This project initially focused on a group poster presentation exercise which had the development of higher cognitive skills as its aims. A holistic approach was undertaken to the exercise which involved considering the relationship between all aspects of the instructional method with respect to the undergraduate biology students developing skills of analysis, synthesis, relating and applying knowledge, in addition, to their developing communication and group skills. The project involved modifying, monitoring and evaluating a number of different aspects of the exercise over a period of four years including the assessment and instructional methods and level of staff support given to the students. The resultant instructional method involved students working in groups on a problem based challenge, using peer group assessments and undertaking peer group questioning and discussion sessions, the implications of which are discussed in this project. A questionnaire measure of intellectual development was devised for this project, based on the Perry Scheme of Intellectual Development which aimed to investigate the different groups of students' approaches to the exercise and to match individual student's needs with the most appropriate staff support. The Perry Scheme describes how students develop from an absolute or simplistic stance on the nature of knowledge to one which is more pluralistic and contextual. These differing perceptions influence the role which students adopt and also the way in which they perceive the role of others within the learning environment. This research project tested both students undertaking the poster exercise and also students at different stages of their biology course over a period of two years. This project identified a link between the roles which students adopted during the poster exercise and their stage of intellectual development. In addition, changes in individual student attitudes and preferences towards different teaching and assessment methods were identified which supported and complimented the descriptions outlined by Perry.

It is widely accepted that mathematics courses for science and engineering undergraduates should aim to develop an enquiring and creative approach to mathematics together with good communication skills. Due to their versatili ty, computatonal power and graphical capabilities, computers can play a significant role in developing these skills. A review of the development of computer-assisted learning of mathematics established that a new investigative approach could exploit the potential of the computer. For this project, two comprehensive computer-based learning packages were developed. The content and educational objectives of the packages were determined by consultation with mathematics lecturers. These objectives were to encourage investigative work, to facilitate problem solving and to enhance student understanding of certain algorithms and topics. The packages were evaluated over a four-year period, whilst in regular use in the mathematical sciences laboratories at Napier Polytechnic as part of the curriculum of several degree courses. During the formative evaluation, modifications and improvements were incorporated. The second stage of the evaluation comprised an investigation of the impact of the packages on the mathematics curriculum. In particular, changes in teaching approaches, learning outcomes and student attitudes towards mathematics were studied through observation, questionnaires and interviews. The feasibility of transfer of the materials developed to other higher educational establishments was also examined. The study identified an increase in the use of graphical methods to explore the behaviour of functions, numerical methods and models, more emphasis on investigative work, and more analysis and interpretation of results. Improved communication skills were also noted. It was deduced that the computer-based approaches adopted had fostered the development of higher cognitive skills, thus leading to an enhanced quality of learning.

Interactive multimedia has the potential to create high quality learning environments that actively engage the learner. For example it can combine explanation with illustrative examples, on-line assessment with feedback and provide opportunities to practise and experiment. A range of media elements can be used to convey a given message and the learner can study at a time, place and pace convenient to them. However there is growing evidence that the potential of interactive multimedia is not being fulfilled. Early designs were often driven by technology rather than pedagogy, with a focus on the physical interface. This thesis argues that if we are to design effective interactive learning applications then a learner-centred approach to their design and implementation should be taken. Design and development should not focus solely on the application: integration into the curriculum must be planned, and designed for, carefully. Attention should be given to social, or contextual, factors; these strongly affect whether learners actually use applications and learn from them. A series of experimental trials and associated studies into learning with interactive multimedia were carried out in order to explore this further. The results indicate that whilst there is some evidence that the use of interactive multimedia can aid learning, its effect and benefits are not as clear-cut as its proponents suggest. This work demonstrates the importance of considering the wider context when designing for learning with interactive multimedia and informs the integration of multimedia into the curriculum. The result is a curriculum integration framework, which highlights the need to locate the application design in the context of use and advocates user involvement throughout the design and development process. Curriculum integration should be designed for at the outset and evaluated as ongoing activity. Advice is given on how to do this This thesis also explores problems associated with conducting research in real-world learning contexts. A rich description is provided through a reflective analysis of the difficulties encountered with the methodological approach taken here. Alternative approaches are reviewed. Guidance is provided, which practitioners wishing to engage in educational research can use in selecting which method, or methods, to use.

The developed economies are now considered to be entering the growth phase of knowledge-based economic activity. The universities are increasingly seen as a critical vehicle for knowledge creation and knowledge transfer in order to produce educated citizens that will facilitate economic growth. The secondary data on the pressures facing universities suggest that the universities need to be more competitive, flexible and efficient. Empirical data was collected from a series of student expectations and satisfactions surveys at one of the Scottish universities. Analysis of these suggests that generally students seem to demand for a wider option of delivery from the university. The students broadly do not seem to be content with massification of higher education that includes distance learning delivery. This raises a potential conflict with regard to culture in that the culture that best facilitates the students' acceptance of massification of higher education will include distance learning delivery. Therefore, this research has been conducted to explore and determine the current, future and desired culture of three Scottish universities. This research also determined how culture in these three Scottish universities may be structured to best meet the future requirements of knowledge-based economies. The Organisational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) developed by Cameron and Quinn was used to measure the current, future and desired culture in Scottish universities. From the OCAI, it would appear that the staff in these three universities consider the current culture to be a Hierarchy culture and that a Market culture will be emphasised in future in universities. The Delphi study also indicates that if a market driven culture can be developed then universities can exploit new knowledge in the economy in which they reside and this will enhance their international competitiveness. Thus, in the future, a Market culture will develop in universities that place emphasis on customer requirements and winning in the market place. However, the focus on a Market culture will be achieved by emphasising broadly on the large numbers of standardised procedures, rules and policies governing what people do, and which are strongly associated with "resistance to change", which is often confused with critical questioning of strategy. However, the desired culture is the collegiate culture (Clan culture) with a focus on ongoing commitment to excellence, increased flexibility, staff empowerment and cross-functional teamwork. This raises a potential conflict in higher education environments. The Delphi study indicates that other stakeholders in higher education want universities to stimulate greater success in knowledge creation and knowledge transfer activities. The universities are expected to increase their economic contribution through collaboration. Scottish higher education should build upon its strength by addressing it weaknesses in order to realise its opportunities and avoid threats. Effective leadership and management are essential in universities. This intensifies the need for a desired culture that can best facilitate the development of universities in the future. Therefore, to address the two conflicts in the higher education environment and to best facilitate the development of universities in the future, it is proposed that there is a need for universities to devise flexible strategies to engage stakeholders to identify issues, propose solutions, and become partners in implementing the changes needed. The universities should cultivate a Clan culture to better facilitate knowledge creation and knowledge transfer activities, and consequently become more customer focused with regard to the likely future expectations from students in terms of programme provision, teaching methods and the whole experience as a student. To facilitate this, it is proposed that tools such as European Foundation Quality Management (EFQM) model could be used to focus activities.

This thesis presents a socio-technical account of the adoption and development of Managed Learning Environments (MLE) in three Universities in Scotland. The term 'development' is used here to refer to the way that MLE initiatives evolve over time as the MLE framework is introduced into the universities discussed here. MLE is a technology framework that has been advocated by Funding Agencies and the Joint Information Systems Committee (the government body responsible for developing information systems in UK Higher Education) as a way of creating an institutional technology platform through which a University can create more efficient and effective online teaching practice and student management processes. This involves integrating all University information and learning systems into one standardised institutional system. Introducing a large-scale 1. T. initiative, such as MLE adoption and development, into the University is far from straightforward. Sectoral research indicates that MLE initiatives have not, in general, achieved the level of standardisation and integration of systems advocated in MLE policy. It suggests this may be because MLE initiatives have underestimated the social and technical complexity involved in MLE adoption and development. This has led to a call from within the Higher Education sector for more in-depth case study research of MLE initiatives in Universities in order to better understand what constrains them. The research reported on within this thesis adopts a socio-technical approach to understanding MLE adoption and development. This aims to understand the processes of interaction between technical and social elements involved in MLE initiatives. In particular, it analyses the influence of the broad social, political and commercial context of MLE advocacy on MLE initiatives in the case studies as a way of accounting for their different trajectories of MLE development. The thesis presents an examination of the way that actors in the case studies develop and construct expectations of MLE in practice that can drive MLE initiatives but, it is found, also constrain them. As a way of investigating how expectations for MLE adoption and development are constructed by participants in the case studies an analytical framework is developed that includes Technology Framing (Orlikowski & Gash, 1994), Computerisation Movements (Iacono, 2001) and an Ecology of Games (Dutton, 1995). The study develops several key insights regarding MLE adoption and development in the case studies that relate to the influence of the broad social, political and commercial context ofMLE advocacy. It finds that advocates ofthe MLE framework bring MLE expectations and artefacts into the University through engagement with wider networks of influence in this broad MLE 'landscape'. In an alternative pattern of socio-technical interaction, some groups counter frame MLE and seek an organisationally autonomous approach to technology practice. The MLE framework is found to be shaped in multiple locations, multiple levels and across a trajectory of events and interactions. In this pattern of technological development, the research demonstrates the key role of boundary dynamics and gate keeping within Universities, as MLE actors negotiate the boundaries between the University and the dynamics of the wider MLE 'landscape'. It is found that this process challenges established University gatekeepers and boundaries of socio-technical practice. In the Higher Education sector, rather than creating a 'level playing field' in UK Higher Education between well resourced and less well resources Universities, as first envisaged in MLE related policy, MLE adoption and development is found to be associated with defining distinctions between the case study Universities.

Teaching and assessing students in the practical side of networking can be achieved through the use of simulators. However the network simulators are limited in what can they can do since the device being simulated is not fully functional and the generation of the exercises always result in the same specification being presented to the student[1, 2]. When the student has finished the exercise they are just presented with a pass or fail mark with no indication of areas of weakness or strength. The thesis investigates how the Bloom[3] and SOLO[4] learning taxonomies can be used to specify and mark network challenges while using the idea of fading worked examples[5] to design the challenges to lower the cognitive load on the student. This thesis then proposes a framework that can be used to generate network challenges specifications that changes every time the student attempts it. The challenge can then be solved using an emulation package called Dynamips while a bolt-on package called GNS3 is used to provide the graphical user interface. Once the student has finished the challenge it will then be graded and feedback presented indicating what was correct and incorrect. The evaluation of the framework was carried out in two phases. In the first phase the performance of the framework was monitored using a windows utility called performance monitor. The performance was measured on Windows XP, Windows Vista and XP running in an emulator. In each instance the performance was deemed to be satisfactory for running on each operating system. The second phase of the evaluation was carried out by asking students to evaluate the proposed framework. Once the students had finished the evaluation they were then asked to fill in a questionnaire about their experience. From the results of the questionnaire two of the most positive aspects of using the framework was that a fully feature IOS command line interface was available for the students to use and also once they had a mastered a skill they did not have to start from scratch in subsequent exercises reusing skills that had already mastered. However one of the negative aspects noticed from the questionnaire was the number of complex steps that was required to be followed to setup the challenge. The final implementation of the framework proved the concept of the design, even though all the proposed elements were not implemented. A program was written that generated a challenge with dynamic variables that changed every time it was attempted, Dynamips was used to provide to the student a fully working command line IOS interface and GNS3 was used to provide a graphical user interface. Finally the student was presented with feedback when they had completed the challenge.

Higher education and more specifically University education is being called to account more and more. It follows therefore that the Universities must present information on the quality of service which they provide as perceived by their customers and their supporters who supply their funding. In this thesisr esearchi s reported on the measuremenot f the quality valuesw hich Students, Lecturing Staff, and Senior Management display within the period of a leaming programme. The principal aim was to ascertain through hypothesis testing if the level of congruence of the value systems of these three main contributors to the learning experience influenced the degree of satisfaction of the Students as the customers and to develope a framework for measuring contributor's quality values. Theseo bjectivesw ere researchedin stagesa s follows; The first stage was an extensive literature review which was used to underpin the ainis and objectiveso f the researchb y establishinga n understandingo f the relationshipsb etween Culture and Values, Quality, and Service. The Service review focused upon Higher Education in the University environment including such aspects quality and culture, values and the determinantso f servicqq uality, customerf ocus and society's role within the educatione xperience,s takeholderp ositioning within the educationp rocess,f inancial considerationsm, easuremenot f satisfactiona nd dissatisfaction,a nd studentt ransformation in terms of their educatione xperience.T he review revealeda numbero f weaknessesin existing knowledge primarily that there has been little research undertaken into the measuremenot f more than two parties within an educationt ransactiona nd how the involvement of more than two parties within such is perceived in relation to customer satisfaction. The second stage of the research was a Case Study using a mixed method approach which comprised interview techniques from which a framework for measuring quality in higher education was developed, and a questionnaire survey undertaken which was used to test the framework from which a number of conclusions were drawn. The Case Study was conducted within the Business School of the Napier University of Edinburgh. Using qualitative and quantitative methodologies the study examined the expectations as prescribed by the Importance which Senior Management, Lecturing Staff, and Students placed upon aspects of their learning programme. Additionally Students were asked their perceived levels of Satisfaction with their programmes. The outcomes of iii the Case Study were analysed using triangulated methods and used to highlight any problem aspects within programmes. These aspects were then subjected to value analysis to test the effects of congruity of stakeholder values on the levels of customer satisfaction. The findings of the case study were that, during the period of the research, the degree of congruenceo f the three main stakeholdersh ad no impact upon the levelso f satisfactiono f the Students as customers of the learning programme as offered by the Business School. Further analysis of the Case Study findings indicated the following : 1) That significant core value Gaps between the levels of Student Importance and Satisfaction exist within certain aspects of their learning experience more particularly during the later period of their learning programme. 2) That the role of Senior Management within the learning programme seems to have little influence upon the Student level of satisfaction. 3) That communication channels between Lecturers and Senior Management on policies within the learning programme appear to need reappraisal. 4) That significant differences in core values of Importance exist between Lecturers and Students 5) That Student importance levels and by definition their value systems changed over the period of their learning programme. 6) That there were non-core value significant differences in the importance which Full-time and Part-time Studentsp lacedu pon certain aspectso f their progranu-neo f learning 7) That there were non-core value significant differences in the importance which Undergraduatea nd GraduateS tudentsp lacedu pon certain aspectso f their programmeo f learning 8) That there were non-core value significant differences in the importance which Undergraduatea nd Lecturersp lacedu pon a programmeo f learningy ear on year. The size and distribution of the populations sampled has enabled conclusions to be drawn on the validity and generalisabilityo f the framework for measuringq uality valuesi n the field of higher education throughout the Napier University and to some extent when factors such as cross cultural values,d emographicc onsiderationsq, uestionnaire'sw ording, etc., are taken into account as the basis for the further examination of stakeholder value systems within the education experience in the UK and internationally.

Advocates of game-based learning argue that computer games have the potential to transform university education, motivating and engaging a new generation of learners in a way that traditional education does not. The research described in this thesis, grounded in the fields of education, human-computer interaction and game design, questions this assumption and considers the case for computer game-based learning in Higher Education. Initial research found that positive motivation for games-based learning is by no means universal in adults, and that a propensity to play games recreationally does not imply an enthusiasm to use games for learning. However, even reluctant gamers were willing to try game-based learning if it was perceived to be an efficient way to learn. Criteria were developed for the design of effective educational games, based around theories of constructivist learning. These informed the development of two collaborative game-based activities with identical learning outcomes: an adventure game and an online version of a traditional teambuilding exercise. Questionnaires were developed to measure self-reported learning and engagement and 112 students participated in an experiment to compare educational effectiveness between two groups, one using the adventure game and the other the teambuilding activity. No significant difference was found between the two conditions, with the exception that those students who used the teambuilding game had a significantly greater perception of control than those who used the adventure game. This study challenges the assumption that games will revolutionise education because they lead to increased motivation and engagement. Instead, it argues that there is a potential for increased engagement through educational games, but this is because they embody the principles of interactive, collaborative and experiential learning. Overall, this research offers an insight of the nature of adult game playing, practical guidance for the development of educational games, a validated tool for measuring post-experiential engagement, a critical analysis of usability testing techniques for multi-user games, and a genuine rationale for the use of game-based learning.

The central aim of this thesis is: to investigate changes in gender equity and equality in Scottish universities from mid-nineteenth century to 2011 with reference to the experiences and attitudes of female and male academics comparing their opportunities for promotion and equal pay. This is introduced with a review of Scottish social, workplace and educational history challenging the traditional Scottish claims for educational and intellectual democracy in terms of inherent inequity and inequality in female education. In addition, the social and educational history is analysed to reveal legacies of gender inequality as they feature in the present-day career experiences and opportunities of female in comparison to male academics.

Doctoral students are often popularly portrayed as early career researchers and/or academics, engaged single mindedly in esoteric research projects; in other words, they are perceived as boffins. However much this may have been true (or not) in the past, this is certainly not the case in the 21st century. New routes to doctoral qualification have proliferated in recent years and with this growth and diversification the learner identities of the participants engaged in doctoral programmes has also broadened and diversified. Adopting a case study approach, based upon the narratives of 15 professional doctorate students who entered the programme over the age of 40, this study aimed to critically explore the reality of learner identities of these older adults engaged in higher degree study. This qualitative study has explored in depth and detail, the motivational factors driving this student group to embark upon a professional doctorate in mid- to later-life. The identities of these candidates have also been explored through the rich, qualitative data collected in the one-to-one semi-structured interviews that formed the basis of the project. Five significant findings resulted from the analysis and discussion of the qualitative data. The first was that a strength of the particular doctoral programme examined in the case study was that it offered people in mid- to later-life educational opportunities that may have been denied to the, for various reasons, at an earlier stage in the life-cycle. A second finding was that the professional doctorate was attractive to professional people because it provided a staged entry into academia and allowed the professional experience and competences of the candidates to become an integral part of the admissions procedures. The third finding related to the diverse learner identities of the participants. The fourth finding suggests that postgraduate study in general, and doctoral study in particular, can be life enhancing and provide measures of inclusion and social justice that may have been denied to people in earlier life. The study concluded on the fifth finding, that the professional doctorate would be improved by being embedded more firmly in a work-based or workplace learning approach which would further support the strong professional identities of the project participants.