ICTs have had a tremendous impact on our educational environment. There have been a huge number of developments and support in implementation of ICT in Higher Education teaching and learning, also referred to as e-learning. Similarly there appears to be quite a number of research conducted on the use of ICTs in blended learning settings worldwide and as well as in South Africa. Very little research however, has focussed on the experiences of lecturers with e-learning, specifically as it relates to Learning Management Systems (LMS). In trying to meet the requirements of its academic programmes and be in line with new developments worldwide, the University which is the focus of this study pilot projected the use of an LMS in a blended learning approach which integrates face-to-face classes with Blackboard, an ICT-based system or tool. Following the implementation of the pilot project, this study explores the experiences of lecturers in their blended learning environments at this university in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The research design was that of an interpretative paradigm within a qualitative research approach in a case study methodology. Purposive sampling of six lecturers from departments within faculties across two campuses was done. The data was gathered through interviews, a follow-up questionnaire and document analysis was employed. Using Critical and Social Realism as meta-theories the study employed aspects of Activity Theory as substantive theory to understand particular experiences of blended learning environments and identify conditions which enable and constrain engagement in these environments so as to explore potential lessons to inform the kind of educational support which could be offered to facilitate uptake of the LMS.

This qualitative study explored the overall impact of training HVAC technicians using the SightPros-VirTechs system for remote, wireless, internet video assistance at a small HVAC company, Metro Environmental. John Thomason, the president/co-owner developed a website and a new SightPros communication tool that allows wireless, one-on-one, just-in-time, high-quality, video-monitored instructions between an expert at one site and a technician at another site. Metro Environmental successfully used the SightPros-VirTechs system to train a new apprentice remotely. The apprentice and expert changed their normal and routine physical activities because the expert worked remotely and the apprentice worked on-site. Within just a few months, the apprentice proved competent enough to go to customer accounts without more experienced technicians nearby. The technicians express excitement about the SightPros communication tool as a way to contact remote experts whenever needed. The customer and business contacts also give good reviews and suggest other benefits. The expert permanently captures the communications so the company can use the saved video for many applications, especially training. The dissertation provides a list of recommendations to trainers/educators for similar applications.

The history of Brazilian education is marked by traditional teaching, so that the school curriculum has contributed for many decades to the passive formation of students. In this context, the teacher was the central figure of knowledge and the student was seen as being incapable, therefore, it was up to him to only listen to the teacher and memorize formulas devoid of meanings. Obviously listening to the teacher remains important, and memorizing formulas may be helpful in some circumstances. However, to restrict the teaching of mathematics to such procedures would be to limit the potential of the human being and would no longer meet the aspirations of contemporary society. The actuality is marked by the excess of information, therefore, the learner can collect data in the virtual world directly, not needing the mathematics teacher to transmit a formula. Faced with this reality, the teaching of mathematics needs to be rethought, so that the contents worked out have a social (or personal) sense for the student, as well as enable students to use early research techniques, to value collective work, contributing to that act in a critical, patitious and autonomous way. Based on these principles, the theme PROBABILITY IN AVERAGE EDUCATION: active methodology as support presents a rescue of the socio-historical dimension of this area of knowledge, valuing the challenges and contributions of several mathematicians precursors of Pascal. These studies focused on the properties and applications of probability in random phenomena and experiments, emphasizing their use in the area of genetics. As a pedagogical proposal, Webquest presented itself as an alternative, since it presents activities structured in virtual environments, which, when guided by research and collaborative work, contribute to the development of the student's critical and autonomous sense. / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A história da educação brasileira é marcada pelo ensino tradicional, de modo que o currículo escolar contribuiu por muitas décadas para a formação passiva dos alunos. Neste contexto, o professor era a figura central do conhecimento e o aluno era visto como ser incapaz, portanto, cabia ao mesmo apenas ouvir atentamente ao professor e memorizar fórmulas desprovidas de significados. Obviamente que ouvir o professor permanece importante, e a memorização de fórmulas pode ser útil em algumas circunstâncias. Todavia, restringir o ensino de matemática a esses procedimentos seria limitar o potencial do ser humano e não atenderia mais aos anseios da sociedade contemporânea. A atualidade é marcada pelo excesso de informação, assim sendo, o educando pode coletar dados no mundo virtual de forma direta, não necessitando do professor de matemática para transmitir uma fórmula. Diante desta realidade, o ensino da matemática precisa ser repensado, de modo que os conteúdos trabalhados apresentem um sentido social (ou pessoal) para o aluno, bem como possibilitem aos educandos fazer uso de técnicas iniciais da pesquisa, valorizar o trabalho coletivo, contribuindo para que atuem de forma crítica, participativa e autônoma. Partindo destes princípios, o tema PROBABILIDADE NO ENSINO MÉDIO: metodologia ativa como suporte apresenta um resgate da dimensão socio-histórica dessa área de conhecimento, valorizando os desafios e as contribuições de diversos matemáticos precursores de Pascal. Estes estudos enveredaram em direção as propriedades e aplicações da Probabilidade em fenômenos e experimentos aleatórios, enfatizando seu emprego na área de genética. Como proposta pedagógica, apresentou-se a Webquest como alternativa, uma vez que a mesma apresenta atividades estruturadas em ambientes virtuais, que ao serem norteadas pela pesquisa e pelo trabalho colaborativo, contribuem para o desenvolvimento do senso crítico e autônomo do alunado.

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The basis of this thesis is a discussion of the pros and cons of incorporating the Internet as an educational tool for exploring career pathways.

This project describes the inception and development of a high school web site along with subsequent implementation issues, limitation, benefits, and recommendations visual design and learning principles and the history of hypermedia are also discussed, and a model is tendered for other schools to follow when constructing a web site.

The purpose of this project was to design, create, and produce a web site for teachers that instructs them on the creating, developing and sharing of Web Quests. Web Quests utilize the wealth of information on the internet to provide a means of moving the teacher away from lecturer and toward facilitator.

This project shows how web tools can be effectively integrated into the community college composition curriculum through staff development. It shows the need for adaptation of materials designed for K-12 education to the community college level and the development of grade-appropriate materials using web resources. The need for authentic assessment is explored and the means to prove it were supplied. Examples of web tools, sites for developing web tools and resources for accessing and applying authentic assessment tools were given.