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This study investigate the impact of using E-Learning Model with the principles of the constructivism learning theory to enhance the critical thinking skills of students at the university-level. The focus of this study is critical thinking pedagogy and the impact of the E-Learning environment on a class of students. The research effort empirically examines two coherent subjects: (a) the effectiveness of the E-Learning Model in enhancing students' critical thinking; and, (b) the students' perception toward the E-Learning Model after exposure to a course in an E-Learning environment.

The aim of the research was to generate a cyclonic model for understanding the influences and processes of continuously improving management education in an environment rich in online learning technologies. The research questions were: 1. What is the nature of the cyclonic interactions observed in the transactions of a team of online management educators? 2. How might an understanding of cyclonic interactions, a. help refine action research, and, b. generate rich insight for online management education? The methodology was an action research project. The research team worked in an online Master of Business Administration (MBA) to continuously develop teaching practice in one unit of the MBA. The methodology matched the objectives of the project, and the appropriate rigour associated with qualitative, interpretive research. The results showed that theories of systems and relational dynamics, adapted to hermeneutics and aligned with other learning theories, can be framed by the metaphor of a cyclone to conduct research into teaching practice and build upon the theory base in the field of online education. Online management education is subject to reinterpretations. The cyclonic framework explains some of the changes. The project showed that a chaotic but organised cyclonic program development process in one particular MBA course was informative for and informed by the chaotic and cyclonic globalized business world. For the education of managers the cyclonic view was relevant. The approach was metaphorical and, therefore, opened new ways of seeing and speaking. Findings pertained to the nature of the cyclonic interactions, how an understanding of cyclonic interactions helped to refine action research, and how an understanding of cyclonic interactions helped generate rich insight for online management education. It was found that it was the asymmetrical impetus of imperfection that created the examples of cyclonic learning spirals formed as double feedback loops for improved understanding. Online education in the action research required cyclical enhancement of connectedness by teachers, stronger emphasis on relational considerations in learning, and heightened expectations of collaboration by educators. It became possible to correlate earlier conceptions of action research with cyclonic categories and analyse the parallels with events in this action research project. Models were developed and presented to explain cyclonic connections with hermeneutics, collaborative teaching, online resource development, and the environment of online management education.

Higher education increasingly emphasises the importance of learner self-regulation and autonomy. Self-regulated learners are active participants in their own learning and employ strategies for sustaining motivation, metacognitive thinking, and self-monitoring. This work identifies four central aspects which are investigated in an individual project based learning setting, namely motivation, time management, progress awareness, and monitoring. Monitoring is the key driver of learner self-regulation. Time management has proven to enhance perceived control over time, health, and academic achievement. Progress awareness supports learner self-observation and self-evaluation. Finally, monitoring is the process of generating feedback both internally (own feedback) and externally (from others). In this work, a 17-week quasi-experimental study involving 378 participants was conducted, preceded by a less successful trial. The study employed a web-based monitoring system, combined with a monitoring scheme in the context of Master of Science (MSc) summer projects in the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton, implementing a set of features for each learning aspect. In the monitoring scheme, monitors met with groups of students weekly to monitor project progress. Feedback was submitted online by students, monitors, and supervisors. It is shown that there are positive and significant relationships between feature use and weekly student progress and motivation ratings, and also with their dissertation mark. This suggests that some system features enhanced student self-motivation beliefs, self observation, and self-reflection. Also, features were ranked as to their impact on student self-regulated learning, and a narrative case study exploring processes behind the effects is provided. High impact features were graphical student progress visualisations, a ranking table, the virtual project page listing past feedback and providing project management tools, and weekly progress feedback. Evidence for between-monitor effects on student dissertation mark as well as system use and successful system support for information exchange is also presented. The contribution of this thesis is novel and noteworthy since it (1) shows the effects of web-based monitoring features on self-regulated learning, (2) shows how features can be used for implementing principles of good practice, and (3) draws on the effect of monitors in the context of this study.

Massive Open Online Courses, sogenannte MOOCs sind offene und über das Internet für jeden kostenfrei zugängliche Kurse, die hierdurch oft eine Vielzahl an Teilnehmenden erreichen. Alle Beteiligten lernen gemeinsam, jedoch mit verschiedensten persönlichen Zielen. Die Inhalte werden nicht ausschließlich von den Veranstalter/inne/n vorgegeben, sondern können zudem auch von den Teilnehmenden erweitert und geteilt werden. Mit dem SOOC13, dem Saxon Open Online Course, wurde einer der aktuellsten und vieldiskutierten Trends [1] im E-Learning im Sommersemester 2013 von den Technischen Universitäten in Chemnitz und Dresden sowie der Universität Siegen aufgegriffen, praktisch erprobt und evaluiert. Der Kreis der Teilnehmenden bestand dabei nicht nur aus Studierenden, vielmehr waren mit dem Kurs explizit auch Lehrende sowie andere Hochschulmitarbeiter/innen angesprochen. Als konnektivistischer Open Online Course war der SOOC13 zudem offen für alle Interessierten innerhalb der Netz-Community. Als Methode der Leistungserbringung und -bewertung kamen E-Portfolios zum Einsatz, welche formative Feedback- und Beurteilungsprozesse zulassen. Lernende erstellen Lernprodukte (Artefakte), reflektieren über Lernziele, -verhalten und -fortschritte und teilen die Ergebnisse mit anderen Teilnehmenden in Form von Blogeinträgen, Tweets oder Facebook-Posts. Gegenseitiges Feedback und Hinweise durch die Veranstalter/innen führen zu ausgiebigen Diskussionen und kritischen Auseinandersetzungen.

Massive Open Online Courses, sogenannte MOOCs sind offene und über das Internet für jeden kostenfrei zugängliche Kurse, die hierdurch oft eine Vielzahl an Teilnehmenden erreichen. Alle Beteiligten lernen gemeinsam, jedoch mit verschiedensten persönlichen Zielen. Die Inhalte werden nicht ausschließlich von den Veranstalter/inne/n vorgegeben, sondern können zudem auch von den Teilnehmenden erweitert und geteilt werden. Mit dem SOOC13, dem Saxon Open Online Course, wurde einer der aktuellsten und vieldiskutierten Trends [1] im E-Learning im Sommersemester 2013 von den Technischen Universitäten in Chemnitz und Dresden sowie der Universität Siegen aufgegriffen, praktisch erprobt und evaluiert. Der Kreis der Teilnehmenden bestand dabei nicht nur aus Studierenden, vielmehr waren mit dem Kurs explizit auch Lehrende sowie andere Hochschulmitarbeiter/innen angesprochen. Als konnektivistischer Open Online Course war der SOOC13 zudem offen für alle Interessierten innerhalb der Netz-Community. Als Methode der Leistungserbringung und -bewertung kamen E-Portfolios zum Einsatz, welche formative Feedback- und Beurteilungsprozesse zulassen. Lernende erstellen Lernprodukte (Artefakte), reflektieren über Lernziele, -verhalten und -fortschritte und teilen die Ergebnisse mit anderen Teilnehmenden in Form von Blogeinträgen, Tweets oder Facebook-Posts. Gegenseitiges Feedback und Hinweise durch die Veranstalter/innen führen zu ausgiebigen Diskussionen und kritischen Auseinandersetzungen.

Despite widespread use of web-based e-learning applications, insufficient attention is paid to their usability. There is a need to conduct evaluation using one or more of the various usability evaluation methods. Given that heuristic evaluation is known to be easy to use and cost effective, this study investigates the extent to which it can identify usability problems in a web-based e-learning application at a tertiary institution. In a comparative case study, heuristic evaluation by experts and survey evaluation among end users (learners) are conducted and the results of the two compared. Following literature studies in e-learning - particularly web-based learning - and usability, the researcher generates an extensive set of criteria/heuristics and uses it in the two evaluations. The object of evaluation is a website for a 3rd year Information Systems course. The findings indicate a high correspondence between the results of the two evaluations, demonstrating that heuristic evaluation is an appropriate, effective and sufficient usability evaluation method, as well as relatively easy to conduct. It identified a high percentage of usability problems. / Computing / M.Sc. (Information Systems)

There is a paramount need for online university education to effectively contribute in the development of students' ability to construct and create new knowledge. Online learning should thus go beyond the production of knowledge for knowledge's sake, but should result in relevant and meaningful learning on the part of the online learner. In addition, online learning ought to result in the application of knowledge to practice. While gains made by constructivism and observational learning are well documented, research addressing online media blends that best encourage constructivist and observational learning in open and distance and e-learning (ODeL) contexts is limited. In addition, guidelines that can be used by online learning facilitators and policy makers regarding media for constructivist and observational learning were lacking when this research was conducted. The research was deemed significant in contributing to the development of an online learning framework that could be used to guide policy formulation and practice in the area of online course implementation in ODeL institutions. Using an explorative qualitative approach, this study explored online media blends for constructivist and observational learning. The study comprised three phases. The first phase was a meta-ethnography study whose objective was to synthesise previous research theses in order to gain an understanding of lecturers' and students' experiences of online media, constructivism and observational learning. The second phase consisted of a phenomenological study conducted at the University of South Africa, to explore lecturers' experiences of online media in the facilitation of constructivism and observational learning. The final phase of the research was the development of a framework based on constructivism and observational learning to guide online teaching and learning. The findings of this research study revealed that lecturers did not use media blends to a large extent in their interaction with students. The study indicated that some cognitive processes need to be exercised on the part of the facilitators when online learning is offered. It is concluded that during the curriculum planning phase, lecturers should decide on methods and media to arouse the students' attention during online courses. This also implies a more reasonable lecturer­ student ratio because large numbers of students per lecturer is not feasible in online learning. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

In the world in which we live today, information and communication technology (ICT) has proliferated in all spheres of society, including in the corporate, social and academic arenas. Within these arenas ICT has made noteworthy contributions. In the academic space, which is the focus of this study, ICT has made a significant contribution to the communication and consultation between students and higher education institution staff. One such example has been the emergence of learning management systems (LMSs) in higher education institutions, both locally and globally, with LMSs providing higher education institutions with several possibilities as regards facilitating the online teaching and learning process. Nevertheless, research has shown that there is underutilisation of LMSs throughout the world. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate the utilisation of LMSs in an open and distance learning (ODL) institution in South Africa to ascertain whether they are being used to their full potential. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Adult Education)

Modern technological innovations are constantly seen throughout every aspect of life, and higher education is no exception. To this end, this article sheds some light on the types of and pedagogical value of new media adopted by academics to promote self-directed learning at the University of South Africa. The study answers the following questions: Which new media approaches have been adopted by academics to enhance self-directed learning? What is the pedagogical value of new media in an ODL environment? A qualitative approach was employed and data was collected through face-to-face interviews with 30 purposively selected Unisa academics. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model was found relevant to this study. Thematic categorisation was employed for data analysis. The findings depict that a variety of new media have been adopted to promote self-directed learning at Unisa. The study also found that new media are playing a pivotal role in promoting self-directed learning in an ODL landscape. It is therefore important to note that new media have emerged as strong catalysts in fostering pedagogical transformation. / College of Education / M. Ed (Open and Distance Learning)