Learning Management Systems (LMS) have become a common feature in contemporary Higher Education institutions worldwide. LMS literature shows that the level of interest and/or knowledge among academics towards the importance and usefulness of these systems, and the opportunities they can bring to the teaching process are key factors affecting the degree of use of LMS in HE. To date, most of these studies have taken place in the context of developed countries, and there is only limited research in other areas. In recent years, LMS have been adopted widely in Saudi Arabia’s Higher Education sector, however, there are no strong and detailed data regarding the subject in this context, which could impede future developments. On the other hand, academics were chosen as the main focus of this investigation because studies have revealed that they have the most vital role in promoting and enhancing the use of LMS. Therefore, this research investigates academics’ adoption and usage of LMS in Saudi Arabia’s universities; it aims to understand the adoption conditions and identify what factors truly affect the adoption process and to what level are the systems being used and why. The investigation was guided by Grounded Theory research principles. Initially, a review of the literature identified the nature of LMS along with the issues confronting academics when they are trying to use it to its full potential in supporting the delivery of their courses. Afterwards, questionnaires were employed to further explore the phenomenon in its examined context, i.e. Saudi higher education. The generated data and concepts were then used to guide the research process and to develop interview questions. The interviews were carried out at three Saudi universities with a range of stakeholders, which signified the primary data source in this investigation. Analysis revealed that LMS did not emerge as a well-established component of academics’ activities in Saudi universities despite the positive view respondents expressed towards it. Findings also explained why LMS was either considered a secondary method to support face-to-face teaching, or under-utilised in fully online courses. Furthermore, findings revealed the primary factors influencing academics’ level of use of LMS. Moreover, there were issues identified in relation to the academics’ development and training for LMS, which had a significant effect on the academics’ level of use of LMS. Findings were then integrated into a substantive theory and a theoretical model, which represents the research primary outcome. The theoretical outcomes offer abstract explanation of the phenomenon about adopting innovatory systems in Saudi universities, LMS in this instance. In conclusion, suggestions for improving the current provision of LMS in Saudi Universities are made. Overall, this study provided an insight into the environment surrounding the early adoption phases of LMS in Saudi universities, which offers a better understanding of the phenomenon. Subsequently, this will help enhance the adoption process in current contexts and assist in the better future utilisation of these systems in similar situations.

For many faculty, teaching online represents a new instructional delivery method, requiring the development of new teaching skills. This exploratory investigation builds upon Rogers' (2003) Diffusion of Innovations theory and communication channels to describe the influence of faculty discussions on their perceptions and decisions about teaching and learning. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods research design, using both sociometric and phenomenological methodologies, guided the exploration of faculty personal network exposure models and social learning opportunities. The study utilized online survey and open-ended interview instruments for the investigation. Faculty from several colleges at the University of Central Florida voluntarily completed the survey instrument identifying with whom, how, and why they discuss teaching online, including the influence of these discussions. In-depth interviews offered internal descriptions of their personal networks. Survey results established baseline data for demographic and future comparisons and identified concerns, issues, and trends unique to synchronous and asynchronous Internet-based faculty development and support needs. Phenomenological data produced the emergent categories and themes used to investigate and explain faculty's communication channel usage and social learning experiences. Similarities between diffusion and knowledge research findings and participants reflected more conformity than anticipated. Differences in communication channel and learning style preferences and usage and faculty's 24/7 work life needs, present challenges to administrators and educators responsible for providing development and support systems.

Higher education continues to witness a significant increase in the demand for online courses delivered via the World Wide Web. Institutions are challenged to position and prepare faculty for successfully developing and delivering this increasing number of online courses from a distance. Becoming successful in the online classroom presents difficult and time-consuming challenges to the novice faculty member. Instructors who transition from the face-to-face classroom find that some characteristics, strategies and procedures carryover into the online classroom. The new teaching environment presents an evolving spectrum of possibilities for the online professor, a new paradigm for teaching and learning. This research provides a multi-dimensional case study of the online teaching persona of four successful undergraduate college professors. The literature presents mounting evidence of the growth and momentum of the online college education. Also, the literature presents evidence that multiple resources become necessary if best practices and strategies are to be successfully integrated into online courses. The research has found that a persona change occurs when the faculty member transitions from the face-to-face to the online classroom. Utilizing this foundation, this study adds to the literature and clarifies the online teaching persona, incorporated characteristics, and strategies used by four successful undergraduate professors in a large university setting in the southern United States. Using face-to-face interviews and (non-participant) class observation, this researcher determined the transitory nature of the online teaching persona of the four participants in the study. The study revealed the characteristics, methods and strategies that enable the online professor to successfully deliver undergraduate courses using the World Wide Web.

No description available.

This study used a qualitative approach to explore how faculty were prepared to teach online at institutions of higher education. Six participants, including experienced (with three or more years of experience teaching online) and non-experienced (with less than two years of experience teaching online), were purposely selected to participate. The participants were interviewed concerning their preparation experiences, the preparation activities that were most beneficial to them, and the areas in which they wanted further development for teaching online. Data from the interviews were coded and analyzed. Findings revealed that although institutions were providing activities that faculty members found to be beneficial, workshops and one-to-one assistance, activities that incorporated both technical and pedagogical strategies were still necessary. This study provides information that can be used to assist faculty when preparing to teach online and to assist institutions in redesigning and developing faculty development activities for preparing faculty to teach online. / Ph. D.

abstract: This study examines the experiences of participants enrolled in an online community college jazz history course. I surveyed the participants before the course began and observed them in the online space through the duration of the course. Six students also participated in interviews during and after the course. Coded data from the interviews, surveys, and recorded discussion posts and journal entries provided evidence about the nature of interaction and engagement in learning in an online environment. I looked for evidence either supporting or detracting from a democratic online learning environment, concentrating on the categories of student engagement, freedom of expression, and accessibility. The data suggested that the participants' behaviors in and abilities to navigate the online class were influenced by their pre-existing native media habits. Participants' reasons for enrolling in the online course, which included convenience and schedule flexibility, informed their actions and behaviors in the class. Analysis revealed that perceived positive student engagement did not contribute to a democratic learning environment but rather to an easy, convenient experience in the online class. Finally, the data indicated that participants' behaviors in their future lives would not be affected by the online class in that their learning experiences were not potent enough to alter or inform their behavior in society. As online classes gain popularity, the ability of these classes to provide meaningful learning experiences must be questioned. Students in this online jazz history class presented, at times, a façade of participation and community building but demonstrated a lack of sincerity and interest in the course. The learning environment supported accessibility and freedom of expression to an extent, but students' engagement with their peers was limited. Overall, this study found a need for more research into the quality of online classes as learning platforms that support democracy, student-to-student interaction, and community building. / Dissertation/Thesis / D.M.A. Music Education 2011

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T13:44:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CLAUDIA HELENA DOS SANTOS ARAUJO.pdf: 1406733 bytes, checksum: f7c948fa6487f851f5ca33ab5994b844 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-12 / This research aims to study online teaching, understood from three aspects that complement the guidance of distance education (DE): Brazilian educational policies in confluence with the international economy and the evolution of information and communication technologies (ICT); trends toward industrialization that articulate in their political and pedagogical dimensions; the pedagogical practices in online teaching practices. Beyond the current truism characterized as the unique online teaching the use of technology and media resources, this research considers the online teaching from the constituent elements of the pedagogical work - objectives, contents, methods and forms of organization of teaching - seeking clarify the central question: how the elements of the pedagogical work are configured in online teaching? The general objective was to characterize and analyze the elements which act as constitutive of pedagogical work on DE through mediation of digital technologies. As for didactic and pedagogical concepts, the research was based on the historical-cultural theory, supported mainly Vygotsky, Davydov, Leontiev, Engestrom, Libâneo and others. Regarding educational technologies and distance education, we sought support mainly instrumental approach proposed by Rabardel and also concepts of Toschi, Belloni and Peixoto. Qualitative and exploratory nature, the study was conducted in two stages: a literature review covering the period 2006-2011; and fieldwork, which consisted in the creation, planning and implementation of a distance learning course entitled "Teaching Online", offered in a virtual learning environment (VLE), in order to characterize and analyze what elements are configured as constitutive pedagogical work in online teaching. The instruments of data collection were interviews and observation of the development of the course. The data analysis was to identify and characterize elements of the pedagogical work in progress. The literature review revealed that research on this topic in the Brazilian academy prevail focused on the uses of technology and the features they offer, with strong technological focus and reducing the pedagogical focus. The data from empirical research show that the elements of the pedagogical work in online teaching are indistinguishable from those that characterize classroom teaching, since both have the same requirements of pedagogical and didactic nature, especially as mediated and the interactive nature of the teaching-learning. Fall on online education problems, difficulties and limitations, similar to those found on regular education, especially in regard to the theoretical background of the teacher and the interference of historical and socio-cultural issues in the learning process of students. It is noteworthy, however, that the online education becomes more pronounced fragmentation of teaching and the lack of educational reference for theoretical basis of the work of the teacher. The results concluded from the analysis of the pedagogical work in course Online Teaching allowed to infer that online education is no distinguish from regular education without the mediation of digital technologies with regard to the paradox between pedagogy and didactics. / Esta pesquisa tem como objeto de estudo a docência online, compreendida sob três vertentes que se complementam na orientação da educação a distância (EAD): as políticas públicas educacionais brasileiras em confluência com a economia internacional e a evolução das tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TIC); as tendências à industrialização que se articulam em suas dimensões política e pedagógica; as ações pedagógicas nas práticas docentes online. Para além da obviedade corrente que caracteriza como singular da docência online a utilização de recursos tecnológicos e midiáticos, nesta pesquisa considera-se a docência online a partir dos elementos constitutivos do trabalho pedagógico objetivos, conteúdos, métodos e formas de organização do ensino buscando esclarecer a questão central: de que forma os elementos constitutivos do trabalho pedagógico se configuram na docência online? O objetivo geral foi caracterizar e analisar os elementos que se configuram como constitutivos do trabalho pedagógico na EAD com recurso à mediação de tecnologias digitais. Quanto aos conceitos didático-pedagógicos, a pesquisa foi fundamentada na teoria histórico-cultural, com apoio principalmente em Vygotsky, Davydov, Leontiev, Engestrom, Libâneo, entre outros. Quanto às tecnologias educacionais e educação a distância, buscou-se apoio principalmente na abordagem instrumental proposta por Rabardel e também em conceitos de Toschi, Belloni, Peixoto. De natureza qualitativa e de caráter exploratório, a pesquisa foi realizada em duas etapas: a de revisão bibliográfica, abrangendo o período de 2006 a 2011; e a pesquisa de campo, que consistiu na criação, planejamento e realização de um curso a distância intitulado Docência Online , oferecido em ambiente virtual de aprendizagem (AVA), a fim de se caracterizar e analisar quais os elementos que se configuram como constitutivos do trabalho pedagógico na docência online. Os instrumentos de coleta de dados foram as entrevistas e a observação do desenvolvimento do curso. A análise dos dados consistiu em identificar e caracterizar os elementos do trabalho pedagógico no curso. A revisão bibliográfica revelou que as pesquisas sobre esse tema no meio acadêmico brasileiro prevalecem centradas nos usos das tecnologias e nos recursos que elas oferecem, com acentuado foco tecnológico e redução do foco pedagógico. Os dados da pesquisa empírica mostram que os elementos constitutivos do trabalho pedagógico na docência online não se distinguem daqueles que caracterizam a docência presencial, uma vez que ambas apresentam as mesmas exigências de natureza pedagógica e didática, sobretudo quanto ao caráter mediado e interativo do processo ensino-aprendizagem. Recaem sobre a educação online problemas, dificuldades e limitações, semelhantes àquelas que se encontra na educação presencial, sobretudo no que se refere à formação teórica do professor e à interferência de questões históricas e socioculturais no processo de aprendizagem dos alunos. Destaca-se, entretanto, que na educação online se torna mais acentuada a fragmentação do trabalho docente e a ausência de referência teórica pedagógica para fundamentação do trabalho do professor. Os resultados concluídos a partir da análise do trabalho pedagógico realizado no curso Docência Online permitiu inferir que a educação online não se distingue da educação presencial sem a mediação de tecnologias digitais no que diz respeito ao paradoxo entre a pedagogia e a didática.

Submitted by Cássia Santos (cassia.bcufg@gmail.com) on 2014-10-20T13:43:16Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao Sander de Sales Amaral - 2013.pdf: 1415090 bytes, checksum: fd4e6c240937cdbf3b7ed0e85948dcec (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Jaqueline Silva (jtas29@gmail.com) on 2014-10-20T19:43:28Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao Sander de Sales Amaral - 2013.pdf: 1415090 bytes, checksum: fd4e6c240937cdbf3b7ed0e85948dcec (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-20T19:43:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao Sander de Sales Amaral - 2013.pdf: 1415090 bytes, checksum: fd4e6c240937cdbf3b7ed0e85948dcec (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-10-03 / The process of expansion and democratization of higher education in the country, in recent decades, with the university reforms implemented by the State, has caused hard debate about the future of the university. It is in the midst of these reforms that the Distance Education (EaD) on upper level begins to expand, is viewed as strategic to democratize the access to higher education, by virtue of the possibilities arising from the improvement of Information Technology and Communication (TIC) from 1990s. Since then, their quality has been very questioned with the expansion of higher education by the distance education, where the problems of attendance and demand also are expanded, with implications on the academic teaching staff. And when we think of the expansion and quality in distance education, it is impossible not to give less importance to educational tutors, because the role and activity which are performed raise important issues for the development of our understanding on this non-presence education. Thus, our goal with this current study is to analyze the dissertations and theses into portal Capes surveyed in the period of 2006-2012 in order to understand how the authors situate the work of educational tutors in distance education who work in educational institutions linked to UAB, as regards to aspects such as professional identity, training, working conditions, among others. Therefore, we propose the following question: considering the analysis of dissertations and theses produced in portal Capes, the period of 2006-2012, what can we say about the tutors of EaD, understood as fundamental professionals to interact directly with students in the classroom poles and the virtual learning environment? In the methodology, we adopt two types of research: documents and literature. In documentary research, we analyzed documents written (laws, decrees, orders, notices, and other statistics), to verify the progress and prospects for the EaD in Brazil with the improvement of TIC. In the literature, apart from reading authors such as Castells, Schaff, Frigotto, Belloni, Barreto, Dourado, Santos, Toschi, Valente who have guided our study, we analyze theses and dissertations, selected in portal Capes, considering the period of 2006-2012. In the analysis developed , predominantly qualitative, we look at issues arising from the conceptions of the authors on the EaD, especially on aspects of the tutors‟ work , their specificities , their theoretical and methodological approaches , which enabled us to build a general framework in relation discussions on the subject. Analysis of State of the Art on studies involving tutors in distance education who work in education in IES members of UAB enables us to say that there are few dissertations and theses in the portal Capes on education tutors in IES members of UAB, many authors highlight the importance of tutors for the quality of distance education, so that some of them defend its function as teaching, but few roles deal about training and working conditions of these professionals, although, in some studies, it predominates discourse on the need for tutors and/or teachers in EaD with intent to adapt to technological advances, which is significant for the development of education, and know how to deal with the tools used in the process. / O processo de expansão e democratização da educação superior no país, nas últimas décadas, com as reformas universitárias implantadas pelo Estado, tem provocado acirrados debates sobre os rumos da universidade. É no bojo dessas reformas que a Educação a Distância (EaD) em nível superior começa a se expandir, pois é entendida como estratégica para democratizar o acesso à educação superior,em virtude das possibilidades advindas do aprimoramento das tecnologias da informação e comunicação (TIC), a partir dos anos 1990. Desde então, sua qualidade tem sido muito questionada, pois, com a expansão da educação superior via EaD, ampliam-se, também, os problemas de atendimento e de demanda, com implicações no trabalho docente. E quando pensamos a expansão e a qualidade na EaD, é impossível secundarizarmos a figura dos tutores, pois o papel e a atividade que executam suscitam questões importantes para o desenvolvimento de nossa compreensão sobre essa educação não presencial. Assim, nosso objetivo com o presente estudo é analisar as dissertações e teses pesquisadas no portal Capes, no período 2006-2012 para compreendermos como os autores situam o trabalho dos tutores na EaD que atuam na área da educação nas intuições vinculadas à UAB, no que se refere a aspectos como identidade profissional, formação, condições de trabalho, dentre outros. Para tanto, propomos a seguinte questão norteadora: considerando a análise das dissertações e teses produzidas no portal Capes, do período 2006-2012, o que podemos dizer sobre os tutores da EaD, entendidos como sujeitos fundamentais por interagirem diretamente com os alunos nos polos presenciais e no ambiente virtual de aprendizagem? Na metodologia, adotamos dois tipos de pesquisa: documental e bibliográfica. Na pesquisa documental, procedemos à análise de documentos escritos (leis, decretos, portarias, editais, estatísticas e outros), procurando verificar os avanços e as perspectivas para a EaD no Brasil com o aprimoramento das TIC. Na pesquisa bibliográfica, além da leitura de autores como Castells, Schaff, Frigotto, Belloni, Barreto, Dourado, Santos, Toschi, Valente que nortearam nosso estudo, analisamos dissertações e teses, selecionadas no portal Capes, considerando o período 2006-2012. Na análise que desenvolvemos, predominantemente qualitativa, atentamos para questões oriundas das concepções dos autores sobre a EaD, principalmente sobre aspectos inerentes ao trabalho dos tutores, suas especificidades, seus enfoques teórico-metodológicos, o que nos possibilitou a construção de um quadro geral em relação às discussões acerca do tema. A análise do Estado da Arte sobre estudos que envolvem tutores em EaD que atuam na área da educação nas IES integrantes da UAB nos possibilita afirmar que existem poucas dissertações e teses no portal Capes sobre tutores em educação nas IES integrantes da UAB; muitos autores destacam a importância dos tutores para a qualidade da EaD, de modo que alguns defendem sua função como docência, mas poucos trabalhos tratam sobre formação e condições de trabalho desses profissionais; em alguns estudos, predomina o discurso sobre a necessidade de os tutores e/ou professores na EaD se adaptarem aos avanços tecnológicas, tidos como significativos para o desenvolvimento da educação, e de saberem lidar com as ferramentas utilizadas nos processos.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:36:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MariaCAF_TESE.pdf: 2842180 bytes, checksum: 8a99b635f58e2e8c6302096e6502c03e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-09-29 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The thesis, entitled, Pedagogical/comunication knowledge, research/formation: Reflections on the formative experiences of teachers online , developed dialogues on the pedagogical/communication knowledge, research-formation and the formative experiences of teachers online, for the purpose of understanding how pedagogical/communication knowledge is establishing/established from the formative experience of teachers online. For this reason we began with the following question: how does pedagogical/communication knowledge become estabilishing/established beginning with the formative experience of teachers online? The methodological approach for the selected research was research/formation, based on Ethnoresearch of critical formation. This became a rich route for reflections on pedagogical/communication knowledge and formative experiences, making a contribution for formation and autoformation of the teacher/researcher and the teachers online. This provided moments of formation, of reflection-in-action and on the action, potentialized/structured the process of comprehending, analyzing, interpreting, reflecting on the formative experiences and contributing for reflections on pedagogical/communication knowledge of the teacher online. The theoretical referential dialogue was based on concepts such as: education online, interactivity Silva (2002), Santos (2005), Moran (2003), teaching, Veiga (2005), Pimenta (2002), Freire (2005), Tardif (2002), teaching online Sacramento (2006), teaching knowledge Tardif (2002), Charlot (2000), Porl?n (1997), Garc?a (1992), Freire (2005), Ethnoresearch-formation Macedo (2000), formation Macedo (2010), Josso (2010). The discoveries revealed that the pedagogical/communication knowledged becomes establishing/established beginning with formative experience of the teachers online, from the emergency of a collective communicative dialogue, structuring and potentialized by the experiences of the context online, from the didactic pedagogical/communicational organization online, of the research, of the relation created by the expertise and the presents itself along the itinerary of the family , the school, academic and professional. From this we can conclude that of knowledge and plural experiences, which became broken down because they are parts that relate themselves with other parts, which become united in one whole, the singular/plural, the local/global, the text and the context, agregating principles a pedagogical- communication perspective that orients :the dialogue, the interactivity, the hypertextuality, themultivocallity, formative dispositions, formative experiences all of wich makes for the possibilities for researdh and the training of professors and teachers who accept their point of departure and enddind points as pedagogy and experience / A presente tese, intitulada Saberes pedag?gicos/comunicacionais, pesquisa/forma??o: reflex?es sobre as experi?ncias formativas das professoras online , desenvolveu reflex?es sobre os saberes pedag?gicos/comunicacionais, a pesquisa/forma??o e as experi?ncias formativas das professoras online, objetivando est?o sendo institu?dos/instituintes a partir das experi?ncias formativas das professoras online? Para isso, partiu-se da seguinte quest?o: como os saberes pedag?gicos/comunicacionais est?o sendo institu?dos/instituintes a partir das experi?ncias formativas das professoras online? A abordagem metodol?gica de pesquisa escolhida foi a pesquisa/forma??o, alicer?ada na Etnopesquisa Cr?tica/forma??o. Esta se constituiu como itiner?rio fecundo de reflex?es sobre os saberes pedag?gico-comunicacionais e experi?ncias formativas, contribuindo para a forma??o e autoforma??o do professor/pesquisador e das professoras online. Proporcionou momentos de forma??o, de reflex?o-na-a??o e sobre-a-a??o, potencializou/estruturou o processo de compreender, analisar, interpretar e refletir sobre as experi?ncias formativas e de contribuir para as reflex?es acerca dos saberes pedag?gicos/comunicacionais das professoras online. O referencial te?rico dialogado foi baseado em conceitos como: educa??o online, interatividade Silva (2002), Santos (2005), Moran (2003), doc?ncia Veiga (2005), Pimenta (2002), Freire (2005), Tardif (2002), doc?ncia online Sacramento (2006), saberes docentes Tardif (2002), Charlot (2000), Porl?n (1997), Garc?a (1992), Freire (2005), Etnopesquisa-forma??o Macedo (2000) e forma??o Macedo (2010), Josso (2010). Os achados revelam que os saberes pedag?gicos/comunicacionais foram instituintes/institu?dos a partir das experi?ncias formativas das professoras online, da emerg?ncia de um coletivo comunicativo/dial?gico, estruturante e potencializado pelas experi?ncias do contexto online, da organiza??o did?tica pedag?gica/comunicacional online, da pesquisa, da rela??o constitu?da com o saber e dos saberes apresentados pelo itiner?rio familiar, escolar, acad?mico e profissional. Com isso, ? poss?vel dizer que esses saberes e as experi?ncias s?o plurais, fractais, pois s?o partes que se relacionam com outras partes, que re?nem, num todo, o singular e o plural, o local e o global, o texto e o contexto, agregando princ?pios para a perspectiva pedag?gica comunicacional online que articularam: a pesquisa, o di?logo, a interatividade, a hipertextualidade, a multivocalidade, os dispositivos formativos, as experi?ncias formativas como possibilidades para a pesquisa e para forma??o de professores (as) que tenham como ponto de partida e de chegada o pedag?gico e a experi?ncia