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Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references.

Technology is the generic term that includes all the technologies people develop and use in their lives. In the learning area it is the purposeful application of knowledge, experience and resources to create products that meet human needs and wants. Technology education is an integrated program designed to prepare learners about Technology. Learners are challenged to discover and create solutions to problems by using a variety of tools, machines and materials.The study is about the implementation of Technology as a learning area with specific reference to the North West Province. There is no approach for implementing Technology in the North West Province. Technology Education needs approaches that build upon the best thinking in the field and take into account the needs of the learners and the educators. The approach needs to address the context within which Technology is offered. The main aim of the study was to design an approach for implementing Technology Education in schools in the North West Province.In this study the qualitative and quantitative research designs were employed to gather information regarding the implementation of Technology in schools in the North West Province. A survey questionnaire (quantitative) was used to compile data regarding the profile and perception of Technology educators. A learner questionnaire (quantitative) was also administered to determine the attitudes and concepts of learners towards Technology. Interviews (qualitative) were conducted with the Technology experts, subject specialists and learning area heads. A population of 7149 educators and 216489 learners was used. The sample involved 7734 learners from five education regions of the North West Province and 345 educators (almost five percent of each educator and learner population). Two hundred and eighty-eight learners were selected in each school, comprising of ninety-six learners from each ofthe grades 7, 8 and 9. Fifteen respondents were interviewed and they comprised of four Technology experts, four education specialists and seven subject heads. / Thesis (Ph.D Technology Education) -- North-West University (Mafikeng Campus), 2007

<p> The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how instructional technology impacts teaching and learning. Specifically, in this study I show how learning analytics could be implemented to encourage student responsibility for learning and identify effective faculty course designs that help. Typically, learning analytics focuses on data mining student use of an online learning management system (LMS), the most widely used instructional technology in higher education. However, key challenges include a relative lack of empirical studies, the field&rsquo;s predisposition toward prediction vs. intervention, and a lack of understanding about the role of faculty LMS course design on student usage. Accordingly, I explore how system-generated feedback to students about their LMS use compared to peers can serve as a metacognitive &ldquo;nudge&rdquo; toward improved responsibility for learning and academic performance. I also explore how this approach might shine light on effective faculty LMS course designs. I show how analytics provides both a theoretical and methodological foundation for implementing interventions based on the learning sciences, including self-efficacy, self-regulated learning and instructional technology. Finally, my findings contribute to the dialogue about scalable institutional approaches to improving student retention, persistence and success. Learning analytics is made possible through the technology of data mining, but I believe it also serves as a mirror to reflect (if not assess) the impact of instructional technology on teaching and learning.</p>

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Corporate governance codes such as King III are focussing on IT governance due to the strategic nature of IT systems and the impact security breaches or failure of IT systems can have on a company’s sustainability. The convergence of Operational Technology (OT) and IT brings about both risks and opportunities for OT systems, while further entrenching their strategic nature within organisations. These systems are therefore key to the sustainability of an organisation and this necessitates the extension of sound governance not only to IT but also to OT. In many organisations, due to the previously closed or proprietary nature of OT systems, no governance controls or frameworks have traditionally been needed or put in place for OT systems. The aim of this research was to explore whether the lack of OT governance controls or framework within OT reliant organisations could be addressed by adapting and implementing leading IT governance models for OT systems due to the convergence between traditional IT and OT. The research methodology employed was a literature review followed by the selection and adaptation of a leading IT governance framework for OT governance. Additional data regarding OT incidents was gathered from the author’s own organisation and documented as mini case studies to determine if OT governance could have mitigated or minimised the impact of the documented OT incidents. The research showed that IT and OT are converging on two fronts, firstly due to integration between IT and OT and secondly due to the sharing of common technologies at a hardware, software and network layer. The research also indicated that the security risks facing IT continue to grow in number and sophistication. By extension, due to the technology convergence, these risks are now extending to OT systems, adding to the risks already facing OT systems. Leading corporate governance codes are espousing holistic governance to ensure the sustainability of an enterprise. Certain codes such as King III from South Africa have specifically called out IT governance as a key element of a holistic governance practice. Due to the convergence between IT and OT as well as the increasing risk, the lack of governance in OT can have a material impact on the sustainability of an OT reliant enterprise, necessitating the extending of governance to cover not only IT but OT as well. The research showed that a leading IT governance framework such as COBIT 5 can be applied to OT with little or no adaptation firstly due to the closeness between IT and OT brought about by the convergence between IT and OT, and secondly due to the way that COBIT 5 has been developed to serve as an overarching governance framework that can be adapted and applied by Enterprises to suit their unique requirements, one of which could be OT governance.

<p>This thesis work is divided into two parts that relate to each other. The first part investigates driving forces and limiting factors in the customisation of information on packaging and the second part focuses on how the customisation task should be performed in order to obtain high productivity and efficient logistics. Opportunities with hybrid printing solutions where conventional technology is combined with digital printing are discussed.The first of the included papers talks about the driving forces and limiting factors in the customisation of information on packaging and focuses on marketing aspects and consumer value. The second paper investigates the logistical aspects of using digital printing to add information on pre-printed packaging, with the primary focus on the opportunities to reduce changeover time and printing form costs. The third paper investigates how digital printing can be integrated into a packaging line and identifies critical productivity related parameters. These three papers are analysed together in this report, giving input to conclusions about the driving forces and limiting factors in the customisation of information on packaging and how the customisation task should be performed to obtain high productivity and efficient logistics. Hence, this thesis work does not originate solely in one discipline. Digital printing technology, logistics and marketing aspects are all considered to draw conclusions.</p><p>It is shown that it is possible to obtain marketing advantages, fulfill market demands better, get increased consumer value and reduced costs by using a hybrid printing solution. There exists at the same time a number of limiting factors, such as print quality demands, additional costs and reliability issues that are crucial to consider before concluding whether or not customisation of information on packaging would be successful in any given business scenario.</p><p>Different scenarios for where the customisation task can be inserted into a value chain are defined and discussed. Explicit studies of one of the scenarios are made. This scenario is defined as having a customisation task inline in a packaging line. The other scenarios, customisation at the packaging producer and customisation at the wholesaler/retailer, are not explicitly investigated, but it has been possible to discuss these scenarios as well through the research results obtained. The results show that there are factors that point towards the scenario where digital printing is performed at the producer as being the most beneficial. A number of critical productivity related factors for this scenario are identified in paper III, which gives guidelines on how to obtain high productivity when a digital printing task is integrated into a packaging line. It is finally shown that it is possible to obtain high delivery service and efficient logistics by using a hybrid printing solution. It is, however, of crucial importance that possible drawbacks be considered in order to accurately conclude whether a hybrid printing solution will be successful or not.</p>

<p> Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is an established field of academic inquiry with distinct applications for second language teaching and learning. Many CALL professionals direct language labs or language resource centers (LRCs) in which CALL software applications and generic software applications support language learning programs and individual study. The central research question of this study is: What aspects define the lived experience of CALL professionals as they select CALL solutions for language resource centers or language labs? A subset of related research questions focuses on how CALL professionals consider pedagogical aspects of CALL solutions in making selections, the other aspects that CALL professionals consider in adoption or non-adoption decisions, and how CALL professionals experience satisfaction with the solutions available to them, taking into account these pedagogical and other aspects. This study explores the selection of applications from a phenomenological approach based upon Moustakas's modification of Van Kaam's method. Twenty-five language lab and language resource center directors, members of the International Association for Language Learning Technology (IALLT), were interviewed to ascertain aspects of their lived experience in the selection and use of CALL applications in their educational institutions. Areas of inquiry included the alignment of instructional technologies used for language learning to pedagogical and andragogical approaches; the importance of other factors such as cost, technical support, and provider reputation; and the extent of user satisfaction with each of these elements. The majority of the interviewees indicated that pedagogical alignment between CALL solutions and the pedagogical orientation of the programs they support is a critical factor in their decision-making process. Cost is a factor in the majority of cases, while provider reputation and technical support vary as criteria for adoption. Interviewees also identified varying levels of satisfaction with the CALL solutions available with regard to these factors. They proposed a number of additional user requirements and adoption criteria to be integrated into the development lifecycle of CALL software solutions. </p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> CALL, computer-assisted language learning, user requirements, user satisfaction, pedagogy, andragogy, software selection, instructional technology, language lab, language resource center, IALLT, language learning technology, information technology.</p>

<p> Leaders remain perpetually connected to their work because of the rapid advancement of information technology. This research, using a qualitative approach, explored how increased connective technology is affecting school leaders with the central question: <i>How is hyperconnectivity experienced by school leaders?</i> Using personal interviews, the lived experiences of fifteen international middle and high school principals with one-to-one student-to-device programs were collected. Raw transcriptions of their experiences were analyzed using the descriptive phenomenological approach as outlined by Giorgi (2009). This approach allowed for the data to be reduced into a single narrative description shared by all participants indicating the essences of their lived experience as hyperconnected school leaders. </p><p> This shared narrative highlighted complex and paradoxical experiences associated with how these school leaders interact with technology. Their experiences indicated that work-life balance for hyperconnected leaders required strong personal boundaries and skillful use of connective technologies. Examples of effective leader development of self and community highlighted, paradoxically, the need to unplug to effectively deploy connected technology within their leadership practice. Conversely, this study also showed how leaders can be controlled by connectivity. They associated their roles as responsible school leaders with perpetual connectivity; in consequence, they fused their work and home lives, experienced increased stress, and struggled with work overload. These results imply that international school principals are impacted by increased connectivity in different ways. Findings from this study indicate those leading hyperconnected schools must pay attention to how connectivity is affecting themselves and members of their school communities. Principals must protect themselves from the increasing demands upon their attention that constant connectivity presents in order to make mental room for the self-reflection and creativity needed to provide novel solutions and approaches towards their leadership work.</p>

When testing active safety and Autonomous Emergency Brakes in vehicles many tests are done with a type of rig that simulates, for example, a pedestrian crossing the road in front of the vehicle. This thesis covers a validation of the accuracy of a new similar test-rig that has been developed by AstaZero, the company and test facility where this project took place. The rig operates by dragging a target (e.g. a pedestrian dummy) ona plate across a vehicles path, forcing it to apply the emergency brakes. By performing multiple tests with common test scenarios and various parameters, such as velocity, weight, etc. data was acquired and analyzed. The data acquisition was made with an Inertial and GPS Navigation system mounted on the rig. During the analysis, the purpose was to determine the lateral and longitudinal accuracy as well as the velocity stability. The first results showed that the velocity had an oscillating behavior. Solutions to prevent this was to either implement Jerk, which smoothens the acceleration, or to lower the total weight of the plate. Tests for lateral and longitudinal accuracy resulted in a standard deviation of approximately 10 mm for longitudinal position and between 15 mm and 40 mm for lateral position, mostly depending on test distance and weight. / Testning av aktiv säkerhet och framför allt automatisk nödbroms sker oftast med en testrigg som simulerar att en fotgängare korsar gatan framför ett fordon. Detta examensarbetet går ut på att validera noggrannheten för en ny liknande testrigg somtagits fram av AstaZero, företaget och testanläggningen där examensarbetet utfördes. Denna rigg fungerar genom att släpa en platta, med exempelvis en fotgängardocka på, framför ett fordon som då tvingas aktivera nödbromsen. Genom ett flertal tester medvanliga scenarion har olika parametrar testats, exempelvis hastighet och vikt förplattan, och resulterat i data som analyserats. Datainsamlingen gjordes med hjälp avutrustning som innehåller accelerometer, gyroskop och GPS-system. Dessa systemvar under testerna monterade på riggen. Syftet med analysarbetet var att visualiseradata för lateral och longitudinell noggrannhet samt hur stabil hastigheten är. Resultaten från analysen visade att hastigheten hade ett svängande beteende. Detta löstes genom att antingen implementera Jerk, som jämnar ut accelerationen, eller att sänka den totala vikten på plattan som släpas på backen. Data från testerna visade att standardavvikelsen för longitudinell position är cirka 10 mm och för lateral position mellan 15 mm och 40 mm, mest beroende på testlängd och vikt på plattan.