This study investigated factors that predict Saudi Arabian faculty members' intentions to adopt and use Web 2.0 tools and to assess faculty's awareness of the educational benefits of Web 2.0 tools to supplement classroom instructions in higher education. One hundred and three faculty members (34 male and 69 female) from a large university in the Western region of Saudi Arabia participated in the web survey. The framework and model for explaining and predicting the contributing factors towards the decision to adopt and use of Web 2.0 tools was the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior (DTPB). The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was utilized to analyze data collected from the web survey. Results indicate that positive attitudes and perceived usefulness are significant predictors of Saudi Arabian faculty members' intentions to use Web 2.0 tools. Moreover, findings indicate that Saudi Arabian faculty members intend to use Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, and social networking in their future classrooms to improve students' learning, student-student interaction, student-faculty interaction, and students' writing ability. Research implications for administrators and higher educational institutions indicate that professional development programs could be designed based on the significant predictors in the DTPB to support a successful integration of Web 2.0 tools in higher education.

The purpose of this study was to determine what factors influence educators to use the Internet in classroom activities or in their own professional development. A random sample of 325 educators was selected from a population of Tennessee K-12 educators who were identified as having completed Internet training. Surveys were received from 198 educators. The instrument was developed by the researcher for this study. Educators were asked to respond to questions regarding access to computers and the Internet, types of Internet classroom activities, types of professional development activities, types of Internet tools used, and training. Respondents were also asked to respond to 23 item likert-type statements regarding their beliefs about technology, training, and the educational use of the Internet. Data was analyzed using the Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U statistical tests. Findings include the determination that the Internet is being used by educators who have attended Internet workshops or seminars. There is little organized staff development about the Internet available in Tennessee K-12 schools. There is a significant difference between those educators who use the Internet and those who do not use the Internet in relation to their beliefs about Internet training. There is also a significant difference in relation to beliefs about school support for Internet activities. E-mail and gopher are the Internet tools the most often used by Tennessee K-12 educators. Tennessee K-12 educators would like to receive more training on how to use the Internet for both classroom activities and professional development.

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Old Dominion University's Peninsula Center, in Hampton, Virginia, was the location for an ethnographic case study about the urban "distributed university" centers that provided instruction via video teleconference (VTC). Graduate engineers attended VTC classes at the Peninsula Center originating from five Virginia universities as part of the Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Program.;The purpose of this study was to describe VTC instruction and identify aspects that impacted on student learning, faculty teaching, and the socio-cultural environment. Fifty-one interviews and two months of observations were conducted during the Spring term, 1993.;Benson Snyder's (1971) ethnographic case study at MIT, described in The Hidden Curriculum, provided a model from which to start. Based on a systematic comparative analysis of Snyder's (1971) study at MIT with that of the Peninsula Center, findings showed that socio-cultural characteristics and traditions in the VTC graduate engineering classes followed Snyder's (1971) model and affected student learning. This conclusion was evident, given the variables of elapsed time, different instructional formats such as large lecture hall and VTC, and student characteristics that varied from undergraduate to graduate, full-time to part-time, and traditional-age to adult students. This conclusion reflected higher education's resistance to change due to its "hidden curriculum" that includes its socio-cultural norms, values, and traditions.;Eight socio-cultural "constancies" were described that existed at both MIT and at the Peninsula Center. They included: environmental characteristics; student-faculty communication; the student-faculty relationship; faculty work; dissonance and gamesmanship; methods of student learning; student sub-cultures; and the engineering culture. Additionally, eight "new twists" of VTC instruction were described.;Recommendations include researching and understanding socio-cultural trends when planning for educational reform, and improving student-faculty dialogue, characterized by discussion of truth, that is reduced in VTC instruction. These are challenges for the University of the 21st Century.

With a growing population of culturally and academically diverse student populations in K -12 education, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has the potential to improve the quality of teaching and learning for all students. However, there is a lack of research on UDL teacher in-service training to determine whether teachers are more effective at implementing UDL once they receive adequate training. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine changes in teachers' lesson plans following UDL professional training. Seventeen teachers from 5 school districts in the state of Mississippi participated in the study. Teachers' lesson plans were evaluated at 3 time points using a valid UDL lesson plan rubric from a previous study. Data were collected before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and 2 months after the intervention was administered. A within-subjects MANOVA with repeated measurement was conducted comparing pretreatment and post-treatment scores for each of the 4 dependent variables (total score and representation, expression, and engagement scores) to examine the changes in lesson planning following UDL professional training. The results showed a significant difference in teachers' lesson plans between conditions for each of the 4 dependent variables. The social change objective for this study was to improve the quality of teaching and learning in mixed-ability classrooms.

Students with disabilities are less likely to graduate from high school and tend to score lower on standardized tests than their general education peers. Although use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can improve these outcomes for traditional students, it has been unclear whether its use positively affects learning gains for the inclusion student. The purpose of this study was to determine if the academic test performance of 5th grade ESE inclusion students was enhanced by implementing ICT as a curriculum resource in their classrooms. Two frameworks provided structure for this study: the theory of social constructivism and the capability approach. The study population consisted of all 5th grade ESE inclusion students in 74 school districts in one southern state. Data sources were the state's annual assessment scores for English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. Data were analyzed using 2 Mann Whitney U tests to compare ESE inclusion students' assessment scores in the 2nd year of testing as compared to the 1st year of testing (2015-2016 as compared to 2014-2015). The findings of the study revealed no significant difference between the ESE inclusion students' scores in the 1st and 2nd years for ELA and math scores even with ICT used as a resource. This outcome impacts social change by answering a question about whether ICT made a difference as used, and indicates that other studies must be done to better understand why ICT was not successful or how it can be used to significantly improve inclusion student outcomes.

It has become progressively difficult to find suitable clinical placement for nursing students. To help meet this need, local schools of nursing are turning to high-fidelity simulation manikins to substitute for clinical experience. There is a lack of research that explores recently graduated nurses' perceptions about the efficacy of simulation experiences. Guided by the constructivist theory, this qualitative case study identified how recent RN graduates viewed simulation experiences and whether associate's-degree RN program graduates and bachelor's-program RN graduates viewed simulation differently. Nine recent graduates participated in individual face-to-face interviews. The data were coded and grouped into 5 major themes in order of frequency: (a) environmental and technical factors, which included factors such as equipment working and videotaping; (b) preparation for nursing tasks, referred to assessments, procedures, and emergency situations; (c) human factors, such as the importance of the instructor, other students participation, and working in groups; (d) communication, which included communication with doctors and patients among others; and (e) caliber of the equipment, which was referred to by the level of fidelity of the manikin. On comparison of the codes and themes, the perceptions of the bachelor's- degree participants were similar to the perception of the associate's-degree participants. A white paper, that identified the items the recent RN graduates perceived as valuable, was created. This white paper can be used to begin dialogue that may allow schools of nursing to increase the effectiveness of the simulation experience or validate its applicability in the real world setting. This study may contribute to positive social change by inspiring faculty of local schools of nursing to re-evaluate their simulation laboratory experiences for efficacy and applicability to real world nursing.

Research has confirmed the benefits of incorporating technology, such as course websites, within public school classrooms to enhance student learning. However, many teachers do not incorporate technology or class websites. The purpose of this case study was to investigate technology integration within classroom websites to enhance student learning. Guided by the theory of constructivism, the concerns-based adoption model, and the technological pedagogical content knowledge framework, the research questions focused on teachers' perceptions of how a classroom website influences teaching practices and the key benefits of technology integration. Data were collected from 12 certified teachers in 2 middle schools who were identified as utilizing well-developed websites in their instruction. Interviews and websites were used to collect data, which were coded using inductive analysis of categories recorded on a matrix and reviewed for common themes. The participants indicated that technology integration within a classroom website benefited teaching practices and enhanced student learning through communication, personalized learning, and the development of 21st-century skills. The findings from this study were used to create a 3-day professional development for the local district to provide technology integration support for middle school teachers. Implications for social change include helping educators integrate technology through the development and use of classroom websites to enhance student learning.

Understanding the influences on e-learning effectiveness in workplaces is a necessary, but contentious task. The transfer of knowledge about e-learning from higher education to workplace situations has resulted in discursive tensions between expectations and practice. Measurement of the aspects of e-learning effectiveness is often discussed in the literature in terms of discrete economic, pedagogical and technological criteria. Few studies have investigated e-learning use in terms of the complexity of factors in a workplace environment and there is a scarcity of relevant substantive models of e-learning effectiveness factors in workplace contexts. This study aimed to improve understanding of the factors influencing e-learning effectiveness, particularly in large, dispersed workplaces and to develop a model based on the understanding of these factors. This study represents the first external research into the Australian Army’s e-learning projects. The Army was selected as a large, dispersed workplace organisation with ten years experience in designing and using multimedia rich CD-ROM learning materials. The Army had undertaken trialing and evaluation of its e-learning courses prior to providing substantial infrastructure for implementation in training centres. These evaluations indicated e-learning effectiveness in terms of training efficiencies and learning outcomes that at least matched traditional face-to-face classroom instruction. That is, that e-learning fitted with the training requirements. The study was aimed at the understanding of how the Army’s workplace environment was influencing the effectiveness of e-learning courses from multiple perspectives.Using an inductive Grounded Theory approach provided an established analytical method for developing a substantive model. While the field-based research was limited to a single organisation, it included multiple sites across Australia and a cross-section of e-learning activities and respondents throughout the organisational hierarchy. The main data source was 101 open-ended interviews conducted with respondents at Army bases or by phone. Where interviewing was not possible due to Army operational concerns, questionnaires were used (129 responses). Other data sources included Army documents and the researcher’s observations and participation in e-learning classes.While the Army’s internal evaluation processes had justified the adoption of e-learning courses, it was evident in the study that the interaction of factors within the Army’s culture was influencing perceptions and experiences of e-learning effectiveness. An Integrated E-learning Culture Model (IECM) based on the analysis of stakeholder perspectives in the Army is presented. The IECM is based on the four factors that emerged as influencing e-learning effectiveness, which were organisational priorities, the learning environment, the instructor’s role and learners’ needs. The main concern for respondents was to manage tensions associated with these four factors by integrating e-learning into the organisational culture. That is, e-learning effectiveness was discussed in terms of a process of alignment of the e-learning culture with the organisational culture.Comparison of the IECM with some empirical studies of e-learning use in other large, dispersed workplaces indicates its relevance outside the Army context. An E-learning Comparative Alignment Framework (ECAF) for using the IECM in other research was developed in this study. Further comparison of the ECAF with alignment theories from related research disciplines suggests areas for further theoretical research. This thesis proposes that by adopting the perspective that e-learning environments are not value-free, it is possible to identify and align the competing priorities and discourses that influence how e-learning effectiveness is constructed and experienced in an organisation.

Understanding the influences on e-learning effectiveness in workplaces is a necessary, but contentious task. The transfer of knowledge about e-learning from higher education to workplace situations has resulted in discursive tensions between expectations and practice. Measurement of the aspects of e-learning effectiveness is often discussed in the literature in terms of discrete economic, pedagogical and technological criteria. Few studies have investigated e-learning use in terms of the complexity of factors in a workplace environment and there is a scarcity of relevant substantive models of e-learning effectiveness factors in workplace contexts. This study aimed to improve understanding of the factors influencing e-learning effectiveness, particularly in large, dispersed workplaces and to develop a model based on the understanding of these factors. This study represents the first external research into the Australian Army’s e-learning projects. The Army was selected as a large, dispersed workplace organisation with ten years experience in designing and using multimedia rich CD-ROM learning materials. The Army had undertaken trialing and evaluation of its e-learning courses prior to providing substantial infrastructure for implementation in training centres. These evaluations indicated e-learning effectiveness in terms of training efficiencies and learning outcomes that at least matched traditional face-to-face classroom instruction. That is, that e-learning fitted with the training requirements. The study was aimed at the understanding of how the Army’s workplace environment was influencing the effectiveness of e-learning courses from multiple perspectives.Using an inductive Grounded Theory approach provided an established analytical method for developing a substantive model. While the field-based research was limited to a single organisation, it included multiple sites across Australia and a cross-section of e-learning activities and respondents throughout the organisational hierarchy. The main data source was 101 open-ended interviews conducted with respondents at Army bases or by phone. Where interviewing was not possible due to Army operational concerns, questionnaires were used (129 responses). Other data sources included Army documents and the researcher’s observations and participation in e-learning classes.While the Army’s internal evaluation processes had justified the adoption of e-learning courses, it was evident in the study that the interaction of factors within the Army’s culture was influencing perceptions and experiences of e-learning effectiveness. An Integrated E-learning Culture Model (IECM) based on the analysis of stakeholder perspectives in the Army is presented. The IECM is based on the four factors that emerged as influencing e-learning effectiveness, which were organisational priorities, the learning environment, the instructor’s role and learners’ needs. The main concern for respondents was to manage tensions associated with these four factors by integrating e-learning into the organisational culture. That is, e-learning effectiveness was discussed in terms of a process of alignment of the e-learning culture with the organisational culture.Comparison of the IECM with some empirical studies of e-learning use in other large, dispersed workplaces indicates its relevance outside the Army context. An E-learning Comparative Alignment Framework (ECAF) for using the IECM in other research was developed in this study. Further comparison of the ECAF with alignment theories from related research disciplines suggests areas for further theoretical research. This thesis proposes that by adopting the perspective that e-learning environments are not value-free, it is possible to identify and align the competing priorities and discourses that influence how e-learning effectiveness is constructed and experienced in an organisation.