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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

Mentoring : professional learning in a quality learning circle.

Aman, Amira January 2014 (has links)
There is a wealth of literature on the induction and support of provisionally registered teachers (Boreen, 2009; Bubb, 2007; Cameron, Lovett, & Garvey Berger, 2007) and the key skills of mentoring (Achinstein & Athanases, 2006; Glickman, 2002). However literature on how to meet the professional learning needs of curriculum leaders developing their mentoring skill set has largely been ignored in leadership literature. This study, informed by MacBeath and Dempster’s (2009)concept of ‘leadership for learning’, upholds the need for leadership work to focus on the improvement of student outcomes (Barber & Fullan, 2005) rather than traditional approaches to education which focussed on making resources available to students. In an outcomes-focussed model of education, the needs of the students are at the forefront of all learning. By focussing on teachers’ professional learning through mentoring and the use of a teacher inquiry model, the students’ learning needs are prioritised. The focus for my study is the skillset of curriculum leaders for their work with teachers within their learning areas. The participants for this study were five curriculum leaders, all from the same secondary school. This intervention study investigated the factors which contributed to the professional learning of the mentors, their views of their leadership role and the kinds of learning about mentoring which were beneficial to understandings about mentoring. By focussing on key adult learning principles, structures that support learning, and attention to a mentoring skill set, the participants were supported to develop their mentoring skills. The mentors participated in a professional learning experience, referred to as a Quality Learning Circle (QLC), over one and a half school terms, to co-construct their understanding of mentoring practice. In a QLC the focus is on the learners seeking and making changes to their practice in a collaborative, supportive environment (Lovett & Verstappen, 2003). The mentors collaboratively developed new understandings through deliberate talk in the QLC about their shared interest in mentoring. They also had opportunities for immediate and practical application of their new knowledge. While they participated in the QLC they co-currently developed their mentoring skills by working with a mentee who taught in the same subject area as themselves. This study features a qualitative methodology with an interpretive case study of experienced curriculum leaders. Data collection tools included a gap analysis survey which explored their understandings of their school’s current professional learning opportunities. A second data source was a career questionnaire which explored their teaching history and experiences of professional learning. This was followed by initial interviews which focussed on how they interpreted their role of a curriculum leader and the extent they could connect leadership with students’ learning. I also analysed transcripts of QLC meetings, and the teachers’ reflective journals. Four of the mentors worked with a provisionally registered teacher (PRT), while one mentor chose to work with a more experienced colleague. This study offered a new type of collegial interaction for the teachers. The mentors chose their own goals, a mentee to work alongside and the direction of their learning about mentoring. The QLC met five times during the study and the mentors and participant researcher (PR) also kept a reflective journal. In between the QLC sessions the mentors met with their mentees to practise their mentoring skills, such as questioning skills, and the use of observational tools for classroom observations. A typical QLC session focussed on each of the mentors talking about the mentoring practice they had undertaken. The group provided support and guidance on possible next steps of practice. Readings and practical resources were also discussed and there was an expectation that the mentors would practice an aspect of mentoring and report back to the group at the next meeting. At the close of the study the mentors were re-interviewed to compare their views of their leadership role and learning from their initial interviews. An iterative process was used so that emerging understandings of the data could arise. The data is presented according to the three broad themes of ‘effective professional learning’, ‘leadership role’ and ‘professional learning about mentoring’. The findings of this study highlight the importance of collaborative learning opportunities for teachers where they can state and resolve practical issues in a supportive group (Cochran-Smith, Feiman-Nemser, McIntyre, & Association of Teacher Educators., 2008). Among all of the findings there were four major findings about the development of curriculum leaders’ mentoring skills: the value of opportunities for deliberate talk, the importance of teacher agency, the need for specific tools in developing mentoring practice, and the necessity of understanding the curriculum leaders’ leadership role. My detailed account of the experiences of the five curriculum leaders offers a practical example of what the development of curriculum leaders’ understandings of mentoring might look like. This study serves to highlight the challenges for schools to provide support for teachers wanting to take responsibility for their own professional learning. In the absence of any formalised leadership professional learning about mentoring for curriculum leaders, this study proved to be a useful study to demonstrate the potential of the QLC approach to support curriculum leaders in their understandings and practice of mentoring. The key findings of this study validate the need for further research on what is needed for effective mentoring to be an integral part of every school.
2

The influence of educational leadership on quality teaching and learning of high school mathematics

Fortune, Ronald Arthur January 2020 (has links)
Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / I address the relevance of quality learning and teaching in South African high schools’ as it relates to the strategic direction provided by high school leadership for the benefit of knowledge economies and higher learning institutions. The main research question is: “How does educational leadership influence the quality of learning and teaching of high school mathematics?” The research was framed within a confirmatory study viewing quality learning and teaching from a doing mathematics perspective, within the context of a community of practice acknowledging that school leadership can also be situated within the same practice, i.e. doing mathematics. The research was qualitatively designed to employ unstructured, semi-structured and focus group discussion interviews with the school leaders, teachers and students respectively. These enquiries were conducted within six high schools’ representatives of all previously South African demographical perspectives. The analysis was conducted through interpretive phenomenological analysis for sensemaking of situational leadership within a mathematical practice. The findings of the research lacked “doing mathematical” depth, beyond students and teachers. Explanatory findings of a grounded theoretical analysis yielded a school leadership’s silence on quality learning and teaching of mathematics contrary to the literature review’s expectation. The significance of the study lies in the possibilities associated with an under-research stakeholder to the development of quality learning and teaching of mathematics and meeting the expectations of knowledge economies and higher educational institutions.
3

Kvalitetsarbete i vården : Skillnaden i kvalitetsarbetet inom offentlig och privat verksamhet – sektor vård och omsorg / Quality work in healthcare : The difference in the quality work in public and private organizations - sector care and nursing

Andersson, Julia, Olsson, Wilma January 2022 (has links)
Bakgrund: Sveriges vård och omsorg har sviktat de senaste åren vilket har gjort att frågan om vilken vårdleverantör en kund ska välja uppmärksammats. Det finns olika faktorer som har en inverkan på kundens val, bland annat förtroende och kvaliteten för tjänsten. Där kommer valet mellan offentlig och privat vård in. Därigenom har frågan om vinst i välfärden lyfts, och vad som egentligen är skillnaden mellan privat och offentlig vård och omsorg. Kvalitetsarbetet blir således det som ger förtroendet för vården. För att kunna utveckla den kvaliteten som kunden efterfrågar behöver ett lärande finnas i verksamheten. Utan lärande kan inte kvalitetsarbetet utvecklas och det sviktande förtroendet för vården återstår. Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen ämnar undersöka begreppet kvalitetsarbete och hur privata samt offentliga aktörer inom vård och omsorg arbetar med fenomenet. Studien vill uppnå en ökad förståelse för hur kvalitetsutveckling bedrivs inom olika verksamheter. Studien har för avsikt att jämföra den privata vård- och omsorgssektorn med den offentliga för att få en så stor överblick och insikt i ämnet som möjligt. Teoretisk referensram: Föreliggande studie använder teorier och begrepp som exempelvis new public management, kaizen och lärande organisationer. Kärnbegreppen som studien bygger på är ständiga förbättringar, vilket kommer från kaizen, och organisatorisk lärande. Dessa utgör kvalitetsarbetet i en verksamhet och är därav sammankopplade. Dessa teorier kommer att stöjda studiens undersökning av skillnaderna mellan privat och offentlig verksamhet. Metod: Studien använde en kvalitativ forskningsansats, där semistrukturerade intervjuer utgjorde den huvudsakliga datainsamlingen och kompletterades med en dokumentanalys. Studien undersökte två fallstudieorganisationer, vilket gjorde att en triangulering utfördes. Slutsats: Det studien indikerade var att privata verksamheter känner en stark press för att både leverera till sina aktieägare och till sina kunder, vilket blir en paradox där vinstmaximering och god service möts. Offentliga verksamheter har en automatisk tillgång till brukare vilket gör att de inte känner samma påtryckningar. Generellt indikerade studien att kvalitetsarbetet inom organisationerna var liknande, det som skiljde sig kom framförallt ifrån skillnader inom arbetssätten. Privata verksamheter arbetar mer med att skapa konkurrenskraftiga tjänster, där lärande och konkurrenskraft kan kopplas samman. Det kan i sin tur härledas till att offentliga verksamheter inte känner samma press att arbeta konkurrenskraftigt.
4

The implications of the out of field phenomenon for school management

Du Plessis, Anna Elizabeth 30 November 2005 (has links)
The out of field phenomenon, that is, educators who teach outside their field of expertise, adds complexity to the education environment. This growing phenomenon in South African schools impacts colleagues, learners, parents, governing bodies and school management. Teaching characteristics that ensure success in classrooms are threatened by the out of field phenomenon. It puts extra strain on school management's responsibility to provide quality management and jeopardises effective teaching and quality learning. This problem was investigated by a literature study and an empirical investigation using a qualitative approach. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with selected participants who shared their experiences of the phenomenon. Findings indicated that the existence of the out of field phenomenon should be recognised in order to provide substantial educator support and sufficient staff development programmes. It is recommended that new evidence-informed knowledge about the out of field phenomenon can contribute to improve effective decision making and policy developing in this regard. / Education management / M.Ed.
5

Managing the quality of learning in higher education through a hybrid study approach

Van Tonder, Silna 02 1900 (has links)
Technology and globalisation has shaped the experiences and expectations of adult learners in the 21st century. How adults learn and what they want to learn is highly influenced by the world they live in at any given time. The need for customisation, extending traditional learning experiences into new learning experiences will address the quality and value of higher education learning in South Africa. Restructuring of current programmes to be more flexible, accessible, interactive, that supports collaboration of learning activities and accommodates different learning styles, will enrich the adult learners’ learning experience and quality of learning. In suggesting the use of an alternative learning strategy, the use of a hybrid study approach (HSA) has been suggested and investigated. Limited research has been conducted in the use of a hybrid study approach (HSA) and more on what has been said was conducted on pure online learning, therefore this study focused on managing the quality of learning in higher education through a hybrid study approach (HSA). Since the researcher’s interest was to gain insight and understanding of learners’, tutors’ and institutional managements’ perceptions, understanding, concerns and experiences in their real world conditions when using a hybrid study approach (HSA), the qualitative research method was applied. The researcher focused on the micro-level of managing quality of learning by assessing the ‘learning’ when learning with technology. The study adhered to ethical principles and techniques to enhance the validity of the findings. The study found that a need for redress and reform of training and education in South Africa, especially with the integration of technology in higher education, extending into a hybrid study approach (HSA), which is in harmony with international standards of academic quality, knowledge, expertise and skills is needed in a changing global economy. A one-for-all learning approach was found not well suited for the needs of society today and does not foster an all-inclusive learning approach. The move to a knowledge society where learners are interconnected and where information circulate around the world faster than ever, it is evident that much learning occurs in a social environment and does not happen in splendid isolation. It was found evident that life demands and other different roles adult learners need to fulfill, adults intentionally search for educational settings that support their way of learning. / Education Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)
6

The implications of the out of field phenomenon for school management

Du Plessis, Anna Elizabeth 30 November 2005 (has links)
The out of field phenomenon, that is, educators who teach outside their field of expertise, adds complexity to the education environment. This growing phenomenon in South African schools impacts colleagues, learners, parents, governing bodies and school management. Teaching characteristics that ensure success in classrooms are threatened by the out of field phenomenon. It puts extra strain on school management's responsibility to provide quality management and jeopardises effective teaching and quality learning. This problem was investigated by a literature study and an empirical investigation using a qualitative approach. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with selected participants who shared their experiences of the phenomenon. Findings indicated that the existence of the out of field phenomenon should be recognised in order to provide substantial educator support and sufficient staff development programmes. It is recommended that new evidence-informed knowledge about the out of field phenomenon can contribute to improve effective decision making and policy developing in this regard. / Education management / M.Ed.
7

Managing the quality of learning in higher education through a hybrid study approach

Van Tonder, Silna 02 1900 (has links)
Technology and globalisation has shaped the experiences and expectations of adult learners in the 21st century. How adults learn and what they want to learn is highly influenced by the world they live in at any given time. The need for customisation, extending traditional learning experiences into new learning experiences will address the quality and value of higher education learning in South Africa. Restructuring of current programmes to be more flexible, accessible, interactive, that supports collaboration of learning activities and accommodates different learning styles, will enrich the adult learners’ learning experience and quality of learning. In suggesting the use of an alternative learning strategy, the use of a hybrid study approach (HSA) has been suggested and investigated. Limited research has been conducted in the use of a hybrid study approach (HSA) and more on what has been said was conducted on pure online learning, therefore this study focused on managing the quality of learning in higher education through a hybrid study approach (HSA). Since the researcher’s interest was to gain insight and understanding of learners’, tutors’ and institutional managements’ perceptions, understanding, concerns and experiences in their real world conditions when using a hybrid study approach (HSA), the qualitative research method was applied. The researcher focused on the micro-level of managing quality of learning by assessing the ‘learning’ when learning with technology. The study adhered to ethical principles and techniques to enhance the validity of the findings. The study found that a need for redress and reform of training and education in South Africa, especially with the integration of technology in higher education, extending into a hybrid study approach (HSA), which is in harmony with international standards of academic quality, knowledge, expertise and skills is needed in a changing global economy. A one-for-all learning approach was found not well suited for the needs of society today and does not foster an all-inclusive learning approach. The move to a knowledge society where learners are interconnected and where information circulate around the world faster than ever, it is evident that much learning occurs in a social environment and does not happen in splendid isolation. It was found evident that life demands and other different roles adult learners need to fulfill, adults intentionally search for educational settings that support their way of learning. / Education Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)
8

Student Perceptions of Quality Learning Experiences in Online Learning Environments

Rhoads, Jamie 18 April 2023 (has links)
No description available.
9

Managing the quality of employability development in higher education through blended learning : a comparative study

Van Tonder, Silna 30 September 2019 (has links)
The fourth industrial revolution and twenty-first century employability development has emerged on education and political agendas as a priority all over the world. Researchers have suggested and investigated more innovative learning experiences using technology as part of a blended learning approach. Restructuring current programmes to include skills development has the potential to equip students with the skills needed for employment. The development of blended learning approaches is an expanding field in both developing and developed countries. Yet, the skills graduates display and employers’ dissatisfaction is a concern. Limited research has been conducted on the use of blended learning to enhance employability development in formal learning environments. Most of the available research relies on employer perceptions, with little data available on the knowledge, skills and values graduates actually possess or on the impact this has on employability outcomes. This study aims to address this gap by focussing on managing the quality of employability development in higher education using blended learning. The study was aimed at gaining insight into the perceptions, understanding, concerns and experiences of institutional managers, tutors, graduates and students in their real world when using blended learning to enhance graduateness. This aim made the qualitative research method a suitable match. This thesis reports on the resulting comparative study between a South African and an American institution using different blended learning approaches to compare different cases for similarities and variations. The South African higher education sector’s fitness for purpose and pursuit of benchmarking against international standards of academic quality, knowledge and expertise calls for redress and reform of teaching-learning. In the fourth industrial revolution with a 21st century knowledge economy, driven from a macro- meso- and microlevel perspective, higher education in South Africa has the potential to provide a workforce that is socially and economically viable and more inclusive. The thesis concludes with a model to support employability development in blended learning environments. / Uphuhliso lwezakhono nokuqesheka ngenkulungwane yamashumi amabini nanye,zivele kwii-ajenda yezemfundo kunye nezopolitiko njengeziqaqambileyo kwihlabathi jikelele. Abaphengululi bacebisile kwaye baphanda ngamanye amava amaninzi amatsha okufunda besebenzisa itheknoloji njengenxalenye yokuvelela ukufunda ngokuhlanganisiweyo/ngokudibeneyo. Ukulungiswa kwakhona iinkqubo ezikhoyo kubandakanywa uphuhliso lwezakhono kunako ukubaxhobisa abafundi ngezakhono ezifunekayo kwingqesho. Uphuhliso lokuvelela ukufunda okudibeneyo/okuhlangeneyo ngummandla owandayo kumazwe asakhulayo naselekhulile. Kunjalo, izakhono eziboniswa ngabafundi abanemfundo ephakamileyo,zibanga inkxalabo kubaqeshi. Uphando oluncinane luqhutyiwe ekusetyenzisweni kokufunda okuhlanganisiweyo ukuphucula uphuhliso lokuqeshwa kwiindawo zokufunda ezisemthethweni. Uninzi lophando olukhoyo luxhomekeka kwiimbono zomqeshi, onolwazi oluncinane kulwazi, izakhono kunye neenqobo ezisemgangathweni abafundi abanemfundo ephakamileyo ngokwenene abanazo okanye kwifuthe le nto enalo kwiziphumo zokuqesheka. Esi sifundo(Olu phononongo) sijolise ekuxazululeni/ ekudibeni lo msantsa ngokugxila ekulawuleni umgangatho wophuhliso lokuqesheka kwimfundo ephakamileyo kusetyenziswa ukufunda okuhlangeneyo. Uhlolisiso lwalujoliswe ekufumaneni ingqiqo kwiimbono, ekuqondeni, iinkxalabo kunye namava abalawuli beziko, abafundisi, abafundi kwizifundo zemfundo ephakamileyo abaphumeleleyo nabafundi kwilizwe labo lokwenene xa befunda ngendlela yokudibanisa ukufunda ukuphucula impumelelo yabo yokuba beneziqu. Le njongo yenza indlela yophando olusemgangathweni lufaneleke. Le ngxelo yeengcingane ezibhaliweyo engqinelwe zizixhobo ekukhutshweni kwengxelo kwizifundo zothelekiso phakathi kweziko loMzantsi Afrika neziko laseMerika kusetyenziswa uvelelo lwezifundo zokufunda ngokudibeneyo ezahlukileyo ukuthelekisa imiba eyahlukileyo kwefanayo kunye neyeleleneyo. Ukufanelekeka kwecandelo lemfundo ephakamileyo eMzantsi Afrika ngenjongo kunye nokulangazelela (nokusukela) imilinganiselo esemgangathweni yemilinganiselo yemfundo yamazwe ngamazwe, ulwazi kunye nobuchule bokulungisa nokutshintshwa kokufundisa nokufunda. Ngolwazi lwezoqoqosho lwenkulungwane yamashumi amabini nanye, oluqhutywa ngokwembono yenqanaba elikhuluu, eliphakathi nelincinane, imfundo ephakamileyo eMzantsi Afrika inokukwazi ukubonelela ngabasebenzi abafanelekileyo ngokwentlalo nangokwezoqoqosho kwaye ibandakanye okuninzi. Le thisisi iphetha okanye iphela ngemodeli/ ngomzekelo ukuxhasa uphuhliso lokuqesheka kwiindawo zokufunda ngokudibeneyo. / Ukuthuthukiswa kwamakhono kanye nokuqasheka kwabafundi abaphuma ezikhungweni zemfundo ephakeme kuleli khulu-nyaka lama-21 sekubonakala njengento eseqhulwini ezinhlelweni zezemfundo kanye nezepolitiki emhlabeni wonke jikelele. Abacwaningi sebephakamise futhi bacubungula izindlela nezinqubo zokufunda ezintsha kusetshenziswa ubuchwepheshe njengengxenye yokufunda okuxubile. Ukuhlelwa kabusha kwezinhlelo ezikhona njengamanje ngenhloso yokubandakanya ukuthuthukiswa kwamakhono kungabahlinzeka abafundi ngamakhono adingekayo ukuze baqashwe. Ukuthuthukiswa kwezindlela zokufunda okuxubile kungumkhakha okhulayo emazweni asathuthuka ngokunjalo nasemazweni asethuthukile. Kodwa-ke nakuba kunjalo, amakhono aboniswa ngabafundi abaphuma ezikhungweni zemfundo ephakeme, kanye nokungagculiseki kwabaqashi, kuseyinto edala ukukhathazeka impela. Lukhona ucwaningo oluncane oselwenziwe mayelana nokusetshenziswa kwezindlela zokufunda okuxubile ngenhloso yokuphucula ukuthuthukiswa kokuqasheka kwabafundi abaphuma ezikhungweni zemfundo ephakeme ngaphansi kwezimo zokufunda ezihlelekile. Ucwaningo oluningi olukhona njengamanje luthembele emibonweni yabaqashi, futhi kunedatha encane kakhulu ekhona mayelana nolwazi, amakhono kanye nezimompilo abanazo abafundi asebephothule iziqu zabo noma idatha ephathelene nomthelela walokhu emiphumeleni yokuqasheka kwabo. Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukuvala leli gebe ngokuthi lugxile ekuphatheni nokulawula ikhwalithi yokuthuthukiswa kokuqasheka kwabafundi asebephothule iziqu zabo ezikhungweni zemfundo ephakeme ngokusebenzisa ukufunda okuxubile. Ngalolu cwaningo kwabe kuhloswe ukuthola ulwazi olunzulu mayelana nemibono, ukuqonda, ukukhathazeka kanye nezimo abadlule kuzona abaphathi bezikhungo, abafundisi, abafundi asebephothule iziqu zabo kanye nezitshudeni esimweni soqobo abaphila ngaphansi kwaso lapho kusetshenziswa ukufunda okuxubile ukuze kwenziwe ngcono amathuba abo okuthi babe sebezuze ulwazi namakhono anohlonze ngenkathi bephothula iziqu zabo. Le nhloso yenza ukuthi indlela yocwaningo olukhwalithethivu kube ngefanelekile kulolu cwaningo. Le thisisi ihlinzeka umbiko mayelana nocwaningo lokuqhathanisa oluwumphumela walokhu olwenziwe phakathi kwesikhungo saseNingizimu Afrika kanye nesikhungo saseMelika kusetshenziswa izindlela ezihlukahlukene zokufunda okuxubile ngenhloso yokuqhathanisa izimo ezihlukahlukene ukuze kubhekwe izinto ezifanayo kanye nalezo ezihlukile kulezo zimo. Ukufaneleka komkhakha wezemfundo ephakeme waseNingizimu Afrika ukuqhathaniseka namazinga amazwe ngamazwe ekhwalithi yezemfundo, ulwazi kanye nobungoti kudinga ukuthi kulungiswe konke lokho okungahanjiswanga ngendlela efanele esikhathini esedlule futhi kulethwe izinguquko emkhakheni wezokufunda nokufundisa. Emnothweni wolwazi wekhulu-nyaka lama-21, oqhutshwa ngokwezinga elibanzi, elimaphakathi kanye nelincane, umkhakha wemfundo ephakeme unawo amandla okuhlinzeka ngabasebenzi abangaletha impumelelo nokusimama kwezenhlalo nakwezomnotho, futhi okungabasebenzi ababandakanya izinhlobo zabantu abavela emikhakheni yempilo ehlukahlukene kanye nasezigabeni zomphakathi ezihlukahlukene. Le thisisi iphothula ngokuhlinzeka ngemodeli ezosekela ukuthuthukiswa kokuqasheka kwabafundi ngaphansi kwezimo zokufunda okuxubile. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Ed. (Education Management)
10

Managing mobile learning in a higher education environment / Olivier V.

Olivier, Vanessa January 2011 (has links)
The aim of this study is to conduct a thorough theoretical study on mobile learning (mlearning) in order to achieve the primary objective of the study which is to develop a general framework to implement and manage mobile technologies in a higher education environment. The focus of the literature study was to research the state of mobile technologies and their relevance to teaching and learning. The literature study investigate the implications of mobile technologies for students, lecturers and thus for the institution and provided an overview of frameworks found in literature with the emphasis on the management of m–learning within the higher education institution. M–learning is part of a new mobile conception of society, with the mobility of the technologies impacting on the mobility of the students, the lecturers and ultimately on the mobility of higher education. Literature suggests that, while m–learning is proving to be innovative, the factors that most strongly impact on the ultimate success or failure of mlearning will depend on human factors, the balancing of technological ideals and pedagogical imperatives, and the successful management of the interface between human educational systems and technology systems. The proposed general framework focuses on addressing key issues related to m–learning from the perspective of the student, the lecturer and thus the institution. In order to remain competitive higher education needs to be diligent in maintaining the complex technology infrastructure that supports a thriving mobile culture that will meet and exceed the expectations of both lecturers and students. The empirical research conducted had as objectives to investigate the mobile technology assets of respondents with regard to the hardware and the software that they own, the mobile technology actions of respondents in regard to what they do with the mobile technology that they own and to investigate the respondent's attitude towards mobile technologies. A survey was designed and distributed to a sampling of the academic staff and students of the North–West University (NWU) in South Africa, specifically the Potchefstroom Campus. There is ample proof from the empirical study that there is a gap with regard to the level of accessibility, usage, and attitude with regards to the different interest groups in the higher education environment. Higher education institutions should invest in investigating these gaps further and in leveraging off the benefits of the effective management of these technologies to improve teaching and learning. The final chapter concludes with a summary of the secondary objectives researched in the literature (Chapter two) and empirical research (Chapter three) chapters in order to support recommendations towards the primary objective of this study. The rapid pace of adoption and advancement of mobile technologies creates opportunities for new and innovative services provided through such mobile devices. Higher education finds itself in the early innings of the mobile Internet pulling both lecturers and students towards the same place: smaller, faster, cheaper devices working together in a web of connectivity. Recommendations were made in this final chapter on how higher education institutions can leverage the benefits of the effective management of mobile technologies to improve teaching and learning. M–learning has the potential to increase the capacity of higher education through improving efficiency and productivity of teaching and learning. Mlearning could address challenges related to quality of teaching such as continuous professional training, lifelong upgrading, connecting with academics worldwide and communicating effectively with students. Higher education is discovering the potential of mlearning to promote student engagement and improving the quality of learning. Management of higher education institutions and systems, management of policymaking including storage and analysis of data, construction and assessment of policy scenarios, and tracer studies or academic tracking systems can be improved through the use of m–learning. Mobile technologies will continue to increasingly become an integral part of students' and lecturers' private and day to day lives and m–learning will be integral in educational content delivery. Additional research is required to study the effective and optimal implementation of m–learning. A better understanding of the benefits and leverage thereof is required and additional research should provide answers to these questions. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

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