The professional practice of educational design normally involves collaborating with a subject matter expert on a one-to-one basis and is only occasionally undertaken in teams. This thesis argues that a team-based approach to educational design is powerful and particularly so when transdisciplinary collaborations are facilitated. Transdisciplinary educational design is the process of standing outside one’s discipline to collaborate with colleagues from the technical sphere, the library and other disciplines. The common ground shared by the transdisciplinary teams in this research was student assessment.The core data collection for this research was completed between July 2002 and June 2005. Using an overarching action research methodology, three cycles of data collection were completed by action learning sets. Suitable members of the sets were identified through a series of online staff development workshops that were designed and facilitated by the researcher. Two supplementary data collection activities were also undertaken. The first of these was a Web survey that broadly mapped design practices for online assessment in four Australian regional universities. Three rounds of telephone interviews then followed up on survey responses. The second supplementary data collection was undertaken between the second and third action learning cycles to contextualise the online assessment design activities at Southern Cross University within the broader framework provided by the other three regional universities in the original sample. It included focus groups with educational designers and face-to-face interviews with three academics at each of these universities. The entire series of data collection activities was reflectively managed to heighten its effectiveness. This management included screening of suitable participants, negotiation of manageable session times and duration, and establishment of ground rules for attendance and interactions, as well as drawing out a commitment to observe silences as creative spaces in the design process.In keeping with the action research paradigm, an extensive examination of the literature not only provides a background for the research questions but also continues to be threaded throughout the thesis as data collection cycles directed further literature review. The thesis narrative is given an original form through the use of a gardening metaphor that serves to highlight the rewarding, delicate and transitional nature of this kind of educational design. Such transitional aspects of educational design allow for innovation and creativity not evident in the systems-based approaches to designing instruction. This research also supports current initiatives in Australian higher education concerning the first year experience, embedding graduate attributes in the curriculum, and blending on-campus and off-campus learners into one class. The transdisciplinary approach to educational design explored through this research responds effectively to the varied issues in designing online assessment and developing innovative approaches by academic staff

Knowledge sharing and information security have become well-established concepts in academia and within organisations. Knowledge sharing aims to encourage individuals to share tacit and explicit knowledge with colleagues and stakeholders, yet on the other hand, information security initiatives aim to apply controls and restrictions to the knowledge that can be shared and how it can be shared, where the primary focus is usually on protecting explicit knowledge or information. This thesis draws attention to the largely unexplored and under-developed area of knowledge protection ; it investigates the paradoxical and concurrent nature of knowledge sharing and information security practices by exploring their relationship and understanding how this can affect an organisation and subsequently identifies ways of achieving a balance between the two practices. The empirical work was carried out through an interpretivist case study approach in the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) an organisation that combines knowledge and expertise from partnerships with academia, industry and the UK government, in order to deliver innovative low carbon solutions. A novel team-based action learning approach was developed to generate individual, team and organisational learning and to help initiate change; the data was collected from three project teams about their knowledge and experiences of knowledge sharing and information security practices, which was then analysed and further supplemented with the ETI s organisational perspective and the researcher s own experience of collaborating with the ETI to contextualise the findings. Eight predominant overarching themes were identified that play an important role in and influence the organisation s knowledge sharing and information security practices. When looking at the practices of knowledge sharing and information security independently at the ETI, proactive and conscious efforts towards achieving the goals of each practice are evident. Knowledge is recognised as the ETI s core product and its effective dissemination is key for the organisation s success, which is why there is a keen attitude towards improving knowledge sharing internally and externally. On the other hand, a great deal of importance is given to protecting valuable knowledge and meeting stakeholders confidentiality requirements, thus, there are good systems, access controls, and information restrictions in place. In addition, strict legal and approval processes to protect information value and accuracy are implemented. However, when both knowledge sharing and information security - practices are compared from a broader perspective, evidence of issues arising from their conflicting nature is evident. Moreover, operating in a complex governance structure with various expectations and contractual agreements with stakeholders regarding confidentiality, has created a protective culture in the organisation surrounding its knowledge, which causes a hindrance to formal and informal knowledge sharing (including both, tacit and explicit forms) and makes identifying opportunities for fully exploiting knowledge and Intellectual Property an ongoing operational challenge. The research process facilitated the achievement of effective learning at individual, team and organisational level for the ETI about its practices, identification of challenges and areas of improvement, incorporation of learning and recommendations into its knowledge management strategy alongside existing activities to improve knowledge sharing. The contents of this thesis particularly the eight themes that have emerged from the research findings - are also contributing significantly to a project the organisation is carrying out to reflect on and review what has been learned from operating the ETI for the last 10 years. The thesis contributes to the existing body of knowledge, theoretically and practically, in the disciplines of knowledge management and information security; what was predominantly overlooked by previous literature, the empirical research findings surface evidence of the relationship between knowledge sharing and information security practices, showing their interconnectedness, and, the negative consequences of the two practices being treated and managed separately. For the action learning arena, a novel methodological approach underpinned by the action learning philosophy has been introduced that demonstrates how team action learning (i.e. using intact teams as opposed to conventional action learning teams) can be used to engage employees to share and combine their knowledge on real organisational issues, generate new learning and develop actions to initiate improvements in the organisation.

Software projects with a larger code base can be hard to maintain, and testing could therefore be a necessity. But how would one prioritize tests in their existing software project, if their project never had any tests? The purpose of this study is to find concrete steps of how to prioritize tests in a software project, independent of project type and development language. Said steps were found through two iterations of the Action Learning method. The results were found without any requirements specification, which lead to using intuition, together with code complexity, to prioritize test cases, after breaking down the project into its modules. As the study was conducted on only one specific software project, the result is limited to that specific software project until further research is conducted.

No description available.

This thesis examines the potential of experiential education as a 'best practice' pedagogy for pre-service teacher education in environmental education. The study involves forty pre-service teachers working collaboratively with the researcher in 1998 to test the assumptions of two previous groups of beginning teachers (1996 and 1997) who indicated in their course evaluations that experiential education may provide an effective teaching and learning approach for environmental education. This study combines two approaches to participative inquiry: action inquiry and cooperative inquiry. Both research approaches promote reflection-in-action and involve groups of individuals working collaboratively together as reflective practitioners. The data sources included reflective journals, a researcher diary, pre and post course questionnaires, individual interviews and group interviews. The environmental education course is a single case study and reflects the experience of three groups of students. The first group completed a 20 hour course in experiential education before starting the environmental education course, the second group completed both courses concurrently, while the third group only completed the environmental education course. The purpose of the literature review in experiential education and environmental education in teacher education is to provide a rationale for using a transformative teaching and learning approach in pre-service teacher education for environmental education. Contemporary best practice pedagogical approaches for environmental education are supported by many of the core principles of experiential education highlighting compatibility between theory and practice. The findings show that a transformative teaching and learning approach in environmental education was achieved by combining four key characteristics of experiential education in a holistic process. The four characteristics included reflection, connection to personal experience, emotionally engaged learning and student-centred teaching and learning. The impact of combining these four characteristics resulted in higher interest, motivation and enthusiasm for achieving the social action outcomes of environmental education. Thus, the pre-service teachers confirmed a synergy emerged between the outcomes of environmental education and the pedagogical process of experiential education. The experiential approach allowed the pre-service teachers to engage in the role of the critical reflective practitioner. Consequently, the pre-service teachers were able to identify the potential and possibilities for implementing experiential education strategies in environmental education and also recognise and challenge the barriers that confine and constrain its use in teacher education and formal schooling. As a consequence the pre-service teachers identified that working in collaborative groups of reflective practitioners was essential to continue developing effective facilitation skills and also to help them challenge traditional practice that limited their professional development. They also identified significant changes to the pre-service environmental education course to ensure a higher quality experience for subsequent groups of beginning teachers. The study highlights the need for more research into how well beginning teacher implementing environmental education function as reflective practitioners in their first few years in teaching and are able to challenge the barriers that limit transformative pedagogical approaches in schools.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:20:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ArquivoTotalSidneia.pdf: 1609286 bytes, checksum: 4b55e6ed4760c49ba87ca04abd12947c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-03-05 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This study aims to analyze the process of supervised stages of the course from administration the perspective of action learning, to serve this purpose were established as specific objectives: describe the process in Supervised stages Administration course in two Higher Education Institutions; identify the perceptions of the students during the learning experience Stages Supervised and set facilitating factors and limiting the Supervised learning. The research was conducted in two higher education institutions in the Northeast, one public and one private. Theories of adult learning and experiential learning formed the basis for investigations which were buoyed by the Learning in Action The research part of a qualitative conception, as a form of interpretive research, we opted for the multiple-case study, the subjects of research were selected according to availability to participate in the study, 20 people participated in the survey. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with two course coordinators, four sessions were held focus groups with 9 students and 9 teachers in both Higher Education Institutions. The results revealed that the process of supervised training is institutionalized in Educational Projects Course, according to the legislation. The institutions have different ways of offering the internship, in common, is the association between stage and Work of Course Completion. In private institution stage occurs through two modes, the traditional format, the student performs supervised internship in an organization and presents the final monograph, another modality through simulated business, students makes interactions similar to the real world and report the experience. In public institution, the student enrolled in the disciplines of Stages supervised, is not linked to an organization, their contact is limited to data collection, the development stage is linked to the End of Course Work in monograph form or intervention project However, students and teachers, say the monograph prevails. The learning in supervised training was not perceived as a priority, the prevailing concern in performing the Work of Course Completion. Among the factors that facilitate the learning stage, is the motivation of the students who appear eager to experience practical experiences among the limiting factors, structure problems, few teachers in relation to student numbers and cultural problems, were more pointed in speeches. The voluntary internship emerged as an alternative for courses taking better learning experiences in these activities, look more priority, considering that all formal structure is already mobilized by the Institution of Higher Education, which designates a supervisor and internship requires the preparation of Final report to the Learning in Action can provide a favorable way for operationalization of this activity. / Este estudo se propõe a analisar o processo de estágio supervisionado no curso de Administração sob a perspectiva da aprendizagem em ação. Para atender esse propósito, foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa em duas Instituições de Ensino Superior no Nordeste brasileiro, as quais obtiveram conceito máximo na última edição publicada do Exame Nacional de Desempenho dos Estudantes em 2009. São duas instituições tradicionais no Estado e atuam há mais de três décadas no ensino superior, sendo uma pública e outra privada. As teorias da aprendizagem de adultos e aprendizagem experiencial serviram de base para as investigações que foram balizadas pela Aprendizagem em Ação. A pesquisa parte de uma concepção qualitativa, como uma forma de investigação interpretativa, onde se optou pelo estudo de casos múltiplos. Os sujeitos da pesquisa foram 20 no total, selecionados de acordo com a sua disponibilidade. Os dados foram coletados por meio de duas entrevistas semi-estruturadas, com os coordenadores dos cursos. Foram realizadas quatro sessões de focus groups, duas em cada instituição; uma com alunos e outra com professores. Os resultados revelam que o processo de estágio supervisionado encontra-se institucionalizado nos Projetos Pedagógicos dos Cursos, conforme previsto na legislação. As instituições apresentam formas diferentes de ofertar o estágio; em comum, está a associação entre Estágio Supervisionado e Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso. Na instituição privada o estágio ocorre por meio de duas modalidades: no formato tradicional o aluno realiza o estágio em uma organização e apresenta ao final a monografia; na modalidade de simulado empresarial o aluno faz as interações semelhantes ao mundo real e apresenta um relatório de vivência. Na instituição pública, o aluno matricula-se nas disciplinas de Estágio Supervisionado, mas não é vinculado a uma organização; seu contato limita-se a coleta de dados; o estágio resulta na elaboração do Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso, na modalidade monografia ou projeto de intervenção, entretanto, alunos e professores, afirmam que prevalece a monografia. A aprendizagem no estágio supervisionado, não foi percebida como prioridade, prevalecendo a preocupação em realizar o Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso. Entre os fatores facilitadores da aprendizagem do estágio está a motivação dos alunos que se mostram ansiosos por vivenciar experiências práticas. Entre os fatores limitantes, problemas de estrutura, poucos professores em relação ao número de alunos e problemas culturais, foram os mais apontados nos discursos. O estágio voluntário emergiu como alternativa para os cursos aproveitarem melhor as experiências de aprendizagem nessas atividades e os pressupostos da Aprendizagem em Ação possibilitam um caminho favorável para sua operacionalização, desde que seja criada uma estrutura de acompanhamento das atividades que priorize o aprendizado obtido por meio da experiência vivenciada pelo aluno, considerando que toda uma estrutura formal já é mobilizada pela Instituição de Ensino Superior que designa um supervisor de estágio e exige a elaboração de um relatório ao final.

No description available.

Text in English / In this study the use of the narrative analogy in couple's counselling has been outlined. A literature study situates the narrative analogy within a wider philosophical framework. The underlying assumptions of the narrative analogy, both in general and in the work with couples, as well as the role of the counsellor using the narrative analogy, are explored. A case example is described to illustrate the use of the narrative analogy. / Social Work / M. Soc. Sc. (Mental Health)

In this study, the integration of technology in education and the application of action learning as a teaching strategy, are investigated through a literature study and with empirical research. The purpose is to develop a teaching model wherein technology can be effectively incorporated for the offering of the subject Information Systems (IS). The study also focuses on the nature and scope of the subject Information Systems, as well as the status concerning the subject Information Systems at Technikons in South Africa. Knowledge regarding technology quickly becomes obsolete and therefore IS-learners should have the means and skills to keep abreast of advances in technology. IS-learners not only need subject oriented knowledge, but also personal skills that are known as critical cross field outcomes in the new educational paradigm. The establishment of the National Qualification framework, led to an academic initiative that is based on transparent national standards and clear descriptions of learning outcomes. For higher education institutions in South Africa the implication was that all curricula of subjects, including Information Systems, had to be rewritten in terms of outcomes. Specialisation is essential for the Information System qualification, as it became apparent that information system applications and demands from industry are becoming specialised. In 1999 the IS-qualification was adjusted to provide for specialisation areas at Technikons in South Africa. Action learning integrates the theories and characteristics of several disciplines, amongst others, education, psychology, systems thinking, political science, ethics, anthropology and sociology. During the process of action learning, knowledge must be constructed by asking questions, processing information and applying the newly acquired knowledge. Links must be established between new knowledge and pre-knowledge. Action learning attempts to integrate the elements of knowledge, insight and practice, and states that there can be no learning without action and that no purposeful action can take place without learning, while the solving of a problem influences both the problem and the person that acts on the problem. Action learning satisfies all the requirements needed to address the knowledge, values, skills and behaviour that IS-learners should adhere to. Action learning stimulates the development of cognitive skills that are essential for the training ofiS-learners. The different types of information systems that are found in organisations are not isolated systems, but rather integrated systems that collaborate in order to support a business function. IS-learners should not only understand the development, but also the integration and implementation of these systems. From this it becomes apparent that action learning is a suitable teaching strategy for IS-learners. The classification of educational technology as well as a framework for the implementation thereof, is discussed in the study. According to the literature study and from results obtained from the empirical research, a teaching model is proposed that consists of the following three components: • Determinants that influence the teaching and learning scenario. These determinants include the National Qualification framework industry; technology infrastructure; institutional policy and outcomes based education. • The didactic triangle, in which the distinct roles of the learners (that can act as facilitators during action learning) and educators are discussed, as well as the outcomes for the subject Information Systems. • Action learning and the utilisation of technology as the teaching strategy within the proposed model. The proposed action learning and technology teaching model promotes a learner-centred approach and focuses on learning outcomes, rather than learning contents. The proposed model empowers learners as well as educators and makes provision for the use of technology within the financial constraints of institutions. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2003

In this study, the integration of technology in education and the application of action learning as a teaching strategy, are investigated through a literature study and with empirical research. The purpose is to develop a teaching model wherein technology can be effectively incorporated for the offering of the subject Information Systems (IS). The study also focuses on the nature and scope of the subject Information Systems, as well as the status concerning the subject Information Systems at Technikons in South Africa. Knowledge regarding technology quickly becomes obsolete and therefore IS-learners should have the means and skills to keep abreast of advances in technology. IS-learners not only need subject oriented knowledge, but also personal skills that are known as critical cross field outcomes in the new educational paradigm. The establishment of the National Qualification framework, led to an academic initiative that is based on transparent national standards and clear descriptions of learning outcomes. For higher education institutions in South Africa the implication was that all curricula of subjects, including Information Systems, had to be rewritten in terms of outcomes. Specialisation is essential for the Information System qualification, as it became apparent that information system applications and demands from industry are becoming specialised. In 1999 the IS-qualification was adjusted to provide for specialisation areas at Technikons in South Africa. Action learning integrates the theories and characteristics of several disciplines, amongst others, education, psychology, systems thinking, political science, ethics, anthropology and sociology. During the process of action learning, knowledge must be constructed by asking questions, processing information and applying the newly acquired knowledge. Links must be established between new knowledge and pre-knowledge. Action learning attempts to integrate the elements of knowledge, insight and practice, and states that there can be no learning without action and that no purposeful action can take place without learning, while the solving of a problem influences both the problem and the person that acts on the problem. Action learning satisfies all the requirements needed to address the knowledge, values, skills and behaviour that IS-learners should adhere to. Action learning stimulates the development of cognitive skills that are essential for the training ofiS-learners. The different types of information systems that are found in organisations are not isolated systems, but rather integrated systems that collaborate in order to support a business function. IS-learners should not only understand the development, but also the integration and implementation of these systems. From this it becomes apparent that action learning is a suitable teaching strategy for IS-learners. The classification of educational technology as well as a framework for the implementation thereof, is discussed in the study. According to the literature study and from results obtained from the empirical research, a teaching model is proposed that consists of the following three components: • Determinants that influence the teaching and learning scenario. These determinants include the National Qualification framework industry; technology infrastructure; institutional policy and outcomes based education. • The didactic triangle, in which the distinct roles of the learners (that can act as facilitators during action learning) and educators are discussed, as well as the outcomes for the subject Information Systems. • Action learning and the utilisation of technology as the teaching strategy within the proposed model. The proposed action learning and technology teaching model promotes a learner-centred approach and focuses on learning outcomes, rather than learning contents. The proposed model empowers learners as well as educators and makes provision for the use of technology within the financial constraints of institutions. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2003