In many parts of the world today, drivers have access to a growing range of traveller information services, from traffic reports on the radio and variable message signs along roads to customised information that could be delivered to personal mobile phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants) as well as to the global navigation units appearing in many vehicles. The key commercial question is, what information does the driver want? So far, while traveller information services deliver increasingly sophisticated incident reports, journey times and other such information, driver response has remained lukewarm. This thesis suggests that the problem lies in understanding the driver rather than improving the content. Therefore, it has sought to establish: Q1. What do drivers already know?; Q2. How did they learn it?; Q3. What do drivers need now and in the future as they continue to learn? And for traveller information service providers, the related question: Q4. How can information providers accommodate drivers' learning? This thesis reports a qualitative case study based on ten in-depth interviews with drivers who had previously participated in a six week trial receiving customised traveller information about their commutes to and from work, through their mobile phones. The thesis reports that drivers principally learn from their experiences in processes well established in the adult learning literature. It has found that commuter drivers can be regarded as experts on their commutes, but that the domain of any drivers' expertise is limited both spatially and temporally. When presented with dynamic, customised traveller information, it was found that commuter drivers enter a learning curve affected by previous experience and immediate need in which learning to access and utilise appropriate travel information is a dynamic process. Drivers learn about using traveller information, they learn about the types of traveller information available and they also learn whether to trust the information provider. As adults who learn and think, drivers see the role of an information service provider as facilitating their own understanding of the phenomena of traffic they face everyday and, in turn, supporting their learning to make better informed decisions. The thesis concludes that customised traveller information will become effective when it meets the current understanding and needs of the driver as an active learner whose information requirements change over time and from time to time. This thesis contributes to an increased understanding of drivers, their knowledge and how they learn. As a result, it offers traveller information providers with a substantially increased understanding of how to meet their drivers' needs.

This study unites the concepts of self-directed learning and information literacy in the external higher education environment. It asserts that many attempts by librarians at building better working relationships with distance educators have failed because the approaches of distance educators to the information needs of students are not adequately addressed. This exploratory and qualitatively based study examines the approaches of ten distance educators at Southern Cross University (SCU) to the information needs of their external students. It then makes recommendations based on these interviews which aim to improve relationships and co-operation between libraries and distance educators and to promote self-directed learning approaches by external students.

This study explores the implementation of adult learning principles in information technology adult education and training in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. A set of adult learning principles is examined and interpreted with reference to supporting and contradicting theorists. The development of these theories is also explored in order to determine the changes in perspectives since 1900. Five of Canberra's information technology adult education and training providers were analysed. Surveys were distributed to trainers and students of these providers. These surveys requested respondents to rate their perception of the extent to which each learning principle is adopted in their learning environment. Demographic information about respondents was also obtained. Responses were compared between trainers, students and different providers. Results illustrate that the rejection or non-rejection of many adult learning principles is highly correlated with this demographic information.

Many students undertaking courses at tertiary institutions find that lack of basic mathematical skills, or lack of confidence in these skills, is impeding their progress. This can arise with students in science, administration, geography, nursing, computing, education and many other courses. The problem can be anticipated with mature age students who are often admitted to courses lacking formal entry qualifications, but younger students are increasingly involved. The problem is not a static one but has been developing rapidly in recent years. This Field Study commenced by analysing the extent of the problem at CCAE, its past development and possible further developments in the near future. A search was then undertaken for instances of recognition of, and response to, the problem in other institutions. Instances of responses elsewhere, and of theory relating to adult learning and mathematical learning, were assessed for relevance to the CCAE situation. A response appropriate to the CCAE situation was designed, implemented, and its initial success evaluated. This response was based upon an individualised approach, involving diagnosis of individual problems and needs, self-learning materials in modular form, one-to-one tutorial assistance in a "Maths Lab", self-paced learning, testing for mastery of modules using criterion referenced tests. The evaluation undertaken indicates that this response is basically successful in the CCAE situation. However, some recommendations for the future development of the response follow from the evaluation; the most important of these involves a requirement upon students with weaknesses in their basic mathematics, to use the Lab.

The purpose of this study was to understand the individual experiences of four adult literacy practitioners, Anne, Bill, Candy, and Emily, in the first cohort of the Oregon Field-Based Cohort Master's Program. This program, which Oregon established in 1993 as one venue of professional development for adult literacy and English as a Second Language practitioners, was developed jointly by the Office of Community College Services of the state Department of Education and Oregon State University. The inquiry proceeded from three assumptions. First, effective professional development must be grounded in understandings about how practitioners learn. Second, an understanding of practitioners' learning is attainable only through intensive examination of individual experiences. And third, practitioners' accounts of their learning experiences are legitimate sources of knowledge; they are, in fact, the only accessible avenues for investigating individuals' learning. Transcripts of in-depth interviews and participants' cumulative portfolios were coded and analyzed in the first phase of data analysis to produce stories which integrated Anne, Bill, Candy, and Emily's own words with metaphors they created to frame their experiences. Each story reconstructs a practitioner's construction of the emotional, intellectual, and material experience of learning in a cohort. Together, they represent the uniqueness and complexity of adults' learning. In the second phase of analysis, the stories were compared to reveal relationships of similarity and difference among them. The cross-case analysis generated five themes around the self as learner, the contribution of dissonance to reconstruction of meaning, personal transformations in an academic setting, increased confidence as an outcome of graduate study, and stance as a contributor to the variability and complexity of adults' experiences of learning in a formal setting. The final chapter drew directly on the themes to make suggestions for planning and practice and pose questions which might be used to focus conversations or frame future research about adult learning, graduate programs, or staff development for adult educators. Specific topics included authentic learning situations, reflection, graduate cohorts, collaborative learning, adult learners' stances toward learning situations, distance delivery and professional networks for adult literacy practitioners, and evaluation of professional development programs. / Graduation date: 1998

Authentic assessment of visitor learning in museum settings is a challenging endeavor. Evaluation literature includes very few studies that link adult visitors' behavior to their learning. Multiple data collection methods in a naturalistic environment hold great promise for increasing understanding of informal public education. In 1997, Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) in Newport, Oregon, opened a new visitor center. This unique science museum was designed with strong educational goals in mind. The first gallery, the Pattern Garden, was intended to provide a framework of understanding that visitors would build on during their journey through the museum. The three main exhibits in this gallery include a touch pool with live tidepool animals, a sound exhibit with listening stations, and a water wheel that demonstrates chaos theory. This study is a summative evaluation of these three exhibits and their educational effectiveness, both individually and as part of the overall gallery. Data on exhibit holding power and visitor behavior were collected for this evaluation. The touch pool and the sound station were videotaped, while field notes were used to document holding power at the water wheel. In addition, a wireless microphone was mounted at the touch pool to document discussion between visitors and docents. Visitors who spent a minimum of ten seconds at each of the three exhibits were interviewed as they prepared to leave the museum. The interviewer asked the visitor to recall the Pattern Garden exhibits, with special attention to things they learned and associations they made to their daily lives. Both holding power and learning proved to be the greatest at the touch pool. Further investigations are indicated to isolate whether it was the content of the exhibit, the presence of a docent, or other factors that made it particularly effective. The water wheel's holding power was nearly as high as that of the touch pool, but visitor learning scores were lower. Interview data indicated that the complex, difficult nature of the chaos concept was partly responsible for the low educational results. The sound station resulted in moderate holding power and moderate learning. Difficulties and successes in the research design indicate important factors to consider for future evaluation studies at informal science learning centers. / Graduation date: 1999

The critical outcome of education is learning or competency development and the application of new knowledge, skills, and abilities in a variety of settings. This study identified and analyzed Texas A&M University students regarding interaction between learner and other learners, the instructor, the content, and the technology. In addition, satisfaction, quality, and learning are also examined. The population for this study is students at Texas A&M University. Inferences to other similar populations should be handled with caution as other organizations may differ greatly from this one. Data was collected using a web-formatted survey (see Appendix A) delivered to the learners using the Internet. An analysis of the data was then conducted as described below using SPSS 18. Potential participants were given the web address and entered their assigned number to confirm consent. Non-response was handled by sending reminders electronically at random intervals. It may be concluded from the data that the most import interactions are between the learner and the content and between the learners themselves. Despite significant single order correlation between enhancing interaction and learner to learner, learner to instructor, learner to content, and learner to technology our regression modeling shows the most effective way to predict learning and satisfaction is through student to content interaction. We see the most effective way to predict quality is through student to student interactions. We found no interaction effect between student to instructor interaction and increased learning, quality, or satisfaction. We found no interaction effect between student to technology interaction and increased learning, quality, and satisfaction. It is our recommendation that in order to achieve increased perceptions of satisfaction, quality, and learning, opportunities for interactions between the learner and the content should be provided. Utilizing and evaluating the technologies of online exercises, online instructional materials, online support materials, and interactive video is a great place to start. Instructors should consider evaluating these and other technologies to insure purposeful use of technologies and appropriateness.

This research study represents a personalized account of my experiences as a San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD) paramedic. In this study I bring the reader closer to the subculture of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) through the research methodology of autoethnography. This qualitative method allows me to be researcher, subject, and narrator of the study. Autoethnography requires considerable attention to reflection, introspection, and self-analysis through the use of the narrative. Written in first person voice, I am positioned in the narrative in a manner that allows me to communicate directly with the audience. Through an insider’s perspective, I have traced the time I spent in EMS by reflecting, interpreting, and analyzing a collection of epochal events that significantly impacted my life both personally and professionally. There are five themes that I have identified as salient to the meaning-making process of the study: (a) death and dying, (b) faith and spirituality, (c) job burnout, (d) dealing and coping with job-related stress, and (e) alcohol abuse. The events that I have selected for this study may be read and interpreted as a prelude to what is a much broader narrative of my tenure in EMS and of other emergency responders’ experiences as well. The study explores how my life was impacted beyond the immediate experience and how the story continues to evolve to the present day. The study establishes a foundation for designing training programs to be used by public safety educators. Three theoretical elements of adult learning that help inform professional education strategies for emergency responders have been identified: (a) experiential, (b) narrative, and (c) transformative learning. The study also sensitizes the general public to the physical, social, and psychological demands that are placed on paramedics. It is important for the reader to know that these public servants are ordinary human beings doing extraordinary work in one of the most stressful and hazardous professions in the world.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-82).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1998. / Includes Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 154-162). Also available on the Internet.