This study focuses on reflection in an e-learning environment. The reflection was done nline in the form of a weblog. Participants used tools such as Blogger to post their reflection on the web. There are various contributing factors that determine the success of reflection in an e-learning environment. This study will look into these factors, for example tools used for reflection, reflection topics, online facilitation and learning style preferences. This dissertation focuses on the role that reflective questions, reflection tools and online facilitators play in the reflection process. It determined which of these elements were more important to learners and how satisfied they were with the tools and techniques used in this study. The importance to learners, and their satisfaction was determined by using the Customer Satisfaction Index. The findings of this study indicate that the participants feel that the online facilitator plays an imperative role in online reflection. / Dissertation (MEd (Computer Integrated Education))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Curriculum Studies / MEd / unrestricted

This study places the intended creation and implementation of an inter-professional education strategy at the intersection of three networks. The networks in question are cultural historical activity theory (CHAT), actor network theory (ANT), and a complex healthcare organisation (NHSX). CHAT and ANT, whilst both socio-material in origin, afford quite different readings of NHSX: therefore, the former has been used to identify, distil, and decompose the organisational activity systems, and the latter has been used to problematise them. The strategy was created in 2005 and had ceased to exist by 2010. This study therefore employs CHAT and ANT accounts to trace the lifespan of the strategy through the organisation, in particular through organisational working, learning, and boundary crossing, in an attempt to explain its untimely demise. It is envisaged that this study will provide an aid to framing how socio-material approaches can be combined to support inter-professional policy construction and implementation in a way that will allow flexibility for others to adapt to their own distinctive circumstances

Prostitution är ett komplext, världsomfattande samhällsproblem som kan leda till flertalet negativa konsekvenser för den utsatta. I Sverige har köp av sexuella tjänster varit kriminaliserat sedan år 1999 och den svenska regeringen lägger stor vikt vid bekämpandet av prostitution. Trots detta är prostitution ett utbrett problem i Sverige. Flertalet kartläggningar indikerar att fenomenet ökar, framförallt via internet, samt att det tycks gå ner i åldrarna. Tidigare forskning inom området visar att svårigheter med att motverka problemet bland annat beror teknologins framväxt, attityder och normer i samhället och brist på resurser inom rättsväsendet. Syftet med föreliggande studie är att undersöka svårigheter med att förebygga prostitution ur yrkesverksammas perspektiv, samt vad som kan göras för att förbättra det förebyggande arbetet. Genom kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer och en tillämpning av rutinaktivitetsteorin besvaras studiens frågeställningar. Resultatet visar att bristen på personal och kompetens, den ökade tillgängligheten via internet samt porrens påverkan på attityder och normer försvårar motverkandet av prostitution. Därtill visas att ytterligare åtgärder krävs, bland annat tidiga insatser gällande utbildning samt en omarbetning av sexköpslagen. / Prostitution is a complex, worldwide societal problem that can lead to several negative consequences for the victim. In Sweden, the purchase of sexual services has been criminalized since 1999, and the Swedish government allocates great importance to combat prostitution. Despite this, prostitution is a widespread problem in Sweden. Various studies indicate that the phenomenon is increasing, primarily via the internet, and that prostitution seems to be declining with age. Previous research in the field shows that difficulties in counteracting the problem are partly due to the development of technology, attitudes and norms in society and a lack of resources in the judicial system. The purpose of the present study is to investigate difficulties in preventing prostitution from the perspective of professionals, as well as what can be done to improve the preventive work. Through a qualitative method with semi-structured interviews and an application of the routine activity theory, the research questions are answered. The results show that the lack of personal with relevant skills, the increased accessibility via the internet and the impact of porn on attitudes and norms make it more difficult to counteract prostitution. In addition, it is shown that further measures are required, including early efforts regarding education and a adjustment of the Sex Purchase Act. / <p>2021-01-13</p>

Det finns en utmaning för designers att skapa digitala miljöer som främjar aktivitet, för att skapa goda vanor och rutiner som leder till växandet av communitys. Online communitys kan ibland sakna målstyrning som leder till minskat engagemang och motivation för medlemmar att bidrag till communityt. Det kan vara svårt för deltagare i dessa digitala miljöer att se vilket värde deras egna bidragande skapar. Eftersom online communitys får en allt mer växande roll i dagens samhälle när distanskollaborationer blir allt vanligare är det relevant att undersöka dessa problem. Tidigare forskning uppmärksammar social loafing som en förklaring till minskat engagemang och motivation i samarbeten. Vad som har kunnat påvisa förebyggande faktorer för denna negativa utveckling är att om individer blir påminda om deras värde till en community kan bidragandet öka, samt att gruppmål kan ge en mer bidragande effekt än individuella mål. Vad som även påverkar motivationen hos deltagarna är arbetsmönster i form av vanor och rutiner och den gemensamma grund som etableras mellan parter som inleder samarbeten. Denna studie fördjupar sig i aktiviteter hos innehållsskapare i kreativa online communitys inom spelutveckling, musikproduktion och andra typer av distanskollaborationer som är beroende av datorstödd kollaborativt arbete (CSCW). Resultat från intervjuer och enkätundersökningar har analyserats med hjälp av Aktivitetsteorin för att förstå vilka vanor som leder till framgångsrika kreativa samarbeten i en online community. Detta har genererat riktlinjer för design av digitala plattformar avsedda som online communitys och grundar sig i de aktiviteter som etablerar gemensam grund och deltagarkultur. Ett bästa praxisexempel presenteras även, baserat på de fynd från datainsamlingen som beskriver en distansbaserad musiktävling som främjar deltagande kultur och etablering av gemensam grund. Fortsatt forskning inom online communitys för kreatörer rekommenderas eftersom det finns ett behov tillgodose användarens specifika behov som grundar sig i personliga mål men även deras specifika användande av externa verktyg. / There is a challenge when designing digital environments that promotes activities for the purpose to creates routines and habits leading to the growth of a community. Online communities could sometime lack objective management, resulting in lowered engagement and motivation amongst the members to contribute. Members in these environments sometimes struggle to see how their contribution can make an impact. The importance of online communities has a greater role in society while attitude towards distance collaborations are becoming familiar, consequently investigating these issues is relevant. Previous research has observed this behavior and defines it as social loafing, groups and communitys lack contribution even though they have many members. What has been found as a prevention to this negative development shows that individuals are more likely to contribute when their value are acknowledged. What also has a motivating and positive effect is when they are assigned group-oriented goals rather than just assigned goals individually. Establishing routines, habits, and common ground between members of a collaboration has a role in this development. This study explores activities amongst creators that are active in creative online communities oriented in game development, music production and other types of distance collaborations dependent on computer supported collaborative work (CSCW). The results gathered from interviews and user-surveys, has been analyzed through Activity theory, to better understand the habits that leads to successful creative collaborations in online communities. We propose design guidelines for development of digital platforms that serves the purpose for online communities and stems through the activities that establishes common ground and a culture for participation. We also present a best practice example based on the finding, describing a distance facilitated competition in music production that promotes participation and establishment of common ground. Taking to account the wide variety of different technical and individual needs and goals of multidisciplinary creators serves as a suggestion for further research.

Aktivitetsteorin har rötterna i psykologin men har på senare år använts inom många andra områden, bland annat inom informationsteknologi. Teorin innehåller sex aktörer som används för att identifiera olika delar av ett system för att sedan se hur de påverkar varandra och systemet. Användning av aktivitetsteorin gör att fokus förflyttas från själva teknologin som används till att se teknologin ur ett socialt och kulturellt perspektiv. Teorin är väl utforskad teoretiskt, men mindre utforskad i praktiken. För att utforska möjligheterna med aktivitetsteorin kombinerades den i detta arbete med ämnet psykisk ohälsa. Psykisk ohälsa är ett samhällsproblem som har blivit mer uppmärksammat på senare år, men situationen förbättras inte. Utöver den sjukvård som finns tillgänglig idag för att behandla psykisk ohälsa finns även stödlinjer för att ge stöd åt personer med psykisk ohälsa. I detta kandidatarbete gjordes en fallstudie med den ideella verksamheten Mind som arbetar med att främja psykiskt välbefinnande. De har en stödlinje som heter Självmordslinjen där volontärer samtalar genom chatt eller telefonsamtal med personer som söker stöd i sitt psykiska mående. För att undersöka aktivitetsteorins möjligheter i detta sammanhang utfördes enanalys av kommunikationen som sker mellan volontärerna och stödsökande utifrån volontärernas perspektiv. Studiens datainsamling inleddes med en informationsinsamling om verksamheten. Efter detta hölls en enkät för volontärerna att svara på följt av fyra intervjuer. Insamlade data analyserades sedan med hjälp av aktivitetsteorin. Detta resulterade i insikter om vilka aktörer som ingår i kommunikationen samt hur de påverkar varandra i helhet. Aktivitetsteorin visade sig ge en god översikt över stödlinjen, men vissa svagheter hittades också med teorin i just detta sammanhang, såsom att teorin endast kan anta ett perspektiv. / The activity theory has its roots in psychology but has lately been used in many other fields, such as information technology. The theory includes six actors that are used to identify different parts of a system to then see how they affect each other and the system. The use of the activity theory shifts the focus from the technology that is used to seeing the technology from a social and cultural perspective. The theory is well explored in theory, but less explored in practice. To explore the possibilities with the activity theory it was in this bachelor’s thesis combined with the subject of mental health issues. Mental health is a societal problem that has gotten more attention in the past few years, but the situation is not improving. Beyond the healthcare available today to treat mental health issues there are also helplines to provide support for people with mental health issues. In this bachelor’s thesis, a case study was performed with the non-profit organization Mind which works to promote mental wellbeing. They have a helpline called Självmordslinjen where volunteers speak through the phone or via chat with people seeking support for their mental health. To examine the possibilities of the activity theory in this context, an analysis was performed on the communication between the volunteers and the people in need of support from the volunteers’ perspective. The data collection of the study was initiated with a collection of information about the organization. After this, a questionnaire was held for the volunteers to answer followed by four interviews. The collected data were then analyzed using the activity theory. This resulted in insights into which actors are involved in the communication and how they affect eachother as a whole. The activity theory gave a good overview of the helpline, but some weaknesses were also found in the theory in this context, like the fact that the theory can only adopt one perspective.

Could it be that even though no international treaty or regulation regulates bioprospecting in Antarctica, some features of the techno-science of bioprospecting already lie embedded in the deep texts of the potentially most relevant treaties and regulations? If so, international law already to that extent comprehends the phenomenon, making for sustainable governance and thereby sustainable development. To find out, first an ontology of bioprospecting was synthesized, by an activity theory based conceptual system modeling (CSM). Treating bioprospecting as an activity of search for and research of naturally occurring biota, a set of Conceptual Graphs and associated Tables were drawn up as its ontology-synthesis. Features of this conceptualization were then searched for by an ontological-analysis of the deep texts of selected twenty-five legal instruments, through an ontological legal research (OLR). Search results did unearth several features dispersed and intriguingly embedded in several of the treaties and regulations, quite richly in some of the more recent ones. The cross-application of CSM followed by the hybridized OLR, is a methodological innovation and the generated empirical results of each are resources for further research. The language of international law is revealed as possessing a surprisingly better-than-expected techno-scientific literacy of bioprospecting.

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The study investigated subject integrated teaching and vocational knowledge in one Health and Social Care program. The material was collected ethnographically, during a period of a school semester (5 months), and analysed according to the Activity-Theoretical concepts actions, goals and tools. The results identified five goals for subject integrated teaching: the legitimacy of Swedish as a school subject; a focus on linguistic prescriptivism; the identity of vocational subjects; a predominant medical focus in vocational subjects; and a professional language. Further six recurrent tools were identified: a fictional book; a teacher-prepared hand-out; a teacher-constructed case report; teacher-examples from health care; and linguistic rules. There was a theoretical kind of vocational knowledge with focus on language issues, on medical aspects of care, and on a professional language. In conclusion, subject integrated teaching contributed with more than each of the specific subjects contributed with and simultaneously tensions between goals representing different subjects were found. However, tools were shared between subjects.

Region Östergötland engages in many international collaborations as a way to exchange knowledge and insights with other organizations. The organization has had a collaboration focused on patient safety with Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, since 2015. Kenya is considered a low and middle-income country, while Sweden is considered a high-income country. The aim of this study was to describe patient safety development using activity theory, with a special focus on how Region Östergötland supports patient safety development in a low and middle-income country’s healthcare system. Data was collected by conducting interviews with six participants involved in the patient safety collaboration, by visiting Eldoret to conduct a participant observation and by analyzing relevant policy documents. The results showed that many factors are involved in patient safety development, both within an organization and in supporting the development in a low and middle-income country’s healthcare system. Healthcare organizations should strive for commitment to patient safety development from all levels of the organization, and for a safety culture where staff members are comfortable reporting errors. The management must pursue patient safety questions and put aside resources for patient safety development. As Sweden and low and middle-income countries are different in many aspects, it’s important for the supporting part, in this case Region Östergötland, to be attentive to and understanding of prevailing differences caused by available resources, cultural norms, rules and organizational structures. Many of the requirements for an organization’s patient safety development, and for a successful collaboration between Region Östergötland and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, were shown to be achieved or at least functioning. Even though all requirements are not fulfilled, they are all matters that can be improved by the continuation of the collaboration. Region Östergötland can learn from the collaboration by seeing how results can be achieved in an organization with few resources, how efficiently changes can be made within an organization, as well as by gaining knowledge about another culture and country. These factors create opportunities for project participants to be inspired and question current methods and norms in their own organization, which can result in improvements of Region Östergötland as on organization in the future.

No description available.