The purpose of this research was to evaluate the extent to which graduates from the Bachelor of Nursing (BN) program at the University of Technology, Sydney were adequately prepared for the nursing role in the current Australian health care system. This question was examined by adapting the illuminative evaluation method developed by Parlett and Hamilton (1977), and a meta-evaluation is provided of the model that was developed. Data were gathered from academic staff, clinical facilitators, curriculum and clinical experts and students. Course mileau and documentation were also assessed. The results indicate that graduates from the BN were adequately prepared to fulfil the nursing role. However, during the research a number of critical issues emerged which led to the development of an alternative model of curriculum. Although the conclusions support the continuance of a generic preparatory course, a number of changes to the course are recommended and two areas of future research identified. The first relates to exploring the depth, breadth and extent of knowledge that is required of a beginning registered nurse. The second involves evaluating the curriculum changes proposed here to assess whether this model is able to achieve improved outcomes in graduates / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Instructional Systems, Leadership, and Workforce Development in the College of Education. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Medical Technology))--Mahidol University, 2004.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Georgia Southern University, 2009. / "A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education." Directed by Barbara Mallory. ETD. Includes bibliographical references (p. 112-124) and appendices.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Georgia Southern University, 2009. / "A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education." Directed by Paul M. Brinson. ETD. Includes bibliographical references (p. 91-98)

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Magister Technologiae: Quality In the Faculty of Engineering At the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) 2013 / Advances in internet technologies have created opportunities for facilitating learning and improving performance in education. The applications of these technologies have given rise to the phenomenon widely referred to as e-Learning. E-Learning has been widely adopted by tertiary institutions globally as a strategic initiative to improve the knowledge delivery process. This study was carried out at a University of Technology (UoT) in the Western Cape, South Africa, where e-Learning technology is used mainly for distribution of course materials. The study focuses on the impact of a web-based e-Learning program on the quality of teaching and learning; with an overall aim of creating awareness of the extent to which the quality of teaching and learning can be improved through a learning environment that engages an e-Learning program for leverage. The need to maximize the return on investments (ROI) by the institution on an enterprise e-Learning platform (Blackboard), the learning enablement which educational technologies afford, and the dividends promised by a strategic implementation of e–Learning in enhancing and enriching learning environments makes this study relevant and timely. The research was conducted using the UoT as a case study, and utilised the principles of both qualitative and qualitative research paradigms. The research was based on a review of relevant literature, administration of survey questionnaires to specific faculty and students’ populations, and statistical comparisons of students’ test results based on instruction delivery methods. The findings of this study underline that students’ satisfaction with a teaching method can positively influence how they learn and the outcomes they achieve, that instruction methods can greatly affect students’ performance, and consequently the quality of learning. The result of this study conforms to the view of many authors that instruction methods can be improved by systematic use of specific internet technologies (or simply, e-Learning tools) in the teaching and learning process. It was found that student achieved better results in modules of a subject that were taught using a combination of e-Learning program and face-to-face learning method than in the module taught using the traditional method only. Other emerging findings from this study suggest that lecturers at the institution are biased against the term e-Learning mainly because of their negative experiences with the e-Learning platform, lack of knowledge of the potentials of an e-Learning program and the challenges it poses. However, some faculty members show some willingness to use this e-Learning approach if conditions for its success are favourable with the necessary support systems in place. The main conclusion drawn from this research as a consequence of the findings is that powerful learning environments that meet the needs and enhance the learning of students would be in place at the institution if academic staff are duly aware of the benefits of an e-Learning program to them and their students; and if they are well resourced and capacitated. This study therefore argues for a multipronged approach to facilitate the institution-wide use of e-Learning program in teaching and learning. This includes but is not limited to educating the academic staff on the advantages/benefits of using technology as an effective tool for learner engagement, providing meaningful pedagogical training with the specific aim of preparing them for integrating e-Learning into their teaching, identifying learning objectives and learning processes that can best be supported by either e-Learning components or face-to-face, or by both and adequate support structure.

Diversity and transformation demands on higher education require that all universities of technology revisit and redesign their qualifications and curricula in order to meet the challenges facing the higher education system in the 21st century, and to align with the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework. The study focused on the knowledge bases of the current and new Diplomas in Office Management curricula, and how these were aligned with the broader aim of enhancing the employability of graduates. The problem investigated was the contribution of higher education to the work readiness of graduates within a diploma curriculum at a university of technology. This thesis argues that employability is enhanced by the programme and its content. The National Diploma in Office Management is currently being phased out, and a new programme, the Diploma in Office Management, is being developed. These two qualifications are the main focus of this thesis. Knowledge is considered an important component of modern societies, and thus the knowledge bases of the Office Management curricula can play a vital role in fostering the employability of graduates. The theoretical framework draws on three dimensions of Maton’s Legitimation Code Theory. These dimensions are Autonomy, Semantics and Specialisation, which allow for the analysis of the Office Management curriculum to enable the researcher to develop an understanding of the knowledge base of service and professional knowledge bases of the curriculum. The recontextualisation processes for professional curricula involve the recontextualisation of work practices into academic subjects as well as the recontextualisation of disciplinary knowledge into applied subject areas. This process involves a series of knowledge translations involving choices and struggles, for example, to determine which disciplines are essential in a National Diploma Office Management curriculum. These choices of what makes different categories of knowledge practices legitimate, and the purposes and interests they serve are conceptualised in Legitimation Code Theory. The use of Legitimation Code Theory determined the multi-method approach used to include the views of graduates, employers and academics, who were able to bring their own experiences, expectations, concerns and perspectives into the research process. The methods of data collection included Delphi surveys, documentary data from minutes of DACUM and curriculum workshops, curricular documents and course material, third-year student and alumni surveys, and interview documentation with academics from international and local institutions. These sources were used to secure triangulation of data gathering. The Autonomy dimension of Legitimation Code Theory was drawn on to analyse the documentary and curricular data to examine the history, origin and mission of the Office Management curricula to determine who decided on the knowledge bases of the curricula. The Delphi survey was designed to determine the knowledge areas which form the basis of the Office Management curricula, and to obtain additional content which had been omitted from the current curriculum to assist with the recurriculation of the new Diploma in Office Management. The data from the Delphi surveys, curricular and documentary data and interview data, were analysed by drawing on the Semantic dimension of Legitimation Code Theory to examine the content and knowledge areas which give the Office Management curricula meaning. The design of the Delphi survey also aimed to determine the attributes necessary for the role of the office administrator. The analysis of data produced from a variety of sources utilising the dimensions of the Legitimation Code Theory established that the knowledge base of office management work is that of professional service and support. The findings show that the Office Management curricula focus on technical and highly practical and contextual components with less emphasis given to the significant role of the linguistic knowledge base. Language, writing and oral communication skills are the foundation of the work of office administrators and office managers who are required to communicate at all levels of the organisation with employees and senior staff, and between the company and its stakeholders. The workplace demands of the field of information technology are continuously changing, and focusing on the “technology” without focusing on the communication knowledge principles that support this technology, gives evidence of what Maton calls knowledge blindness in the curriculum. This harks to when the focus on the mechanics of typing and shorthand caused the work of secretaries to become underrated as the focus was not on the multiple and complex literacies associated with this work. A solid disciplinary core of communication theory and a sound knowledge of business communication genres and technical communication are essential for graduates. This will provide graduates with the complex knowledge they will need to draw on to cope with the demands of the dynamic workplace, changing technology and society, and an unknown future.

The current trend in business is that the more rapidly customers are able to receive the services they require; the better the organisation can perform. However, customers’ needs are becoming progressively more complex due to the increased number of communication channels and ubiquitous business information. Serving today’s informed customers with traditional business methods have proven to be too difficult for organisations that are too rigid to change. Determining how to support business stakeholders effectively and efficiently, ranging from clients to shareholders can seem daunting; yet it does not have to be. The major objective of this study was to use a balanced scorecard (BSC) to improve an organisation’s financial perspective. A case study of the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Polokwane campus in South Africa was used to inform the study. This study was motivated by the fact that, as much as the BSC is widely being used to align organisations’ operations to its mission and objectives, many organisations in the developing world still use traditional financial performance measurement systems. Another motivation for the study resulted from the fact that despite the strategic positioning of the TUT Polokwane campus in Limpopo province, the campus is still failing to attract potential students and high-calibre staff. The study modified the BSC for non-profit organisations (Kaplan & Norton, 2001) to come up with a conceptual framework that suits the TUT Polokwane campus environment. Secondary and primary data were used. Secondary data was obtained by reviewing relevant documentation that contributed to identifying key performance measures. These measures were used to develop the instrument for collecting primary data. Primary data was analysed quantitatively. The results of the study showed that many of the questionnaire items were good. Three of the six hypothesised relationships between the six constructs and the improvement of the financial perspective were fully supported, while the other three were partially supported. Relevant modifications were made to the measuring items and consequently, the BSC. The modified BSC that was a result of this study can be used as a reference framework by universities that wish to implement it within their settings. To the management of the TUT Polokwane campus this study will serve as a standard to set the business operations congruent to the university’s mission and vision. This study recommends that future research should consider using longitudinal surveys since users’ perception and customer needs change as the business environment changes. The study also emphasised the need for continuous review and modification of the resultant BSC that will be introduced at the campus in order to cope with the ever-increasing changes in business and technological developments. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Business Management / unrestricted

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / The study investigates the role of CPUT libraries in supporting research and how academics perceive this role. CPUT is a new university of technology and aims at improving its research record. Research is crucial to South Africa to develop economically, socially and to compete globally. Research is fundamental to the existence of universities. Universities of technology libraries face the challenge of providing support for research. Previously the colleges / technikon libraries provided support for undergraduate and underdiplomates only. Today, they have to provide support for researchers at masters, doctoral, and post-doctoral levels. Questions arising from the research problem are: • How much and what kind of research is being conducted by academic staff at CPUT? • What programmes does the library have to meet the needs of the researcher? • How do academic researchers use the library at present? • What do researchers see as the inhibiting and encouraging factors for their research with regard to library services? • How do they perceive the role of the library in their research? There were two phases in the research design: an in-depth interview with the recently appointed Research Librarian at CPUT libraries whose job it is to plan and implement library support services to researchers and to run the Research Information Support Centre (RISC) and an electronic survey of researchers on the academic staff of CPUT. The purpose of the interview was to explore the library plans for research support. Nine themes were highlighted during the interview with the Research Librarian for example: • Librarians should be researchers, research support is a whole-library responsibility • Postgraduate degree research is the core function of RISC. The purpose of the survey was to investigate what researchers need and want from the library as well as their perceptions and attitudes towards the role of the library in research. A questionnaire consisting of mixed questions (qualitative and quantitative) was sent by email to all 602 academics at CPUT across eight campuses. The aim was to achieve a representative sample across all six faculties. The final sample was 102 with one faculty underrepresented. The study made the following findings: • 52% of respondents strongly agree that research is essential to their job and that CPUT needs to build a stronger research culture. • PhD and Masters degree research dominates. • For a University of Technology the low proportion of industrial-sponsored research is perhaps surprising. • The average time percentage spent in a working year on research is 23.4%. Several comments in the final open-ended question point to heavy workloads. • 65% of respondents have not published any articles in accredited journals in the past three years. • 57% of respondents do not agree that they source information directly from the Internet and so no longer need the library. • Most respondents, 95 of the 102, make use of the library for research support. However, RISC is not their number one choice for research support. RISC is perhaps underused. The three library services being extensively used by respondents are eresources, borrowing print resources and Inter-library loan services. Quite a high number of respondents, 27 (28%), are undecided whether the Digital Knowledge Repository at CPUT, a library project, is important to them. However, comments in the final open-ended question indicated that respondents are unaware of this service. • The number one on researchers’ wish lists for library research support services is to be kept informed of new research in their field – thus the traditional current awareness services of libraries. • The ICT infrastructure has been highlighted as critical. The main reason for low rating of the library is that the network / databases are too slow. • There seems to be fairly strong doubt that librarians have adequate subject knowledge to support research with 27% agreeing that librarians lack subject knowledge. • The cross tabulations suggest that there might well be some differences among faculties in terms of responses. But statistical tests of significance would be needed to confirm this suggestion. The study had a few limitations. The survey left the researcher with some questions. It only focused on one institution. Postgraduate students who are not staff members were excluded from this study. Some of the recommendations coming from the study are: • ICT infrastructure needs to be improved • Library current awareness and alerting services must be improved • The Digital Knowledge research repository must be made more visible to academics • Document delivery and inter-library loan services should be made more efficient and faster • Collection development processes need to be geared more closely to the needs of researchers. The aim of the project was to gather information for CPUT libraries to develop further their services to form a part of the research culture. The study might make academics and researchers aware of the potential role the library plays in contributing to their research needs. If South Africa is to progress to a knowledge society, its universities will have to increase research output. Universities of Technology have a particularly important role to play as South Africa urgently needs scientific and technological research. Therefore their libraries have a special responsibility to support their efforts to improve their research culture and production. It is hoped that this study will contribute some insight into how University of Technologylibraries might enhance their research support. / South Africa

Voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) has become a vital process in combating the spread of HIV/AIDS. Yet little has been published on how students experience the process of VCT. This study sought to describe and understand the experiences of voluntary counselling and testing among four students at Tshwane University of Technology. This research project focussed on students’ experiences when reporting for voluntary counselling and testing. The results were used to make recommendations for strategies to increase the accessibility and uptake of VCT by students. Using a phenomenological approach, tape recorded interviews were conducted with the four students of Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). The data were then categorised into five themes relating to the experience of VCT: emotions, perceptions, actions, thoughts and desires. The results showed that the students were mostly dissatisfied with the VCT clinic’s procedures and the counsellor’s attitudes. Also evident from this study was that counsellors’ professionalism, peer support, and a service that offers both pre- and post-test counselling play a significant role in students’ use of VCT. The findings of this study suggest that the following could be used as strategies to motivate students to utilise VCT services of VCT: (1) increase access and acceptability of VCT for students; (2) ensure access to factual information in the form of counselling; (3) make counselling a priority. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted