Higher education landscape in South Africa could not escape the transformation which was necessary to ensure that South Africans receive quality higher education without any unfair discriminatory criterion. The 36 higher education institutions had to be merged and reduced to 21 and form a single coordinated higher education for the country. Tshwane University of Technology as a university with a multi-site institution has also resulted from this transformation agenda of the government. This merger is constituted by former Technikons Pretoria, Northern Gauteng and North-West. As a multi-site institution, managing other learning sites which used to be independent with their respective senior management structures became more challenging. An Interim Vice-Chancellor during the merger period appointed campus directors as an attempt to address challenges faced and discontent among staff and student. This study endeavours to describe and determine the roles of these Campus Directors in the institutional decision-making process of the University. / Public Administration / M. Tech. (Public Management)

This thesis explores the use of an online robotics course, in the context of Technology Education, for senior secondary school students in an urban New Zealand (NZ) school. The reasons for using an online course are discussed through investigating the need for quality resources to assist schools in providing students with appropriate learning experiences, and knowledge to enable them to make informed choices with respect to technology careers. There is a shortage of students pursuing technology careers and that in turn influences the NZ economy (Baron & McLaren, 2006). The purpose of the study was to examine how an online robotics course can be used for teaching robotics and engaging students in a blended environment. The author planned, implemented, monitored and reviewed an online course in robotics through an action research approach using formative evaluation methods to determine the effectiveness of the individual action research cycles. After reflection at the end of each AR cycle, the online course was modified and updated to improve student engagement. Qualitative methods were used to analyse online discussions, classroom observations and discussions, and one to one interviews with the participants. Research findings identified four themes that influenced student engagement with the online robotics course: access to the online course, the students’ background knowledge and skills, the students’ interaction with the online course and the students’ conation or internal motivation. The research findings are discussed in terms of areas that need to be addressed when using an online course to teach robotics. These areas are the course design, student considerations and course implementation. Course design, or how the course is structured, includes opportunities for students to develop their thinking skills, experiences and activities for learning, and opportunities for conversation and interaction. Course design must also accommodate student considerations. Student considerations focus on the needs of the learners and their readiness to ensure successful engagement in the online course in terms of their background knowledge and skills in electronics and Web 2.0 tools, their conation and their key competencies. Course implementation includes the factors that need to be taken into account in the execution of the online course such as reliable access to the online course, the students’ interactions with the online course, and the learning culture of the school and classroom, and the role of the teacher. The thesis justifies the rational for using an online robotics course and describes how an online robotics course can address and advance student learning outcomes, how online tools can be used for assessment purposes, the aspects of course design that are successful for teaching robotics and online learning experiences that provide positive outcomes for students. Recommendations for teaching practice in terms of school-wide programmes to develop and support students’ digital literacy and key competencies, and teacher professional development in Technology Education and online robotics courses are provided. Suggestions for future research are given in terms of student conation, the development of critical thinking skills through forums and how teachers’ philosophies can be aligned to Technology Education and the intent of the NZ Curriculum.

Higher education landscape in South Africa could not escape the transformation which was necessary to ensure that South Africans receive quality higher education without any unfair discriminatory criterion. The 36 higher education institutions had to be merged and reduced to 21 and form a single coordinated higher education for the country. Tshwane University of Technology as a university with a multi-site institution has also resulted from this transformation agenda of the government. This merger is constituted by former Technikons Pretoria, Northern Gauteng and North-West. As a multi-site institution, managing other learning sites which used to be independent with their respective senior management structures became more challenging. An Interim Vice-Chancellor during the merger period appointed campus directors as an attempt to address challenges faced and discontent among staff and student. This study endeavours to describe and determine the roles of these Campus Directors in the institutional decision-making process of the University. / Public Administration and Management / M. Tech. (Public Management)

Krátká, M.: My city a century ago [Diploma Thesis] Praha 2014 - Charles University, Faculty of Education, Art Education Department, 135 p. The diploma thesis focuses on cross-curricular connection of two educational areas; The Art and Culture - Art education and "Man and His World". The thesis also analyzes textbooks of the "Man and His World" educational area and determines how and to what extent it is focused on the theme of home, region, the past, identity of subject and places of public area. The empirical part consists of an educational project closely linking the curriculum of art education with curriculum of the subject "Man and His World". It focuses on primary education and it's goal is to effectively educate children about the history of the town they live in using interdisciplinary approach. The educational project is based on theoretical findings stated in the theoretical part of the diploma thesis. It is also set to the context of contemporary art but in comparison to modern art it seems to be based more traditionally. Key words: Interdisciplinarity, Art Education, school subject, educational domain, Project-Based Learning, site, memory of the site, community, Site-specific art.

Durch den Einsatz digitaler Technologien ergeben sich auch im Rahmen der beruflichen Bildung neue Möglichkeiten zur digitalisierten Dokumentation von Wissen und Verfügbarmachung von Informationen für die beteiligten Alteurinnen und Akteure. Dieser Beitrag zeigt, inwiefern eine digitale Lernortkooperation unter Gesichtspunkten des Wissenstransfers mithilfe eines Online-Berichtsheftes umgesetzt werden kann. Dazu wird das vom BMBF geförderte Verbundprojekt ‚Diffusion digitaler Technologien in der beruflichen Bildung durch Lernortkooperation‘ (DiBBLok) vorgestellt und inblicke in die Ergebnisse einer quantiativen Strukturdatenanalyse des Online-Berichtsheftes BLok gegeben.