Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The emergence and subsequent uptake of Information and Communication Technologies has transformed the research processes in universities and research institutions across the globe. One indelible impact of Information and Communication Technologies on the research process is the increased generation of research data in digital format. This study investigated how research data has been generated, organised, shared, stored, preserved, accessed and re-used in Malawian public universities with a view to proposing a framework for research data management in universities in Malawi. The objectives of the study were: to determine research data creation, sharing and re-use practices in public universities in Malawi; to investigate research data preservation practices in public universities in Malawi; to investigate the competencies that librarians and researchers need to effectively manage research data; and to find out the challenges that affect the management of research data in public universities in Malawi. Apart from being guided by the Community Capability Model Framework (Lyon, Ball, Duke & Day, 2011) and Data Curation Centre Lifecycle Model (Higgins, 2008), the study was inspired by the pragmatic school of thought which is the basis for a mixed methods research enabling the collection of quantitative and qualitative data from two purposively selected universities. A census was used to identify researchers and librarians while purposive sampling was used to identify directors of research. Questionnaires were used to collect mostly quantitative and some qualitative data from 36 librarians and 187 researchers while interviews were conducted with directors of research. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used to analyse the quantitative data by producing percentages, means, independent samples ttest and one-way analysis of variance. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data.

Mémoire en recherche-création / Le dispositif connu du public sous l'appellation "réalité virtuelle" propose une expérience multisensorielle qui encourage à repenser nos habitudes de perception spectatorielle. Avec le volet recherche, j’élabore une réflexion sur la représentation du réel au cinéma pour mieux cerner le rapport qu’entretient le spectateur avec l’image. Menée dans un souci d’envisager conjointement « récit » et « dispositif », la perspective qui est la nôtre consiste à se pencher sur le processus de collaboration du spectateur et à examiner comment, avec la réalité virtuelle, le « pacte de représentation » et le « cognitivisme spectatoriel » se voient bouleversés. Pour cela, nous élargirons notre étude en nous appuyant sur les aspects techniques de la réalité virtuelle relatifs au photoréalisme et à l’immersion sensorimotrice. Le volet création — qui prend la forme d’un court-métrage en réalité-virtuelle — explore le thème de l’art de la mémoire à partir de l’étude de certains lieux réels qui l’abrite. L’histoire se déroule dix ans après qu’un événement d’origine inconnu ait décimé la population mondiale. Estéban, qui a survécu au mal mystérieux alors qu’il était enfant, entame une exploration des paysages architecturaux désormais en ruine, il parviendra à trouver une passion dans la photographie. Le procédé narratologique de « mise en abyme » utilisé dans ce court-métrage nous fournira une première clé pour ouvrir des pistes vers une réflexion sur la fictionnalisation dans son rapport avec d’autres phénomènes artistiques et représentationnels, notamment la pratique contemporaine appelé « urbex ». / The device known to the public as "virtual reality" offers a multisensory experience that encourages rethinking our habits of spectator perception. With the research component, I develop a reflection on the representation of reality in the cinema to better understand the relationship between the viewer and the image. Conducted with a view to jointly considering "narrative" and "device" our perspective is to look at the process of collaboration of the viewer, and to examine how with virtual reality, the "pact of representation" and the "spectatorial cognitivism" are upset. To do this, we will expand our study by relying on the technical aspects of virtual reality related to photorealism and sensorimotor immersion. The creation component, which takes the form of a short film in virtual reality, will explore the theme of the art of memory from the study of some real places that shelters it. The story takes place 10 years after an event of unknown origin decimated the world's population. Estéban, who survived the mysterious evil as a child, begins an exploration of architectural landscapes now in ruins, he will find a passion in photography. The narratological process of "mise en abyme" used in this short film will provide us with a first key to open avenues towards a reflection on fictionalization in its relationship with other artistic and representational phenomena, notably the contemporary practice called "urbex". .

In a world that faces global warming and other major environmental challenges, it is essential that students learn about the principles of sustainability so that they can apply these principles in their future lives and careers. This is particularly so in fields such as interior architecture and design, which will impact how well humans can move toward a sustainable way of life. The aim of the present study was to evaluate a participatory teaching approach for students of interior design that incorporates ecological thinking. It is particularly intended for use at universities and other places of higher education where such contexts are not currently available and, furthermore, where the teaching has been primarily of a didactic, teacher-centred form. The teaching approach was developed and tested through the involvement of students and staff at a technical institute in Kuwait – a country with severe environmental problems in which teaching at all levels has traditionally been rigidly didactic. A review was carried out of literature on learning theories, design principles, and sustainability paradigms that bore upon the research aim. Following this, a method was chosen, based on action research that involved running different types of workshops, in order to measure the impact of the teaching styles that are ideal to deliver ecological knowledge.

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