The purpose of this study was to evaluate empirically the effectiveness of the new online career workshop titled "Ex-Scape" based on career knowledge and skill outcomes. Although numerous studies have been conducted on distance education classes in various disciplines, little research was found on the effectiveness of web-based learning in career development courses. Quantitative methods were used to determine a numerical score. Pre- and posttests were calculated and recorded in SPSS 11.5 and paired t-tests determined whether or not there was significant difference in the scores between the pre- and posttests. Qualitative methods were used through course evaluations and focus groups to record student comments of their experience with the online course. Results revealed that the online method of instruction was effective based on career knowledge and skill outcomes. Recommendations for further research include continuation of future research on the outcome success of online career development courses; utilization of a broader approach to research to include variables such as students' preferred learning styles, motivational factors, cost factors, and students' computer expertise; and collection and critique of post-resumes to follow up on students' impressions of their skills. / xi, 108 leaves ; 28 cm.

M.Ed. / Information and communications technology (ICT) has an impact on every aspect of our lives. Using ICT has required the development of new knowledge and skills, which also has an impact on facilitators and learners who need many new skills to learn, work and adapt to the ever-changing world. Therefore, successful technology integration into teaching and learning requires learners to have access to an appropriate range of tools and the abilities to analyse, synthesise and present information. Hence, technology integration should be an essential part of an organisation’s learning culture. While ICT has been part of education for over 10 years, its use in teaching and learning, both in educational and corporate environments, often perpetuates instructivist models of education, rather than supporting social tool-mediated knowledge construction. The purpose of this research was to gain an understanding of learning technologies as a tool to design, develop and deliver learning interventions within a corporate environment. The study makes use of an acquisition-participation-contribution framework, which is part of cultural historical activity theory, in order to determine how the Training Department at Discovery has designed and delivered learning and to evaluate learner expectations. This case study made use of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. The first phase involved the analysis of the organisation’s documents and reports on the strategies deployed within the company. During this phase, the organisation’s annual report, learning strategies, learning technologies strategy and the annual training report were reviewed and analysed. In the second phase of data collection, questionnaires were conducted on 82 participants, who included learners, facilitators and training managers from all business entities within the company. The first part of the questionnaire asked demographical information and the second part was made up of 27 statements relating to the acquisition, participant and contribution framework. These data were analysed statistically to determine how participants rated the importance of each statement in its current state and how they would like to experience it in the future. The last phase of the data collection involved three focus group sessions. Participants in the focus group sessions were from the head office in Johannesburg and a branch in Cape Town. The questions asked in the focus group sessions were designed with the aim of getting a better understanding of the differences in learning expectations of both the Training Department and learners. These data were analysed deductively against the acquisition, participant and contribution framework. Results from both the qualitative and quantitative investigations found differences in what learners want and what the Training Department actually delivered. The results from the questionnaire and focus groups clearly indicated that learners want to experience learning interventions that are social and collaborative in nature. They want to be able to contribute to the learning process. However, the Training Department designed and delivered learning interventions that focused on the distribution and acquisition of knowledge. These results suggest that in corporate environments, the department responsible for the professional development of employees needs to understand the needs of staff better and that learning is not the consumption of information, but is concerned with knowledge production to support individual and collective transformation.

This study provides an in-depth description and interpretation of student participation and interaction that occurred in computer-mediated interactive writing activities in two different classroom settings: a freshman writing class and a plant biology lab. Both classes were equipped with a network of Macintosh computers and the Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment software which was used to conduct in-class, synchronous computer-based discussions. Electronic transcripts of interactive writing activities created in both classes were archived from the beginning to the end of one semester for analysis of student participation and interaction in the computer-mediated environment. A focal point of the participant observation research in both classes occurred in a capstone event which took place halfway through the semester and involved a peer review as well as interactive discussion activity conducted in the computer-mediated environment. The capstone was designed to provide multiple data points for analysis while also serving specific content objectives for each class. The analysis of electronic interchanges revealed that student participation and interaction in the computer-mediated environment differed from the traditional, face-to-face setting in both cases by exhibiting increased participation and increased student-to-student interactions. Students responded to the CMC environment with variable timing in their responses and varied styles for using CMC as a medium for communication. The social conventions for participation and interaction in the CMC interactive writing activities were influenced by the computer interface, the behavior exhibited by the teacher and fellow students in the CMC discussions, and the nature of the topic being discussed. All students reported increased understanding of the material by being able to read responses of their peers in the on-line discussions. Three areas for improving future applications of this technology emerged from this study: (1) several students complained about having to type their messages; (2) several students reported that they felt overwhelmed by the number of messages and multiple, consecutive tangents in the CMC discussion; and (3) teachers would benefit by having more specific guidelines for designing appropriate activities for this technology which can be integrated into existing instruction and assessment activities. / Ph. D.

A policy (or norm) can be defined as a guideline stating what is allowed, what is forbidden and what is obligated for an entity, in a certain situation, so that an acceptable outcome is achieved. Policies occur in many types of scenarios, whether they are loose social networks of individuals or highly structured institutions. It is important, however, for policies to be consistent and to support the goals of organisations they govern. This requires a thorough understanding of the implications of introducing specific policies and how they interact. It is difficult, even for experts, to write consistent, unambiguous and accurate policies, and conflicts are practically unavoidable. At the same time conflicts may vary in significance. For example, some conflicts are most likely to occur, some conflicts may lead to high cost for goal achievement while some conflicts may lead to severe obstacles in the achievement of goals. Such conflicts are the most significant for the domain and goals of organisation. Resolution of conflicts that will clear the obstacles in the goal achievement and will maximize the benefits received must be prioritised. In order to resolve conflicts and refine policies; it is crucial to understand the implications of policies, conflicts and resolutions in terms of goal achievement and benefits to organisation. There exist huge number of policies and conflicts occurring within any organisation. Human decision makers are most likely to be cognitively overloaded. Making is difficult for them to decide which conflicts to prioritise in order to successfully achieve goals while maximizing benefits. Automated reasoning mechanisms can effectively support human decision makers in this process. In this thesis, we have addressed the problem of developing effective automated reasoning support for the detection and resolution of conflicts between plans (to achieve a given goal) and policies. We also present an empirical evaluation of a model of conflict detection and prioritisation through experiments with human users. Our empirical evaluations prove that providing guidance to users regarding what conflicts to prioritise and highlighting related conflicts lead to higher quality outcomes, thereby achieving goals successfully and rapidly.

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published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education