This study examines English language learners working in pairs on two different types of computer programs to determine whether the quantity and quality of discourse varies with the type of software program. Also, to investigate how collaborative CALL activities can be designed to promote oral academic language proficiency.

This study provides an in-depth description and interpretation of student participation and interaction that occurred in computer-mediated interactive writing activities in two different classroom settings: a freshman writing class and a plant biology lab. Both classes were equipped with a network of Macintosh computers and the Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment software which was used to conduct in-class, synchronous computer-based discussions. Electronic transcripts of interactive writing activities created in both classes were archived from the beginning to the end of one semester for analysis of student participation and interaction in the computer-mediated environment. A focal point of the participant observation research in both classes occurred in a capstone event which took place halfway through the semester and involved a peer review as well as interactive discussion activity conducted in the computer-mediated environment. The capstone was designed to provide multiple data points for analysis while also serving specific content objectives for each class. The analysis of electronic interchanges revealed that student participation and interaction in the computer-mediated environment differed from the traditional, face-to-face setting in both cases by exhibiting increased participation and increased student-to-student interactions. Students responded to the CMC environment with variable timing in their responses and varied styles for using CMC as a medium for communication. The social conventions for participation and interaction in the CMC interactive writing activities were influenced by the computer interface, the behavior exhibited by the teacher and fellow students in the CMC discussions, and the nature of the topic being discussed. All students reported increased understanding of the material by being able to read responses of their peers in the on-line discussions. Three areas for improving future applications of this technology emerged from this study: (1) several students complained about having to type their messages; (2) several students reported that they felt overwhelmed by the number of messages and multiple, consecutive tangents in the CMC discussion; and (3) teachers would benefit by having more specific guidelines for designing appropriate activities for this technology which can be integrated into existing instruction and assessment activities. / Ph. D.

Published Article / The contribution argues that there is a renewed interest by mainly Afrikaans and English speaking South Africans in learning another indigenous South African language. This came about as a direct result of the changed official language policy, elevating all the indigenous Bantu languages to that of being official. It is further argued that many individuals interested in learning a new language, do not have the time or the inclination to do so in a formal classroom context. Access to a computer has increased dramatically in the last two decades, and hence e-learning becomes a viable option in this regard. The contribution argues that computer-assisted language learning (CALL) can very sensibly complement and even substitute the language teacher. Some existing computer-assisted language courses aimed at learning Xhosa are briefly explored, and finally the attention is turned to the particular challenges experienced in developing an interactive multimedia Xhosa acquisition course within the Multitaal framework.

A policy (or norm) can be defined as a guideline stating what is allowed, what is forbidden and what is obligated for an entity, in a certain situation, so that an acceptable outcome is achieved. Policies occur in many types of scenarios, whether they are loose social networks of individuals or highly structured institutions. It is important, however, for policies to be consistent and to support the goals of organisations they govern. This requires a thorough understanding of the implications of introducing specific policies and how they interact. It is difficult, even for experts, to write consistent, unambiguous and accurate policies, and conflicts are practically unavoidable. At the same time conflicts may vary in significance. For example, some conflicts are most likely to occur, some conflicts may lead to high cost for goal achievement while some conflicts may lead to severe obstacles in the achievement of goals. Such conflicts are the most significant for the domain and goals of organisation. Resolution of conflicts that will clear the obstacles in the goal achievement and will maximize the benefits received must be prioritised. In order to resolve conflicts and refine policies; it is crucial to understand the implications of policies, conflicts and resolutions in terms of goal achievement and benefits to organisation. There exist huge number of policies and conflicts occurring within any organisation. Human decision makers are most likely to be cognitively overloaded. Making is difficult for them to decide which conflicts to prioritise in order to successfully achieve goals while maximizing benefits. Automated reasoning mechanisms can effectively support human decision makers in this process. In this thesis, we have addressed the problem of developing effective automated reasoning support for the detection and resolution of conflicts between plans (to achieve a given goal) and policies. We also present an empirical evaluation of a model of conflict detection and prioritisation through experiments with human users. Our empirical evaluations prove that providing guidance to users regarding what conflicts to prioritise and highlighting related conflicts lead to higher quality outcomes, thereby achieving goals successfully and rapidly.

No description available.

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

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

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

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

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