The purpose of study was to explore and describe the student nurses’ experiences of teaching and learning through simulation. The study was conducted at one public college of nursing located in the city of Tshwane in the Gauteng province of South Africa. A quantitative exploratory and descriptive design was used to achieve the objectives of the study. The selected population comprised second year student nurses registered for the programme of education and training leading to registration as a nurse (general, psychiatric and community) and Midwife (R425, 1985; paragraph (iii) as amended) at the selected college of nursing. The number of registered second year student nurses was 250, and it was found to be manageable and adequate for data analysis. Consequently, the whole population was included in the survey and no sampling procedures were carried out. Data were collected by means of a self-administered structured questionnaire and STATA 14 program was used for data analysis. According to the results of the study, student nurses’ experiences of teaching and learning through simulation were positive. The results showed that teaching and learning through simulation led to significant increases in knowledge and skills acquisition among student nurses who took part in the study. In addition, the student nurses’ attitude to teaching and learning through simulation were positive. However, based on the findings of the literature review on trends and best practice standards for simulation, it is recommended that the college introduces high virtual technology simulation as it is only using low and medium fidelity simulation. This will ensure that the college is up to date with trends and best practice standards for simulation, and for improving simulation teaching learning outcomes for large number of student nurses. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing Science)

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Practical work is regarded as an essential part of learning; hence most tertiary institutions have included a practical component in their physics courses. There is a concern about the effectiveness of the practical work in most universities. The present study is a case study that assessed the contributions of simulations on Foundation Physics students’ practical work. In assessing the contribution of simulations, two tests, Determining and Interpreting Resistive Electric Circuits Concepts Test (DIRECT) and the Test of Integrated Science Process Skills (TISP) were used. A class test, observations and worksheets from students’ practical work were analyzed and interviews with a selected group were conducted. There were 20 Foundation Physics students participating from the University of Limpopo. Results indicated that the simulations contributed positively on students’ understanding of electric circuits. However the study revealed that the students who did simulations do not differ from those who did not do the simulations with regards to the development of process skills. / Institute of Science and Technology Education / M.Sc. (Physics Education)

Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Division of Information and Communication Sciences, Computing Department, 2008. / Bibliography: p. 503-514. / This study investigated learning design in a web-conferencing environment based on three semesters of lessons conducted as part of an introductory programming subject. As well as characterizing the nature of discourse and interaction, the study focused on how the design of the interface, activity and task type affected collaboration and learning. Engeström's (1987) Activity Theory based upon a socio-constructivist view of learning was used to frame the analysis. --Interface designs incorporated theory relating to graphical user interface design, multimedia learning, and findings from the cognitive sciences. Activity designs were differentiated based on the degree of student ownership, from teacher-centred (transmissive) approaches, to teacher-led (guided interaction) approaches, to student-centred (collaborative group-work) designs. Types of tasks were considered on the basis of their level of knowledge (declarative, procedural and conceptual), their character (authenticity, situatedness) and their domain specific nature (in the field of computer science education). The effects of the different interface, activity and task designs on collaboration and mental model formation were explored. --A mixed method approach to analysis was adopted, incorporating a design-based research study and a multimodal discourse analysis. The design-based research allowed a broader, more interpretivistic and process focused analysis to be conducted, based on the strategic redesigns that occurred between iterations of the subject. The multimodal discourse analysis enabled more detailed, objective and outcomes based measurements of the subject of discourse, the nature of interactions and the types of modalities used to mediate learning. Triangulating data from the design-based research study and the multimodal discourse analysis provided a more complete description of phenomena and promoted greater reliability. --Results include the way in which different modalities afforded different possibilities for representing, and how combinations of those modalities could be effectively integrated by applying multimedia learning principles. Student-centred learning designs increased student involvement, allowing them to take greater ownership over the content and to more fully share their mental models. Authentic, meaningful problem solving tasks promoted greater student engagement. The capacity to dynamically redesign the interface based on the collaborative and cognitive requirements of the learning episode supported more effective implementation of conversational (Laurillard, 2002) approaches to learning. --More effective interaction and collaboration resulted from prescribing patterns of engagement, managing activity and technology so that student discourse could focus on content, and providing guidance regarding semiotic representational forms so that students could concentrate on applying those representations rather than inventing them. Teacher and student virtual classroom competencies critically influenced collaboration and learning. --Based on the findings in this study, a framework of nine pedagogical patterns for teaching and learning in web-conferencing environments is proposed. The framework provides an integrated approach to learning design that relates the interface design with the activity design and the level of knowledge (task type). / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / vii, 514 p. ill. (some col.)

Practical work is regarded as an essential part of learning; hence most tertiary institutions have included a practical component in their physics courses. There is a concern about the effectiveness of the practical work in most universities. The present study is a case study that assessed the contributions of simulations on Foundation Physics students’ practical work. In assessing the contribution of simulations, two tests, Determining and Interpreting Resistive Electric Circuits Concepts Test (DIRECT) and the Test of Integrated Science Process Skills (TISP) were used. A class test, observations and worksheets from students’ practical work were analyzed and interviews with a selected group were conducted. There were 20 Foundation Physics students participating from the University of Limpopo. Results indicated that the simulations contributed positively on students’ understanding of electric circuits. However the study revealed that the students who did simulations do not differ from those who did not do the simulations with regards to the development of process skills. / Institute of Science and Technology Education / M.Sc. (Physics Education)

Le bruit de la circulation routière, et en particulier le bruit des deux-roues motorisés, constituent une importante source de gêne sonore. Afin d’estimer l’exposition sonore dans les villes de plus 100 000 habitants, la directive européenne 2002/49/CE impose la réalisation de cartes de bruit stratégiques, basées sur l’indice Lden. Cet indice est également utilisé dans des relations exposition-réponse, afin de prédire les pourcentages de personnes gênées, notamment par le bruit du trafic routier. En couplant les cartes de bruit stratégiques et ces relations exposition-réponse, des cartes de gêne pourraient être établies. Toutefois, la pertinence de cet indice pour prédire la gêne due au bruit en milieu urbain est souvent remise en cause, car de nombreux facteurs acoustiques influents (e.g. les caractéristiques spectrales et temporelles) ne sont pas pris en compte par cet indice. Cette thèse vise à améliorer la caractérisation de la gêne due au bruit de trafic routier urbain en considérant différentes compositions de trafic et la présence des deux-roues motorisés. Dans ce but, des expériences sont menées en conditions contrôlées. Une première étude a porté sur l’influence de plusieurs facteurs acoustiques relatifs aux périodes de calme et aux bruits de passage de véhicules sur la gêne due au bruit de trafic routier urbain. Cette étude a conclu à l’influence de la présence de périodes de calme et du nombre de véhicules au sein du trafic routier urbain et à l’absence d’influence de l’ordre des véhicules routiers, de la position et de la durée des périodes de calme. Ces résultats ont été utilisés afin de mener la caractérisation physique et perceptive de différentes compositions de trafic routier urbain. La régression multi-niveau a été utilisée pour calculer la gêne, en considérant 1) des facteurs acoustiques influents à l’aide de combinaisons pertinentes d’indices et 2) un facteur non acoustique : la sensibilité au bruit. Dans les villes, le bruit routier est souvent entendu en situation de multi-exposition avec d’autres bruits. Dans le cadre de ces travaux de thèse, les situations de multi-exposition aux bruits routier et d’avion ont été étudiées. Pour cela, un travail semblable à celui mené pour le bruit de trafic routier urbain a été mené pour le bruit d’avion conduisant également à des combinaisons pertinentes d’indices. En vue de caractériser les gênes dues aux bruits de trafic routier et d’avion pour des situations de multi-exposition sonore, les données des précédentes expériences ainsi que celles d’une expérience conduite en situation de multi-exposition à ces bruits combinés ont été utilisées au travers d’une régression multi-niveau adaptée, comme cela a pu être mené dans la littérature. La régression multi-niveau a ainsi permis la proposition de modèles de gêne pour chaque source de bruit. Puis, la gêne totale due à des situations de multi-exposition à ces bruits a été étudiée, afin de mettre en évidence les phénomènes perceptifs mis en jeu. Des modèles de gêne totale ont été proposés, en utilisant les modèles de gêne due à chaque source. Enfin, les modèles de gêne obtenus pour chaque source et les modèles de gêne totale ont été confrontés aux données d’une enquête socio-acoustique. A cet effet, une méthodologie a été proposée afin d’estimer les différents indices des modèles à partir des valeurs du Lden, issues de cartes de bruit et utilisées pour définir l’exposition au bruit des personnes enquêtées. Cette confrontation a montré que les modèles proposés à partir d’expériences menées en laboratoire et couplés à la méthodologie d’estimation des indices à partir des valeurs du Lden permettent une bonne prédiction de la gêne in situ. / Road traffic noise, and in particular powered two-wheeler noise, constitute an important source of noise annoyance. In order to estimate the noise exposure in cities of more than 100 000 inhabitants, the European directive 2002/49/EC requires the elaboration of strategic noise maps, based on the Lden index. This index is also used in exposureresponse relationships, to predict the percentages of annoyed people, by road traffic noise for example. By coupling strategic noise maps and these exposure-response relationships, noise annoyance maps could be established. The relevance of this index to predict noise annoyance in cities is however often questioned, since many influential acoustical factors (e.g. spectral and temporal features) are not considered by this index. The aim of this thesis is to enhance the characterization of noise annoyance due to different compositions of urban road traffic including powered two-wheelers. To achieve this goal, experiments were carried out under controlled conditions. A first study concerned the influence of several acoustical features related to quiet periods and vehicle pass-by noises on the annoyance due to urban road traffic noise. This study demonstrated the influence of the presence of quiet periods and of the number of vehicles within the urban road traffic and to the absence of the influence of the order of the vehicle pass-by noises, the position and duration of quiet periods. These results were used to carry out the physical and perceptual characterization of different compositions of urban road traffic noise. Multilevel regression was used to calculate noise annoyance, by coupling combinations of indices relating to influential acoustical features and an individual factor: noise sensitivity. In cities, road traffic noise is often combined with other noises. In the framework of this thesis, noise exposure to road traffic noise combined with aircraft noise was studied. Therefore, the same work as the one performed for urban road traffic noise was carried out for aircraft noise, leading also to relevant combinations of noise indices. In order to characterize annoyances due to road traffic noise and to aircraft noise in a combined exposure situation, data from the previous experiments and from an experiment dealing with these combined noises were used through an appropriate multilevel regression, as done in literature. The regression allows annoyance models for each noise source to be proposed. Then, total annoyance due to combined noises was studied, in order to highlight the perceptual phenomena related to the combined exposure. Total noise annoyance models were proposed, using proposed annoyance model of each noise source. Finally, these single source annoyance models and total annoyance models were tested using data of a socio-acoustic survey. To do this, a methodology has been proposed to estimate the different indices involved in the annoyance models, from the Lden values obtained from the strategic noise maps and used to define the noise exposure of the respondents. This confrontation showed that the models proposed on the basis of experiments carried out under laboratory conditions and coupled with a methodology of estimation of the noise indices from Lden values, enabled a good prediction of in situ annoyance.

La pollution sonore est un problème majeur pour les résidents des zones urbaines. La directive Européenne 2002/49/CE impose aux états membres l’établissement de cartes de bruit. Ces dernières sont construites sur la base de l’indice énergétique Lden, également utilisé dans les relations dose-effet établies pour prédire la gêne. Toutefois, pour l’évaluation de la gêne due au bruit dans les zones urbaines, la pertinence de cet indice est souvent remise en question. En effet, de nombreuses études ont montré que les caractéristiques temporelles et spectrales des bruits environnementaux influencent aussi les réponses de gêne et ne sont pas prises en compte dans cet indice. Cette thèse vise à contribuer à l’amélioration de la caractérisation de la gêne due au bruit des véhicules routiers en ville. Elle est basée sur des expériences réalisées en laboratoire. Elle comprend deux parties principales. La première partie a comme objectif de progresser sur la caractérisation physique et perceptive du bruit des passages de divers véhicules routiers en milieu urbain tels que les bus, les deux-roues motorisés, les poids lourds et les véhicules légers. Une attention particulière a été portée sur la caractérisation de la gêne due aux deuxroues motorisés qui sont cités parmi les véhicules routiers les plus gênants et sont peu étudiés dans la littérature. Dans cette perspective, un indicateur acoustique caractéristique de la gêne due au bruit routier urbain a été déterminé : il rend compte de différents attributs auditifs gênants en associant la sonie, un indice spectral et deux indices de modulation proposés dans le cadre de ces travaux. Dans les zones urbaines, les riverains sont souvent exposés à la circulation routière en présence d’autres sources de bruit de l’environnement. L’objectif principal de la deuxième partie est la prédiction de la gêne totale due au bruit du trafic routier urbain combiné avec le bruit de tramway. Dans le but de caractériser la gêne totale, les phénomènes perceptifs liés à la combinaison de ces bruits sont tout d’abord étudiés. Ensuite, l’indicateur proposé précédemment pour caractériser la gêne due au bruit des passages de différents véhicules routiers est testé lorsque différents trafics routiers urbains sont considérés. Sur la base de ces résultats, des modèles permettant de caractériser la gêne due au bruit de trafic routier urbain combiné au bruit de tramway ont été proposés. / Noise pollution is a major concern for residents of urban areas. To date, the European directive 2002/49/CE requires member states to represent community noise through noise maps. These are produced using the Lden (day-evening-night level) index which is also employed for dose-effect relationships in noise annoyance prediction. However, for the assessment of noise annoyance in urban areas, its relevance is often questioned. Numerous studies have shown that noise annoyance due to community noise is not solely based on the sound pressure level and other acoustical signal characteristics such as temporal and spectral features influence noise annoyance ratings. This thesis aims to improve the assessment of noise annoyance due to various road vehicle noises in cities. It is based on experiments carried out in laboratory conditions and comprises two main parts. The first addresses the enhancement of the physical and perceptual characterization of annoyance due to various urban road vehicle pass-by noises, such as buses, poweredtwo- wheelers, heavy vehicles and light vehicles. A specific focus is put on the characterization of annoyance due to powered-two-wheelers which are among the most annoying road vehicles and studied little in the existing literature. An indicator accounting for annoyance-relevant auditory attributes of urban road vehicle pass-by noises is determined: it comprises loudness, a spectral index and two modulation indices proposed in this work. In urban agglomerations, people are often exposed to road traffic in presence of a variety of other environmental noise sources. The focal point of the second part is on the prediction of total annoyance due to urban road traffic noise combined with tramway noise. In the aim of adequately characterizing total annoyance, first the perceptual phenomena involved in annoyance due to the combination of the sources are studied. Furthermore, the analysis allows for the testing of the proposed noise annoyance indicator for the characterization of urban road traffic noise. To characterize annoyance due to tramway noise, an indicator determined in a recent study is employed. Based on these indicators and the findings regarding perceptual phenomena, models for the prediction of total annoyance due to combined urban road traffic and tramway noise are proposed.