<p dir="ltr">This dissertation investigates the dynamics of co-regulated learning within the context of teamwork in higher education with a focus on software development courses. Co-regulated learning, where team members collaboratively manage, adapt, and synchronize their learning processes, is essential for effective teamwork and improved learning outcomes. The study comprises three interrelated investigations: a systematic literature review of co-regulation in higher education, an empirical evaluation of co-regulated learning strategies in a software development course, and a longitudinal study on the evolution of these strategies over time.</p><p dir="ltr">The systematic literature review synthesizes findings from 25 empirical studies on co-regulation in teamwork, highlighting the theoretical foundations, methodological approaches, and gaps in existing research on co-regulation. The first study examines how co-regulated learning strategies influence team interactions, performance, and learning outcomes in a semester-long software development course, identifying common challenges and effective practices such as adaptive planning, proactive monitoring, and reflective practices. The second study provides a dynamic view of how co-regulation strategies evolve over multiple project milestones, demonstrating how teams transition from initial role exploration to more defined responsibilities and improved collaboration over time and offering deeper insights into the factors influencing team dynamics and effectiveness.</p><p dir="ltr">Key findings highlight the importance of structured planning, continuous monitoring, reflective evaluation in fostering effective teamwork and co-regulation, and the dynamic evolution of teamwork strategies. The research contributes to understanding co-regulated learning in software development education and offers practical insights for fostering effective teamwork skills such as integration of co-regulation strategies into educational curricula and the development of instructional interventions to support collaborative learning. This research contributes to the theoretical understanding of co-regulated learning and offers practical recommendations for educators, policymakers, and researchers to enhance teamwork and co-regulation skills in higher education, ultimately preparing students for the collaborative demands of the software industry.</p>

Professional development (PD) of teachers is part of the Department of Basic Education‘s (DBE) initiative to encourage school communities to use of information and communication technology (ICT) to improve the quality of Mathematics teaching and learning. The South African Council of Educators stipulates that PD programmes should align with system-wide needs, strengthen learning area content and outcomes, and promote system transformation. Imbedded in this system-wide criterion is The White Paper on e-Education to employ a fully ICT integrated system at all levels of education: management, teaching and learning, and administration by 2013. Mathematics teachers require PD that develops their technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) and their social professional identity (SPI). The PD of Mathematics teachers for ICT integration can assist the DBE to achieve the aims of The White Paper on e-Education and bridge the technology gap between South Africa and international education systems. Open distance learning (ODL) could be a viable method to deliver PD to Mathematics teachers to address their zone of proximal development, develop their TPACK, and establish and maintain their SPI. This study made use of a fully mixed sequential equal status multi-mode research design and methodologies to develop guidelines for the PD of Mathematics teachers in the pedagogical use of ICT in ODL. The qualitative phase (Phase I) was rooted in the interpretivist paradigm. Through an adjustable exploration of a systematic literature review, the researcher identified 23 core documents, analysed them with Atlas.ti™, and conceptualised four themes according to Engeström‘s third generation activity theory (AT). Phase II (radical exploration phase) of the research design was rooted in the radical structuralist paradigm. In the context of transformation, it developed, validated, and standardised a research instrument for the measurement of Mathematics teachers‘ PD requirements. The instrument was distributed to 300 senior phase (grades 7-9) Mathematics teachers in eight education management district centres of the WCED. The analyses of the quantitative data conceptualised a fifth activity system. The five activity systems from the adjustable and radical exploration phases were symbiotic, and co-dependent. Expansive learning was used for boundary crossing and network building during six phases of this study. The findings from the six phases of the expansive learning cycle indicated that PD of Mathematics teachers in ODL for Phase III implementation of the e-Education policy should be a joint initiative. Fundamentally ICT integration and implementation should start with Department of Basic Education (DBE) initiatives. The DBE and Provincial Departments of Education (PDEs) should conduct a needs analysis of ICT implementation, evaluate previous ICT PD programmes, plan ICT PD strategies aligned with the ICT development plan, as well as with the requirements of the Mathematics teachers. The DBE and PDE should invest in the provision of ICT equipment, afford human capital, reinstate the laptop initiative for teachers, and supply schools with networked-computer facilities to explore online platforms for PD. Mathematics teachers should assess their professional knowledge to construct new philosophies, create a subject network group, and interact as participants and members within their social environments. The standardised instrument could be used to determine and compare the PD of Mathematics teachers in other provinces and contexts. / PhD (Training and development), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Professional development (PD) of teachers is part of the Department of Basic Education‘s (DBE) initiative to encourage school communities to use of information and communication technology (ICT) to improve the quality of Mathematics teaching and learning. The South African Council of Educators stipulates that PD programmes should align with system-wide needs, strengthen learning area content and outcomes, and promote system transformation. Imbedded in this system-wide criterion is The White Paper on e-Education to employ a fully ICT integrated system at all levels of education: management, teaching and learning, and administration by 2013. Mathematics teachers require PD that develops their technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) and their social professional identity (SPI). The PD of Mathematics teachers for ICT integration can assist the DBE to achieve the aims of The White Paper on e-Education and bridge the technology gap between South Africa and international education systems. Open distance learning (ODL) could be a viable method to deliver PD to Mathematics teachers to address their zone of proximal development, develop their TPACK, and establish and maintain their SPI. This study made use of a fully mixed sequential equal status multi-mode research design and methodologies to develop guidelines for the PD of Mathematics teachers in the pedagogical use of ICT in ODL. The qualitative phase (Phase I) was rooted in the interpretivist paradigm. Through an adjustable exploration of a systematic literature review, the researcher identified 23 core documents, analysed them with Atlas.ti™, and conceptualised four themes according to Engeström‘s third generation activity theory (AT). Phase II (radical exploration phase) of the research design was rooted in the radical structuralist paradigm. In the context of transformation, it developed, validated, and standardised a research instrument for the measurement of Mathematics teachers‘ PD requirements. The instrument was distributed to 300 senior phase (grades 7-9) Mathematics teachers in eight education management district centres of the WCED. The analyses of the quantitative data conceptualised a fifth activity system. The five activity systems from the adjustable and radical exploration phases were symbiotic, and co-dependent. Expansive learning was used for boundary crossing and network building during six phases of this study. The findings from the six phases of the expansive learning cycle indicated that PD of Mathematics teachers in ODL for Phase III implementation of the e-Education policy should be a joint initiative. Fundamentally ICT integration and implementation should start with Department of Basic Education (DBE) initiatives. The DBE and Provincial Departments of Education (PDEs) should conduct a needs analysis of ICT implementation, evaluate previous ICT PD programmes, plan ICT PD strategies aligned with the ICT development plan, as well as with the requirements of the Mathematics teachers. The DBE and PDE should invest in the provision of ICT equipment, afford human capital, reinstate the laptop initiative for teachers, and supply schools with networked-computer facilities to explore online platforms for PD. Mathematics teachers should assess their professional knowledge to construct new philosophies, create a subject network group, and interact as participants and members within their social environments. The standardised instrument could be used to determine and compare the PD of Mathematics teachers in other provinces and contexts. / PhD (Training and development), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Increasing demand for structural health monitoring in space highlights the need to make the creation of these systems more accessible. This study investigates the potential of additive manufacturing to achieve this goal by characterizing a self-sensing material made of a commercially available 3D-printed continuous carbon fibre filament. The results demonstrate the feasibility of converting the filament into a strain sensor with improved sensitivity compared to conventional foil strain gauges. Mechanical and electromechanical properties of the self-sensing material were characterized, including an ultimate tensile strength of 45.09 ± 3.45 MPa, a failure strain of 38.93 ± 3.41%, and a base resistance of 759.11Ω. The tensile gauge factor was calculated to be 467.06 ± 375.90 within the strain range of 0% to 3.8% with a linearity (R2) of 0.93. For the first time, a systematic literature review compares mechanical and electromechanical properties to enable material selection for mechanical design incorporating self-sensing material. The study highlights that the spread of material properties in a group of materials indicates how well-developed a material is for self-sensing purposes. This study advances our understanding of the feasibility of using additive manufacturing to create self-sensing materials for structural health monitoring systems and opens up new avenues for further research.

[pt] Este trabalho tem como base a análise sistemática de literatura para geração de conhecimento sobre o tema de cadeias de suprimentos sustentáveis. Para isso, foram utilizados os métodos de revisão sistemática de literatura e análise de redes, para responder as perguntas de pesquisa: quais são as principais taxonomias sobre o tema, quais são os principais direcionamentos de pesquisa futura e como os temas de cadeias de suprimentos sustentáveis se relacionam. Dessa forma, baseando-se em protocolo metodológico rigoroso e utilização do software Vosviwer, foram identificadas as principais taxonomias sobre o tema, os cinco principais assuntos que os autores mais direcionam como pesquisas futuras e as principais relações geradas a partir das análises de coautoria, co-citação, co-ocorrência. Com base nos resultados, foi possível identificar diversos pontos, como o avanço nos trabalhos envolvendo os pilares de forma integrada, as revisões sistemáticas possuindo metodologia mais robusta que revisões narrativas e o aspecto social como o principal tema indicado para pesquisas futuras. Dessa forma, consolidou-se o que se tem de mais novo na literatura sobre o tema de cadeias de suprimentos sustentáveis, orientando a comunidade científica e outras organizações sobre o assunto, mostrando ainda, os possíveis desdobramentos que podem ser trabalhos. / [en] This paper is based on a systematic literature review to create knowledge on the topic of sustainable supply chains. For this, we used the systematic literature review and network analysis methods to answer the research questions: what are the main taxonomies on the topic, what are the main directions for future research and how are the themes of sustainable supply chain themes related? Thus, based on a rigorous methodological protocol and the use of Vosviwer software, the main taxonomies on the topic were identified, the five main trend subjects were collected and the main relationships identified from the co-authoring, co-citation and co-occurrence analysis. Based on the results, it was possible to identify several points, such as the progress in the work involving the pillars in an integrated manner, systematic reviews having a more robust methodology than narrative reviews and the social aspect as the main theme indicated for future research. Thus, the latest in the literature on the topic of sustainable supply chains was consolidated, guiding the scientific community and other organizations on the subject, and also showing the possible developments that may be work.