The purpose of this study was to identify the forces and pressures that have influenced curriculum design decisions regarding general education requirements in the fine arts professional baccalaureate degree programs and to determine how curriculum planners are responding to these pressures. A review of the literature revealed a national movement to examine general education requirements in higher education. Problems arise when particular degree programs are already discipline-specific in nature with a substantial number of course requirements prescribed in the major area of study. The problems are compounded further in the professional degree programs where emphasis is often placed on knowledge and skills that are acquired through practical application of theoretical principles. The fine arts professional degree programs were selected as the focal curriculum structures. Based on the literature review it was expected that specific environmental forces, such as the renewed national interest in general education, would emerge as influences affecting curriculum design processes in the fine arts. Recent theoretical studies on emerging curricula structures also indicated a prevalence of systems perspectives where curriculum design processes focus on environmental influences that are precipitating a redefinition of program structures. It was anticipated by the researcher that a reexamination of curriculum design processes would reveal a responsiveness to specific forces identified in the theory as both internal and external environmental considerations. The research approach was primarily observational, utilizing parametric estimates and analyses. Particular data gathered were periodically subjected to inferential analysis. The researcher found that a majority of the fine arts curriculum planners contacted for this study were involved in curriculum review and revision of the professional baccalaureate degree programs. It was also revealed from results of the study that curriculum design influences were primarily institutional/internally motivated although current theoretical literature on curriculum design processes indicated that systems perspectives dominated these processes. Finally, it was discovered that fine arts alumni from professional baccalaureate degree programs favor traditional general/liberal curricular structures in higher education.

The specific purposes of the study are as follows: first, to study the general requirements for the baccalaureate degree and teaching certificate in the institutions included in the study; second, to study and analyze the requirements in each of the institutions for a major or first minor in industrial arts; third, to determine the changes and trends with respect to the total programs of preparation and changes and trends in the various phases of industrial arts taught in each of the institutions.

Examines how the cognitive and biological perspectives of Intrinsic Motivation (IM) could collaboratively engage second language (L2) students in the university writing classroom. Brain-structures and body systems specifically associated with intrinsic motivation are detailed, and brain-based learning strategies are outlined. Concludes with a sample application for the university writing classroom that reflects a brain-based approach to L2 learning.

This study analyzes the converted scores made on Aptitudes "G" (intelligence) and "V" (verbal" and the raw scores made on Part "H" (three-dimensional space) and Part "I" of the General Aptitude Test Battery by students enrolled in beginning industrial arts courses, advanced industrial arts courses, and beginning English at North Texas State College, Denton, Texas, and the academic grades made by theses same students in order to determine what relationship exists between both the converted and raw scores made on the foregoing parts of the GATB and academic grades.

The problem of this study was to determine the effect of industrial arts experiences on changing the attitudes of North Texas State University freshmen toward industrial arts generally and toward specific curriculum areas in industrial arts.

Thesis (MTech (Graphic Design))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / This research is an investigation into how Graphic Design, a visual communication subject is taught and learnt at Cape Peninsula University of Technology in light of the dynamics that cultural semiotics present. There is a need to equip students with the cultural awareness to design communication that is sensitive to the varying needs of their consuming audiences. By its very nature, visual communication is vulnerable to an unintended array of misinterpretations because of the audiences’ differing semiotic backgrounds. The pedagogic duty of academy is to equip communication students in this case Graphic Design students with adequate tools to facilitate the understanding of their audiences, the communicative purpose of their designs is compromised. Vygotsky’s (1978) learning theory is therefore applied to examine the role of culture in the teaching and learning of culturally diverse students. Concepts from JoAnn Phillion’s (2002) Narrative Multiculturalism are also used to understand how the narratives collected from the respondent students, lecturers and an industry expert in this study offered guidelines for the effective teaching of Graphic Design. To investigate the teaching and learning of Graphic Design holistically the research employed a mini-ethnographic case study method. Data for this research were obtained through participant observations, semi-structured informal interviews of participants narratives and document analysis. The findings point to a lack of a cohesive and coordinated approach to teaching and learning, which in turn reflects a lack of sensitivity to cultural diversity in the Graphic Design department at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. This is evidenced in the unreformed curriculum and a culturally unbalanced staff complement. Industry’s lethargic participation also seems to have done nothing to ensure the standardisation of the curriculum to align with industry demands nor guide the career paths of students. As a result, the gap in these areas may leave some historically vulnerable students feeling excluded and despondent about both their academic and career prospects.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Thesis (MTech (Design))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / Student workload is measured by the time it takes to complete the learning activities. This study determines the workload of Design students by determining the time spent on in- and out-of-class learning activities of a Design course at a higher education institution in Cape Town. The Design learning process typically engages students in several of the following learning activities: problem solving; research and development of ideas; and the mastering of various skills relating to visual communication. These afore-mentioned activities span the duration of a design project crossing the boundaries between subjects. The teaching of Design occurs in various locations such as the design studio and site visits. It therefore becomes difficult to unpack the time spent on in- and out-of-class learning activities for the purposes of workload calculations as prescribed and defined by higher education institutions and educational policies worldwide. Workload is a significant variable in the curriculum and is of importance in the quality of the teaching and learning process in higher education. An analysis of the literature determined that student workload could be viewed as objective workload (notional hours), the perceived/estimated hours worked (as highlighted in student course experience surveys) or the actual hours reported over a period of time. The resulting discussions focused on the comparability of students‟ workload to the expected notional hours and grades. Thus far none of the previous studies considered time allocation or the workload of the Design student or Design education. Can it be assumed that notional hours apply to all subject fields and therefore, the time allocated to in- and out-of-class learning activities should be equal as well? A timesheet diary was used to determine the time spent on learning activities. The population consisted of Interior Design students. Participants indicated what they were doing in the class as well as the amount of time spent on learning activities outside of timetabled hours. This study determined that the time reported for text-based subjects aligned with the notional hours and timetabled hours. On the other hand, a drawing-related subject – because of project-based learning and individual crits – is allocated more timetable hours, which does not align with the notional hours. The contact time thus appears to be high in comparison to the notional hours and results in an overloaded timetable (28hrs). However, it was found that the individual average for in-class time (14hrs 54min) reported by the participants aligns with the notional hours. Further analysis of the reported time revealed that class duration should be considered in the light of the teaching methods. In addition the average workload in this study of 53hrs 7 min per week exceeds the notional 40 hours per week. The average workload was compared to the participant‟s term results, the notional 40-hours, and the 50% required for passing a subject. This revealed that participants whose workload exceeded 40 hours were likely to pass. This supports the notion that provision should be made in the curriculum to afford students the time to meet the learning outcomes. However, due to the small sample available the impact of workload on student retention and student success could not be determined.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Applied Arts in Graphic Design, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / The context of this research is blended learning, a pedagogical approach that is effectively used in higher education. This pedagogical approach integrates face-to-face and online learning activities. The research inquiry focused on the researcher’s teaching of second-year students studying a three-year degree in graphic design at a private college in Durban, South Africa. Two interconnected teaching and learning challenges were addressed: the effects of the time-constrained, face-to-face studio style approach to design education; and students’ limited capacity for critical reflection. The research opportunity was therefore to evaluate the effectiveness of a graphic design blended learning intervention for supplementing contact time and fostering critical reflection. In the tradition of action research, the study took a developmental approach. Drawing on research on critical reflection in design and approaches to blended learning, parameters for a blended learning intervention were established. The resulting blended learning framework was applied in three interconnected cycles of action research, as follows. First, cycle one served as a baseline analysis of students’ critical reflection before the intervention. The researcher recorded and analysed a group review, and a series of individual reviews with her students. These were analysed with two questions in mind: ‘what’: “What types of reflection do students engage in?”; ‘why’: “Why are the students reflecting in a particular way?”.Second, cycle two developed, implemented and analysed a blended learning strategy for critical reflection (BLSCR). This was guided by the blended learning framework parameters, and the findings from cycle one. Third, cycle three evaluated students’ perception of the BLSCR through a focus group discussion with the participants. The focus group findings were compared with those of cycle two. The main finding is that the study’s blended learning strategy for critical reflection (BLSCR) works to foster critical reflection, but refinement is needed to address the matter of supplementing contact time. The two main points of refinement are: Students need to be ready to learn (feel psychologically responsible for their own learning);Students need to know that they have learned, and what they have learned.The findings and conclusion then motivate for implementing these refinements in further interventions beyond the study. / M

This is a study of the industrial arts programs in the junior colleges of Texas with special reference to the nature and scope of the curriculums, the teaching staff, and instructional and housing facilities.