Studies (Alavi, 2000, Conole, 2004, Birch & Burnett, 2009,) reveal that technology has been capable of enhancing teaching and learning in various contexts. It is within such a context that this study investigated the utility of Learning Management System (LMS) in postgraduate teaching and learning at the Faculty of Education in the South African university. My focus was the experiences of both academic staff and postgraduate students in relation to the learning opportunities and challenges accompanying LMS as used as a teaching and learning platform. This study employed a mixed methods approach (a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches), which was implemented in two phases, following a sequential order (Tashakkori & Teddlie, 2003). In phase one, a quantitative approach was employed. This approach engaged students in completing a questionnaire that comprised of close and open-ended questions. Furthermore, simple random sampling was applied to select the respondents for data production in this phase. In the second phase a qualitative approach, concerned itself with the production of in depth data). The sub-sample of the population from the questionnaire was used in the focus group and individual interviews with educational technology students. All those participants whose responses spoke better to the critical questions were selected. Three academics were selected for individual interviews. Convenience purposive sampling (Henning, 2004) was applied for the selection of the participants in this level. Non-participatory observation was applied for triangulation purposes. In terms of analysis, thematic analysis was used (Aronson 1994), with charts and statistics representing quantitative data and texts representing qualitative data. By means of guided analysis, research findings were interpreted (Hammonds, 1976). In order to discuss all these findings, the principle of construct-connect theory (Gagnon & Collay, 2000: Siemens: 2004) was used. The results revealed that both selected academics and postgraduate students knew the capabilities and challenges of the LMS. The implications of these capabilities and challenges for teaching and learning were discussed. The research concluded with a set of recommendations to ensure, the effective use of Learning Management System to support teaching and learning in the postgraduate sector. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

A major purpose of the study was to determine whether differences exist between perceptions about sources of power by deans of colleges of nursing in medical centers and deans in non-medical centers. Discernible differences attributable to position title and years of administrative experience were also investigated. A subsidiary purpose of the study was to explore relationships between expert and referent power and among coercive, legitimate, and reward power.Data were collected from 206 out of 300 administrators of National League for Nursing accredited baccalaureate and higher degree programs. A Power Assessment Instrument measuring the five sources of social power as formalized by French and Raven, and a Demographic Data Sheet were utilized for data collection.Decisions about three null hypotheses were made at the 0.05 level by use of multivariate and univariate analysis and, where appropriate, post hoc Newman -Keuls procedures. Findings for a fourth hypothesis were drawn from a Pearson Product-Moment correlation analysis.Major findings included:1. No differences were observed in perceptions about sources of power between deans in medical centers and deans in non-medical center settings.2. Coercive and referent power emerged as significant variables in comparing deans to all chairmen and deans to chairmen reporting directly to the chief academic officer. Deans perceive presence of more coercive power than chairmen while chairmen perceive referent power than deans. Deans and chairmen not reporting directly did not differ.3. Administrators with eleven or more years of administrative experience perceive presence of expert power more than administrators with ten years or less of experience.4. All five sources of power were highly correlated with no discernible tendencies for grouping between expert and referent power or among coercive, legitimate, and reward power.Additional observations, while not empirically supported by the data, were presented. Also presented were recommendations for further explorations pertaining to nursing education and power assessment.

The purpose of this study was to identify the standards and criteria of graduate programs and credential requirements for special education administrators; ascertain practicing administrators' representative functions and performance requirements; and determine if interrelationships exist among these variables. Data were ordered in a format that should contribute to planning at the national, state and university levels. Data were gathered from universities, state education agencies and special education administrators. Universities, states and practicing administrators agreed that coursework/competency requirements emphasizing training and experience in both general and special education is appropriate. Fifty-six percent of the universities reported offering the necessary coursework in both areas, but only thirty-eight percent of the states had such requirements. In general, universities had more specific requirements than states. However, the coursework emphases and state requirements were found to be inconsistent with administrators' perceptions of knowledge and skills important to their jobs. Currently, forty states require certification for special education administrators: 13 as Directors of Special Education, 7 as Special Education Supervisors, 8 as General Administrators with Special Education Endorsement, 12 as General Administrators. Additionally, four states offer but do not require administrative credentials and two states require teaching credentials only. It was concluded that graduate programs often do not prepare special education administrators for the roles they actually perform. University and state requirements should parallel one another and both should reflect basic skills and competencies required on the job. Graduate program requirements need to place more emphasis in the areas of law and legal issues, public relations, fiscal procedures, personnel management, supervision and evaluation--both as basic administrative competencies and skills and as they relate to special education in particular. Appropriate internship experiences should be required by states as well as universities to provide expertise in such areas as report writing and public relations.

Background: Literature on postgraduate student throughput and success suggests a mismatch between registration, throughput and success rates among postgraduate students. Purpose of the Study: This study aimed at exploring and describing mechanisms used to increase throughput and success rates in Postgraduate Nursing Programmes at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Conceptual Framework: The theoretical framework used in this study was derived from Tinto's proposed Theory ofInstitutional Action (2005). This theory is based on the assumption that learners' behaviour which is manifested in persistence or departure is never fully understood because only the act of leaving or staying is observed, not the underlying intentions behind the action. Research Methodology: Using a mixed methods paradigm, the whole target population of 83 participants was sampled for the quantitative aspect and 2 focus groups each consisting about 12 participants for the qualitative aspect were used. Data were collected using a questionnaire and an interview guide. Descriptive statistics and were used for quantitative data, while thematic content analysis was used for qualitative data. Results: This study revealed that the support mechanisms for increasing student throughput and success rates are structured in three phases: the pre-enrolment phase, the integration phase, and the engagement phase. During the pre-enrolment phase, support is offered in form of information to help students understand what is expected of them, inform students about the programmes offered, the cost of the programmes, duration of the programs and the available support services. During the integration phase, the support provided includes guidance about the registration process, information about programmes and disciplines offered, counselling regarding curriculum design, modules to select and required credits for completion, orientation, and helping international students with visa extension with repatriation issues. During the engagement phase, the support provided includes academic, psychosocial and financial services. Facilitating factors reported include: student interaction with academic staff to monitor and provide feedback, a responsive curriculum to learning needs through the teaching and assessments methods utilised, active student involvement, personal effort, prior learning and working experience, and enough learning resources. Barriers reported were inadequate information, insufficiency of student-lecturer interaction time, unsuitable psychosocial support for adult learners, lack of mentorship and academic advising services, lack of time to participate in co-curricular activities, limited time for studying, ineffective use of learning resources, and language barrier. Recommendations: The study revealed a need to provide a balance mixture the available support mechanisms because academic support dominated the support services offered. Findings also showed the necessity to adapt the psychosocial support to the needs of all categories of students including adult postgraduate students. / Thesis (M.N.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

This study entitled, "Effective Management Development Program Evaluation and Review Technique," examined Purdue University Engineering/Management Program for 1995. The purpose of the program was to offer management training to a population of ninety-eight engineering managers. From a quality assurance perspective the study attempted to measure those changes that occurred in the knowledge, skills and behaviors of the participants, from before to after the program, in four levels of program effect e.g., reaction, learning, behavior and results.Responses were gathered using qualitative interviews. Evidence was gathered using Learning Skills Inventory. Behavior was gathered using Leadership Effectiveness and Adaptability Description Questionnaire. Results were gathered using Managerial Skills Questionnaire of Importance and Competence over pretest, posttest and a three-month posttest on the job.Forty-two management skills criteria were collapsed to identify seven main leadership skills for reliable evidence on the hypotheses tested: Leadership/ Organization, Human Resource Management, Financial Management, Decision Making, Strategic Planning, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, and Managerial Communication. Important findings are summarized below. No significant differences were found in the Importance of each leadership skills:(a) by the type of company's business, (b) by the number of years of employment with the current employer, (c) by the number of years in the industry, and (d) by the type ofdegrees held by the manager (BS, MS, MBA).Significant Differences were found in the Importance of each leadership skills:by a broad range of titles, (b) by the size of company, and (c) by the number of years in current position.No significant differences were found in the Competence of each leadership skills:by the type of company's business, (b) by the size of company, (c) by the number of years in current position, (d) by the type of degrees held by the manager (BS, MS, MBA), and (e) by the number of years in the industry.Significant Differences were found in the Competence of each leadership skills:(a) by a broad range of titles and (b) by the number of years of employment with the current employer. / Department of Educational Leadership

The purpose of the study was to examine students' perceptions of frequency of clinical teacher behaviors and whether those perceptions change by class level. The theoretical framework for the study was Bevis' paradigm of curriculum revolution.In 1993, Marilyn Simons, DNS gathered data from nursing students enrolled in clinical nursing courses at a Midwestern university. The convenience sample totaled 88 (100%). The data was not analyzed or reported. The current study was a retrospective analysis of that data.Findings of the study showed that students perceived faculty as demonstrating professional competence and interpersonal relationship behaviors in the clinical setting. No significant differences were found in these perceptions by class level on either then total scale or on the subscales.The conclusion from the study was that faculty at this particular university are perceived as practicing emancipatory education as proposed by Bevis. It was also concluded that faculty perform at the same level of competency and use similar approaches without regard to class level, and that students perceived that faculty related to them in similar ways across classes.The study was significant because it helps nurse educators understand the student perspective of clinical teacher behavior. The Clinical Teacher Behavior Tool used in the study could be used to help design a cooperative clinical learning model different from the traditional education approach and in accordance with Bevis' paradigm. / School of Nursing

"The purpose of this study is to determine how endowment funds of independent private secondary schools in the South are managed and invested and how the investment policies of these schools are formulated and conducted"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "June, 1960." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Claude A. Campbell, Professor Directing Study. / Graduate study (M.S.)--Florida State University. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 158-167).

No description available.

Supervision is seen as an essential and important element in the training of counselors. As trainees receive much of their role definition from their supervisors, an unsatisfactory supervisory relationship where the trainee is experiencing incongruence between his or her beliefs about his or her role in the counseling situation and the messages being received from the supervisor can be seen as a source of stress and frustration. The present study was designed to examine the relationship between role conflict, satisfaction with supervision, and psychological strain.Results indicate there is a significant positive relationship between theoretical congruence and satisfaction with supervision. No significant positive relationships were found, however, between role conflict and psychological strain, or between theoretical congruence and psychological strain. Additionally, no significant negative relationships were found between role conflict and theoretical congruence or between role conflict and satisfaction with supervisionFurthermore, post hoc analysis revealed significant relationships by gender. In males, for example, a significant negative relationship was found between supervisory working alliance and role conflict.In females, a significant positive relationship was found between theoretical congruence and supervisory working alliance. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe accurately the methods used by occupational therapy graduate students to develop self-awareness, a necessary foundation for the development of professional behaviors. Self-awareness, defined as a deep understanding of one's emotions, strengths, weaknesses, needs, and drives (Goleman, 1995), was identified in the literature as a component of or a prerequisite for the development of skills in leadership, multicultural competency, clinical reasoning, and continuing competence.Purposive sampling was used to identify student participants from a private university in the mid-west. Eleven participants completed the study. Evidence was gathered through semi-structured interviews; observations of classroom activities, professional meetings, and clinical settings; and examination of documents which included journal entries, class assignments, and professional development plans.Findings suggest that students' development of self-awareness is facilitated by a hierarchical sequence of activities which provide them with opportunities to describe features of their contexts, to recognize and define personal values and beliefs and those values and beliefs of others, and to define relationships. Reflection stimulated consideration of students' reactions in particular contexts and development of a new perspective. Students who appraised themselves realistically anticipated their responses in future events and made plans to alter undesired behaviors. Although the literature supported feedback as one way in which to facilitate self-awareness, students were reluctant to give candid feedback to peers and rarely sought feedback, unless required, for their own performance. Evaluations of behaviors, relationships, and belief systems were activities located at higher levels in the hierarchy requiring students to gain skills in recognition and description first in order to proceed to these levels.The findings point to the importance of self-awareness for personal and professional growth, and the need for educators to utilize a variety of strategies by which to facilitate self-awareness development. A revision of Fidler's checklist may provide a foundation for the development of a tool which could be a useful way in which to target behaviors necessary for development of self-awareness. / Department of Educational Leadership