Purpose To assess radiography faculty perceptions of the effectiveness of online courses. Methods An original survey instrument was created by selecting items from 3 instruments used in prior research and adding unique questions designed to elicit demographic data from faculty. The sample included a national dataset of radiography faculty members employed in Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology-accredited programs in the United States. Results Findings showed that faculty perceptions of online course effectiveness are not affected significantly by faculty position, type of institution, faculty age, or years of teaching experience. Positive perceptions of the effectiveness of online courses moderately increased with years of teaching online courses, number of online courses taught in the past 5 years, and perceived competence with the use of technology. Faculty satisfaction with interaction in online courses moderately increased as the years of teaching online courses increased. However, the number of years of teaching online courses was not related to faculty satisfaction with teaching online courses or faculty satisfaction with institutional support. Online technology acceptance had a moderately positive relationship with perceived ease of use and a strong positive relationship with perceived usefulness of online technology. In addition, the use of technology-enhanced learning methods had a strong positive relationship with technological self-efficacy. Conclusion Radiography faculty perceptions of the effectiveness of online courses improved with experience in teaching online courses and competence with use of technology. Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of online technology were related directly to online technology acceptance. Furthermore, faculty members with technological self-efficacy were more likely to use technology-enhanced learning methods in the online environment.

There is a large demand for the use of e-learning tools to support student learning, in the form of distance or blended learning. The need for e-learning environment that encourages learners to learn independently or in groups in virtual settings is crucial. Some e-learning environments provide repositories of 'resources'. They neither facilitate a strategy for learning or teaching, nor they guide students through the resources, and tutors in constructing their courses. E-learning environments need to incorporate pedagogical practices which support and allow students to learn by removing any barriers that might inhibit their learning. Therefore, one of the most important aspects in developing e-learning environments is defining appropriate models where technology and pedagogy are integrated. This thesis provides such a framework for developing e-learning applications; it aims to make it easier for tutors to implement their lesson content and engage learners to achieve the course objectives. The proposed model incorporates constructive alignment, assessment and feedback and unlike other e-learning environments guides the tutor to construct lessons and help learners to use effective learning environment. Furthermore, the thesis investigates on how supported learning can help students adapt to the different approaches to learning. The empirical work undertaken investigates the role of constructing a well designed self-assessment and feedback unit within a learning environment.

This research aims to identify and evaluate the systemic factors which may be related to decrease in Grade 6 learner’s achievement in Mozambique between 2000 and 2007, looking for possible changes in Educational Effectiveness over that period. SACMEQ III learner results from Grade 6 Reading and Mathematics showed an overall mean decrease from 2000 to 2007. The main research question addressed in this study is: What are the systemic contextual factors associated with decrease in achievement in Reading and Mathematics between 2000 and 2007 in Mozambique? The conceptual framework underpinning this research presents the education system in terms of inputs, processes and outputs (Howie, 2002). Hierarchical Linear Models, based on trend design approach (Nilsen, & Gustafsson, 2014) was used to assess the variation in learner achievement decrease associated with changes in schools inputs and processes. The findings suggest that school-level factors linked to inputs and antecedents have a strong effect on the decrease in learner’s achievement, compared to the processes and practices. Moreover, learners’ background factors, specifically parent’s education and use of language of instruction at home, seem to be the crucial factors associated with learner achievement decrease. When school level variables related to parent’s education, use of language of instruction at home, are included in the model, the amount of variation accounted for, showed an increase (from 23.5 % to 37.7 %,). One can argue that the variation accounted for variables such as parents’ education, whilst use of language of instruction could be indicative of changes in learner’s intake composition between 2000 and 2007. Implications of these findings on the assumptions for large scale assessment studies in developing countries, such as Mozambique, are key issues. For instance, a question could be raised about the “trend” assumption of large scale assessment: To what extent can the trend level of achievement be measured where the learner’s intake composition is changing over the time? In the SACMEQ studies a stronger longitudinal design is needed to investigate how both school and intake factors influence achievement. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / PhD / Unrestricted

There is a large demand for the use of e-learning tools to support student learning, in the form of distance or blended learning. The need for e-learning environment that encourages learners to learn independently or in groups in virtual settings is crucial. Some e-learning environments provide repositories of `resources¿. They neither facilitate a strategy for learning or teaching, nor they guide students through the resources, and tutors in constructing their courses. E-learning environments need to incorporate pedagogical practices which support and allow students to learn by removing any barriers that might inhibit their learning. Therefore, one of the most important aspects in developing e-learning environments is defining appropriate models where technology and pedagogy are integrated. This thesis provides such a framework for developing e-learning applications; it aims to make it easier for tutors to implement their lesson content and engage learners to achieve the course objectives. The proposed model incorporates constructive alignment, assessment and feedback and unlike other e-learning environments guides the tutor to construct lessons and help learners to use effective learning environment. Furthermore, the thesis investigates on how supported learning can help students adapt to the different approaches to learning. The empirical work undertaken investigates the role of constructing a well designed self-assessment and feedback unit within a learning environment.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-02-12T10:20:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 leonardonevesluz.pdf: 5320189 bytes, checksum: 45d7977bf264a5579ce5efc95efc9731 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-02-26T12:06:49Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 leonardonevesluz.pdf: 5320189 bytes, checksum: 45d7977bf264a5579ce5efc95efc9731 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-26T12:06:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 leonardonevesluz.pdf: 5320189 bytes, checksum: 45d7977bf264a5579ce5efc95efc9731 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-04 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Este trabalho teve por objetivo compreender o relacionamento entre eficácia e qualidade educacionais, considerando, por base teórica a função-produção educacional. Foram produzidos dois ensaios abordando, distintamente, a existência de um possível trade-off entre eficácia e equidade educacionais. O primeiro ensaio teve por objetivo identificar os determinantes do nível e desigualdade de desempenho das escolas públicas municipais baseado no exame de Matemática da Prova Brasil para os anos de 2007 e 2009. Foram consideradas características individuais dos alunos, dos professores e das escolas, bem como variáveis relativas aos municípios. Foi adotadoum modelo hierárquico em dois níveis (escolas e municípios), controlando para dependência espacial, de modo que o papel dos determinantes regionais e a interação espacial entre os municípios em relação ao desempenho médio de suas escolas sejam capturados. Os resultados revelam que não há evidências do referido trade-off. A incorporação das variáveis em nível municipal permitiu, ainda, verificar a importância da política educacional e características socioeconômicas dos municípios na explicação da desigualdade educacional.O segundo ensaio consistiu na estimação de um painel de efeitos fixos, tendo o desvio-padrão das notas médias na Prova Brasil de 2007 e 2009 como variável dependente, assumindo as mesmas variáveis explicativas do primeiro ensaio, em médias municipais. A hipótese central testada foi a existência de uma relação em formato de U invertido entre a equidade e eficácia educacionais, seguindo a proposição da Curva de Kuznets, adaptada para mensurar os parâmetros em termos de qualidade educacional. Os resultados indicaram que, embora não tenha se confirmado a hipótese da Curva de Kuznets, não foi verificada a existência de um trade-off importante entre desigualdade e qualidade educacionais. / This study is aimedatunderstanding the relation betweeneducational effectiveness and inequality, with an educational production function framework. Two essays wereelaboratedaddressingdistinctly the existence of a possible trade-off between educationaleffectiveness and equity. The first essay aims to identify the determinants of the achievement and inequality of performance of municipal public schools based on the Mathematics test of the ProvaBrasil for the years 2007 and 2009.Individual characteristics of students, teachers and schools are taken into accountas well as variables related to the municipalities in order to identify the presence of a trade-off between educational efficiency and equity. The econometric approach is based on a hierarchical model into two levels (schools and municipalities), controlling for spatial dependence, so that regional determinants and spatial interaction among the municipalities in relation to the average performance of their schools are captured. The results reveal that there is no evidence of this trade-off. The incorporation of the variables at the municipal level also allowed toverify the importance of educational policy and socioeconomic characteristics of the municipalities in the explanation of the educational inequality. The second essay consisted in the estimation of a panel fixed effects, assuming the standard deviation of the average scores in the ProvaBrasil 2007 and 2009as the dependent variable, and assuming the same explanatory variables of the first essay,aggregated in municipal averages,. The central hypothesis tested was that there is aninvertedU-shaped relationship between educational equity and effectiveness, as described by the Educational Kuznets Curve, adapted to measure the parameters in terms of educational quality. The results indicated that, although not confirmed the hypothesis of Kuznets curve, it was found that there is no important trade-off between educational inequality and quality.

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