An estimated 15 million people in the US have had a near‐death experience (NDE), an experience of usually lucid consciousness during a close brush with death. Following an NDE, experiencers (NDErs) sometimes feel challenged and seek counseling to integrate the experience into their subsequent lives. They have reported psychologically harmful experiences disclosing their NDEs to healthcare professionals, including counselors. Counselors' knowledge and attitude about NDEs appear to be critical variables in their ability to uphold the ethical imperative to do no harm to clients. The recent development of a psychometrically sound instrument to assess these variables, coupled with online availability of a three-part NDE educational program for health professionals, made possible for the first time a large‐scale pre‐post study of the effect of the program on counselors' knowledge and attitude about NDEs. Participants were 212 licensed professional counselors (LPCs) aged 23 to 71 years old (M = 44.93, SD = 12.69); sex self-identified as 12.3% male, 87.3% female, and .5% other; racially/ethnically self-identified as 84% White and 17% non-White and as 6.6% Latino-Hispanic and 92.5% non-Latino/Hispanic; and representing four regions of the US. Results revealed that, compared to control group, composed of LPCs who completed topically unrelated online programs (n = 112), those who completed the NDE program (n = 100) showed significantly more accurate knowledge and more positive attitude about NDEs. Participants also overwhelmingly expressed enjoyment of the programs. These results support the use of online training to increase counselors' knowledge and improve their attitude about NDEs so they can provide clinically and ethically sound treatment to NDErs. Limitations of the study and future research are addressed.

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Online learning has grown exponentially within higher education in the past decade, especially at community colleges. As online course offerings expand community colleges need to assess student learning in order to ensure quality learning experiences for students and for accreditation purposes. The purpose of this study was to compare the assessment methods of community college faculty who teach the same course in both face-to-face and online formats, in order to determine the similarities and differences that exist in assessment practices. This study stemmed from the constructionist and pragmatic perspectives of the researcher. Additionally this study asked how community college faculty perceive the effectiveness of different assessment methods on student learning. The method for this research was a qualitative multiple case study in which community college accounting faculty were interviewed to explore how they assess student learning in both the online and face-to-face formats. Homework problems, exams, quizzes were the most commonly used methods of assessment of student learning in both formats by the study participants. Furthermore, exams and quizzes were believed to be most effective in assessing student learning, among the community college faculty members interviewed. Another discovery from this study included the prevalent use of publisher's software,called My Accounting Lab, among community college accounting faculty in administering assessments to students. Additional concerns around assessing online students effectively, managing online student group work, and mitigating online student cheating were also revealed during interviews with study participants. / Graduation date: 2013

The introduction of e-learning made way for advancements in learning and technology with individuals being exposed to electronic learning and teaching environments. At first, the introduction of e-learning into the educational sphere was intended to simply enhance traditional teaching and learning; however, technology then took the lead as a tool to materially enhance the concept of e-learning in education. Inevitably, technology’s impact on learning drove the delivery of electronic educational content but it also caused widespread debate about best practice in the design of e-learning systems. Since then, the phenomenal influx of technology enhancements that has been created has led most learners into a digital education era that cannot now function without it. At first, e-learning systems were forced to adapt to change as a result of e-learning trends and as a symbolic move from traditional learning to more innovative methods of learning and teaching. As such, e-learning remained affected by pedagogy, technology and curriculum changes outside of a structured, guided framework. Varying definitions exist as a result of the diverse understanding of the contributions and role of pedagogy and technology toward e-learning. There is a misconception and confusion of elearning attributed to the lack of a formally accepted definition which would identify with the need for pedagogy principles and guide researchers to apply models and frameworks to implement and improve the provision of e-learning systems. Although the effects of technology on learning are conclusive, the current dilemma is the lack of effective alignment of the pedagogy principles to suitable technology – an issue which has now become detrimental to learning. This study explores the various interpretations of e-learning definitions that allude to the incorporation of learning, technology and knowledge gained during e-learning interventions. However, as the research revealed a lack of any cohesive e-learning definition, this motivated the creation of a specific definition derived particularly for this study. In considering the role of technology in the e-learning environment, similar themes began to emerge that needed to be addressed holistically through e-learning. One of these themes was a need to focus on the formulation of a structured approach and pedagogical framework for the design and development of e-learning systems. The findings of the research identified e-learning frameworks and models that were in use. The outcome of an e-learning system framework drew on the research of extant models and frameworks and investigated the critical elements, particularly that of pedagogy in an e-learning environment. The proposed pedagogical framework for elearning was evaluated by means of a survey of organisations that produce e-learning systems. The findings of the survey were analysed to assess the alignment and relevance of the dimensions and elements in the framework to the design and development of e-learning systems. The proposed pedagogical e-learning framework is intended to add value to the design and development of e-learning systems with the core focus on pedagogy. In years to come, current and existing technologies and tools may become outdated, yet learning opportunities continue to evolve based on pedagogy, technology and curriculum requirements. By harmonising the synergy between pedagogy and technology, a pedagogically aligned e-learning framework can resolve the lack of pedagogy in elearning system design and development. / Information Science / M.Sc. (Information Systems)

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This assignment describes an evaluation by experts of an on-line course in Clinical Immunology offered to medical registrars and scientists as a supplement to a practical rotation. Because of a lack of agreement on what constitutes quality in e-learning and to avoid the customary focus on usability evaluation, an open-ended, interpretivist approach was used here which, while not entirely novel, was unusual in an e-learning environment. For this project it was decided to evaluate both content (subject matter) as well as instructional value using two groups of peers from various academic institutions, clinical immunology experts and e-learning experts. Feedback was obtained through participation in a focus group or in writing. Replies were much easier to obtain from the e-learning group. Five out of seven e-learning experts provided a response, versus three out of twenty subject matter experts. Eventually most of the feedback was obtained from colleagues from the home institution. Both groups made valuable, somewhat overlapping suggestions. Subject matter experts indicated that the course materials were of good quality and adequate on a postgraduate level. E-learning experts expressed concern about the ability of the course to facilitate learning and identified also some usability issues. Some of the findings may well apply to other settings. A number of five evaluators in each group appeared to give a good coverage within an open-ended approach. Expert peer review offered insights that neither student feedback nor self-reflection could. Rather than imposing evaluative criteria on the experts through the use of fixed checklists, the open-ended approach allowed them to cumulatively develop their own framework tailor-made for the course. The choice of subject matter plus e-learning experts may be helpful in similar situations of evaluating on-line courses where dual expertise is not readily available. The open-ended interpretivist approach can be used for formative evaluation only and may work well for courses that are still in development or where an amount of uncertainty about teaching effectiveness exists. Future efforts will likely focus on implementing the recommendations, identifying sustainable ways of quality review for the current course and similar open-ended evaluation of other courses. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die evaluering deur kundiges van ’n aanlyn-kursus in Kliniese Immunologie word in hierdie opdrag bespreek. Hierdie kursus word bykomend tot ‘n praktiese rotasie vir kliniese assistente (medies) en wetenskaplikes aangebied. Aangesien daar nie eenstemmigheid is oor wat gehalte in e-leer behels nie, en om die gebruiklike fokus op die evaluering van gebruiksmoontlikhede te vermy, is ’n interpreterende benadering in hierdie geval gebruik. Alhoewel hierdie benadering nie heeltemal nuut is nie, is die gebruik daarvan ongewoon in die eleer- omgewing. Daar is besluit om vakinhoud sowel as onderrigwaarde in hierdie projek te evalueer. Twee ewe-kniegroepe van verskillende akademiese inrigtings, kundiges in kliniese immunologie sowel as kundiges in e-leer is gebruik. Terugvoer is ontvang deur die deelname aan fokusgroeponderhoude of deur skriftelike terugvoer. Terugvoer is makliker van die e-leergroep verkry. Vyf uit die sewe e-leerkundiges het gerespondeer teenoor drie uit die twintig vakkundiges. Uiteindelik is die meeste terugvoer verkry van kollegas van die tuisinstelling. Beide groepe het waardevolle, maar dikwels oorvleuelende aanbevelings gemaak. Die vakkundiges het aangedui dat die kursusmateriaal van ’n goeie gehalte en geskik op ’n nagraadse vlak is. Die eleerkundiges het hul kommer uitgespreek oor die vermoë van die kursus om leer te fasiliteer en het ook ’n aantal kwessies ten opsigte van bruikbaarheid uitgewys. Sommige van die bevindinge kan moontlik ook in ander kontekste van toepassing wees. Dit het geblyk dat ongeveer vyf evalueerders in elke groep ’n goeie verslag met die oopvrae-benadering gegee het. Vakkundige ewe-kniebespreking het insigte opgelewer wat nie moontlik was met studente-terugvoer of selfrefleksie nie. In plaas daarvan dat evaluerende kriteria deur vaste vraelyste op die kundiges afgedwing is, het die oopvrae-benadering hulle die geleentheid gebied om kummulatief hul eie toepaslike raamwerk vir hierdie spesifieke kursus te ontwikkel. Die keuse van vakkundiges en e-leerkundiges mag nuttig wees in soortgelyke situasies waar aanlynkursusse geëvalueer word en die tweeledige kundigheid nie geredelik beskikbaar is nie. Die oopvraeinterpreterende benadering kan slegs vir formatiewe evaluering gebruik word en mag moontlik goed werk vir kursusse wat nog ontwikkel word en waar daar heelwat onsekerheid oor die doeltreffendheid van die onderrig bestaan. Verdere ontwikkeling sal waarskynlik fokus op die implementering van die aanbevelings, die identifisering van volhoubare maniere van gehalte-beoordeling vir die huidige kursus en soortgelyke oopvrae-evaluering van ander kursusse.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

published_or_final_version / Computer Science and Information Systems / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

published_or_final_version / abstract / Education / Master / Master of Education