This research investigated the total situation of the ABET grade 12 "night schools" in the disadvantaged areas of the North-West Province, and the learning needs of the young drop-out learners and adults who attended these classes. At the same time, the study explored a suitable technology-enhanced distance education model that could be used by the University of North­ West. A total of 75 grade 12 ABET learners participated in a needs assessment survey, while 100 members of the University of North-West participated in a rigorous survey that set out to investigate the most suitable and acceptable technology-enhanced model of distance education to meet the needs of these target learners. The survey explored and established a technology­ enhanced model of distance learning appropriate to these target learners from less privileged backgrounds . In a follow-up survey that used direct individual and focus-group interview sessions consisting of senior education officers, ABET educators and officials, school managers, village leaders, university faculty members, members of the digital and telecommunications fraternity, and shopping mall visitors, a total of 120 people supported the model identified by the university community and accepted by the target learners. General comments from the survey were subjected to content analysis. The findings of the survey indicated that a technology­ enhanced distance education model that utilised print, contact lessons, and the modem electronic modes of distance learning, supported by the university and village communities, and adequately funded by participating stakeholders from the provincial government and other business partners, was feasible. The model, also founded on historical and modem evidence which leans on the established criteria of access, support and funding of technology-based distance education for the less privileged, was supported by evidence relating to the latest e-learning collaboration plans between the University of North-West and the provincial department of education. It was concluded that, based on latest developments within the e-learning strategic plans nationally and provincially, and the burning desire on the part of authorities from government to bridge the digital divide between the historically advantaged and historically disadvantaged persons across the board, the model has the potential for early implementation within the North-West Province. / (PhD) North-West university, Mafikeng Campus, 2003

Distance geometry problems (DGPs) are concerned with the construction of structures given partial information about distances between vertices. I present a generalisation which I call the angle and distance geometry problem (ADGP), in which partial angle information may be given as well. The work is primarily concerned with the algebraic and theoretical aspects of this problem, although it contains some information on practical applications. The embedding space is typically real three dimensional space for applications such as computer aided design and molecular chemistry, although other embedding spaces are possible. I show that both DGP and ADGP are NP-hard, but that in some sense the ADGP is more expressive than the DGP. To combat the problems of NP-hardness I present some graph theoretic heuristics which may be applied to both DGP and ADGP, and so reduce the time required by general purpose algorithms for their solution. I discuss the general purpose algorithms Cylindrical Algebraic Decomposition and Gröbner bases and their application to this field. In addition, I present an O(n) parallel algorithm for computing convex hulls in three dimensions, using O(n²) processors connected in a mesh-like topology with no shared memory.

In this study, two courses from the McGill Distance Education program with very different learning goals were examined to investigate the instructional role of two communication technologies (i.e., fax and e-mail) in distance education. The data set included verbatim e-mail and fax transcripts, instructor interviews, course syllabi and course assignments. Triangulation procedures were followed to examine the following within the context of two distance education courses with very different learning goals: (1) the general instructional purposes for which the technologies were used; (2) the levels of learning reflected in the mediated interactions; and (3) the relationship between the use of the technology, the instructors' perceptions of its use and the stated learning outcomes of the courses. / Electronic-mail provided the interaction necessary for encouraging discussions of course content in the Instructional Design course, whereas fax was used more for the transmission of knowledge in both courses. An examination of the relationship between course learning objectives, course transcripts, and instructor interviews indicated that the instructors were consistent in their view of the different communication technologies,. their purpose for using the chosen technology, and the way in which they used the specific communication technology. However, this consistency was not reflected in the students' use of the communication technologies since the students responded only at Bloom's lower levels of learning even though the instructors used all levels of learning. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii, 1969. / Bibliography: leaves 121-126. / ix, 126 l illus

This thesis describes a well-defined sequential program of education projects in the area of online nurse and health sciences education culminating in a model for online nurse education based on the concept of a shared database. The combination of published papers, theoretical chapters and a web-site are used to address fundamental issues relating to nurse education, research and practice in the context of current and future technological environments. In this way the thesis moves the discussion of online nurse education beyond the constraints of conventional institutional boundaries by exploring the application of evidence based practice to the development of nursing knowledge and education in a global context. / Nurse educators are facing a range of difficult challenges in the 21st century in an environment of rapid change in society, information technology and nursing practice. Nurse educators are confronted with the need to develop the clinical competence of graduates within the constraints of limited clinical and financial resources. In addition, educators need to adapt their teaching to deal with increasingly specialised content for a wide range of diverse professional occupations all broadly categorised as nursing. Furthermore, educators need to adapt to a rapidly changing practice environment where the practice may be outdated within five years. The thesis addresses this dilemma by carefully examining pathways of information supply via the Internet and proposing processes for the organisation and review of information using an evidence based practice framework. The thesis specifically addresses the limitations of the Internet, such as the varied quality and organisation of content, by proposing strategies for online content development. Such developments are framed in an international context addressing issues such as cross national and cross cultural information exchange. By using Internet communication to link research, education and practice, this thesis proposes that online nurse education be developed in a manner able to capture able to capture the benefits of future technological environments. / This thesis describes a model for online nurse education which is not prescriptive, but rather provides a range of strategies and initiatives able to be adapted to suit varied educational contexts, student learning requirements and future change. In this way, the author acknowledges the varied, fluid and evolving nature of online nurse education. Furthermore, this thesis examines the research, education and practice interface, proposing the use of Internet communication to fundamentally change the development, documentation and exchange of nursing knowledge. / The model described in this thesis addresses online nurse education form a global and national, rather than local perspective providing contrast to current online nurse education developments. While this thesis provides valuable direction for the future development of online nurse education, there are also major implications for other health professions, nursing practice and nursing research. / Thesis (PhDNursing)--University of South Australia, 2002.

Thesis (M Distance Ed) -- University of South Australia, 1993

Thesis (MEd (Distance Education)) -- University of South Australia, 1993

Thesis (MEd (Distance Education)) -- University of South Australia, 1994

Thesis (MEd)--University of South Australia, 1998

Until recently, most studies investigating the telecommunication reforms performance fail to incorporate the importance of institutions into the empirical analysis. This study highlights the importance of institutional governance on telecommunications efficiency and provides empirical results for the impact of institutions on reform outcomes. It provides significant evidence that the institutional environment in which reform progress takes place is an important determinant for successful reform. This study uses stochastic distance function approach to capture the role of institutions in explaining the efficiency differences across 70 countries. The empirical analysis reveals that policy stability in the form of substantive checks and balances on executive power is the most important aspect for successful reform. Independently, legal integrity improves telecommunications efficiency through privatization, while greater freedom from corruption influences the effectiveness of a regulatory body.