e-Learning has the potential to radically change the way we teach and learn in higher education, but there is ongoing debate as to what constitutes effective e-learning environments. This study explores the interrelated areas of e-learning technology and pedagogy within the context of a postgraduate special education and educational psychology programme. The study is framed in a scholarship of teaching and learning approach and covers three successive phases of overlapping activities of teaching, learning and research. The first phase of the research focuses on the design of a community of practice approach to e-learning. The aim is to enable students to develop their identity as members of the professional community by bridging the gap between university-based learning and its real-world application. In the second phase of the research, alternative technology is used to investigate a better alignment of e-learning technology and pedagogy. The findings here show that a community of practice pedagogy is better aligned with a social constructionist e-learning technology. In the third phase of the research an e-learning alignment guide is developed to analyse the changes in e-learning in relation to the interrelated areas of technology, pedagogy and context. The guide is applied to the e-learning case studies in Phases 1 and 2 of this study. The profiles of alignment from these case studies illustrate the complexities and tensions in e-learning and the potential of linking advanced technologies with effective teaching practices to change the way we teach and learn. The key finding of this study is that careful alignment of technology, pedagogy and context is needed to actualise the potential of e-learning in higher education. The e-learning alignment guide developed in this study enables analysis of e-learning environments to provide alignment profiles. Aligning innovative technologies with appropriate pedagogies in different contexts is essential for e-learning to meet the needs of learners in the digital age. The enormous and rapid development of new educational technologies has seriously challenged traditional forms of pedagogy. This study shows that both a scholarship of teaching and learning approach and the use of the e-learning alignment guide can make a positive contribution to designing effective e-learning environments.

The Grahamstown Tertiary Education Bridging Project (GRATEP) was formed in 1991 by a group of post-matriculants from Grahamstown who had not been accepted into any tertiary institution for 1991. The overall aim of GRATEP was to prepare these students for tertiary education. The Academic Skills Programme at Rhodes University offered a programme in English Language Development. The present study aimed to research the design, implementation and evaluation of the GRATEP English Language Development programme which was implemented from May through to October 1991. A multimethod approach has been used to assess the progress made by the students in terms of developing communicative competence in English and to evaluate the course itself. The data included writing samples, questionnaires, exercises in hierarchical organization, a clozetest, comments made by the students and the participant observers. The programme appeared to have been most effective in terms of building confidence, developing academic skills and encouraging the students to take greater responsibility for their own learning. Statistical comparisons of the first and final writing samples revealed no overall significant improvement in communicative competence in English. However, comparisons of the scores in the categories and sub-categories of communicative competence revealed that students had improved in their ability to structure and organize their writing. The research raised questions about the design, implementation and assessment of non-formal language courses of this kind and made suggestions for improvement and further research.

Dit is nie oordrewe om te beweer dat die Suid-Afrikaanse onderwyssisteem tans midde-in 'n krisis staan nie. Dat ook die tersiere onderwyssektor ten nouste deur die omvang van hierdie krisis geraak word, kan nie betwis word nie. Die dilemma soos wat dit huidig binne die onderwys manifesteer, is direk herleibaar tot die jarelange apartheidsbeleid van die verlede. Dit is besonderlik die tersiere onderwyssektor wat 'n onvoldoende verrekening van die behoeftes van die gemeenskap weerspieel - veral die onderwysgerigte probleme en uitdagings binne die breer Afrikakonteks. In 'n poging om die onderwysspeelveld gelyk te maak, is indringende veranderings en hervormings besig om plaas te vind aan die bree onderwysfront. Verskeie onderwysimperatiewe tree na vore:Regstellings met betrekking tot die diskrepansie in onderwysstandaarde; Die toekomstige onderwysbehoeftes van die groeiende bevolking wat geakkommodeer moet word; Opgeleide mannekrag wat voorsien moet word ten einde 'n lewensvatbare en progressiewe ekonomie te verseker Die eiesoortige probleme van groot massas individue wat ongeskoold is of wat beskik oor 'n minderwaardige skoolopleiding, wat aangespreek moet word. Een van die grootste struikelblokke wat staan in die weg om die voorgenoemde probleemareas daadwerklik aan te spreek, is dosente aan tersiere onderwysinstansies se oenskynlike gebrek aan toereikende onderrig- en begeleidingsvaardighede. In die literatuurstudie is verskeie navorsingsbevindinge aangehaal wat daarop dui dat die meerderheid dosente vasgevang is in 'n nimmereindigende gejaag na die verwerwing van kwalifikasies en die publisering van navorsingsresultate - ongelukkig ten koste van doeltreffende onderrig en begeleiding van studente. Hierbenewens het dit ook aan die lig gekom dat meer as 80% van alle dosente aan geselekteerde tersiere onderwysinstansies in Suid-Afrika, oor geen vorm van formele onderrigkwalifikasies beskik nie.n Vraelys is ontwikkel ten einde te bepaal tot watter mate bevestiging vir die literatuurbevindinge in die praktyk gevind kon word en ook om dosente se algemene persepsies te toets met betrekking tot die doseerprofessie in sy geheel. Daar is veral klem gele op die onderskeie komponente van dosentskap - begeleiding en onderrig, navorsing, administrasie en gemeenskapsdiens. Drie bree kategoriee dosente is betrek by die studie, naamlik diegene verteenwoordigend van: Histories Afrikaanse Instellings; Histories Engelse Instellings; en Histories Swart Instellings. Uit hoofde van die bevindinge van die empiriese ondersoek, is praktykgerigte riglyne vir onderrig en begeleiding binne andragogiese konteks neergele. / It is not an exaggeration to maintain that the educational system in South Africa finds itself in the midst of a crisis. It can furthermore not be denied that tertiary education in particular is profoundly involved in this crisis. The dilemma which presently manifests in the educational sector is without doubt the result of the prolonged apartheidspolicy of the past. The tertiary sector, in particular, reflects an inadequate consideration of the unique needs of the broader community. In an effort to level the educational playfield, incisive changes and reconstruction are currently taking place in the broader educational sector. Various educational imperatives emerge:Affirmative action with regard to the discrepency in educational standards have to be addressed; The future educational needs of the growing South African population have to be accommodated; Qualified manpower that has to be provided so as to ensure a viable and progressive economy; The unique problems of large numbers of individuals who are unskilled or who are in possession of an inferior school education, have to be considered. A major obstacle in the way of addressing the aforementioned problem areas, is lecturers' apparent lack of sufficient teaching and accompaniment skills. Various research findings are quoted which point to the fact that the majority of lecturers are trapped in a spiral of obtaining qualifications and publishing research findings. This process unfortunately impacts negatively on effective teaching and the accompaniment of students. ·A related finding confirms that more than 80% of all lecturers at selected tertiary institutions in South Africa are not in possession of a professional teaching qualification. A questionnaire was developed in order to establish to which degree confirmation could be found in practice for the literature findings and also to establish lecturers' general perceptions with regard to the teaching profession. Emphasis was placed on the different components of the lecturing task. Three broad categories of lecturers were involved in the study, namely those representing: Historically Afrikaans Institutions; Historically English Institutions; and Historically black institutions. In view of the findings of the empirical study, practice-based guidelines for teaching and accompaniment within andragogical context were put forward. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Orthopedagogics)

The aim of my final master thesis is to describe the situation about higher education graduates and their position on the labour market in the Czech Republic. I am especially observing the employment and unemployment situation of people who have completed higher education. Due to the rapid increase in their number, I consider the topic to date. For assessing the whole situation first I characterize the educational situation in the Czech Republic. I focus on the educational structure of the population by age, gender and region. I am using mainly data from the Labour Force Survey, averages for the year 2014. Furthermore I briefly describe higher education students and recent graduates. Finally, I try to link these two parts with part of the labour market. To track the position of educated people like this I use descriptive methods and analytical methods. I deal with the influence of education on time spent on the labour market. Based on the tables of the economic activity I estimate the life expectancy of activity life by educational attainment. For this I am using the educational structure of the population from the Labour Force Survey and data on the number of deaths. In the final analytical part of my work I observe with the help of logistic regression and statistical program SAS the odds ratios...

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / The purpose of this thesis is to investigate patterns in educational enrollment and attainment in educational levels among women in South Africa. Some evidence from the literature suggest a slow increase in women's education and employment opportunities in South Africa. However, little is known about the way in which this slow pattern reflects at all levels and fields of education with special reference to the female population in South Africa. The thesis aims at examining changes of attainment in women's education from a sociodemographic perspective between 2004 and 2007. Factors affecting women's education in South Africa are also considered as they play major roles in women's enrollment and completion at school. The study focuses on women through different social and demographic attributes, by taking account of variables such as age, education attainment, geographic areas, population group to name but a few. All educational institutions are covered and two female groups are considered, women at school and women who left school. The study makes use of already existing data from General Household Survey conducted in 2004 and 2007 respectively, to bring some comparative perspective. The scope of the study is national in that, all the nine provinces are covered making distinction of rural and urban areas. / South Africa

Magister Educationis - MEd / The purpose of the study is to understand the roles, functions and perceived performance of the Tertiary Education Council (TEC) in higher education governance in Botswana. The study describes the relationship between the government, the TEC and higher education institutions in Botswana. The main objectives of the study are to: a) Examine the roles and functions of the TEC in Botswana’s higher education regarding policy formulation, quality assurance and coordination in the planning and development of tertiary education. b) Explore potential tensions between the roles and functions of the TEC and those of some of its stakeholders. c) Establish the performance of the TEC in relation to the three functions of policy formulation, quality assurance and coordination in the planning and development of tertiary education. The study is located within the broader framework of higher education governance. It examines the different models of higher education governance (such as state control, state interference and state supervision models) and the relationship involved between different stakeholders in governance of higher education. Furthermore, the framework focuses on the implications of the dynamics of higher education governance on the roles and functions of buffer bodies. The study adopted a single case study approach and it was designed to allow for the use of multiple sources of evidence. Data was collected through a review of both institutional and policy documents, semi-structured interviews with eight informants from the TEC and the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, as well as a survey targeting institutional heads of higher education institutions in Botswana. The use of qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection provided useful and in-depth data and allowed for triangulation. The data was analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings of the study reveal that there are differing conceptions of the TEC’s role in higher education in Botswana. Whereas the TEC sees itself as ‘middleman’ between the government and higher education institutions, the higher education institutions conceptualise the role of the TEC as an extension of government. The differing views on the TEC’s role, as either buffer or agent, result in different expectations of the roles and functions of the TEC. In addition, the study revealed that Botswana’s higher education system is characterised by fragmentation and duplication of roles, which limit the mandate of the TEC, thereby creating tensions between the TEC and other constituencies in the Botswana higher education system. The study thus contributes to the understanding of the roles and functions of the TEC in the governance of higher education in Botswana. It also contributes to the understanding of the relationship between the different stakeholders involved in the governance of higher education and the implications of this relationship on the roles and functions of buffer bodies. Overall, the study shows the complexities involved in the governance of higher education in a young and evolving system of higher education, and in a context in which the roles and functions of the key players are contested and inconsistently understood.

Change and the management thereof has become an integral part of management. To survive and prosper in the future, organisations have to understand the internal and external forces of the constantly changing world in which they operate. One example of the implications of change is the role of the communication practitioner that evolved from that of a technician to a strategist during recent decades. The communication practitioner has to realise that research is an effective tool to prove the value of the communication function. This study explores the use of environmental scanning as a strategic tool for an organisation to obtain a competitive edge. Knowledge management and the measurement of relationships in communication are closely related to environmental scanning. Environmental scanning is a process by which an organisation learns about events and trends in the internal and external environment. It helps establishes relationships between these trends and considers the main implications for problem identification and decision making. Any scientific research should be done against a theoretical framework. The systems theory and the information gap theory provide the theoretical framework for this study. Empirical research was conducted amongst the principals, marketing directors; information technology directors and scenario planners of all universities, technikons and registered private universities in South Africa. A total response rate of 58.7% was realised. A major finding was that, although most universities and technikons conduct environmental scanning and rate it as very important, there is no formalised, strategically aligned effort to integrate the findings with the strategic direction of the institution. The impact of environmental scanning on the respondents’ institutions is rated as significant to very significant. A revised model of environmental scanning was subsequently proposed. This model can also serve as a basis for future research and development. In spite of the different ways in which environmental scanning is conducted and applied, it has potential as a strategic tool - specifically to improve the role and contribution of the communication practitioner in the realisation of organisational goals. / Dissertation (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Communication Management / DPhil / Unrestricted

The aim of this thesis is to approach a meaning of quality in higher education. The education is perceived as a system where several kinds of investment are transformed into outcomes with an added value. Determining a methodology based on a correlation analysis enables the author to look for links in education systems of selected members of the European Union. These links are interpreted in order to point out the qualitative implications of potential decisions in terms of managing this system both at a central and institutional level. Approaches to quality of tertiary education are presented in order to define the means of quality assessment and selecting a policy of achieving it. The functioning principles of higher education institutions describe the institutions' structure and characteristics. These are complemented with the impact of the European Union initiatives. The properties of higher education are analysed using selected indicators which are assumed to have an influence on education quality. The reasons for their choice are explained and an enouncement of hypotheses is followed by the correlation. The analysis outputs are interpreted and contextualised in accordance to their usability for the stakeholders.

The thesis deals with the issue of tuition at public universities. The first part contains a historical course of the Czech tertiary education, a structure of education system in the Czech Republic and a description of the impact of the implementation of tuition in the UK. The second part analyses the planned reform of tertiary education and defines the possible impact of the reformative alteration in the functioning of public universities and social impact on students. The main finding is that implementation of the reform will probably cause unequal access to tertiary education.

This diploma thesis examines the impact and consequences of the implementation of deferred tuition in the Czech Republic on an quality and a system of financing of universities. The aim is to determine the real impact of tuition fees on improving the quality of university education and make recommendations for an implementation or a rejection of this form of financial participation. The first part of my thesis contains theoretical views on education and its role in the modern economy, it defines the term "education" as a kind of an economic good and describes the current system of university education in the Czech Republic. The empirical research will be comparing the current situation of university education system in the Czech Republic with the situation in the EU and OECD countries. The analysis will be based on statistical data on the number of people with university education, the volume of investment into this kind of education, the ratio of public and private funding system, the number of students enrolling on universities, total expenditures per student, applying of university student and other labor market indicators. Based on this comparison,the strengths and the weaknesses of the Czech university education will be established and its trend in the last 5 years. Within the scope of a planned introduction of direct financial participation of university students, the principle of deferred tuition will be considered as a potential tool not only to increase private funding in the system, but also to achieve a better standards of university education. The possible effects of the introduction of tuition fees in the country will be estimated based on the experience with the implementation of this system abroad (UK and Australia) and meta-analysis of expert opinion on financing university education system. The conclusion of the thesis includes a summary of the extent to which the inflow of private funds into the system changes the strengths and weaknesses of the university education in the Czech Republic and making recommendations for its implementation.