The overall aim of this study was to establish guidelines for creating meaningful blended learning experiences in a South African higher education classroom at undergraduate level, and specifically in the context of the University of the Free State (UFS). Blended learning in this study refers to the combination of face-to-face and online modes of educational delivery as applied in the field of Information Technology (IT). For âmeaningful learningâ to take place, the focus is placed on inter-related dimensions which have to be addressed, such as the pedagogical, the ethical, the interface design and the evaluation dimensions. The significance of the research lies with the possible benefits the blended learning mode offers the institution and its community (students and facilitators), as well as the possibilities for improving educational practice in similar contexts. In order to address the above issues and simultaneously improve her own practice, the researcher embarked on an action research project. This study has already stretched over two full cycles of inquiry and the perspectives gained in this period are utilised in discussions on the (re-)planning of a third research cycle of plan, act, observe and reflect. The data collection methods employed were mainly qualitative in nature. Most of the information was gathered by means of comprehensive online feedback by the students while student profile questionnaires provided a basic understanding of the diversity of the students involved. The researcher also kept a detailed research diary/journal during both cycles. As part of the action inquiry, an inter-institutional web-based questionnaire survey was conducted. The aim was to get experienced practitioners in the field of blended/online-learning to evaluate some of the learning principles for blended learning which had been identified in the study. The research findings are presented in the format of five articles: In Article 1 the focus is on the research design and methodology employed in search of effective online collaboration in the blended learning mode at the University of the Free State. It includes a brief overview of the nature and underlying assumptions of collaborative learning; an indication of the potential benefits of online collaborative work; and a discussion of and reflection on the two completed research cycles of the action inquiry. 200 In Article 2 it is demonstrated how the incorporation of student feedback can be utilised in the enhancement of online collaborative activities. The large amount of data gathered from the students' reflections were analysed by means of a SWOT analysis. Through this analysis it has become clear that involving students as âco-researchersâ in the reflective process of an action inquiry project holds numerous benefits for the practice of university teaching. In Article 3 the theory on online and blended learning is discussed against the background of the researcherâs experience as facilitator and action researcher in a blended learning environment. The use and value of the research diary/journal as valid data collection method is illustrated and it is shown how the researcherâs growing understanding of practice has led to the development of important learning principles for blended learning in the specific context. The intention in Article 4 is to illustrate how an existing process planning model was effectively adapted and applied during the re-planning phase for the third cycle of inquiry. The final deliverable in this process is a set of action plans for future collaborative learning that could help to make the student learning experience in the blended learning environment more effective and meaningful. Finally, in Article 5 the findings of the inter-institutional opinion survey are presented and analysed. The researcher also makes use of various âagreed uponâ learning principles to develop a preliminary framework for meaningful blended learning which could serve as a springboard for further investigation.

No abstract available.

The literature on international student adjustment problem is replete with studies done in universities in the West. This skews the understanding of the international student adjustment phenomenon in favour of developed countries at the expense of the less developed ones and thus creates an obvious gap in the student adjustment literature. The purpose of this study was to fill this apparent gap by exploring the nature of adjustment problems encountered by international students at the Central University of Technology (CUT), a typical developing world university, located in Bloemfontein, in the Free State Province of South Africa. The empirical study was preceded by an extensive literature survey that led to the conclusion that while international studentsâ adjustment problems are numerous and similar in many respects, they differ significantly across countries, and according to a number of demographic factors. This means that in part, adjustment problems are contextual. The implication is that any wholesale use of existing measurement instruments that were specifically designed for Western country conditions would be inappropriate for use in the South African context. Consequently, a custom made measurement instrument was developed for this study. Validity and reliability issues that naturally emerge with custom made instruments were thoroughly dealt with. Among others, the empirical investigation revealed that: 1. International students at CUT encounter many adjustment problems. 2. International students at CUT regard their adjustment experiences as problematic. 3. The adjustment problems of international students at CUT differ significantly according to country/region of origin, age, and gender of students. The study identified the following as the ten most difficult adjustment problems international students at CUT have to contend with in their order of difficulty starting with the most difficult to the least difficult: 1. High cost of living in South Africa 2. Cost of food 3. Cost of health insurance 4. Getting visa extensions 5. Feel comfortable visiting immigration office 6. Work restrictions 7. Becoming a citizen of South Africa 8. Understanding immigration rules 9. Sufficiency of funds to meet expenses The study raises issues which, if attended to, could help ameliorate adjustment problems international students encounter at CUT. The expectation is that, by reducing the number and severity of adjustment problems, international students would live in harmony with their educational and social environment at CUT. This in turn would make CUT very attractive to international students.

The major focus of this study is an investigation into how higher education institutions in the Free State Province could enhance access of students with special educational needs. In order to make a systematic and scientific research analysis, the thesis seeks to examine practices that inform higher education, and how students with special educational needs make sense of their experiences concerning higher education. The purpose of the research is therefore to explore the factors that inhibit access to higher education institutions (HEIs) for the SEN students in the Free State region. Equally important, the challenges facing higher education institutions are investigated, drawing on evidence of the policy framework, i.e. the Bill of Rights (1996); the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996); the South African Qualification Authority (1995); the National Qualification Framework (2002), the Education Green Paper on Higher Education Transformation (Notice 1196 of 1996); and Education White Paper No 6: Special Needs Education; Building an Inclusive and Training System (2001). These policies will be examined and the researcher identifies, defines and looks for causality and the manifestation of students with SEN in HEIs in order to propose ways for South Africa to initiate a public policy that will encourage understanding among policy-makers, practitioners and researchers in order that they might reflect upon these challenges. Equally important, interest in inclusive education has grown substantially in the last decade in South Africa as a new paradigm in the education sector has occurred whereby the Ministry of Education has to introduce an inclusive education system at school level [see DoE Education White Paper No 6 (2001)]. However, universities do not seem to be fully geared for SEN students. Access to higher education is used interchangeably with the concept inclusive education in this thesis because the researcher of this particular study understands them to basically mean and refer to the same process. Equally important, these concepts are central to this investigation. It is vital to provide a more in-depth and clear discussion thereof. In doing so, this thesis indicates why these concepts are so essential as well as central to this study. Furthermore, this research interrogates different literature sources on inclusive education. The review of challenges and possibilities for broadening access to education with focused view on (i) curriculum; (ii) assessment to promote access; (iii) access and fair chances to higher education. These are some of the issues that will be interrogated in this study. A close scrutiny and critical interrogation and/or review of possible barriers that could inhibit access to higher education for SEN students will be undertaken. This thesis presents and interprets data from seemingly contradicting approaches, namely positivistic; critical emancipatory and textual orientated discourse analysis (TODA). Thus implying the data collection techniques includes qualitative and quantitative methods, such as the use of questionnaires, open-ended questions using the free attitude interview (FAI) technique. The reason for this thesis to adopt the triangulation model are mutual validation of results on the basis of different methods and to assist the research to obtain a more in-depth or a complete picture of the phenomenon under investigation and produce a sound explanation. Equally important this thesis reflects on findings. It also draws various conclusions which lead to recommendations that could be followed up. These reflections are viewed against the backdrop of a situation that is unfolding in South Africa, a country that is beginning to shed some of the vestiges of the past. But contrary to popular belief, forces retarding progress towards aspired inclusivity and accessibility or democracy as well as a lack of âutopiaâ seem to have merely disguised themselves rather than actually retreating in shame. Based on the data collected and analysed it seems sound that the services provided by HEIs in the Free State serve certain section of the population of students. However, departments, units, administrators and SEN students alike believe that there are numerous administrative and other issues that must be addressed to provide equal services to all. Lastly, suggestions and recommendations that are important for the purpose of access to be realised in HEIs by students with SEN are made. This could enable future relevant research based on the theory generated in this study. The purpose of the thesis is to empower SEN students, rather than blowing the deficiencies or challenges out of proportion. The study aims to destroy the reproduction of the status quo of segregation, inequalities, exclusion and marginalisation of SEN students in HEIs. Access to equal higher education provision will be discussed and defined through various discourses. In fact, the understanding of SEN students and access to higher education remains a social construction. Access to higher education provision has to do with how marginalised and excluded SEN students understand the barriers and what they think could be done to overcome them and what they as equal human beings feel and aspire to become. The discourse raised challenges such as oppression, exclusion or marginalisation of students with SEN. HEIs should avoid ignoring the existence of SEN students at all costs. The vision and frame of reference of these institutions should always be conscious of those they are serving in the broad spectrum. Research in this area could be understood as playing a role in the process of the emancipation of marginalised SEN students. Inevitably, the thesis can therefore only be judged emancipatory after SEN students themselves have made their voices heard. This study can be viewed as a forum of amplification for the voices of those who are marginalised or excluded from mainstream university culture. It might also be engaged as a tool for those who are seeking emancipation for themselves.

This study has been undertaken against the background of a higher education environment that is changing, especially under the influence of the knowledge economy, the influx of adult learners and the impact of technology. Among other things, technology has led to the development of different modes of delivery in teaching and learning. This study set out to develop a framework for learning design in three different modes of delivery (face-to-face, modular and online) in an adult learning programme. The literature review focused on answering three subsidiary questions, namely (i) identifying the influence of the changing higher education environment on learning and the design of learning; (ii) identifying the most prominent perspectives on effective teaching and learning in different modes of delivery on the design of learning; and (iii) identifying the characteristics that adult learners bring to the learning environment that need special consideration in effective learning design. The literature review provided guidelines for learning design for effective teaching and learning in different modes of delivery using the community of inquiry of Garrison et al. (2000) as an organising mechanism. Furthermore, guidelines for learning design for effective teaching and learning for adults were also identified using the Four Lens Framework of Kiely et al. (2004) as an organising framework. These guiding principles formed the directives that were used to measure the compliance of an adult learning programme (the Bachelor of Management Leadership programme at the University of the Free State). The empirical investigation focused on the compliance of the adult learning programme together with identifying the shortcomings of the current learning design and enhancing the current learning design of the programme. A triangulation mixed methods design was used. Through the use of a questionnaire survey, data was collected from students enrolled in the different modes of delivery. The analysis and interpretation of the data led to the identification of some shortcomings in the programme. The main criticism against the current learning design of the BML programme was the differences in the alignment between the various modes of delivery. In order to address this shortcoming a blended learning design is proposed that could be implemented on a programme as well as a module level. On the programme level the blended learning design introduces an online learning component for the face-to-face and modular modes of delivery and face-to-face contact sessions for the online mode of delivery. The learning design on a module level introduces a process where students can developed as self-directed learners and is based on the work of Huang and Zhou (2006) and Knowles et al. (2005). The proposed framework was evaluated by a panel involved in the programme to provide feedback on the feasibility of the learning design and to provide suggestions to further refine the framework. The significance of the study lies in the development of a framework for learning design using directives in teaching and learning and in the design of learning for adults that are applicable in the changing higher education environment. The study has incorporated the newest trends that address contemporary higher education. The framework is not only based on sound theoretical principles (as discussed in the literature review) but provides a practical framework that could be used by the management and the lecturers of the programme. The study could be applicable to other adult learning programmes due to the generic nature of the directives for different modes of delivery.

Further Education and Training (FET) colleges have the task of educating and training young people for entry into the workplace, for self-employment, for higher education studies and for up skilling and re-skilling competence levels (Nzimande 2009). This means that the FET curricula and their close link to the professional world make it a sector that contributes to most of the training of a sufficiently skilled workforce that would meet the labour market demands. Technical and vocational education and training is essential in this regard because no country can meet its economic and social demands without a skilled work/labour force. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to evaluate the National Education (NATED) Engineering curriculum at the Ezibeleni Engineering Campus to determine whether the curriculum is appropriate in preparing the students sufficiently for a career in engineering opportunities. Certain shortcomings in the NATED curricula are identified in this study and innovations are recommended with the aim of contributing to the establishment of a consistent engineering curriculum which will be able to meet the technological developments and inculcate the skills required in the world of work. With the inception of the new National Certificate (Vocational) (NC (V)) curriculum in 2007 and the phasing out of the NATED curriculum by the end of 2009, more areas for research are created in the FET college sector. Only the future will tell whether the new NC (V) curricula will be an improvement on the NATED curriculum. In an attempt to evaluate the Engineering curriculum and to determine the appropriateness thereof, the researcher employed qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Valuable insights were derived from the literature study which served as a basis for the questions that were asked during the interviews and for the questions that were included in the questionnaire survey that were distributed among the academic staff. By mixing qualitative and quantitative methods the researcher aimed to triangulate the findings from the interviews and the questionnaire survey to enhance the validity and reliability of the study (Maree 2007:80). The findings of the interviews and survey were finally interpreted in terms of responses pertaining to the problem that was investigated. Despite the fact that the NATED curriculum is currently being phased out, critical shortcomings have been identified such as, interalia, the non-alignment of the engineering curriculum with the professional world, theory and practice that are not linked, inability to accommodate apprentices, and non-compliance with the SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority) requirements. The study concluded by recommending that FET College engineering programmes should be taken to a new level to make them acceptable to universities, universities of technology and to the industry in South Africa. FET colleges should begin to take the responsibility for arranging work placement for their students. The Department of education, FET colleges and industry should form collaborative partnerships to develop colleges as specialist or niche centres for vocational and technical excellence.

The overall aim of this study was to design an integrated and holistic programme for the academic support and development of non-traditional undergraduate medical students. The study was motivated by the need to increase the retention rate of these students. The conceptual framework of this study is based on the theories of Spady, Bean and Tinto. These theories were used to design a retention theory called âCircles of Progressionâ for non-traditional students in the South African context. As a framework, this theory has guided the empirical investigation and the outcome of this study. The study adopted a case study design to gain an in-depth understanding of the non-traditional undergraduate medical students in the medical school at the University of the Free State. A mixed methods approach was used to conduct the study. Data was collected by means of are a questionnaire and extensive engagement. These methods allowed triangulation and improved the reliability and validity of data and findings. From this study, it became clear that student retention is not due to an isolated factor, but it is a result of a whole range of interrelated factors and therefore there is no one single explanation and solution to student attrition. Based on the literature, generalisations about student retention can be misleading because each country, each institution and each student is unique. South Africa, for instance, cannot be compared to other countries because of its previous political history, its uneven schooling system and the different social backgrounds of the various population xixgroups. Moreover, issues related to retention in the different higher education institutions will not be precisely the same because of different educational systems that existed before political transformation started in 1994. Unfortunately, there is a tendency among both academics and non-academics to provide a single bold answer when asked why students do not perform well. One example of a common answer is that âstudents do not studyâ. This answer is often provided without even considering other interrelated factors. The question is âdo institutions understand the nature of the problem?â If institutions and the key stakeholders in these institutions could understand the nature of problems faced by non-traditional students, especially undergraduate medical students, they could collaborate, communicate and work together as a team to provide an integrated and holistic programme of action to support and develop these students and therefore, increase their retention rate. The programme of action as proposed in this study could start even before the students enter the university and continue up to their clinical years where they begin to specialise and become professionalised in the medical field.

Institutional transformation initiated the creation of an online forum by academic staff at the North- West University. This forum functioned as an official space on the intranet of the institution as a result of the need of academics to communicate their opinions and concerns. Participants in the forum judged the university and other co-discussants according to their ideals of a democratic, multiracial and self-reflective institution of higher learning. Debates which interested the broad academic community focused on the practice of religion, the student culture, hostel traditions and the language of instruction. The threads which dealt with these subjects were usually characterised by intense emotion and conflict as divergent racial and cultural identities constituted a pervasive presence in the discussions. The study explored the reasons, strategies and consequences of internal exclusion which participants exercised within the forum discourse and the external incidences of exclusion practised within the larger discursive contexts (institutional, socio-political) of the forum. The inclusive focus of the communicative model of democratic discourse on emotion as an expansion of reason determined the exploration of patterns of exclusion. The online discussion has been in existence for more than twelve years. The forum is not in the public domain and only administrative and academic staff within the institution has access to it. The asynchronous participations are authored and archived since 2004. Six discussants who acted as protagonists in the thread on racism were the main participants in the interviews. Five more participants were interviewed as their presence in, perceptions of and relationship with the forum and its participants were significant to the researcher and other discussants. Qualitative research methodology informed the critical phenomenological approach of the study. The researcher conducted interviews and analyses between August 2010 and July 2011. The methodology of grounded theory directed the coding of interview transcripts and the text of the forum thread. The research diary and reflective notes enabled the researcher to find synergy between the practical field experience and theory. The study found that strong ideological positions led to frustration with the idealised role participants contributed to the forum as a vehicle for change. These frustrations were incorporated in their rationalistic and moralistic strategies of interaction with participants holding equally strong but opposing positions. Eventually those who were motivated to participate because of their dissonance with discourse, within and outside the context of the forum, either excluded themselves or became excluded as their voices were not appreciated. They could also not persuade others or effect structural change. Participants with mediating presences brought an amiable nuance to the forum and influenced protagonists to assume less declarative styles of interaction and reflect on their own unemancipatory positions. Based on the inclusionary and exclusionary elements found in the analyses, the study concludes with recommendations for the design and moderation of an inclusive and equalising space. This redefined space could subverse the dominating discourse of protagonists and foster a democratic discourse within the context of the forum and the university. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Development Innovation and Evaluation))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Institutional transformation initiated the creation of an online forum by academic staff at the North- West University. This forum functioned as an official space on the intranet of the institution as a result of the need of academics to communicate their opinions and concerns. Participants in the forum judged the university and other co-discussants according to their ideals of a democratic, multiracial and self-reflective institution of higher learning. Debates which interested the broad academic community focused on the practice of religion, the student culture, hostel traditions and the language of instruction. The threads which dealt with these subjects were usually characterised by intense emotion and conflict as divergent racial and cultural identities constituted a pervasive presence in the discussions. The study explored the reasons, strategies and consequences of internal exclusion which participants exercised within the forum discourse and the external incidences of exclusion practised within the larger discursive contexts (institutional, socio-political) of the forum. The inclusive focus of the communicative model of democratic discourse on emotion as an expansion of reason determined the exploration of patterns of exclusion. The online discussion has been in existence for more than twelve years. The forum is not in the public domain and only administrative and academic staff within the institution has access to it. The asynchronous participations are authored and archived since 2004. Six discussants who acted as protagonists in the thread on racism were the main participants in the interviews. Five more participants were interviewed as their presence in, perceptions of and relationship with the forum and its participants were significant to the researcher and other discussants. Qualitative research methodology informed the critical phenomenological approach of the study. The researcher conducted interviews and analyses between August 2010 and July 2011. The methodology of grounded theory directed the coding of interview transcripts and the text of the forum thread. The research diary and reflective notes enabled the researcher to find synergy between the practical field experience and theory. The study found that strong ideological positions led to frustration with the idealised role participants contributed to the forum as a vehicle for change. These frustrations were incorporated in their rationalistic and moralistic strategies of interaction with participants holding equally strong but opposing positions. Eventually those who were motivated to participate because of their dissonance with discourse, within and outside the context of the forum, either excluded themselves or became excluded as their voices were not appreciated. They could also not persuade others or effect structural change. Participants with mediating presences brought an amiable nuance to the forum and influenced protagonists to assume less declarative styles of interaction and reflect on their own unemancipatory positions. Based on the inclusionary and exclusionary elements found in the analyses, the study concludes with recommendations for the design and moderation of an inclusive and equalising space. This redefined space could subverse the dominating discourse of protagonists and foster a democratic discourse within the context of the forum and the university. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Development Innovation and Evaluation))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation is an interpretive analysis of the meanings and understanding of the construct 'service' in its relation to scholarly engagement with external non-academic communities at curricular level. The study links to other studies relating to community engagement in higher education or focusing on internal service to the university community, but it is unique in its theorising of service with and in external non-academic communities. The specific aim of the study was to develop a theoretical framework to view, understand, analyse and evaluate scholarly-related service activities which represent the community component of experiential learning pedagogies. The primary data for the study were generated through unstructured interviews with the four actor groups participating in such activities, namely module coordinators, students, community organisation representatives and community members. Their responses were interpreted, analysed and triangulated through grounded theory methodology. A substantive theory consisting of four interrelated processes, through which these activities take place, was developed culminating in a theoretical framework that integrates the four processes into one coherent process of cyclical interchange of social commodities. In this process there is a reciprocation of scholarly service and community service where the latter represents the service of the community to the university culminating in the interchange of tangible and intangible products that represent the commodities. The co-creation of useful contextual knowledge represents the ultimate outcome of this process through an interchange of tacit, codified and implicit knowledge of professionals and laymen in society. The theoretical framework provides a better understanding of the difference between the relationships with external communities and the actual service actions that take place during scholarly service activities. Within such understanding the framework suggests rethinking of how service activities are planned and integrated in community engagement at curricular level. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie proefskrif is 'n interpretatiewe ontleding van die betekenisse en begripsverband van die konstruk "diens" op 'n kurrikulêre vlak binne die vakkundige interaksie met eksterne nieakademiese gemeenskappe. Die studie hou verband met ander studies oor gemeenskapsinteraksie binne die hoër onderwys asook dié wat fokus op interne diens aan die universiteitsgemeenskap. Die studie is egter uniek ten opsigte van die teoretisering van diens binne en in samewerking met eksterne nie-akademiese gemeenskappe. Die spesifieke doel van die studie was om 'n teoretiese raamwerk te ontwikkel waardeur wetenskapsverwante diensaktiwiteite wat die gemeenskapskomponent van ervaringsleerpedagogië verteenwoordig beskou, verstaan, geanaliseer en geëvalueer kan word. Die primêre data vir die studie is versamel deur middel van ongestruktureerde onderhoude met die vier groepe wat 'n rol speel in kurrikulumverwante gemeenskapsdiensaktiwiteite, naamlik module koördineerders, studente, verteenwoordigers van gemeenskapsorganisasies en lede uit die gemeenskap. Hulle antwoorde is met behulp van die metodologie van gefundeerde teorie geïnterpreteer, ontleed en deur kruistoetsing geverifieer. 'n Selfstandige teorie, bestaande uit vier verwante prosesse waardeur hierdie aktiwiteite plaasvind, is ontwikkel wat uiteindelik beslag gekry het in 'n teoretiese raamwerk wat op sy beurt die vier prosesse in een koherente proses van sikliese verwisseling van sosiale kommoditeite integreer. In hierdie proses is daar ’n duidelike verwantskap tussen vakkundige diens en gemeenskapsdiens waar laasgenoemde die diens van die gemeenskap aan die universiteit verteenwoordig. Hierdie verwisselende verwantskap lei tot die uitruiling van tasbare en nie-tasbare produkte wat die sosiale kommoditeite verteenwoordig. Die medeskepping van bruikbare kontekstuele kennis verteenwoordig die uiteindelike uitkoms van die proses waarin basiese kennis, die geskrewe kennis en die inherente aangeleerde kennis van kundiges en ongeskoolde persone in wisselwerking tree. Die voorgestelde teoretiese raamwerk verskaf beter insig in die verskil tussen die verhouding met eksterne gemeenskappe en die werklike diensaksies wat plaasvind gedurende vak-gebaseerde diensaktiwiteite. Binne sodanige verstaan stel die raamwerk voor dat die manier wat sulke aktiwiteite beplan word, herbedink behoort te word.