeeded. This research studies which factors restricted or favored the adoption of the new technology, as well as the social and cultural context of this adoption in different Units of USP

Orientador: Dario Fiorentini / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T22:42:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Batista_AdrianaCorreiadeAlmeida_D.pdf: 4678099 bytes, checksum: 40a123a8cc0aac4424edcb1235044ffc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: A pesquisa em questão tem como objetivo identificar, problematizar e compreender a aprendizagem que ocorre nas aulas de matemática de um 6º ano de uma escola pública. Para tanto, foi tomado como objeto de estudo a prática pedagógica de uma professora de matemática, pesquisadora e autora desta tese, e as interações com seus alunos de uma turma de 6º ano, ao longo de um ano letivo (2009). A sua questão central é Que aprendizagens são produzidas no interior de uma comunidade de aprendizes de matemática e como esses participantes se transformam identitariamente, apropriando-se de saberes/práticas nessa/dessa comunidade? Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, com algumas características da etnografia. O processo de coletas de dados e de documentação teve por objetivo fornecer subsídios para as interpretações e análises acerca das práticas e indícios de aprendizagem dos alunos e da própria comunidade de aprendizes. Os procedimentos metodológicos foram: questionário do início do ano letivo; videogravação de algumas aulas; pequenos relatos sobre as aulas; carta relato sobre uma aula de grandezas e medidas enviada a um destinatário a ser escolhido pelo aluno; produções dos alunos e diário de campo da pesquisadora. Os principais aportes teóricos são aqueles relativos à teoria social da aprendizagem em comunidade de prática, tendo como interlocutores privilegiados Ettiene Wenger e Jean Lave, os quais, a grosso modo, tomam a aprendizagem como prática social. Outros autores permeiam as análises e discussões, como João Felipe Matos e R. Brown, ao tratarem da sala de aula como comunidade de prática; Barbara Rogoff, ao discutir a sala de aula como comunidades de aprendizagem e os processos de aprendizagem guiada e compartilhados entre os sujeitos. O processo de análise de dados é o de análise narrativa, o qual procura-se analisar e interpretar narrativamente as práticas vividas, apresentando, como produto final desse processo, outra narrativa. A categoria principal de análise da presente pesquisa é a aprendizagem situada na comunidade de aprendizes de matemática do 6º B e a partir dela, foram construídas quatro subcategorias: participação; produção e negociação de significados; apropriação de saberes/práticas e constituição de identidades. Estas subcategorias não devem ser compreendidas como autônomas ou independentes entre si. Ao contrário, elas se inter-relacionam ao longo do processo narrativo de análise e interpretação das práticas de aprendizagem, formando um conjunto que auxiliam a produção de análises e interpretações acerca de aprendizagem situada em prática social e humana. As análises desta pesquisa permitiram constatar que os alunos ao trabalhar em grupos, sejam estes pequenos ou que envolvem a turma toda e sob à ótica de uma comunidade de aprendizes de matemática, podem compartilhar saberes e práticas que trazem de seu mundo social, integrando-as com os saberes escolares. O papel do professor nesta comunidade é essencial, pois ele é responsável pela articulação dos saberes desses jovens daqueles produzidos na/pela escola, além de lhe caber, ainda, a elaboração e escolha de práticas pedagógicas e gêneros textuais específicos para àquela comunidade. Os diferentes papéis dos alunos na comunidade de aprendizes do 6ºB e suas participações, mobilizaram processos de negociação de significados e transformação de suas identidades ao longo das aulas de matemática / Abstract: The research project aims to identify , discuss and understand the learning that occurs in a 6th year math classes in a public school . Thus, it was regarded as an object of study the pedagogical practice of a math teacher , researcher and author of this thesis , and interactions with their students in a 6th year class, over a year ( 2009) . Its central question is what learning is produced within a community of learners in mathematics and how these participants become , appropriating knowledge / practices that / this community ? This is a qualitative research , with some characteristics of ethnography . The process of data collection and documentation aimed to provide support to the interpretations and analyzes about the practices and evidence the student learning and their own community of learners. The methodological procedures were the beginning of the school year questionnaire; video recording of some classes; small stories about classes; Letter report on a class of quantities and measurements sent to a recipient to be chosen by the own student , students' productions and field journal of researcher . The main theoretical contributions are those relating to the social theory of learning in a community of practice, having as main interlocutors Ettiene Wenger and Jean Lave , which , roughly speaking , take learning as social practice . Other authors permeate the analyzes and discussions , as Felipe Matos and R. Brown , to treat the classroom as a community of practice , Barbara Rogoff , discuss the classroom as learning communities and the processes of learning and guided sharing between the subjects. The process of data analysis is the analysis of narrative , which seeks to analyze and interpret the lived narrative practices , presenting , as the final product of this process, a another narrative. The main category of analysis of this research is situated learning of learners in mathematics 6th B community considering this, were built four subcategories : participation , production and negotiation of meanings ; appropriation of knowledge / practices , and identity construction . These subcategories shouldn¿t be understood as autonomous or independent. Rather, they are interrelated throughout the narrative process of analysis and interpretation of learning practices , forming a set that assist the production of analyzes and interpretations of situated learning in social and human practice . The analyzes in this study showed evidence that students to work in groups , whether small or involving the whole and under the eyes of a community of learners math class , can share knowledge and practices that bring their to the social world , integrating them with school knowledge . The responsibility of the teacher in this community is essential as it is responsible for the articulation of knowledge of these young people from those produced in / by the school, and will also fit the design and choice of pedagogical practices specific to that community and textual genres. The different responsibility of the students in the 6th B apprentices and their participation in community mobilized processes of negotiation of meaning and transformation of their identities along the math classes / Doutorado / Ensino e Práticas Culturais / Doutor em Educação

Early phases of Kolomoki’s occupation have been characterized as relatively egalitarian, with little evidence for status differentiation. However, patterned variability in lithic raw material use and intensity of production in domestic areas suggests heterogeneity in the community at multiple scales. In light of Kolomoki’s emphasis on communal ceremony, internal divisions between groups of households highlight the tension between public and private expressions of status and social solidarity. New radiocarbon dates from the southern margins of the village have allowed us to assess the contemporaneity of this pattern, and by extension, the chronology of village aggregation.

This thesis explores the findings of a diachronic analysis of three lithic assemblages from Quadra Island, British Columbia. From this, insights flow about the genealogies of technological practice and communities of skilled practitioners who inhabited the study area throughout its deep history. I use qualitative and quantitative methods including macroscopic lithic analysis, thin section petrography, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and morphometrics to operationalize these theoretical foundations. This suite of complementary methods and theory weaves a narrative of technological change alongside simultaneous continuity for hundreds of generations of human life. I argue this is evidence of the dynamic, sophisticated, yet enduring knowledge and practice of the inhabitants of the Discovery Islands throughout their deep histories that persist in the present. / Graduate / 2019-04-16

The ceramic assemblage from previous excavations at Crystal River (8CI1), a Woodland period mound center on Florida’s west-central coast, exhibits variation in temper and surface treatments indicative of distinct pottery traditions and, perhaps, social groups. I analyzed ceramics from recent, better controlled excavations at Crystal River and the neighboring and partially contemporaneous site of Roberts Island (8CI41), using the theoretical framework of communities of practice to evaluate this claim. Analysis suggests that while some degree of diversity in paste was maintained through all four phases, there was greater homogeneity of paste, as well as more mixing of paste categories, during Phases 2 and 3. The former was an interval marked by intensive settlement at Crystal River, and the dominance of limestone tempered pottery suggests the emergence of a common, locally-based pottery making tradition. A switch to sand as a tempering agent in Phase 3 probably reflects greater dispersal of settlement, and specifically a shift to the occupation of coastal islands. Trends in surface treatments may also appear to reflect changes in settlement, although the pattern here is less straightforward owing to broader trends in ceramic decoration. The vast majority of pottery in each phase is plain, but plain pottery is particularly dominant (and the diversity of surface treatments correspondingly low) during the peak in settlement in Phase 2. As with temper, this may suggest that pottery making practices converged, as initially disparate groups lived together in closer proximity, perhaps creating a common social identity. As settlement became more dispersed in Phase 3, pottery making traditions again became more diverse. This perhaps reflects increased isolation of households, although it no doubt also stems from a regional trend toward more variety in ceramic decoration. In Phase 4, plain pottery again became dominant, a trend typical of the terminal Late Woodland. In general, the analysis suggests that temper and surface treatment track changes in settlement, and thus might be reasonably inferred to also track the extent to which potters shared pottery making practices, and perhaps social identities. Communities of practice thus provides a useful framework for understanding how social identities are expressed through technological and stylistic practices.

Abstract Over the past half a decade, new forms of knowledge sharing, collaboration and online participation have emerged. As a result, a new generation of IT tools are being used for the creation and exchange knowledge. This dissertation uses a knowledge management framework known as the 7C model and applies a multi-method approach to deepen the understanding on how new knowledge emerges with these tools. As the benefits of knowledge are realized when it is applied, this dissertation places special emphasis also on the usability of the knowledge. The results indicate that the knowledge creation sub-processes of comprehension and conceptualization need more scientific attention. In addition, the results suggest that comprehension can be supported by helping users to reflect and by utilizing guideline information. Supporting deeper interaction and improved linking with the existing content, allowing users to stay in a state of flow, and using decision aids can help in comprehension. Conceptualization can be supported through knowledge rationale, metaphors and analogues, decision aids, and by helping users to reach common ground and shared understanding. In order for the knowledge to be really usable, the knowledge creation should aim at producing knowledge in explicit and actionable form. Producing knowledge in the form of guidelines was found to be beneficial for the utilization of knowledge. Guidelines support learning-by-doing and reflection-in-action, which are crucial for the emergence of new tacit knowledge. Evidence-based information and decision aid tools can help in choosing the knowledge that is to be applied. Finally, the results suggest that in the era of Web 2.0, many low-cost experiences inducing constant exposure to knowledge might work better than a few high-cost experiences requiring very deep thinking. The reason for this is that contemporary users seem to be so accustomed to the ease-of-use of Web services that they simply will not use more useful but less usable solutions.

Over the past two decades, the literature on Absorptive Capacity (AC) research has been burgeoning with enormous empirical and theoretical contributions to the field. Yet, there is not much advancement in understanding the internal dynamics of AC and the concept remains a black box in a large body of research. This study aims at contributing to this body of knowledge by examining the development of AC throughout the lifecycle of R&D consortia. In particular, it examines the pre-conditions of AC across its three dimensions corresponding with the phases of consortia: exploratory, transformative and exploitative learning, and investigates the role of disciplinary, organisational, and intra-organisational boundaries in the development of AC.Utilising a case study research strategy, the thesis analyses AC in three R&D consortia in the alternative materials, pharmaceuticals, and aerospace industries and embraces qualitative methods with interviews and documents as its main sources of data. The collected data is analysed through template analysis technique assisted by the NVivo 8 software package. The theoretical contributions of the thesis are fourfold. First, findings indicate that AC is not an exclusively organisational or dyadic capability, but a three-level concept unfolding at the consortium, interface (between consortia and organisations), and organisational levels, and in exploratory, transformative and exploitative phases throughout the consortium lifetime. On that basis, a model for AC in R&D consortia is developed and its underlying learning mechanisms and conditions across levels and phases are discussed in detail. Second, the thesis contends that the development of a shared space which provides the opportunities for participation and development of shared meaning across organisational and disciplinary boundaries in R&D consortia serves a critical role in the development of AC. The characteristics of the shared space and the conditions for its development are specified. Third, by integrating adaptation mechanisms to the formulation of AC, the thesis contributes to understanding of AC as a dynamic capability-a higher order capability to change operating routines and processes. This finding feeds into the argument that AC is both path-dependent, by storing knowledge in routines, processes and artefacts through exploitative learning, and path-breaking, by modifying and changing prevailing processes and structures through exploratory and transformative learning. Finally, the thesis argues that understanding learning in R&D consortia necessitates taking into consideration the effects of disciplinary and organisational boundaries simultaneously. It is argued that organisational boundaries can influence the transfer of knowledge even within disciplinary domains, which challenges the excessive focus of practice-based research on disciplinary boundaries in cross-disciplinary collaborations, calling for further exploration of the role of organisational boundaries within a given disciplinary domain. These theoretical contributions are accompanied by a set of managerial implications for the formation and governance of R&D consortia, as well as policy implications for evaluation of policy interventions in collaborative research schemes.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / There has been a global transformation of higher education institutions (HEIs) in response to a wave of dynamic education sector reforms; specifically, this is related to the adoption of educational technologies to enhance teaching-and-learning practices, education management, research and administration. This situation has placed a strain on HEIs in South Africa and elsewhere, due to changing societal expectations, the inevitable integration of technology, and specifically eLearning into traditional interventions; and at the same time, the increasing pressure on practitioners to deliver quality education. Equally important, the question arises whether Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is indeed constructively impacting teaching-and-learning practices. Consequently, a need has arisen for ePedagogy training and support for academics and students within challenging, complex HE settings. Within this context, the research has endeavoured to position the eLearning discourse within a global perspective; as well as to explore the theoretical underpinnings which impact the application of learning, and specifically eLearning. In particular, the merging of learning theories; different teaching and learning approaches, and technology that enables the creation of effective eLearning models and provides a more structured approach to the implementation of eLearning, were studied. Building on this theoretical basis, the importance and content of models within the discourse have highlighted the recent emphasis on the delivery of quality education. The principal thrust of this research was, therefore, to highlight the main developmental phases towards the creation of an Integrated eLearning model to influence organisational cultural change in Higher Education Institutions. The research was built on an in-depth case study of a large HEI, namely: the University of the Western Cape (UWC), over the period September 2005 to October 2011. This explorative, longitudinal study was undertaken because of the numerous “unsuccessful” or “incomplete” eLearning implementations in developing countries, as well as the many challenges faced by academics. As a result, the study explored the factors that contribute to the successful implementation of eLearning within the empirical setting of UWC, a complex higher education environment. This has been an accumulative exercise that started shortly before the establishment of the E-Learning Development and Support Unit (EDSU) and the ‘eLearning Awareness Campaign’ – reflecting on the deployment of a non-coercive approach to the implementation of eLearning and its impact on the organisational culture of the institution. The result was the development of an Online Course Creation model, which forms the core of phase 1 (September 2005 – December 2006) of the case study. Subsequently, phase 2 (January 2007 – August 2008) of the case study showcased gaps in the Online Course Creation model and emphasised that eLearning implementation in a complex higher education setting should go beyond the focus on ePedagogy with regard to effective online course creation. Hence, this second phase of the case study involved the development of a revised eLearning model, the Inclusive ePedagogy model. Consequently, phase 3 (September 2008 – October 2011) of the case study highlighted the main developmental stages implemented in the creation of a final Integrated eLearning model, and discussed how these integrated factors contribute to the implementation of eLearning, and ultimately, influence the organisational cultural change within UWC. Interaction with various stakeholders during the phases of the study included interviews and questionnaires. As a result thereof, the research reflected on the exponential growth of eLearning; improved attitudes and mindsets; strategic commitment for the infusion of technology and ePedagogy; and the institutional teaching and learning strategy. On the other hand, these results are in stark contrast to the lack of management in the development of the home-grown Open Source platform, coupled with intermittent access to internet connectivity. This shortcoming has often hindered online teaching and learning initiatives and support processes. Furthermore, the research has indicated how educational technology has positively impacted on prevailing communities of practice, and has even led to sound practices, such as sharing online courses/modules within the institution and with the global community. The escalating numbers of students seeking eLearning training and support have been supported by blended eLearning approaches. These approaches reflect the importance of integrated curriculum design. Moreover, the presented Integrated eLearning model, shows that ‘eLearning success’ can never be claimed, but is rather a process undergirded by a dedicated support team committed to continuous eLearning marketing, together with the review of processes within dynamic, complex higher education settings. Equally important, eLearning implementation within a HEI inherently impacts the organisational cultural changes. This is not just a once-off event, as it entails the difficult task of changing mindsets toward the use of new pedagogies, in order to supplement traditional instruction. At the same time, considering people-development processes; as well as organisational issues, which include peoples’ perceptions at different times of the eLearning continuum, is presented as various factors, which contribute to the successful implementation of eLearning. The most important factors contributing to successful eLearning implementation, as established through the research, and also incorporated into the proposed Integrated eLearning Model are: the provision of holistic online activities; integrated institutional ICT infrastructure and systems; the support of educators and students; the necessary positive attitude by lecturers to take a hands-on role in the application of blended eLearning practices – aligned to research – and the contribution to the knowledge era; the importance of communities of practice within and outside the institution; the need for motivated formal leadership and educators to take ownership of the development of aligned, integrated curriculum strategies supportive of emergent educational technologies; continuous commitment to eLearning support, and quality-assurance processes; sustainable eLearning change management and marketing strategies; as well as crucial integrated professional leadership, management and support of the elements of the Integrated eLearning model.