Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters in Education (Educational Technology) School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, 2016 / The internet supplies a continuous stream of information to our students. The information gleaned from the internet is ever-changing and scanty and researchers have used the term “paucity” to describe internet information. It is difficult to trust this information and value it as knowledge. The need for developing Critical Thinking and its application is advanced both internationally and in South Africa .This study, investigated the development of specific critical thinking skills for the purpose of evaluating internet materials for trustworthiness. Within this study a series of lessons were designed to develop Critical Thinking skills amongst a group of Grade 11 students at a private high school in South Africa. Once these skills were acquired the students were able to make a comparison between different internet materials and they made a well-reasoned argument about the credibility of these materials. The key skills were taught through the use of a Learning Management System (LMS). The LMS was used as a medium for isolating selected internet materials and to develop a pathway of learning. Several educational theories, models and philosophies were investigated as they were layered into the fabric of this research report. Critical thinking skills were developed through a blended approach. Although a LMS was used as a primary medium of the Critical Thinking process the teacher was the key agent for its facilitation. The research premise was based on deductive reasoning and presumed that it was necessary to use Critical Thinking to search internet material for trustworthiness. The design made use of a case study as the preferred method to investigate the premise. An inductive approach was then implemented to interpret the data obtained from the evaluation of internet materials. Pre and post tests and scales were instituted and a comparison was made of the students’ confidence and ability to evaluate internet materials using specific critical thinking skills. When comparisons were made of both qualitative and quantitative results there was evidence that there was an enhancement and effective application of the specific critical thinking skills brought about through this intervention. / XL2018

This mixed-methodology study examined the effect of using Electronic textbook highlight and animation tools on the knowledge and comprehension achieved by10th grade students. Eighty-two students enrolled in a regular World History course were purposefully selected and assigned to 1 of 4 groups: (a) Highlight, (b) Animation, (c) Highlight-and-Animation, or (d) Comparison. A One-Way ANCOVA with a Bonferroni Adjusted Alpha was used in analyzing the results of the knowledge and comprehension World History pretest and posttest that were administered. A Factorial ANCOVA with a Bonferroni Adjusted Alpha was used in analyzing the influence of the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) moderator. Using the eEdition World History textbook tools of highlight and animation did not significantly impact the World History knowledge and comprehension scores achieved by participants and the participant's SRI level did not significantly moderate the relative effectiveness of the conditions. Interview data from 3 Student Focus groups and 1 Teacher Focus group were analyzed with an open exploratory coding strategy. The resulting classification code of "ease of use" was characterized by: (a) time required to learn to use the tools, and (b) time to complete the tasks. A second code, "choice" was characterized by: (a) choice of instruction tools, and (b) choice in monitoring and assessing student activity. The focus groups indicated that they would use the tools in the future due to benefits such as the ability to modify the information to match their learning and instructional preferences. They also stressed that more instruction on the use of eEdition tools was needed. / by Cathy E. Bonner. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Since students can adjust the speed of online videos by time-compression which is available through common software (Pastore & Ritzhaupt, 2015), it is important to learn at which point compression impacts comprehension. The focus of the study is whether the speaker’s face benefits comprehension during a 50% compressed lecture. Participants listened to a normal lecture or a 50% compressed lecture. Each participant saw an audio and audiovisual lecture, and were eye tracked during the audiovisual lecture. A comprehension test revealed that participants in the compressed lecture group performed better with the face. Eye fixations revealed that participants in the compressed lecture group looked less at the eyes and more at the nose when compared to eye fixations for those that viewed the normal lecture. This study demonstrates that 50% compression affects eye fixations and that the face benefits the listener, but this much compression will still lessen comprehension. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This mixed-methods study investigated the relationship between Advanced Placement (AP) social studies teachers' utilization of academic course blogs and student achievement. Simultaneously, the study examined the participating teachers' perceptions on the use of course blogs and other social media as supplemental learning resources. The study further explored a possible moderating effect of the social studies subject on student achievement and a possible moderating effect of students' previous academic blog usage on student achievement within the study. Quantitative data were collected from students' pre-tests and unit tests scores and analyzed for statistical significance. Qualitative data were collected through teacher-generated notes during the blogs, individual interviews, and a follow-up focus group interview. The results of this study indicated that there was no overall significant difference in student achievement between the blogging and non-blogging groups. On the contrary , a significant interaction between the social studies subject area and the use of academic course blogs was found when examining student achievement. However, this practical interaction was revealed to be a weak one. Further findings indicated that there was no significant interaction between students' previous blog usage and academic achievement during the study. From the qualitative data, participating teachers perceived the course blogs to be potentially advantageous for students and themselves, yet expressed frustration when implementing the course blogs with their students. Instead, they endorsed the academic use of Facebook, a resource that some students from two participating courses separately utilized instead of (or in addition to) the course blogs during the study. Teachers further expressed concern about relinquishing their subject knowledge and AP expertise to readily available course content on the Internet. Implications and suggestions for future f or AP social studi / teachers' promising use of Facebook and for researchers investigating the use of socail media at the high school level. / by Seth Alper. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

by Tsui Yuen. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-151). / Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Computer-assisted Education --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2 --- Motivation and Problems --- p.4 / Chapter 1.3 --- Objectives and Approaches --- p.7 / Chapter 1.4 --- Organization of Thesis --- p.9 / Chapter 2 --- Related Work --- p.10 / Chapter 2.1 --- Existing Research Projects --- p.10 / Chapter 2.2 --- Structural and Navigational Hypertext Presentation --- p.11 / Chapter 2.3 --- Multimedia Integration for Hypermedia Courseware --- p.13 / Chapter 2.4 --- Standalone Java Applets --- p.14 / Chapter 2.5 --- Software Tools Using Browser Plugins --- p.17 / Chapter 2.6 --- Chapter Summary --- p.18 / Chapter 3 --- SIS Education Scenarios --- p.19 / Chapter 3.1 --- Library System --- p.21 / Chapter 3.2 --- Groupware System --- p.24 / Chapter 3.3 --- Student-Monitoring System --- p.25 / Chapter 3.4 --- Management System --- p.26 / Chapter 3.5 --- Chapter Summary --- p.27 / Chapter 4 --- Software Architecture of SIS --- p.29 / Chapter 4.1 --- Client-server Model --- p.29 / Chapter 4.2 --- Software Configuration --- p.31 / Chapter 4.3 --- Software Design --- p.33 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Module 1: Access Authorization Identifier (AAI) --- p.34 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Module 2: Multimedia Presentation Tools (MPT) --- p.35 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Module 3: Intelligent Questions Selector (IQS) --- p.38 / Chapter 4.3.4 --- Module 4: Online Examination Center (OEC) --- p.40 / Chapter 4.3.5 --- Module 5: Student History Recorder (SHR) --- p.41 / Chapter 4.3.6 --- Module 6: Student Performance Analyzer (SPA) --- p.42 / Chapter 4.3.7 --- Module 7: Electronic Mail Manager (EMM) --- p.43 / Chapter 4.3.8 --- Module 8: Result Querying Agent (RQA) --- p.44 / Chapter 4.3.9 --- Module 9: Group Activity Area (GAA) --- p.45 / Chapter 4.3.10 --- Module 10: Integrated Systems Logger (ISL) --- p.48 / Chapter 4.4 --- Chapter Summary --- p.50 / Chapter 5 --- Demonstration --- p.52 / Chapter 5.1 --- Login Dialog Boxes --- p.52 / Chapter 5.2 --- Services Menu for Students --- p.53 / Chapter 5.3 --- Teaching Materials for Students --- p.54 / Chapter 5.4 --- Teaching Materials for Students ´ؤ Chinese --- p.56 / Chapter 5.5 --- Teaching Materials for Students - English --- p.60 / Chapter 5.6 --- Teaching Materials for Students - Mathematics --- p.64 / Chapter 5.7 --- Tests for Students --- p.66 / Chapter 5.8 --- Tests for Students - Chinese --- p.66 / Chapter 5.9 --- Tests for Students - English --- p.68 / Chapter 5.10 --- Queries for Students --- p.70 / Chapter 5.11 --- Discussion Area for Students --- p.71 / Chapter 5.12 --- Educational Television for Students --- p.72 / Chapter 5.13 --- Flow of Services for Students --- p.75 / Chapter 5.14 --- Services Menu for Teachers --- p.76 / Chapter 5.15 --- Teaching Materials for Teachers --- p.77 / Chapter 5.16 --- Teaching Materials for Teachers - Chinese --- p.78 / Chapter 5.17 --- Teaching Materials for Teachers - English --- p.82 / Chapter 5.18 --- Tests Papers for Teachers --- p.86 / Chapter 5.19 --- Queries for Teachers --- p.87 / Chapter 5.20 --- Preparation of Test Papers for Teachers --- p.88 / Chapter 5.21 --- Modification of Questions for Teachers --- p.91 / Chapter 5.22 --- Flow of Services for Teachers --- p.95 / Chapter 5.23 --- Chapter Summary --- p.96 / Chapter 6 --- System Implementation --- p.97 / Chapter 6.1 --- Characteristics of Java --- p.97 / Chapter 6.2 --- Platform Independence --- p.98 / Chapter 6.3 --- Integration with Existing Packages for Java Technology --- p.100 / Chapter 6.4 --- Cryptography of User Passwords --- p.103 / Chapter 6.5 --- Transmission of Data Packages --- p.105 / Chapter 6.6 --- Multithreading for Multitasking --- p.108 / Chapter 6.7 --- Management of User Interfaces --- p.110 / Chapter 6.8 --- Data Structures for Temporary Storage --- p.112 / Chapter 6.9 --- Messages Broadcasting in Chat Rooms --- p.116 / Chapter 6.10 --- Playback of Audio and Video Data Files --- p.121 / Chapter 6.11 --- Progress of System Implementation --- p.125 / Chapter 6.12 --- Chapter Summary --- p.128 / Chapter 7 --- Discussion and Future Work --- p.129 / Chapter 7.1 --- Wide Spread of the World Wide Web --- p.129 / Chapter 7.2 --- Communication between Schools and Families --- p.130 / Chapter 7.3 --- Pedagogical Uses --- p.130 / Chapter 7.4 --- Virtual Student Community --- p.131 / Chapter 7.5 --- Differences between SIS and Other Web-based Educational Systems --- p.132 / Chapter 7.6 --- Future Work --- p.133 / Chapter 7.7 --- Chapter Summary --- p.138 / Chapter 8 --- Summary --- p.139 / Bibliography --- p.144

In 2016, over 11 million people misused prescription opioids and the economic costs were estimated to be over $500 billion. In the same year, opioids killed 42,000 people, which was more than any year on record. These data highlight the need to reduce the harm caused to individuals, families, communities, and the nation. One element of a more comprehensive national strategy is increasing awareness among citizens, physicians and policy makers. Given its widespread reach YouTube can be very helpful. There is a large literature on the opiate epidemic, but no published studies describing the sources or content of YouTube videos on the opiate epidemic were identified. This study was, therefore, intended to help fill this gap in current knowledge. YouTube was searched using two key terms, “opiate addiction” and “opioids.” The results were sorted by number of views, and the URL, title, and number of views were saved for videos with a minimum of 1,500 views. Videos were then screened for the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The remaining sample comprised 309 videos. Collectively, these 309 videos were viewed 44,693,887 times. The results revealed the sources that were most viewed and the nature of content that was and was not likely to be covered. The two main sources of videos were Internet Based and Television news/Entertainment. Compared with videos with health professions as the main speaker, those featuring consumers garnered almost 10 times as many cumulative views (30.35%versus 3.24%). Government organizations uploaded 11 videos (< 4%), collectively garnering 343,983 views (less than 1% of cumulative views). YouTube represents an important opportunity for health promotion and disease prevention regarding the opiate epidemic. However, improved understanding about ways to communicate accurate and useful information in ways that attract viewers is needed. Recommendations for research, policy and practice are presented relevant to how YouTube can help mitigate the harm caused by the opiate epidemic.

The purpose of this study was to explore undergraduate students' behaviors related to academic dishonesty. Additionally, this study examined students' perceptions of their own connectedness within the online classroom, and perceptions of the effectiveness of deterrents to cheating. Participants in the study were enrolled in online courses within the College of Arts and Science at a regionally accredited for-profit university. Students enrolled at the university represent a geographic cross section primarily within the U.S. but included students living outside the U.S. Participants were asked about their individual feelings of overall connectedness within the online classroom. Connectedness was determined using five subscales to create an overall connectedness score. The subscales were attachment, bonding, climate, connection, and engagement. Statistical tests were conducted to assess and describe any relationships between connectedness, academic dishonesty, and demographic factors. Additionally, participants provided feedback on various methods used in online classes to encourage academic honesty. This study discovered significant relationships between academic dishonesty and students' feelings of connectedness. Students' academic performance was related also to feelings of connectedness within the online classroom. Additionally, the frequency of engagement in academic dishonesty increased as the students neared graduation. The findings of this study contribute to the body of knowledge related to pedagogy and course design of online classes. / by Artyce-Joy Chase. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Abstract not available

I have committed a significant period of time (in my case five years) to the purpose development of learning environments, with the belief that it would improve the self-actualisation and self-motivation of students and teachers alike. I consider it important to record and measure performance as we progressed toward such an outcome. Education researchers and practitioners alike, in the higher (university/tertiary) education systems, are seeking among new challenges to engage students and teachers in learning (James, 2001). However, studies to date show a confusing landscape littered with a multiplicity of interpretations and terms, successes and failures. As the discipline leader of the Information Technology, Systems and Multimedia (ITSM) Discipline, Swinburne University of Technology, Lilydale, I found myself struggling with this paradigm. I also found myself being torn between what presents as pragmatic student learning behaviour and the learner-centred teaching ideal reflected in the Swinburne Lilydale mission statement. The research reported in this folio reflects my theory and practice as discipline leader of the ITSM Discipline and the resulting learning environment evolution during the period 1997/8 to 2003. The study adds to the material evidence of extant research through firstly, a meta analysis of the learning environment implemented by the ITSM Discipline as recorded in peer reviewed and published papers; and secondly, a content analysis of student learning approaches, conducted on data reported from a survey of ‘learning skills inventory’ originally conducted by the ITSM Discipline staff in 2002. In 1997 information and communication technologies (ICT) were beginning to provide plausible means for electronic distribution of learning materials on a flexible and repeatable basis, and to provide answers to the imperative of learning materials distribution relating to an ITSM Discipline new course to begin in 1998. A very short time frame of three months was available prior to teaching the course. The ITSM Discipline learning environment development was an evolutionary process I began in 1997/8 initially from the requirement to publish print-based learning guide materials for the new ITSM Discipline subjects. Learning materials and student-to-teacher reciprocal communication would then be delivered and distributed online as virtual learning guides and virtual lectures, over distance as well as maintaining classroom-based instruction design. Virtual here is used to describe the use of ICT and Internet-based approaches. No longer would it be necessary for students to attend classes simply to access lecture content, or fear missing out on vital information. Assumptions I made as discipline leader for the ITSM Discipline included, firstly, that learning should be an active enterprise for the students, teachers and society; secondly, that each student comes to a learning environment with different learning expectations, learning skills and learning styles; and thirdly, that the provision of a holistic learning environment would encourage students to be self-actualising and self-motivated. Considerable reading of research and publications, as outlined in this folio, supported the update of these assumptions relative to teaching and learning. ITSM Discipline staff were required to quickly and naturally change their teaching styles and communication of values to engage with the emergent ITSM Discipline learning environment and pedagogy, and each new teaching situation. From a student perspective such assumptions meant students needed to move from reliance upon teaching and prescriptive transmission of information to a self-motivated and more self-actualising and reflective set of strategies for learning. In constructing this folio, after the introductory chaperts, there are two distinct component parts; • firstly, a Descriptive Meta analysis (Chapter Three) that draws together several of my peer reviewed professional writings and observations that document the progression of the ITSM Discipline learning environment evolution during the period 1997/8 to 2003. As the learning environment designer and discipline leader, my observations and published papers provide insight into the considerations that are required when providing an active, flexible and multi-modal learning environment for students and teachers; and • secondly, a Dissertation (Chapter Four), as a content analysis of a learning skills inventory data collection, collected by the ITSM Discipline in the 2002 Swinburne Lilydale academic year, where students were encouraged to complete reflective journal entries via the ITSM Discipline virtual learning guide subject web-site. That data collection included all students in a majority of subjects supported by the ITSM Discipline for both semesters one and two 2002. The original purpose of the journal entries was to have students reflectively involved in assessing their learning skills and approaches to learning. Such perceptions were tested using a well-known metric, the ‘learning skills inventory’ (Knowles, 1975), augmented with a short reflective learning approach narrative. The journal entries were used by teaching staff originally and then made available to researchers as a desensitised data in 2003 for statistical and content analysis relative to student learning skills and approaches. The findings of my research support a view of the student and teacher enculturation as utilitarian, dependent and pragmatically self-motivated. This, I argue, shows little sign of abatement in the early part of the 21st Century. My observation suggests that this is also independent of the pedagogical and educational philosophy debate or practice as currently presented. As much as the self-actualising, self-motivated learning environment can be justified philosophically, the findings observed from this research, reported in this folio, cannot. Part of the reason for this originates from the debate by educational researchers as to the relative merits of liberal and vocational philosophies for education combined with the recent introduction of information and communication technologies, and commodification of higher education. Challenging students to be participative and active learners, as proposed by educationalists Meyers and Jones (1993), i.e. self-motivated and self-actualising learners, has proved to be problematic. This, I will argue, will require a change to a variable/s (not yet identified) of higher education enculturation on multiple fronts, by students, teachers and society in order to bridge the gap. This research indicates that tertiary educators and educational researchers should stop thinking simplistically of constructivist and/or technology-enabled approaches, students learning choices and teachers teaching choices. Based on my research I argue for a far more holistic set of explanations of student and staff expectations and behaviour, and therefore pedagogy that supports those expectations.

This portfolio of research aimed to examine the integration of Information and Communication Technology ( ICT ) into computer-based classroom learning environments in Thailand. The study was exploratory, investigating to what extent schools in the Thai ICT schools pilot project had classroom learning environments which were related to two student outcomes ( critical thinking skills and attitudes to ICT ) ; and to what extent the classroom learning environments were associated with certain teacher characteristics. The portfolio is presented in three parts. Part 1 reviewed the research literature related to the importance of ICT in education ; the ICT classroom learning environments ; student attitudes to ICT ; students' critical thinking skills ; and the role of the teacher in the ICT classroom. From this review, a theoretical research model was developed, based on teacher characteristics, student characteristics and student perceptions of ICT classroom learning environments as predictors of the two student outcomes. Four specific research propositions were formulated from the model to guide the investigation. Part 2 of the research portfolio reports the quantitative investigation of the ICT schools pilot project in Thailand. Data were collected by means of questionnaires from 150 students in eight of the ICT pilot project schools in relation to students' background characteristics, their perceptions of actual and preferred classroom learning environments, students' critical thinking skills and attitudes to ICT. In addition, questionnaire data on teachers' background characteristics were collected from 16 teachers involved in the project. The associations among the teacher, student and classroom environment predictor variables in relation to the two student outcomes were analysed using SPSS and HLM software programs. The results, discussed in relation to the four research propositions, generally supported the research model. A complementary qualitative investigation of the Thai ICT schools pilot project is reported in part 3 of the portfolio. This involved an analysis of school based documents, which had been collected officially in the course of the project, in order to identify school level outcomes. In addition, 30 students and five teachers from 10 schools in the ICT pilot project were interviewed to ascertain their views on the advantages, the limitations and the future of the project. The interview transcripts, translated into English, were analysed thematically. The researcher was also able to observe ICT integrated into various subject lessons in 22 classrooms, from each of the schools in the ICT project, and to evaluate them according to Bloom's Taxonomy of learning outcomes. The qualitative results provided important insights into the quantitative study in Part 2. In the conclusion to the portfolio, the results of the quantitative and qualitative studies are synthesised in a discussion of the four research propositions. Importantly, the findings led directly to useful recommendations on how computer-based learning environments can be improved. The findings of this study have major implications for the role of teachers in ICT classrooms and for school management in providing the necessary equipment and support. / Thesis (D.Ed.)--School of Education, 2007.