A research project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MA in Social and Psychological Research in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. 2016 / The use of various information technologies in education is becoming more prevalent due to the fact that they are thought to have several advantages over traditional pen and paper as well as the fact that they are seen as a means to decrease the digital divide and ensure equal access to educational resources. In South Africa, initiatives such as the Smart Schools program aim to make schools paperless in the near future through the use of smartboards and tablets. With such emphasis on the success of the integration of educational technology it is imperative that we understand the factors which influence this process. Current research points to the idea that the mere provision of educational technology is not sufficient to garner success and that there are also intrinsic factors which need to be considered when integrating educational technology. This study follows on from this premise of intrinsic factors in that it investigates learner attitudes towards tablet usage in a blended learning environment. An extended version of the Technology Acceptance Model which posits that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyability are the factors which need to be taken into account when exploring learner attitudes is used as the theoretical basis for this study. Other factors which are thought to influence attitudes as well as the success of tablet integration (as measured by learner achievement) are learning style preferences, motivation as well as access to various form of technology and thus familiarity with such technology. These factors were also explored through this research. Access to technology, learning style preference and motivation as predictors of overall attitudes and the three components of attitudes were thus explored. This study further investigated whether attitudes (and the three components of attitudes), learning style preferences or learner motivation best predicted academic achievement. The sample consisted of 276 learners from one independent and one public school in Johannesburg where tablets had already been introduced into the learning environment. A questionnaire consisting of an Attitudes Towards Tablet Usage Scale, a Learning Styles Scale, a Motivation Scale and an Access Scale was used. The results of this study indicated that overall attitudes towards tablet usage were relatively positive. The most positive component was perceived ease of use followed by perceived usefulness and then perceived enjoyability. Attitudes towards ECT (and the three components) were influenced by learning style preferences, motivation and access to technology while learner achievement was influenced by learner attitudes as well as learning style preferences. This provides valuable insights into the tablet integration process in that we conclude that tablet provision, while necessary, is not sufficient for the successful integration of tablets and subsequent reduction in the digital divide. / GR2017

As ICTs become more and more ubiquitous in institutions of education, schools are faced with the challenge of integrating ICTs pedagogically. More schools in South Africa have ICT resources available; however, their integration levels have not advanced at the rate that technology is progressing (Pan African Research Agenda on the Pedagogical Integration of Information and Communications Technologies, 2008). There are several enablers and constraining factors that have an impact on the schools’ capacity to pedagogically integrate ICTs. This is a case study of an ex-model C primary school in the Gauteng province. The school under study is one of the ten South African institutions from which the Pan African Research Agenda on the Pedagogical Integration of ICTs (PanAfICT) collected data in 2008 stored in its observatory. The UNESCO model (2002) was used to position this school at a specific level based on factors affecting the teachers’ propensity to integrate ICTs pedagogically. The findings of this study suggest that the school has been in the applying (second) level, since 2008 and has not made much progress in the implementation of ICT pedagogical integration. It also emerged from this case study that the enabling factors (the availability of a wide range of ICT resources and teacher training in basic ICT application skills) are not enough to enable the school to progress to the next level. It is the quality of technical support, relevance of training, proactive leadership in ICT integration and provision of time, above availability of resources that determine progression in the use of technology in the classroom. The literature selected covers mainly the national ICT integration environments and general views of authors in this field. On the basis of these findings, it is proposed that there is a need for the Department of Education to address the lack of progress in ICT pedagogical integration in schools by monitoring the process and developing strategies that will improve quality in the implementation despite the constraining factors.

This mixed methods study examined secondary teachers’ technology selfefficacy, their professional development activities regarding mobile handheld devices, and how those activities affect their use of mobile devices as instructional tools. Additionally, this study also explored teachers’ perceptions of other factors that act as barriers or enablers to their use of such devices. The study included 104 middle and high school teachers who taught in a large, urban public school district in the Southeastern United States. Data were collected through the administration of an electronic survey and semi-structured interviews. The researcher utilized multiple regression and moderator analyses, as well as qualitative analysis of the interview data. The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed teachers’ technologyrelated self-efficacy to be a significant predictor of their instructional use of mobile handheld devices. However, secondary teachers’ level of professional development was found not to contribute significantly to the model. The moderator analysis too revealed professional development to be a nonsignificant factor. The findings of the qualitative phase of the study revealed secondary teachers’ awareness of their varied and fluid technology-related self-efficacy, as well as those factors that modify it. Qualitative data also revealed four categories of essential elements that teachers must have in order to most effectively implement mobile handheld devices within their pedagogy: intellectual capital, emotional capital, social-cultural capital, and technological capital. When lacking, these elements can represent barriers to teachers’ implementation of mobile handheld devices. Targeted professional development and increased funding to minimize the digital divide are recommended to reduce these barriers. The findings of the study inform designers of professional development programs, school and district and secondary teachers, as they are all stakeholders in the process of increasing the effective implementation of mobile handheld devices as instructional tools. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Qu Cong. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves i-iii (3rd gp.)). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgements --- p.i / Content --- p.ii / Abstract --- p.iv / Abstract (Chinese) --- p.vi / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Long Distance Laboratory --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Overview of Web-Based Laboratory --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3 --- Project of Development of Web-Based Laboratory --- p.5 / Chapter 1.4 --- Thesis Outline --- p.7 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Laboratory Layout --- p.8 / Chapter 2.1 --- DC Motor System --- p.9 / Chapter 2.2 --- Coupled Tank System --- p.11 / Chapter 2.3 --- Mass-Spring-Damper System --- p.13 / Chapter 2.4 --- Ball and Beam System --- p.15 / Chapter 2.5 --- Configurations --- p.16 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- System Architecture --- p.18 / Chapter 3.1 --- Hardware Architecture --- p.18 / Chapter 3.2 --- Software Architecture --- p.21 / Chapter 3.3 --- Architecture Characteristics --- p.24 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Control Methodology --- p.28 / Chapter 4.1 --- Basic Control Concepts --- p.28 / Chapter 4.2 --- System Modeling --- p.30 / Chapter 4.3 --- Controller Design Methods --- p.36 / Chapter 4.4 --- Digital Control --- p.42 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Mass-Spring-Damper System --- p.45 / Chapter 5.1 --- System Setup --- p.45 / Chapter 5.2 --- Experiment Design --- p.49 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Ball and Beam System --- p.58 / Chapter 6.1 --- System Setup --- p.59 / Chapter 6.2 --- Experiment Design --- p.61 / Chapter Chapter 7 --- Education Practice --- p.76 / Chapter 7.1 --- Practice and Analysis --- p.76 / Chapter 7.2 --- Remarks --- p.80 / Chapter Chapter 8 --- Conclusions and Future Work --- p.82 / Chapter 8.1 --- Concluding Remarks --- p.82 / Chapter 8.2 --- Future Work --- p.84 / Bibliography --- p.i

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the field of ICT Policy and Regulation / The research report examined the value brought by NRENs, by investigating the utilization of the South African National Research Network (SANReN) at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). It explored the SANReN as the main international bandwidth service for the university and assessed how the university is able to efficiently provide a range of e-services in scientific research through the NREN. Wits scientists engaged in data intensive research and international research collaboration shared the view that the SANReN infrastructure is critical to such work, however due to infrastructure limitations at university level, it is sometimes difficult to maximize the value of this dedicated network, where data storage capacity is low. A wide range of e-services, such as grid computing, use SANReN, but are limited by international bandwidth. A further problem is the high cost of international bandwidth, particularly as the demand for bandwidth increases with the amount of data required in scientific research. The biggest challenge is the growth of demand and the ability to meet this demand. As scientific research relies on real time data, but experiences problems with data storage, advanced data infrastructure is needed in the form of a medium sized data centre, which would be used for storing and transferring large data sets and terabytes of data in and out of the country. In conclusion, although SANReN makes it possible for big science projects to take place at universities, it is somewhat difficult to measure the value that SANReN brings, due to the many limitations mentioned. Therefore a matrix to measure outputs and value of SANReN is required, as proposed in Chapter 6 of this research report. / GR2017

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact on student use of electronic information systems when teachers have been given instruction on their use. By providing teachers with a solid introduction to the technology, a handy reference book, and an easy-to-use evaluation tool, it is expected that they will incorporate information found on the internet into their lessons at least twice a month. In addition, teachers will allow students to access information on their own, provided computers and Internet access are available, at least once a month.

<p>Evaluating software is a universal and complex problem. The question is: how should software be selected and adopted, or rather, which of the software packages is the most suitable for a specific environment? Extensive research on the evaluation of software has been done, but only a few researchers have considered evaluation of e-learning systems based on three software quality characteristics (i.e. usability, maintainability and deployability) for implementation in third world countries. In this thesis, it will be considered how to use a mixed research methods for the evaluation of free and open source e-learning systems in a developing country. The scope of this investigation is the evaluation of two free and open source e-learning systems at the Open University of Tanzania using 33 stakeholders (some with more and others with less computer expertise).</p>

Personal home pages are outgrowing their playful beginnings to serve serious purposes. At the forefront of this emergence is academia, where they are becoming a meaningful way for researchers to engage each other. Yet, the medium is still in its infancy: The medium, its adopters, and their practices are unduly constrained by current technology. To better study the meaning and use of personal home pages in academia, I created the AniAniWeb personal-home-page system to loosen these constraints. AniAniWeb applies wiki technology to facilitate easy editing, to enable interaction, and to focus the user on content creation. Others began adopting AniAniWeb in fall 2003. This dissertation centers on a case study of six graduate students and their experience with AniAniWeb over a period of two years. Their practices are viewed through three analytical lenses. Media theory focuses on the technology. Communities of practice focuses on the social context. Core identity theory focuses on the individual. When combined, these frameworks lead to a rich understanding of personal home pages in academia. Based on observations and interviews, issues of design, technology, meaning, and use are addressed.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 459 pages. / Dissertation originally submitted in HTML and can be accessed at http://www.lib.usf.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-12032001-125326/unrestricted/index.htm / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The virtual world exists as a dimension between concrete physical reality and abstract fictional fantasy. This cyber essence has become a place of commerce, social development, and educational pursuit. To build an understanding of the Kingdom of the Internet, the resulting case study sought to explore the community learning experiences of groups involved in an international online distance education program to create a tale of the process of a system. An assumption in this research was that the program under study was framed within a social learning context. Therefore, the recommendations and findings must be considered within this context and applied within similarly framed learning programs. The method of this study followed an input-process-output model with an added element of outcomes. / ABSTRACT: Participants completed a preliminary technology survey, locus of control instrument, self-regulated learner instrument and a learning styles inventory along with provided background information to form group input profiles. The process of the system was observed through the use of focus groups with the participants, process leaders and instructors as well as transcripts from discussion and chats. The group interaction, the site usage information and technical feedback all served as output information. The outcomes were measured through the use of a group effectiveness measure and instructor rating of final products. The result of the system study was a story of challenge and frustration, excitement and yearning, experimentation and comfort, good and best intentions. A portraiture approach was used as the vehicle for sharing the unique experiences of the international leaders during the first semester of learning. / ABSTRACT: As an essay on not only this particular system but also the dynamics of on-line research, the study illustrated the difficulties in virtual data collection. Major themes that were determined to be critical to virtual group social learning include: role differentiation, concise curriculum development, minimization of intimidation factors, and the initial group characteristic (input relationships). The wide focus of this study provided an overview of many topics that demand further research from both the lens of individual virtual learning experience and in depth exploration of various program components. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Physics and Astronomy. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.