A thesis submitted in comprehensive fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Communication Science at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2014. Year 2014 / Globalisation is not a new subject since people and various organisations have been sharing information as well as buying from and selling products from each across national and international borders. In addition the expansion in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has changed the nature in which education is offered and consumed internationally. Globalisation and the spiralling evolution of ICTs has become the driving force for transformation in higher education sectors. Many universities have adopted or incorporated international trends in education and research. This new culture is aimed at producing graduates who are well suited and qualified to actively and productively participate in the global economy. This research provides a comprehensive study on globalisation, international communication and internationalisation of higher education. This study exposes profound observations about current international initiatives and drawbacks to internationalisation at a tertiary institution in the heart of a rural village in South Africa.

<p> With the recent attention being paid to student success and student equity, as well as outcomes for historically and currently disadvantaged students including those who begin at community colleges, this study examines the extent to which positive changes have been observed that are favorable to community college student success after transfer. Data from the 2005-2012 administrations of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) are examined to determine the extent to which out-of-class student faculty interaction &ndash; a known contributor to student success &ndash; has increased over time for community college transfer students at a subset of bachelor&rsquo;s-granting institutions. Corresponding data from the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE), as well as IPEDS data, are used to identify institutional conditions that positively impact institutional change over a period of at least three years in a measure of out-of-class student-faculty interaction with community college transfer students. The overall purpose of the current study is to explore what baccalaureate colleges and universities can do to enhance the outcomes of students who transfer from community colleges. Results confirm that overall positive changes in out-of-class student-faculty interaction for community college transfer students have occurred in the group of institutions examined. In addition, the number of institutions that report an increase of practical significance in out-of-class student-faculty interaction for community college transfer students is about double the number of institutions reporting a significant decrease. Selected additional findings show that the institutional proportion of full-time undergraduates, as well a measure of campus support, help lay the groundwork for positive future changes in out-of-class student-faculty interaction for community college transfer students. Future quantitative and qualitative research is recommended to further examine the practices and attributes of institutions where positive changes in community college transfer student-faculty interaction have been observed.</p>

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for Masters in Management Sciences specialising in Public Relations, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa. 2017. / In South Africa the National Plan for Higher Education (NPHE, 2001) brought with it distinct changes to the higher education landscape. Amongst the major changes were the mergers of various higher education institutions. In 2005, the Walter Sisulu University for Technology (WSU) was established through the merger of the former Border Technikon, Eastern Cape Technikon and the University of Transkei. The University caters for students from the Eastern Cape’s Border and Kei regions resulting in communication with a large number of stakeholders. Effective communication as well as developing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders therefore become pivotal. This study set out to examine the perceived effectiveness of communication strategies between the Walter Sisulu University and students. A mixed method approach found that although respondents felt that communication was satisfactory, concerns were however, raised about the effectiveness of the communication strategies being utilised. The study recommended e-communication as a key strategy to facilitate communication with students. / M

Thesis (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / Popularity of social media sites is growing at a fast rate and many businesses and higher education institutions are attempting to successfully engage with their stakeholders using this new interactive medium that facilitates ‘many-to-many’ communication. There are several forms of social media and users have many options available to them, ranging from the more generic social networking sites, like Facebook, to more niche sites, like BlackPlanet that targets black African Americans. The focus of this research is on the social media usage patterns and trends in the stakeholder groups of the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB). Eight stakeholder groups were identified and they consist of the following groups and USB departments: i) USB prospective students; ii) USB current students, busy with their research reports; iii) USB current students, not busy with their research reports; iv) USB alumni; v) USB course administrators; vi) USB academic faculty members; vii) USB research supervisors; viii) USB Marketing and Communication Division. The analysis showed that the social media site Facebook is popular among all stakeholder groups of the USB, followed by LinkedIn and YouTube. Furthermore, Facebook and LinkedIn were cited as the preferred social media sites for the USB to use in communicating with its stakeholder groups. Additionally, respondents indicated strong privacy concerns with the use of social media. Numerous other similarities and differences by gender, age group and stakeholder groups were discussed in the findings. Combined with information from literature, these findings were translated into a multistep plan to improve the communication among the USB’s stakeholder groups. The fast-changing social media landscape requires businesses and higher education institutions, like the USB, to stay abreast of the latest user trends to ensure continued interaction with their stakeholders. Therefore, regular investigations by the USB into the use of social media by its stakeholder groups are required in the foreseeable future.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Masters of Technology: Public Relations Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South African, 2015. / The Southern African Higher Education system in the post-apartheid period had to respond to the various discriminatory practices that existed during the apartheid era. This entailed responding to inequalities in the education system at various levels. As far as higher education was concerned there was a need to serve society based on the principles of equality, equity and inclusivity. One such response was to merge higher education institutions such as ML Sultan Technikon and Technikon Natal to form the Durban Institute of Technology now referred to as the Durban University of Technology (DUT). The merger process revealed numerous challenges one of which was the human resource issue that underpinned the merger of staff between the two technikons which differed in practice. The rationale for this study was that staff at DUT were experiencing alienation; mistrust and a lack of shared purpose. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of internal communication in the transition process of the merger at the DUT. The objectives were to examine existing organisational communication tools; to evaluate staff perceptions of the current methods of communication utilised in the internal communication process; and to determine how internal communication has contributed to the transition process. The study used a quantitative research method; this enabled an evaluation of the role of internal communication in a higher education setting during a transition process. The sample population was 400 administrative and academic staff from across the seven campuses. Staff were assessed via a survey questionnaire. The data was analyzed using SPSS. The study found that living and coping with change in the work environment is a fact of life for organisations and individuals. The success of any change programme depends on the organisation’s ability to communicate effectively with its employees; therefore internal communication plays a pivotal role in any change programme. Staff at the DUT had limited communication from Management during the change phase. They were of the opinion that effective internal communication could improve productivity in the workforce.

在全球化衝擊下，高等教育已進入一個高度競爭的時代，教育的專業化、自由化與國際化已成為無可避免的趨勢。因此兩岸教育與合作，除了在兩岸互動與和平發展上有劃時代的意涵外，更具有「符合世界潮流，與國際接軌」的深遠意義。 2008年總統大選結束，國內的政治情勢產生了前所未有的劇烈轉變，隨著政治立場的更迭，政府大幅調整了大陸政策，以往被忽視的陸生來臺就學政策也重新浮上檯面。 本研究旨在探討開放陸生來臺政策之研究，主要採用文獻探討及政策分析等進行研究，以多重角度地探討開放陸生來臺對臺灣國家安全、教育、社會文化及經濟等方面可能造成的衝擊與問題。 根據本研究歸納整理，主要結論如下： 一、全球化下高等教育學生流動成為趨勢，兩岸學生交流亦是時勢所趨。 二、開放陸生來臺就學政策，應兼顧臺灣學生權益。 三、招收陸生來臺應規劃妥善的相關配套措施，以減少衝擊與疑慮。 四、大學校院應積極發展各自的特色，並提升教育的品質。 五、推動兩岸大學校院的策略聯盟及整合產官學的合作，提升兩岸大學整體競爭力。 / Under the impact of globalization, higher education has entered a highly competitive era. Specialization, liberalization and internationalization of education have also become an unavoidable trend. Therefore, the education and cooperation between Taiwan and China not only show the interaction and development between the two sides of Taiwan Strait, but also equip the meaning of world trend and globalization in this new era. After the presidential election in 2008, the domestic political situation has suffered from a severe transformation in Taiwan. With the change of the political standpoint, the government greatly adjusted the policies toward Mainland China and the policy for Mainland China students studying in Taiwan has emerged again. The main point of this study is to discuss the policy of Mainland China students studying in Taiwan. The study mainly adopted the methods of literature review and policy analysis to explore the potential impacts and problems related to national security, education, culture and economy from several different facets. According to the study, some conclusions has been drawn, i. Due to globalization, the interflow of higher education students has become a tendency. The communication between the students from Taiwan and China, Of course, is also driven by this trend. ii. The government should consider the rights of Taiwanese students at the same time when implementing the policy for Mainland China students studying in Taiwan. iii. To decrease the impact and scruples due to the new policy, the government is obligated to establish a set of proper plans when admitting Mainland China students. iv. Each university in Taiwan is responsible for developing the specific characteristic and promoting the education quality. v. Promote the strategic alliance between the two sides of Taiwan Strait and integrate the cooperation between industry, government and science to strengthen the overall competitiveness of the universities in Taiwan and China.

Submitted by Noeme Timbo (noeme.timbo@metodista.br) on 2016-09-13T16:06:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Ana tereza Vendramini Reis final.pdf: 1850986 bytes, checksum: 0ddbf3c6e1094f163ba34c1a17008bf1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-13T16:06:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ana tereza Vendramini Reis final.pdf: 1850986 bytes, checksum: 0ddbf3c6e1094f163ba34c1a17008bf1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-09 / This thesis has aimed at finding out how the faculty of the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS) realizes, understands and reacts to the incorporation and to the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in undergraduate courses of the Institution, considering the new dialogical communication processes that the ICTs may provide in today's society. Methodologically, the thesis consists of bibliographic research, seeking to support the areas of education and communication, as well as Educommunication; documentary research to contextualize the research locus and exploratory research from the application of an online questionnaire to 165 professors of UEMS, who answered it voluntarily. It was found that professors use ICTs in their daily personal activities and, to a lesser extent, in professional environments. The challenges are to better form those professors and to provide them with continuous training so that they can use the ICTs in classrooms more effectively. It is also noted that advances in technology and new communicational ecosystems built new and other realities, making learning a nonlinear factor, demanding revision in educational projects in higher education so that they enable purposeful dialogues between communication and education. The institutional infrastructure regarding the ICTs is another obstacle pointed out, both in the acquisition and in the maintenance of those technological devices made by the University. In the end, it is proposed to carry out studies and research to discuss changes in the faculty’s employment contract arrangements, since working with ICTs properly requires more time and teaching dedication. / Esta tese teve por objetivo saber como o corpo docente da Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS) percebe, entende e reage ante a incorporação e utilização das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TICs) nos cursos de graduação dessa Instituição, considerando os novos processos comunicacionais dialógicos que elas podem proporcionar na sociedade atual. Metodologicamente, a tese é composta por pesquisa bibliográfica, buscando fundamentar as áreas da Educação e Comunicação, assim como a Educomunicação; pesquisa documental para contextualização do lócus da pesquisa e de uma pesquisa exploratória a partir da aplicação de um questionário online a 165 docentes da UEMS, que responderam voluntariamente. Verificou-se que os professores utilizam as TICs cotidianamente nas atividades pessoais e, em menor escala, nos ambientes profissionais. Os desafios estão em se formar melhor esse docente e oferecer capacitação continuada para que utilizem de forma mais eficaz as TICs nas salas de aula. Destaca-se ainda que os avanços em tecnologia e os novos ecossistemas comunicacionais construíram novas e outras realidades, tornando a aprendizagem um fator não linear, exigindo-se revisão nos projetos pedagógicos na educação superior para que estes viabilizem diálogos propositivos entre a comunicação e a educação. A infraestrutura institucional para as TICs é outro entrave apontado, tanto na aquisição como na manutenção desses aparatos tecnológicos pela Universidade. Ao final, propõe-se realizar estudos e pesquisas que possam discutir alterações nos regimes contratuais de trabalho dos docentes, uma vez que, para atuar com as TICs de maneira apropriada, exige-se mais tempo e dedicação do docente.

Submitted by Timbo Noeme (noeme.timbo@metodista.br) on 2016-08-05T17:29:00Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Ana tereza Vendramini Reis final.pdf: 1850986 bytes, checksum: 0ddbf3c6e1094f163ba34c1a17008bf1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-05T17:29:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ana tereza Vendramini Reis final.pdf: 1850986 bytes, checksum: 0ddbf3c6e1094f163ba34c1a17008bf1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-09 / This thesis has aimed at finding out how the faculty of the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS) realizes, understands and reacts to the incorporation and to the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in undergraduate courses of the Institution, considering the new dialogical communication processes that the ICTs may provide in today's society. Methodologically, the thesis consists of bibliographic research, seeking to support the areas of education and communication, as well as Educommunication; documentary research to contextualize the research locus and exploratory research from the application of an online questionnaire to 165 professors of UEMS, who answered it voluntarily. It was found that professors use ICTs in their daily personal activities and, to a lesser extent, in professional environments. The challenges are to better form those professors and to provide them with continuous training so that they can use the ICTs in classrooms more effectively. It is also noted that advances in technology and new communicational ecosystems built new and other realities, making learning a nonlinear factor, demanding revision in educational projects in higher education so that they enable purposeful dialogues between communication and education. The institutional infrastructure regarding the ICTs is another obstacle pointed out, both in the acquisition and in the maintenance of those technological devices made by the University. In the end, it is proposed to carry out studies and research to discuss changes in the faculty’s employment contract arrangements, since working with ICTs properly requires more time and teaching dedication. / Esta tese teve por objetivo saber como o corpo docente da Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS) percebe, entende e reage ante a incorporação e utilização das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TICs) nos cursos de graduação dessa Instituição, considerando os novos processos comunicacionais dialógicos que elas podem proporcionar na sociedade atual. Metodologicamente, a tese é composta por pesquisa bibliográfica, buscando fundamentar as áreas da Educação e Comunicação, assim como a Educomunicação; pesquisa documental para contextualização do lócus da pesquisa e de uma pesquisa exploratória a partir da aplicação de um questionário online a 165 docentes da UEMS, que responderam voluntariamente. Verificou-se que os professores utilizam as TICs cotidianamente nas atividades pessoais e, em menor escala, nos ambientes profissionais. Os desafios estão em se formar melhor esse docente e oferecer capacitação continuada para que utilizem de forma mais eficaz as TICs nas salas de aula. Destaca-se ainda que os avanços em tecnologia e os novos ecossistemas comunicacionais construíram novas e outras realidades, tornando a aprendizagem um fator não linear, exigindo-se revisão nos projetos pedagógicos na educação superior para que estes viabilizem diálogos propositivos entre a comunicação e a educação. A infraestrutura institucional para as TICs é outro entrave apontado, tanto na aquisição como na manutenção desses aparatos tecnológicos pela Universidade. Ao final, propõe-se realizar estudos e pesquisas que possam discutir alterações nos regimes contratuais de trabalho dos docentes, uma vez que, para atuar com as TICs de maneira apropriada, exige-se mais tempo e dedicação do docente.

This autoethnographic journey started out as a qualitative research study to discover a new framework for student communication at Unisa. However, I found Unisa and myself reflecting each other, defenceless. Although autoethnography is defined as a research methodology that brings the story of the self into an ethnographic cultural description, it is much more than that. It is a way of being a researcher, where self and culture merge into one ecological unity to present the world with a story that is honest and reflective. The purpose of this study was to present Unisa with a new framework for student communication by exploring new epistemological perspectives. This journey took me from the beginnings of humanity where love and collaboration were our foundations, through our evolution into civilisation, competition, science and education. These contributed a great deal to our intellectual development through mechanistic thinking and a scientific approach but alienated us from each other, which could potentially lead to our destruction. I also explored cybernetics, complex and ecological thinking as new epistemological horizons to view distance learning from. Such a perspective requires a radical epistemological shift from hierarchical, mechanistic and reductionist thinking towards creating an ecology of learning, one that is more dynamic, living, vibrant, caring and empowering. Through my intimate reflective struggle with others, trying to understand how to create this vibrant student communication context I discovered in the quietness of reflection the patterns that connect us all, students, Unisa and myself. Our dialogical relationship emerged, one where there is an epistemological split between our reductionist and mechanistic thinking that requires us to be efficient on the one hand and ecologic and complex thinking that requires a caring, connected and collaborative ecology on the other hand. The question then is how we create this ecology where we reclaim our original humanness and co-evolve into an ecology of learning that is truly empowering. This can be done by co-evolving a new culture of learning grounded in passion, curiosity, openness and preparing us to be responsible and participating citizens of this most beautiful planet. / Educational Foundations / D. Ed. (Philosophy of Education)

This study aims to explore politeness shown by lecturers during tuition and student support conversations with the objective of promoting polite interactions between IsiZulu mother tongue and non-mother tongue speakers in higher education in South Africa. In particular, the study investigates the way in which politeness in email communication influences learning outcomes within an ODL environment, using quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, a questionnaire as well as interviews to collect data from a cross-section of students from an Open Distance Learning (ODL) institution. All the results drawn from the data sources, namely the questionnaires and interviews, were enumerated according to the data collection tools used. Version 12 of SPSS and Nvivo were used to analyse the quantitative data. The analysis is also based on the politeness strategies of Brown and Levinson (1978) as well as a conceptual framework that links all the variables. Based on the results, the research hypotheses are accepted, thus indicating that politeness in email communication influences learning outcomes within an ODL environment. In particular, the results show that, overall, lecturers who employ politeness contribute positively to student compliance. Accordingly, the study recommends that ODL should recognise both the role of language in communication as well as the power and influence of politeness in communication. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil.