Thesis (Ph.D.)--McMaster University, 2005. / Advisor: Stephen Westerholm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 318-342).

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This research examined perceptions of knowledge about art in the gallery and explored the potential of co-creation as a possible model with which to genuinely learn with our audience. Data for the study was generated at a gallery I have been based at throughout the period of undertaking the research. Participants were recruited from this gallery from groups implicated in knowledge co-creation: educators, curators, gallery assistants and audience members. Participants took part in a group workshop at the gallery facilitated by an artist educator, designed to provide opportunities to develop new knowledge together. Following the workshop, participants were interviewed and their experiences analysed. Other data generated through the workshop, as well as analysis of organisational documentation, and reflection on my own practice as a gallery educator, have been drawn together through a bricolage approach. Through analysis of data, I have constructed a situated taxonomy of knowledge types in the gallery and a conceptual model of co-creation. Key paradigms of knowledge have been identified, and the issues associated with the authoritative nature of institutional knowledge presented as a significant barrier to co-creation. Findings indicate that a fundamental shift in the epistemological stance of the gallery is required. A new not-knowing paradigm has been constructed to accommodate models of co-creation shown to be successful in generating a collaborative learning experience, which I have termed ‘learning-with’.The material being presented for examination is my own work and has not been submitted for an award of this or another HEI except in minor particulars which are explicitly noted in the body of the thesis. Where research pertaining to the thesis was undertaken collaboratively, the nature and extent of my individual contribution has been made explicit.

M.Sc. / Knowledge has become a valuable resource for organisations contributing to their competitive advantage through innovation. Over the years, the capture of organisational information has grown to include structured information, such as corporate databases, as well as unstructured information, such as best practices, policies, rules and strategies. However, most of the organisational tacit knowledge gained through experience and development of expertise is never captured by the organisation and remains with employees, leaving the organisation whenever employees depart. The goal of the dissertation is to understand how knowledge travels through an enterprise, in order to gain insight into the possibilities of capturing organisational tacit knowledge, while encouraging employee collaboration. Based on this understanding, the aim is to propose a model that will allow knowledge sharing and encourage collaboration in order to present the organisation with an alternative knowledge base of daily user activities, organisational experiences and learning. The proposed collaboration model makes use of multiple agents, namely a user agent, a conversation manager agent, question analysis and query agents and a conversation classifier. The model aims to store knowledge base entries in an ontology-based structure and to leverage off the power of existing search engine technologies to perform searches. An implementation of the proposed model is discussed using Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, a popular enterprise collaboration platform, which assists implementation and user adoption.

Magister Commercii - MCom / The aim of this thesis is to provide a better understanding of how the knowledge creation process can be used to add value to the management of knowledge in a South African organization. This thesis describes, explores and explains how knowledge is created within an organization, how the organization can use it to add value to its current business practices and how a knowledge management methodology that is aligned with the systems thinking principle, can be used to manage the knowledge creation process. / South Africa

[No abstract submitted] / Arts, Faculty of / Philosophy, Department of / Graduate

Contemporary philosophers distinguish a certain "propositional knowledge (KP)" from other sorts of knowledge such as "knowledge by acquaintance (KA)". However, when Plato began to do philosophy no one had formulated the concept of KP, indeed, no one had formulated the notion of what we call a "proposition". On the contrary, the ancient Greeks unreflectedly presupposed that all knowledge was simply some sort of acquaintance with the object of knowledge. This presupposition of theirs naturally caused a great deal of confusion in their epistemology and at the beginning of his career, Plato himself was victim and perpetrator of this confusion. However, as the following thesis shows, Plato began to make explicit and to question the presupposition that all knowledge was KA and he did make progress towards finding the crucially missing category, KP. It was not that he succeeded totally in isolating the notion of KP. For that matter, he never attained to a notion of "proposition" in all its modern generality. However, he did come to hold that sometimes knowledge involves not only acquaintance with the object of knowledge but also a knowledge of interrelations among things known. Having at first tried to understand all knowledge in terms of a model that construed it as nothing more complex than some sort of acquaintance with the object of knowledge, Plato subsequently abandoned this model and proceeded to develop an epistemology capable of accomodating cases of what we would call KP. I shall argue that Plato did this after he had written the Charmides and before he wrote the Theaetetus. / Arts, Faculty of / Philosophy, Department of / Graduate

A mini thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Master of Environmental Education at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2003. / The study was conceived after the incidence of cholera outbreak that disrupted or seriously disturbed the normal running of many schools. The learners were moving in and out of hospitals in great numbers in certain areas in the Northern parts of KwaZulu Natal. The curriculum was difficult to follow, particularly the programme of the year's specific outcomes was hardly achievable because of the high level of absence of learners. I was one of the educators that experienced this disruption of learning by learners through ill health. Many schools in Esikhawini cater for many children from informal settlements. The study was therefore designed to find out the level of information or knowledge educators have about cholera. The researcher wondered what role educators could play in educating learners about cholera. It was observed that educators, particularly in rural areas, could be major players in bringing light where there is none. Long time ago teachers were respected as sources of useful knowledge. The researcher thought that if educators are knowledgeable in cholera issues their knowledge could filter to the learners and assist in the lowering of cholera incidents resulting in the lack of ignorance about the disease. The researcher therefore decided to explore and find out answers to the following:- • To explore the level of information and understanding of cholera among primary school teachers. • To discover misconceptions that primary teachers have about cholera and its management. • To explore the kind of accommodation and living conditions teachers in rural areas experience, which might give light to the periodic epidemics of cholera in KwaZulu-Natal. Data was collected using a questionnaire. A questionnaire was found to be the most suitable instrument for the study, because it gave the respondents enough time to think over about their environment that could lead to the spread of cholera and give appropriate responses. The interview could have been a better tool to use because it would allow probing, but the large number of teachers would not have made it possible. The main findings of the study are presented below:- The respondents did not have any difficulty in responding to the questionnaire, since it was within their level of comprehension. The responses of educators in the study, however, showed lack of conceptual understanding or misconceptions about the nature of cholera. For instance, some educators did not realise the need to protect themselves at all when handling the soiled clothes of the infected persons or when nursing them Possible infection could come from handling clothes soiled with faecal matter and washing one's hands in infected water. This would cause a vicious cycle of infection and re-infection. There seemed to be a lack of understanding among 21.37% respondents on how to handle soiled clothes of infected people. Unless handled hygienically, soiled clothes could be a source of infection or re-infection. Other respondents realised that one had to protect one's hands with gloves or disinfect the soiled clothes with jik or boil them. These are some methods of disinfection suggested by various media, which some in-service teachers seem to have picked up (see appendix 2). This question of handling soiled clothes of the infected needed the educator to think critically. For instance, while boiling the clothes might be fine; jik would work but probably spoil coloured clothes. People in rural areas are poverty stricken and would not appreciate a method that would spoil the few clothes they have. Sustainability and economic use of our resources is important in rural areas. In some cases it was difficult for the educators to come up with a clear expression of their thoughts because of language problems. English is a second language to all the educators but for 15.17% of them there was a problem of understanding English language. This led to confused responses. For instance, one respondent said, "Handle clothes on the side where there is no soil". Soil in this case did not refer to the top layer of the land surface of the earth but referred to making something dirty. Another candidate underlined soiled and said, "I don't know", conveying that the meaning of "soiled" was not understood. A few respondents thought soaking the clothes for the whole day or putting starsoft might kill cholera vibrio. It is such misconceptions made by teachers, which highlight the importance of giving relevant contextualised in-service training to educators. If the educators are to make a difference in the lives of children of cholera infested areas, the government needs to conduct effective in-service programmes so that educators are empowered with accurate information. A very high percentage of the educators knew about the signs and symptoms of cholera and the first aid that is given to the infected person. Good hygiene was reported to be practised by all the respondents. Ninety five percent (95%) in the study acknowledged the need to wash hands after using the toilet. Only 5% of the respondents thought washing hands once a day was enough. The five percent of teachers who did not place any significance in washing hands regularly is significant because teachers are in contact with many children and they need to pass on accurate information to their learners. A number of the respondents (40.74%) had attended formal workshops in hospital or clinics in the rural areas. However, a higher number of respondents (59.26%) had not had any formal training in cholera. From the responses of the whole group it was, however, clear that the respondents had picked up some information on cholera from other sources. Some 24.53% teachers still live in one or two-roomed houses alone or with their families. Such conditions do not promote good health conditions. Overcrowding leads to the quick spread of diseases. Poor housing of teachers in rural areas underlies the general poverty that is experienced by rural communities. Such poverty leads to poor sanitation and easy spread of diseases. Dehydration is the main killer of cholera patients. Unfortunately only 24.53% of the respondents knew at least one symptom of dehydration. In schools where cholera is prevalent, it is important for educators to be able to identify a dehydrated child. A good 75.47% respondents had no clue about symptoms of dehydration. Many of the respondents (54.72%), however, knew how to make a rehydration solution as a first aid measure before taking the patient to hospital. Knowing what solution to use to rehydrate an individual is not enough if you cannot identify people who need t his kind of assistance. Many parents of learners in rural areas are illiterate and may not pick up signs of dehydration in their children, but educators must be able to do so. The study showed that primary school educators have a patchy knowledge base about cholera with a high percentage being well informed only on the symptoms of cholera. Educators can form a very effective tool of informing learners about the dangers of cholera and how it can be prevented and managed once one is infected. In KwaZulu-Natal, in particular, with its prevalent episodes of cholera, it is important that educators are literate on issues around cholera infection. The educators can play an active role of educating learners who in turn can educate their families. For lessons on cholera to be effective, the teachers themselves must have accurate information on cholera issues.

A thesis submitted to the Department of Information Studies for the award of a degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Library and Information Studies, Faculty of Arts, at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2012. / Knowledge management (KM) is increasingly popularized in various societies, organizations and governments because of its confirmed importance in fostering knowledge creation, codification and transfer, and development of knowledge capital capability. Indigenous knowledge (IK), which forms part of KM, is also generally thought to have crucial functions and importance in the knowledge management process (creation or production, storage, processing or codification, transfer and utilization) and should therefore receive significant attention. The aim and objectives of the study was to map and audit the current IK environment and practices in Kenya and South Africa with specific attention to identifying the IK policies and legislation in place, exploring and analyzing the IK governance structures, examining the IK centres and systems in terms of their roles, identifying what IK programmes and activities are in existence and when are they held, determining the status, trends and types of IK research. The study used the survey method. The study was conducted in two countries, i.e. Kenya and South Africa, but was not defined geographically. It was restricted to the capital cities of Nairobi in Kenya and Pretoria in South Africa, which house the administrative governments of the two countries. Since the population of this study consisted of organizations, institutions, databases and activities, and because it was impractical to collect data from them all, the population was narrowed down to a representation or sample of the population. Non-probability sampling techniques were used to create a sampling frame through cluster and multi-stage sampling. Purposive sampling technique was applied to select centres and activities from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Gender in Kenya and South Africa that deal with IK. Both snowball sampling and purposive sampling were applied to select the key informants who headed the various IK Departments of Science and Technology in South Africa and the Department of Culture in Kenya. This resulted in a fair representation of the cultural diversity of the two countries and the various levels of knowledge, management and development of the personnel. A sample size of twenty organizations, 13 from Kenya and 7 from South Africa, was selected for this study. The sample size was different for the two countries because of the different management systems and the use of the snowball sampling technique to select xiv informants. The key informants (senior management positions within organizations) in many cases consisted of more than one person per organization. Research instruments consisted of field visits, interview guides, observation, and a document review/ critical literature review. The study used detailed interview guides with both structured and unstructured questions as the main research instrument. This was used to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data. A pilot study was carried out to test and verify the research instruments. This was done through the Department of Culture in Kenya. The study found that both Kenya and South Africa have active IK policies and management in place to ensure its sustainability. A defined institutional framework is vital for the effective management of IK. A case in point is the existence of the South African National Indigenous Knowledge Systems Office (NIKSO) under the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The functions and rationale for NIKSO are stipulated in South Africa‘s IK Policy. However, such a mechanism does not seem to exist in Kenya, especially because of the nomadic nature of the Department of Culture. Ministries that housed the department include the Ministries of Culture and Social Services, Women and Youth, Home Affairs, and National Heritage, among others. The presence of the various IK-related policy initiatives by different institutions within the same government points to lack of coordination, especially in Kenya. Examples of such duplicated initiatives include the National Policy on Culture of the Republic of Kenya, Ministry of Gender, Sports, Culture and Social Services, and the development of laws for the protection of traditional knowledge, genetic resources and folklore by the Office of the Attorney General. The importance of IK cannot be stressed enough. According to WHO, countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America use traditional medicine to help meet some of their primary healthcare needs. In Africa, up to 80 % of the population uses traditional medicine for primary healthcare. This clearly indicates that unless measures for the protection of IK are beefed up, then the Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) of indigenous knowledge may never be realized. Based on the study‘s findings, this study recommends an IK awareness program or campaign that targets those charged with the management of IK as well as the citizenry of the two countries. There should be heightened efforts to create an independent department in a vibrant ministry that deals with IK to ensure that indigenous knowledge is put to the best possible use. Further research should be done in order to find ways in which indigenous knowledge can blend with modern technology to solve current problems. Academic institutions need to play a more proactive role in promoting IK in Kenya. IK programmes and activities should also focus on all features and aspects of IK rather than capitalize on culture only. / University of Nairobi

The core business of higher education institutions such as universities is knowledge production. This is achieved by conducting research which results in various research products being produced, as well as through teaching and the production of graduates. The main objective of the study was to explore and describe knowledge production practices and their attributes within a university environment at the University of Zambia. The study's major contribution to knowledge is that it indicates to what extent this objective is achieved. A mixed methods case study approach that used both quantitative and qualitative research methodology was adopted for the study. The mixed methods analysis framework was based on grounded theory, bibliometric techniques, and concurrent triangulation. The site of investigation was the School of Medicine at the University of Zambia. The sampling technique also adopted a mixed methods approach by using purposive, availability and stratified purposeful sampling to sample the respondents. The PubMed/Medline database, academic staff, key informants and the documents reviewed all served as the key sources of information for the study. Data obtained from PubMed/Medline, questionnaires and semi structured interviews were quantitatively analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, while the more qualitative information that was gleaned from open-ended questions, semi-structured interviews and documentary sources was analysed thematically. The subject analysis of PubMed/Medline articles was done using the VOSviewer software and Microsoft Excel. The findings reveal that the yearly research output from 1995 to 2015 was 281 scholarly papers in 159 journals. The lowest number of papers published were recorded in 1997, 2000, and 2004 while the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 show the highest number of papers per year; and the highest was recorded in 2015. It was found that, except in 1997 and 2000, most of these papers were authored by more than five researchers. This indicates a high degree of collaboration. The journals in which the academic staff were publishing in emanated from all over the world; Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. The journals themselves are also a combination of both high impact factor journals such as the PLoS One, American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, The Lancet, Malaria Journal and those with no impact factor like the Medical Journal of Zambia. The results indicate that the respondents mostly investigated and published in subject fields related to diseases most prevalent in Zambia, i.e. HIV and Aids, Malaria and Tuberculosis. In addition, the findings indicate that the majority of the academic staff were born after 1960 (73%), with high digital information retrieval skills (95.2%), and with their research output published mainly in journals. The knowledge was produced for various reasons: 85.4% for research purposes, 80.5% for academic promotion, 80.5% for production of knowledge, 73.2% to improve teaching, 61% to provide evidence, 51.2% to change practice, 41.5% to improve policy, 41.5% for personal advancement, and 24.4% for research funding. The knowledge was produced ethically, advancing scholarship, and deemed to be beneficial to society. The overall conclusion drawn from the study is that the knowledge productivity of the School of Medicine has steadily increased over the years and that this is supported by various institutional policies. Additionally, there is increased collaboration with persons outside the continent, whilst there is less collaboration with countries in Africa. The key recommendation for the School of Medicine is that it should work with and within the various layers of the university's institutions such as the Library, Directorate of Research and Graduate Studies, University of Zambia Press, and the Centre for Information and Communication Technology. This would ensure that impediments to knowledge production, diffusion and utilisation are mitigated.