The incorporation of best practice in e-learning environments can increase the probability of success for companies and learners alike. By identifying and understanding the barriers that potential learners may face when interacting with e-learning products, the potential for e-learning failure may be alleviated. There are a variety of benefits that may be realised by companies incorporating e-learning opportunities into their management strategies. However, certain pedagogical principles, metrics and components need to be investigated and implemented in order for a corporate e-learning environment to be successful. The aim of this research is to prototype and evaluate a practical e-learning environment for software training (eLESTP) with e-learning components consisting of interactive learning objects that can guide the development and management of online training in the corporate context. The eLESTP is based on a theoretical contribution that is conceptualised in the form of an e-learning environment for software training (eLESTT). Hence, this study followed a research methodology that is appropriate for educational technologies, namely the Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology, which was applied in iterative cycles. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected by means of a case study, interviews, a focus group and survey. The proposed eLESTP underwent several iterations of feedback and improvement and the result is a real-world solution to the problem at hand. With the purpose of determining the success of corporate e-learning, the barriers and critical success factors for e-learning as well as evaluation criteria were explored. Interviews, a focus group and a survey were conducted in order to validate the investigated literature in a real-world context. Informal interviews enabled a better understanding of the organisational context of this study. The focus group was conducted with customers who were undergoing face-to-face training using conveyancing software developed by Korbitec. Many of the issues faced by learners identified in literature regarding e-learning in developing countries were identified by the participants from the case study. An e-learning survey was used to gather information regarding the intention of Korbitec’s customers to use e-learning as well as their satisfaction with using e-learning. From the survey, it was found that respondents were positive regarding intention to use and satisfaction toward e-learning usage. DBR Cycle 1: Problem Investigation and Proposal entailed the initial problem investigation by conducting a literature review, focus group and survey. DBR Cycle 2: Design Alternative 1 of this study involved a design alternative for eLESTP, namely Prototype 1. DBR Cycle 3: Design and Evaluate Alternative 2 involved the design and prototyping of Prototype 2 for eLESTP as well as the improvement of Prototype 2 through sub-cycles of testing and refinement. The suggestions for improvement were obtained from the relevant stakeholders at Korbitec who are content developers and subject-matter experts. The criteria used to evaluate the success of eLESTP, including its e-learning components, were synthesised and adapted from literature and a new set of evaluation criteria for e-learning environments in software training contexts was proposed. The evaluated eLESTP consists of the technology basis of the Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle), design guidelines for e-learning components, certification and competency-based training, pedagogical principles and best practice. Overall, eLESTP was positively received by various evaluator groups in formative and summative evaluations. The research results indicate that the use of an e-learning environment for software training purposes was useful and necessary. In support of this Masters dissertation, the following three conference papers have been published and presented at one local conference and two international conferences. In addition, an article has been published in an accredited journal: 1. IDIA 2015, Conference Paper – Zanzibar (Tanzania); 2. Conf-IRM 2016, Conference Paper – Cape Town (South Africa); 3. MCIS 2016, Conference Paper – Cyprus (Europe); and 4. IJIKM 2016, Journal Article.

D.Litt. et Phil. / This study aims at constructing a developmental model which can serve as a guide for the design and development of Web-based psychological interventions. It should be kept in mind that this study is grounded methodologically in a developmental research design but also uses this developmental research design as a basis for intervention design. Psychology has already made use of the Internet in terms of different applications but no formalised structure exists for the development of Web-based interventions. Due to this gap in knowledge the model needs to be developed by utilising existing models for intervention design and integrating them with existing models for the design of instructional and Web-based training. Due to the unique, adaptive nature of Web-based psychological interventions, it is necessary to also move beyond these models and focus on user and environmental characteristics which can be addressed during the development and design phases. In order to develop and refine the proposed model, a Web-based career guidance intervention will be developed and implemented. Users‟ feedback from their experience of this intervention will provide indications of the feasibility of the model and also suggest any modifications that should be made.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, in 50% fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (in the field of Educational Technology). / Online learning has been identified as a growing area in the education sector and many educational institutions are expanding their offering of online courses. When designing online courses, there are several design considerations and decisions that need to be made. Despite the development of various instructional design literature and the potential of online courses to support learning, there exists a gap between theoretical knowledge (theory) and practice (reality). The objective of the current research study is to determine the effectiveness of the design of online courses for teaching and learning, and what designers and instructors of online learning environments should collectively consider in terms of the quality of the design for online courses. The current study found the dimensions (1) course information, course structure and course organisation, (2) interaction and communication, (3) multimedia design, (4) assessment and feedback, and (5) effective use of technology of online courses to be important contributors towards the quality design of online courses. Using these dimensions, a valid and reliable evaluation instrument was developed – a rubric. In the current study, the rubric is used as an evaluation tool to evaluate three online short courses at a university level. The current study uses a quantitative instrument design methodology as it involves measuring by scoring various criterion on the developed rubric. These scores were measured and analysed using simple descriptive statistics. Qualitative descriptive evaluations of the online short courses were also done. Both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the online course analysis were integrated to ascertain a summative conclusion of the three online courses and whether the rubric, as a design framework, needed further improvement or not. The current study provides a contribution towards literature by advancing the development of best practices in terms of quality design and evaluation of online courses. The rubric offers a framework to determine what components contribute towards quality design in online courses. This framework contains a set of benchmarks that will assist instructors and course designers in one of two ways; (1) as a self-evaluation tool for an online course thus advising the appropriate stakeholder on how to revise their current online course, and (2) as a best practice guideline to design a new course within the online environment. / NG (2020)

Online teacher professional development (oTPD) has gained momentum globally as a mode of teacher professional development (Dede et al., 2009; Lieberman & Mace, 2010), appealing to teachers who prefer the convenience of online learning and/or the autonomy of self-paced learning. With oTPD gaining traction, especially in this climate of COVID-19 pandemic where many face-to-face interactions have shifted to an online space, there is insufficient research done on teachers’ learning experiences and the type of reflective thinking observed during teachers’ participation in oTPD activities. This is compounded by the ubiquitous but poorly defined use of reflection in literature pertaining to learning and professional development (Finlay, 2008; Roessger, 2014). In Singapore where teachers have access to a range of oTPD opportunities, this problem is similarly observed. Very few studies have been undertaken in Singapore to understand teachers’ learning experiences and how teachers reflect when they engage in TPD or oTPD. In light of the growing popularity of oTPD as a means for Singapore teachers to learn and improve their classroom practice, this exploratory case study sought to contribute to TPD research by studying the oTPD experiences of Singapore teachers. Specifically, this study explored factors that facilitated and/or impeded teacher learning in oTPD and the level of reflective thinking observed in teachers’ oTPD participation. The motivation for this study stems from an appreciation of the complexity of classroom practice and the recognition that what teachers do in their respective classrooms is pivotal to student learning. This study recognizes the crucial need to support teacher learning through oTPD. Findings from this study may inform the design and implementation of oTPD in Singapore and address the paucity of research in this area by providing qualitative case study data on the understudied area of oTPD and teacher learning. Recommendations pertaining to the design and implementation of oTPD may benefit professional development providers and the teachers they serve, as well as teacher leaders hoping to support teacher learning. This study and the recommendations it proposes will also be of interest to researchers in educational research who seek to understand the phenomenon of oTPD.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of three deadline conditions (i.e., frequent-instructor-set-deadline condition, flexible-instructor-set-deadline condition, and self-imposed-deadline condition) on students of different academic procrastination levels (high, medium, and low) in terms of their perceived learning, academic performance, and course satisfaction in an online course. A 3 x 3 factorial quasi-experimental design was adopted for this study. One hundred and seventy three students from three classes of different majors voluntarily participated in the study with 50 students majoring in Agriculture, 61 in International Trading, and 62 in Food Manufacturing. The three classes were randomly assigned to three deadline conditions. Data were collected through an online survey and a final exam. This study found that there were significant differences in perceived learning and course satisfaction among high, medium, and low procrastinators, but there was no significant difference in academic performance among students at different procrastination levels. Low and medium procrastinators had significantly higher perceived learning and were significantly more satisfied with the course than high procrastinators. Among the three deadline condition groups, there were no significant differences in perceived learning and course satisfaction, however, the difference in academic performance was significant. The flexible deadline group achieved the best academic performance followed by the frequent and the self-imposed deadline groups. There was no interaction effect between procrastination and deadline conditions on any of the dependent variables. Limitations of the present study, recommendations for future research, and implications for practice are discussed.

No description available.

Virtual environments are visually dominant systems. It seems that individuals" visual perception abilities would have an effect on their performance in a virtual environment. One such visual perception ability that seems a logical fit for study in virtual environments is that of disembedding ability. Disembedding ability is one part of a greater psychological construct known as field dependence. This research investigates how the learner characteristic of field dependence affects learning outcomes in virtual environments In order to examine the effect of virtual environments on recall among learners of differing levels of field dependence, the following specific questions and hypotheses were formed: 1) Does the use of virtual environments affect participants" performance in a task of recall? 2) Do participants of different levels of field dependence perform differently on a task of recall when presented with virtual environments versus static images? 3) Do field-dependent participants score higher on a test of recall when presented with a virtual environment? An experimental design using a sample of Virginia Tech students was employed in this study. The analysis consisted of a 2 X 2 factorial design with main effects for two levels of field dependence (field dependent and field independent), two levels of image representation (virtual environment versus static images), and interaction effects between the two factors. The factorial analysis showed no significant difference in recall test scores for the two treatments. Likewise, there was no significant difference in test scores for field dependent participants who received the virtual-environment treatment versus the static-image treatment. However, a significant interaction existed between field dependence and treatment type, favoring the field-independent participants who received the virtual-environment treatment. It can be concluded from this study that virtual environments have no effect on the recall ability of field-dependent learners. Further research might focus on other individual differences, such as spatial ability, that may have an effect on field-dependent learners" strategies for working in a virtual environment. / Ph. D.

Students of all abilities and ranges of achievement have become familiar with a variety of hypermedia-based settings which offer information on virtually any content area. The concept of self-regulation implies that learners can initiate processes to facilitate learning regardless of their perceived learning ability or environment, two learning characteristics once thought to be immutable forces. The purpose of the study was to design and implement hypermedia components that provide various levels of user support based upon known self-regulatory learning strategies. The components were applied within an existing web-based learning environment which combined class lecture and presentation with web-based components. Student input provided impetus for the revision of existing components and suggestions for new components designed to promote regulatory behavior within the web-based environment. Through participant observation, student desires for hypermedia components which promote self-regulatory behaviors are described and compared with the actual usage patterns of these components. Significant differences were found in measures of students perceived level of self-efficacy for performance and learning, metacognitive self-regulation, and test anxiety. In addition, one of the added components was rated as "highly effective" by the participants and the second-most-used component of the web site. Discussion incorporates student input to provide support for incorporating components which promote self-regulatory learning strategies in a hypermedia instructional environment and offers generalizations for educators and instructional designers based on these findings. / Ph. D.

This study was undertaken to provide ways to strengthen and enhance existing online courses and to assist music educators in creating new online classes that are effective and engaging for students. Prior to the pandemic there was a clear lack of instructional expectations, guidance for online music education, and technical support for content development. Training initiatives and support for online education were launched during the pandemic, however, the findings from this study revealed that these initiatives were not adequate in assisting music educators, who found themselves needing to supplement their online classes with knowledge and resources from online communities of practice and assistance from colleagues. Based on the analysis of online courses and methods, a 15-week professional development course design with synchronous and asynchronous components was created and evaluated to guide music educators in creating effective and engaging online courses. The online course design created for this study was intended to prepare primary, secondary, and post-secondary music educators in designing and implementing effective and engaging online courses through the exploration of issues surrounding content development, learning, and teaching online. The study was informed by the literature surrounding the related issues of teaching online and the necessary considerations to create and implement an effective and engaging online course. An overview of issues related to instructors, students, and content development was reviewed with additional consideration of the specific issues for instructors outlined in Kebritchi et al., (2017). The findings from this study supported the related literature that the instructor is the most critical factor in the effectiveness of a course. The course design was evaluated, modified, and refined given the analyzed data collected in three phases. The first phase included a review of the course design by three academic scholars with extensive experience in online education and music technology. The second phase included three synchronous meetings with a public middle school music teacher, who had experience with music technology, to review the content, sequence, modules, and assignments. The final phase of data collection concluded with semi-structured interviews of five music educators, who reviewed the course design and provided their perspectives and experience with online education. The sample population from Phase 3 included music educators from across the United States in K-12 private and public schools, higher education, and private studios. This study found that an engaging online course involves the instructor’s understanding of how to effectively present and deliver course content in an online environment and how to build an online community that fosters student engagement. The findings from this study supported that an instructor’s content delivery must be adapted for an online environment as a digital setting requires unique pedagogical, social, managerial, and facilitation skills than traditional in-person methods (Hurlbut, 2018). The findings suggest that effective training for online music educators include models of developed content, guidance in adapting existing content for an online environment, an introduction to available resources for music educators and students, and ways to integrate interactive elements to effectively design and deliver online music courses and engage students.

Enrollment in online courses within colleges and universities is growing at a rate far exceeding that of enrollment in classroom-delivered, face-to-face courses. Given this growth, it is important that administrators understand the costs required to deliver online courses. A frequently asked question by policy-makers is whether online instruction is more or less expensive to deliver than comparable face-to-face, classroom-delivered instruction. The objectives of this study were to 1) develop a exploratory model for deriving a cost measure for classroom-delivered instruction and an analogous model for deriving a cost measure for delivering online instruction, 2) perform an interinstitutional comparison of both classroom-delivered and online-delivered courses, 3) identify the opinions and assumptions of various campus administrators regarding online courses, and 4) identify the role of costs in the academic decision-making process regarding offering online courses. The study employed a mixed-methods research methodology. The quantitative analysis was performed using publicly available data from seven public institutions. The qualitative analysis entailed directed interviews with 12 preidentified campus decision makers from those institutions: six chief business officers and six chief academic officers. The study found that, for the organizations studied, online courses are delivered at a lower unit cost than face-to-face courses. In addition, the study determined that as an academic decision factor, cost is overwhelmed by other factors such as enrollment growth, campus space constraints, and broadening access. / text