The purpose of this study is to investigate the status quo of the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Swaziland Mathematics and Science form four classrooms. The rationale is to understand the status in order to propose an appropriate strategy for policy and practice in education. The research design is a survey conducted in the Manzini region, the most central, largest region with the largest number of schools. The study focused on all schools that had computers for the purpose of education. There were 149 participants from 43 schools. All Mathematics, Science, and ICT teachers were included in the study, including head teachers. The study instruments were adapted from the Second Information Technology in Education Study (SITES) undertaken under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. Permission to adapt South African instruments was granted through the Centre for Evaluation and Assessment at the University of Pretoria. Four types of questionnaires were adapted and used. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics. The study revealed that very little had been done by Swaziland to integrate ICT in Mathematics and Science classrooms. The status quo indicated that the Student Computer Ratio was very high (14:1). In terms of ICT literacy 67% of the ICT teachers were diploma holders, 72% of the Mathematics, 78% of the Science teachers had no ICT qualification and most of vi the learners were not competent. The computers were found old and out of date and lacking maintenance. The lack of School ICT policy as a possible factor that could explain the pedagogical use of ICT was found to be a major obstacle in the integration of ICT in the classrooms, and this was a major thematic area that has to be addressed. This is viewed as an obstacle by Mathematics, Science and ICT teachers together with their principals. The elimination of this obstacle could possibly ensure sufficient funding, appropriate knowledge and skills, efficient leadership, proficient teachers and competent students, and thereby give impetus to ICT integration in Mathematics and Science classrooms. It was then concluded that Mathematics and Science teachers do not integrate ICT in their practice, despite being core subjects. The channelling of more resources by government to ICT education was strongly recommended. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

Der Einsatz digitaler Medien hat in der nationalen Hochschullehre Tradition. Lernmanagementsysteme (LMS), E-Learning, Blended Learning, etc. sind Schlagwörter im Hochschulalltag. Allerdings stellt sich die Frage, was LMS und Blended Learning im Zeitalter digitaler Vernetzung und der herangewachsenen Generation der “Digital Natives” leisten (können bzw. sollen)? Die Verbreitung neuer Technologien im Zusammenhang mit neuen Lehr- und Lernkonzepten wie OER, MOOCS, etc. macht zudem die Entwicklung von Analytics-Instrumenten erforderlich. Das ist auch im nationalen Diskurs von großem Interesse und legt neue Handlungsfelder für Hochschulen offen. Doch es stellt sich die Frage, warum Learning Analytics (LA) bzw. Academic Analytics (AA) bisher nur in einem geringfügigen Maße an deutschen Hochschulen erfolgreich zum Einsatz kommen und warum eine Nutzung insbesondere in LMS, wie zum Beispiel OPAL, nicht ohne Weiteres realisierbar erscheint. Hierzu sollen Einflussfaktoren, die die Implementierung von LA- und AA-Instrumenten hemmen, identifiziert und diskutiert werden. Aufbauend darauf werden erste Handlungsfelder vorgestellt, deren Beachtung eine verstärkte Einbettung von LA- und AA Instrumenten in LMS möglich machen soll.

Learning-Management-Systeme (LMS) bilden einen festen Bestandteil schulischer, universitärer und betrieblicher Technologiearrangements in der Aus- und Weiterbildungslandschaft (Meyer, 2016). Sie verstehen sich als webbasierte „Softwaresysteme zur Organisation, Steuerung und Kommunikation zum Lernen und Lehren“ (Kultusministerkonferenz, 2016, S. 42) und ermöglichen die Erstellung, Modifizierung und Veröffentlichung von Lerncontent. LMS finden vor allem dort ihren Einsatz, „wo große Nutzerzahlen auf einen nachhaltigen Lernbedarf stoßen“ (Müller, 2018). Sie adressieren als webbasierte Plattformen ein breites Spektrum bildungsbezogener Aufgaben angefangen bei der Verwaltung von Benutzern und Kursen über die Rollen- und Rechtevergabe bis hin zu verschieden Möglichkeiten der Kommunikation und Kollaboration von Lehrenden und Lernenden. Zudem gelten LMS im Kontext der Digitalisierung in Schulen, Hochschulen und Betrieben als entscheidende Marker für die Veränderung und Neuausrichtung von Lehre (Borchert, Fritzenberg, & Schlöffel, 2014). Für den Paradigmenwechsel ‚from teaching to learning’ und eine stärkere Lernerzentrierung sollen LMS eine wesentliche Rolle spielen (Barr & Tagg, 1995). [Aus der Einleitung.]

Combined with advancements in technology, prior research investigating the teacher-student relationship has radically changed the way we teach and learn in online education. This study examined the way teacher self-disclosure (TSD) influenced student motivation to enroll in an online course and altered their affect, or feelings, toward the teacher when applied within a purely online learning setting. The experiment took place online and was built within a Boston University’s learning management system (LMS), Blackboard Learn. In the online environment, TSD was controlled to provide high levels of male and female TSD in two treatment groups and a complete absence of TSD in two control groups. Out of the 336 Master of Social Work (MSW) students that responded to the recruitment email, 84 students were placed in one of four online settings led by fictional male and female teachers. Students in the treatment groups were granted access to male or female TSD via a Meet the Professor tab within the online learning environment. This tab provided students with access to content collected from social media websites, such as LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, and Twitter on a single web page. The social media content displayed personal and professional information about these fictional instructors and were used to create TSD in the sample online course. The study participants were instructed to explore their assigned sample course not including (control) or including (treatment) TSD. Before and after exploring the sample course, participants completed pre- and post-surveys measuring their motivation to engage in the online course materials, their affect toward the teacher (ATT), and their perceptions of TSD within the online learning environment. Hypothesis testing using ANCOVA, correlation, t-test, and Chi-squared procedures revealed no statistical significance. Findings include recommendations for methodological requirement need to explore the complexities of the teacher-student relationship within a purely online learning environment.

Den här studien undersöker hur ett användarcentrerat tillvägagångssätt kan utveckla gränssnittet för den digitala läroplattformen Canvas, baserat på hur plattformen upplevs av studenter med ADHD/ADD. Genom intervjuer och observationer har data samlats in kring studenternas interaktion med Canvas och vad de upplever för problematik med plattformen. Baserat på studenternas upplevelse, samt riktlinjer som går att återfinna i teorin, har ett alternativt gränssnitt har sedan skapats. Detta gränssnitt har sedan testats av studenterna för att samla in ytterligare information om vad som kan förbättras samt för att testa om förändringarna som gjorts är något studenterna upplever positivt. För att utveckla en produkt som fungerar för samtliga användare är det viktigt att i ett tidigt skede ta i beaktning de med funktionsnedsättningar, och genom att involvera dessa tidigt i designprocessen kan en digitalt tillgänglig produkt utvecklas. Data från denna studie har gett värdefulla insikter i vad studenter med ADHD/ADD upplever problematisk med digitala läroplattformar. / This study examines how a user centered approach can develop the learning management system Canvas, based on how it is perceived by students with ADHD/ADD. By conducting interviews and observations data has been collected about the students interaction with Canvas and what they experience as problems with the platform. Based on the students experiences and guidelines that can be found in the theory, an alternative interface has since been created. This interface has since been tested by the students to gather additional information about what can be improved, and to test whether the changes that have been made are well met. In order to develop a product that work for all users, it is important to take those with disabilities into account at an early stage in the design process, and by doing so a digitally accessible product can be developed. Data from this study provides valuable insights into what students with ADHD/ADD experience as problematic with learning management systems.

Information Literacy (IL) has been implemented among workers in schools in recent years in order to enhance workers’ skills and competencies through the utilisation of technology in education. To implement a sustainable IL system, the building of an IT infrastructure is required including the provision of PCs and network access, enabling students to connect to the internet during class time in order to access educational web-based content as well as to share discussions about subjects with their peers in and out of the class. Assessing the level of information literacy (IL) of stakeholders will assist in creating a new proposed school management system (SMS) to be used among them in the future. This will encourage teachers to use blended learning approach for teaching their students. Therefore, it is important to examine the IL of stakeholders (principal, head of division, teacher) in Kuwait to increase their skills and competencies which will lead to greater innovation in future developments. This work aims at assessing information literacy level of stakeholders, their skills and competencies in utilising technology in a workplace environment, which will assist the researcher to create a new school system. In addition, this work presents a new proposed school management system (SMS) for stakeholders in the current educational system of high schools in Kuwait, therefore, applying the BL approach in order to achieve a high quality of students' learning outcomes.

No description available.

Learning Management Systems (LMSs) have been an essential part of the e-Learning ecosystem since the 1990s. LMSs have been developed and widely adopted by higher education institutions around the world. Despite the instructional and financial benefits of using LMSs, the adoption and diffusion of LMSs by faculty members continues to be challenging in higher education institutions, and particularly in developing countries. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors influencing the adoption of learning management systems (LMSs) by faculty members in Saudi Arabian higher education. The study employed a mixed method approach and applied the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to explore these factors. Specifically, the study aims to determine the extent at which Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Facilitating Conditions (FC), and Social Norms (SN) influence faculty members' Behavioral Intention (BI) to adopt the Blackboard LMS. It also examines the moderating roles of age, gender, experience, perceived voluntariness, and computer self-efficacy on Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Social Norms (SN), and Facilitating Conditions (FC). The results of the study revealed a strong and positive correlation between performance expectancy and behavioral intention for Blackboard usage. The study also found Effort Expectancy, Facilitating Conditions, and Social Norms to be significant predictors of Behavioral Intention for Blackboard usage. Additionally, the findings show no moderation effects of age, gender, perceived voluntariness, and computer self-efficacy on Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Norms, and Facilitating Conditions. Experience was found to have a moderation effect on the relationship between Social Norms and Behavioral Intention. / Doctor of Philosophy / Learning Management Systems (LMSs) have been an essential part of the Electronic-Learning ecosystem since the 1990s. LMSs have been developed and widely adopted by higher education institutions around the world. Despite the instructional and financial benefits of using LMSs, the usage rate of LMSs by faculty members continues to be challenging in higher education institutions, and particularly in developing countries. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors influencing the usage of learning management systems (LMSs) by faculty members in Saudi Arabian higher education. The study employed a mixed method approach and applied the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to explore these factors. Specifically, the study aims to determine the extent at which Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Facilitating Conditions (FC), and Social Norms (SN) influence faculty members' Behavioral Intention (BI) to adopt the Blackboard LMS. It also examines the moderating roles of age, gender, experience, perceived voluntariness, and computer self-efficacy on Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Social Norms (SN), and Facilitating Conditions (FC). The results of the study revealed a strong and positive correlation between performance expectancy and behavioral intention for Blackboard usage. The study also found Effort Expectancy, Facilitating Conditions, and Social Norms to be strong predictors of Behavioral Intention for Blackboard usage.

The main focus of this study is to determine if systems development methodologies are being utilised in the development of electronic learning systems in South Africa and if these methodologies are being applied effectively. Essentially this study can be viewed as exploratory research, utilising a conceptual research model to investigate the relationships between the constructs and measurements. Electronic learning, or e-learning, is being employed to educate millions of learners, students and employees around the world and it is a critical component of modern educational systems. E-learning systems, or learning management systems, as it is known in the field, sit at the heart of these educational systems and are used to systematically deliver on-line content and facilitate the learning experience around that content. There is still much confusion and misconceptions surrounding e-learning and learning management systems abound. This study will try and clarify some of these misconceptions. In e-learning systems, the effective use of information systems is especially relevant as it is used to educate the minds of the future. To ensure that e-learning systems of outstanding quality are being developed, it is therefore crucial that systems development methodologies are being used as they can have a significant impact on the development process. There is a dearth of empirical research available on the use and effectiveness of systems development methodologies in South Africa. This study aims, amongst other things to make a contribution to the availability of empirical results. By empirically evaluating the conceptual research model, utilising a survey as the main research method and statistically analysing the dataset, meaningful results were obtained. This study gave some insights into how learning management system procurement and development is being done in South Africa and revealed that the use of open-source systems currently exceeds the use of proprietary systems. The results of the research showed that systems development methodologies (e.g. Object-Oriented Analysis and Rapid Application Development) are being used effectively in the development of e-learning systems. Strong relationships exist between many of the systems development methodology factors identified (e.g. performance expectancy and the perceived support of the methodology) and the quality and productivity of the development process. This in turn has a strong influence on the impact systems development methodologies have on the quality of learning management systems. / MCom (Computer Science & Information Systems), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The main focus of this study is to determine if systems development methodologies are being utilised in the development of electronic learning systems in South Africa and if these methodologies are being applied effectively. Essentially this study can be viewed as exploratory research, utilising a conceptual research model to investigate the relationships between the constructs and measurements. Electronic learning, or e-learning, is being employed to educate millions of learners, students and employees around the world and it is a critical component of modern educational systems. E-learning systems, or learning management systems, as it is known in the field, sit at the heart of these educational systems and are used to systematically deliver on-line content and facilitate the learning experience around that content. There is still much confusion and misconceptions surrounding e-learning and learning management systems abound. This study will try and clarify some of these misconceptions. In e-learning systems, the effective use of information systems is especially relevant as it is used to educate the minds of the future. To ensure that e-learning systems of outstanding quality are being developed, it is therefore crucial that systems development methodologies are being used as they can have a significant impact on the development process. There is a dearth of empirical research available on the use and effectiveness of systems development methodologies in South Africa. This study aims, amongst other things to make a contribution to the availability of empirical results. By empirically evaluating the conceptual research model, utilising a survey as the main research method and statistically analysing the dataset, meaningful results were obtained. This study gave some insights into how learning management system procurement and development is being done in South Africa and revealed that the use of open-source systems currently exceeds the use of proprietary systems. The results of the research showed that systems development methodologies (e.g. Object-Oriented Analysis and Rapid Application Development) are being used effectively in the development of e-learning systems. Strong relationships exist between many of the systems development methodology factors identified (e.g. performance expectancy and the perceived support of the methodology) and the quality and productivity of the development process. This in turn has a strong influence on the impact systems development methodologies have on the quality of learning management systems. / MCom (Computer Science & Information Systems), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014