Enhanced innovative learning through the purposeful development of effective blended teaching and learning environments supported by a variety of interfaces is a strategic focus of the NWU and specifically the Faculty of Educational Science. There are several emerging models to ensure effective online and blended learning but the prominent model that has attracted attention is the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework developed by Garrison, Anderson and Archer in 2000. The CoI framework is conceptually grounded in theories of teaching and learning in higher education and is consistent with John Dewey’s work on community of inquiry. CoI is deeply rooted into pragmatism as is evident in Dewey’s argument where he explains the idea of extracting meaning from experience. The focused of this study was on blended learning in a graduate teacher training course in Technology Education. The content of Technology as a subject is derived from other disciplines such as science, engineering and design. Due to the unique features of Technology as a subject, it was of great value, within this applied discipline, to investigate the unique patterns and relationships occurring among CoI presences in such a module of a teacher training graduate course. The purpose of the study was to:  develop an understanding of how the three presences (teaching presence, social presence and cognitive presence) in CoI enhance online learning;  investigate the extent of CoI in a blended mode of delivery within a TE graduate course; and  develop, implement and evaluate a module for a graduate course in Technology teacher training for a blended mode of delivery, based on requirements for the development of CoI. A design-based research methodology approach was followed for this study and included qualitative and quantitative methods in a multi-strand design. Design-based research is intrinsically linked to, and developmentally nourished by, multiple design and research methodologies, which utilises many data collection and analysis methods and which makes it suitable for a mixed method research. Findings from the literature review on the value of CoI for the effectiveness of online learning indicated that blended learning is dependent on the ability to facilitate a CoI. It is through the application of the principles for CoI that a successful transition from a face-to-face to a blended mode of delivery for the applied subject TE was possible. Findings with regard to the extent to which CoI manifested itself in this Technology graduate course indicated that teaching presence manifested itself to a good extent in the TE undergraduate course. The main findings that were of concern with regard to teaching presence included: insufficient clear instructions and communication, feelings of isolations and disconnectedness, lack of immediacy and the inability to connect online feedback to lecturer expertise. Although social presence did manifest itself to some extent in the TE undergraduate course, it was the hardest to establish out of the three presences. The main issues arising from the manifestation and existence of social presence included: insufficient sense of belonging in the online environment, students didn’t feel comfortable expressing themselves affectively as well as uneasiness to communicate, interact and participate online with other module participants. Finally, cognitive presence did manifest itself to a satisfying extent in the TE undergraduate course. Findings suggest that there was a not sufficient structured triggering events to create a sense of puzzlement which suggests that more activities must be included that will encourage reflection and therefore will improve the movement through the cognitive inquiry process. Other findings from the study indicated that students experienced time management and the coordination and management of group activities as challenging. These challenges experienced by students reflect a lack of self-regulation skills in learning presence. Other challenges included that students experienced in the online environment of blended learning included: accessibility, lack of technology skills and the newness of blended learning. Design principles for the manifestation and existence of CoI for effective learning within a TE graduate module were establish for teaching presence, social presence and cognitive presence. The research contributed to the field by reporting on the process of how CoI can be enhanced in a blended learning environment for a complex subject such as Technology, and by providing evidence based guidelines for the design and implementation of blended learning with CoI principles as guidelines. / PhD (Curriculum Development Innovation and Evaluation), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Enhanced innovative learning through the purposeful development of effective blended teaching and learning environments supported by a variety of interfaces is a strategic focus of the NWU and specifically the Faculty of Educational Science. There are several emerging models to ensure effective online and blended learning but the prominent model that has attracted attention is the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework developed by Garrison, Anderson and Archer in 2000. The CoI framework is conceptually grounded in theories of teaching and learning in higher education and is consistent with John Dewey’s work on community of inquiry. CoI is deeply rooted into pragmatism as is evident in Dewey’s argument where he explains the idea of extracting meaning from experience. The focused of this study was on blended learning in a graduate teacher training course in Technology Education. The content of Technology as a subject is derived from other disciplines such as science, engineering and design. Due to the unique features of Technology as a subject, it was of great value, within this applied discipline, to investigate the unique patterns and relationships occurring among CoI presences in such a module of a teacher training graduate course. The purpose of the study was to:  develop an understanding of how the three presences (teaching presence, social presence and cognitive presence) in CoI enhance online learning;  investigate the extent of CoI in a blended mode of delivery within a TE graduate course; and  develop, implement and evaluate a module for a graduate course in Technology teacher training for a blended mode of delivery, based on requirements for the development of CoI. A design-based research methodology approach was followed for this study and included qualitative and quantitative methods in a multi-strand design. Design-based research is intrinsically linked to, and developmentally nourished by, multiple design and research methodologies, which utilises many data collection and analysis methods and which makes it suitable for a mixed method research. Findings from the literature review on the value of CoI for the effectiveness of online learning indicated that blended learning is dependent on the ability to facilitate a CoI. It is through the application of the principles for CoI that a successful transition from a face-to-face to a blended mode of delivery for the applied subject TE was possible. Findings with regard to the extent to which CoI manifested itself in this Technology graduate course indicated that teaching presence manifested itself to a good extent in the TE undergraduate course. The main findings that were of concern with regard to teaching presence included: insufficient clear instructions and communication, feelings of isolations and disconnectedness, lack of immediacy and the inability to connect online feedback to lecturer expertise. Although social presence did manifest itself to some extent in the TE undergraduate course, it was the hardest to establish out of the three presences. The main issues arising from the manifestation and existence of social presence included: insufficient sense of belonging in the online environment, students didn’t feel comfortable expressing themselves affectively as well as uneasiness to communicate, interact and participate online with other module participants. Finally, cognitive presence did manifest itself to a satisfying extent in the TE undergraduate course. Findings suggest that there was a not sufficient structured triggering events to create a sense of puzzlement which suggests that more activities must be included that will encourage reflection and therefore will improve the movement through the cognitive inquiry process. Other findings from the study indicated that students experienced time management and the coordination and management of group activities as challenging. These challenges experienced by students reflect a lack of self-regulation skills in learning presence. Other challenges included that students experienced in the online environment of blended learning included: accessibility, lack of technology skills and the newness of blended learning. Design principles for the manifestation and existence of CoI for effective learning within a TE graduate module were establish for teaching presence, social presence and cognitive presence. The research contributed to the field by reporting on the process of how CoI can be enhanced in a blended learning environment for a complex subject such as Technology, and by providing evidence based guidelines for the design and implementation of blended learning with CoI principles as guidelines. / PhD (Curriculum Development Innovation and Evaluation), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Digital technologies have for many years been acclaimed as tools that hold the power to transform learning, yet educational research has so far failed to demonstrate the transformative effects of these digital technologies on learning outcomes (Cuban, 2001; Price and Kirkwood, 2011). Some research has even gone so far as to question this underlying assumption regarding digital technologies ability to transform education, suggesting that they do not in fact have any inherently positive benefits for learning, and that perceived benefits are actually artefacts produced by other factors (Means et al, 2009). Several potential causes have been proposed for the slow progress in educational technology, including lack of time for staff development, unsuitability of technologies, and cultural barriers within institutions (Laurillard, 2012a). A fourth potential cause may lie with the lack of theory to explain technologies themselves (Oliver, 2013). Different theoretical perspectives have been proposed as a way to enhance our understanding of technologies, with one potential candidate being the theory of affordances. The theory of affordances has been used extensively within many fields, including educational technology, but remains a divisive and often under-defined term (Hammond, 2010). This thesis argues that this may in part be due to its distortion through adoption in multiple disciplines, and its popular description as the ‘action possibilities’ presented by an object or scenario, something not present in the theory’s original conception. It is suggested that a return to the original theory of affordances as proposed by Gibson (1979), which attempted to explain how individuals derive meaning from the world around them, returns clarity to the theory. A particular focus on the underexplored aspects of intention and invariant, together with a re-appreciation of what it means to apply the theory of affordances to digital environments, to digital spaces and places, provides a way of thinking about affordance that arguably can be applied more constructively to the effective use of technology in education. A design-based research approach was taken in order to research the original concept of affordance, and its key components of intention and invariant, within learning scenarios supported by digital technologies. Design-based research is an evolving methodology, with no strict definition, but it has shown promise in both the design and the research of technology-enhanced learning environments (Wang and Hannafin, 2005). A pilot phase at secondary school level demonstrated the potential for the approach; multiple iterations at a higher education level developed and enriched these findings into a stable model for the alignment of digital technologies with a particular pedagogical scenario. Findings suggest that affordances can be used to ‘explain’ educational technology, if the concept is broadened to include the wider ecology of learning; digital technologies not only as tools, but also as places. Extending the notion of affordances from ‘action possibilities’ to ‘transaction possibilities’ gives agency to both learner and technology, and recognises the important contribution of the digital environment to the learner experience. A specific design framework is offered which uses this redefinition of affordances as a design tool to align an authentic learning scenario with the digital technologies that have the potential to support that learning scenario. A generic design methodology is proposed, based on this framework, which has the potential to align pedagogy and technology using this updated definition of affordance. To close, some thoughts on the value of the design-based research approach are discussed.

In the UK, as many as 20% of children in primary schools are more than two years behind their peers in mathematics. Research-based intervention for such disadvantaged children has been shown to be effective but not always sufficient, such that alternative approaches might sometimes be necessary. One alternative might involve digital games. This study used a design-based research approach to investigate a prototype digital game, that implements principles of an effective numeracy intervention and draws on insights from learning theory and the cognitive sciences, designed for children in primary schools who are low-attaining in mathematics. It comprised three cycles of design, intervention, analysis and reflection. The first research cycle involved the initial design of a prototype digital game, which was researched in one school. The second research cycle involved a second iteration of the game, designed in response to the feedback of teachers and children, which was researched in three schools. The third research cycle involved the design of a final iteration of the game, which to achieve theoretical saturation was researched online with twenty-four schools. The study has shown that a game that implements principles of an effective numeracy intervention and that draws on insights from learning theory and the cognitive sciences can be designed and can be useful in schools for children who are low attaining in mathematics. However, for it to be taken up by schools, the game has to be perceived by teachers to have achieved a quality threshold. In any case, such a game is of limited use in and of itself. Where the prototype game has been shown to be most useful is when it serves as a fulcrum for social interaction and educationally productive discussion between the children and teaching staff: when it becomes an artefact that both supports individual learning and stimulates, scaffolds and mediates dialogue-based collaborative learning.

Framed in theories of pragmatism, self-efficacy, and ecology, this design-based research study attempted to make explicit connections between theory and field-based research. The pedagogical goal of this study was to expose in-service teachers to a scaffolded model of professional development for writing (IMSCI) that could be implemented in their own teaching. This model of professional development also served to place research participants in a professional learning community. Teachers worked in focus groups made of another teacher in their own discipline, and a collective focus group, and worked through the steps of the scaffolded model in consideration of their own writing instruction in an effort to increase their self-efficacy, while also experiencing a participatory approach to instruction that in turn improved their ability to enact this instruction in their own classrooms. The data, which included focus group interviews, blog posts by the teachers, and member checking, were analyzed using constant comparative methods. The analyses indicated that the majority of these content teachers had not experienced effective writing instruction models as students and did not learn how to teach writing in their preservice teaching programs. Additionally, their professional learning experiences as inservice teachers had not given them the tools they needed to overcome ecological factors that stopped them from teaching writing. Teachers' responses about their experience with the IMSCI model indicate that it has the potential to help teachers understand what effective writing instruction looks like, how to implement it in their own classrooms, and to increase their perceived self-efficacy as teachers of writing.

After the National Communications Commission lifted the ban on cross-industry, the boundaries of cable television and telecommunication services become increasingly blurred. Thereafter, cable business owners in network operations management area are facing the telecommunication industry with fierce competition. They also need to overcome the high morphological variable services with the impacting of increasingly complex processes. The Information communications in business organizations have generated problems of the information exchanging fault and the recognition process management gap. Therefore, the operational mechanism on cable network management systems becomes very important and meaningful. This study is based on system architecture and logic rule to use the structure-behavior coalescence (SBC) architecture description language (ADL). Through the design-based research (DBR) methodology, it integrates the concepts of information systems and business management, and develops a proprietary architecture tools by innovating cable televisions with architecture-oriented cable network management system model (AOCNMSM). This study also uses logical classification rules to verify the following purposes: (1) Building the network management systems model to meet the business integrated operations. (2) Combining of network management system and organizational information flow to avoid information exchange faults. (3) Excluding the potential barriers on the network management system to avoid the recognition gap of organizational management. By introducing the AOCNMSM, we allow cable business owners to view their online network easier on most environmental management issues. They shall truly achieve the integration of information systems and organizational management and enhance the service quality of cable television to create a more flawless business performance.

This study employed a design-based research methodology to develop a theoretically sound approach for designing instructional treatments. The instruction of interest addressed the broad issue of physician wellness among medical school faculty, with particular emphasis on physician self-diagnosis and self-care. The theoretically sound approach comprised a domain theory and design framework. The domain theory was posited subsequent to an examination of the literature, and subjected to expert examination through three cycles of instructional treatment development. The design framework for crafting the treatment was created from components of existing frameworks, and evolved with the cycles of development. The instructional treatment was designed to be delivered to a web browser from a server using a Python microframework to preserve the anonymity of the end user. Experts in three relevant knowledge domains verified that the instructional treatment embodied the domain theory, and was suitable for use as a practical instructional treatment. Subsequently, a limited-time pilot deployment was initiated among practicing faculty physicians (N=273) to solicit user feedback. Responses were obtained through a survey instrument created for the purpose and hosted on a remote website. Although the response rate was low (12%), the responses were encouraging and useful for guiding future research and treatment development.

This thesis researched what characteristics of a training course influenced participants’ professional practice. The training this study evaluated was MarylandOnline’s Certificate for Online Adjunct Teaching (COAT) course. The COAT project began in 2008 when instructional designers from various higher education institutions collaborated on developing training for instructors who were making the transition to online teaching. Using a design-based research methodological approach within an interpretivist research paradigm, this study used mixed methods data collection tools and grounded theory data analysis techniques to evaluate whether the COAT course effectively helped the target audience of higher education adjunct faculty make the transition to online teaching. This study found that not only adjuncts with no online teaching experience, but also experienced online instructors, full-time faculty, and nonteaching professionals completed the COAT course. Research participants identified that the experience of being situated as students in an authentic online course focused on online teaching and learning influenced their later online teaching, campus-based teaching, and nonteaching professional practice. Focus group participants cocreated an observation protocol that was applied to archived courses taught by COAT alumni, and it was found that instructors, as reflective practitioners, took from their COAT experience instructional approaches and competencies that were appropriate for their specific teaching situations. Although limited to a particular context, the original contribution to scholarship of this study was the articulation of design principles and a conceptual framework that may be useful to researchers and practitioners working in the area of online instructor training. / 2013, 04

Communities of practice that occur naturally within an organisation enable the members to learn through participation in practice together (Lave & Wenger, 1991). However, when a community lacks expertise in 21st century practices, learning these skills through shared practice becomes difficult. E-learning is often marketed as if the tools were easy to adopt and adapt, but effective professional development is required to support educators in learning to employ e-learning tools in their practice. Research shows that effective professional development is timely, relevant, flexible, and often collaborative in nature with examples of good practice. The research presented in this thesis describes the design and implementation of professional development which supports a community of practitioners in building the expertise to incorporate e-learning within its professional practice. The research was informed by a comprehensive review of literature on professional development, with a focus on the area of e-learning, the theory behind the communities of practice concept, and the application of that theory. A design-based methodology was employed to gather data from a range of sources of evidence, over two years, in four iterative cycles of collaborative design, implementation, evaluation and redesign. The context in which the research took place was a small educational organisation with an average of twenty staff members over the duration of the study. This staged implementation of an online environment, designed in collaboration with the community, supported the development of a blended community of online practice and provided timely, relevant professional development in e-learning. Analysis of the research findings produced two instruments: (1) a matrix of strategies for enabling and supporting the development of a blended community of online practice, and (2) a heuristic model to guide the investigation of the learning taking place within the online aspect of a blended community of online practice. These instruments are recommended to designers, developers or researchers supporting the development of a blended community of online practice and the professional development taking place in its online environment.

Submitted by Rita Santiago (tinnasantiago@gmail.com) on 2018-05-09T17:49:15Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE_FRAMEWORK DESIGN BASED RESEARCH.pdf: 2618886 bytes, checksum: 2107e868e2777cbe59754816c7004fc3 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Auxiliadora da Silva Lopes (silopes@ufba.br) on 2018-05-10T17:36:06Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE_FRAMEWORK DESIGN BASED RESEARCH.pdf: 2618886 bytes, checksum: 2107e868e2777cbe59754816c7004fc3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-10T17:36:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE_FRAMEWORK DESIGN BASED RESEARCH.pdf: 2618886 bytes, checksum: 2107e868e2777cbe59754816c7004fc3 (MD5) / FAPESB/CAPES / Esta pesquisa aprofunda conhecimento sobre a Metodologia Design-Based Research - DBR e desenvolve uma proposta de solução nominada de Framework para difusão da mesma. Parte-se do estudo dessa metodologia, numa visão ampliada sobre as bases do seu surgimento, propagação e o seu modus operandi em outros cenários acadêmicos para, a partir desse contexto maior, situar os trabalhos desenvolvidos nos grupos Sociedade em Rede Pluralidade Cultural e Conteúdos Digitais Educacionais – SR, e Sociedade Solidária, Educação, Espaço e Turismo – SSEETU, como campo de estudo. O problema de pesquisa emergiu desse contexto; os objetivos específicos delineados para esta pesquisa foram respondidos, nesse sentido caracterizou-se a metodologia DBR; apresentaram-se estudos DBR desenvolvidos pelos grupos SR e SSEETU; e desenvolveu-se um framework DBR, testando-o no contexto de pesquisas dos grupos participantes. Para alcançar tais objetivos e analisar as informações colhidas no campo empírico, foi escolhida a própria DBR como metodologia, numa perspectiva socioconstrutivista, o que possibilitou utilizar uma abordagem qualitativa e exploratória, com o apoio da revisão de literatura, além de questionários mistos como instrumentos para coleta de dados em encontros presenciais para suas aplicações. A solução ao problema foi encontrada no coletivo participante e passou por três ciclos iterativos de aplicação para refinamento. Construiu-se o framework segundo princípios socioconstrutivistas e adequado ao contexto dos grupos participantes. Os resultados alcançados foram: os ciclos iterativos promoveram reflexões sobre a DBR para todos os participantes envolvidos e validaram a efetividade dos princípios do design empregado; houve melhoria da implementação da solução desde a primeira aplicação e o protótipo gerado na versão 1 passou por dezessete alterações. A teoria empregada foi validada e efetivou os seus princípios de design para projetos futuros; o modelo mediador de solução teve sua aplicação ampliada pela expectativa de seu uso numa versão online, o que será planejado e modelado em estudos posteriores; os pesquisadores envolvidos agregaram, às suas experiências acadêmicas, conhecimentos novos, aprofundaram saberes sobre a metodologia DBR e da sua forma de aplicação. As avaliações finais feitas por eles dão conta de qualificação dos envolvidos na pesquisa, referente ao aprimoramento dos seus esboços iniciais de pesquisa DBR; à construção do quadro de princípios teóricos de suas pesquisas; no pensar sobre organização de um sumário peculiar aos trabalhos dos grupos; além de possibilitar a organização de estratégias na condução da pesquisa e do contexto. Há constatações de que o framework tanto se justifica como solução mediadora para o desenvolvimento de projetos aportados na metodologia DBR para os grupos SR e SSEETU quanto para outros pesquisadores. Tais resultados mostram a efetividade desse instrumento pedagógico desenvolvido sob as bases epistemológicas do socioconstrutivismo de Lev Vygotsky, que sustentam esta pesquisa, bem como, da praxiologia de Antonio Gramsci, das concepções do materialismo histórico e dialético de Paulo Freire e do dialogismo de Bakhtin. Da observância dessas teorias, foi possível alcançar o objetivo principal de construção da proposta de solução utilizando-se a metodologia Design-Based Research, aportada numa epistemologia que guarda estreita relação entre o conhecimento teórico e a experiência prática, típica de pesquisas aplicadas. / ABSTRACT This research deepens knowledge about the Design Based Research Methodology - DBR and develops a proposal for a solution called Framework for its dissemination. It begins with the study of this methodology, expanding the view on the bases of its emergence, propagation and its modus operandi in other academic scenarios, so that from this larger context, it situates the works carried out by the groups Sociedade em Rede Pluralidade Cultural (Society in Network Cultural Plurality) and Conteúdos Digitais Educacionais – SR (Educational Digital Contents – SR), and Sociedade Solidária, Educação, Espaço e Turismo – SSEETU (Solidary Society, Education, Space and Tourism – SSESTU), as a field of study. The research problem emerged from this context; the specific objectives outlined for this research were answered, in this regard the DBR methodology was characterized; DBR studies developed by the SR and SSEETU groups were presented; and a DBR framework was developed, testing it in the context of research of the participating groups. In order to achieve such goals and analyze the information collected in the empirical field, the DBR itself was chosen as a methodology, in a socioconstructivist perspective, which made it possible to use a qualitative and exploratory approach, with the support of the review of literature, as well as mixed questionnaires as instruments for data collection in face-to-face meetings for their applications. The solution to this problem was found in the participanting collective and underwent three iterative cycles of application for refinement. The framework is built according to socio-constructivist principles and appropriate to the context of the participating groups. The results achieved were: the iterative cycles promoted reflections about the DBR for all participants involved and validated the effectiveness of the principles of the design employed; there has been an improvement in the implementation of the solution since the first application and the prototype generated in version 1 has undergone seventeen changes. The theory employed has been validated and it reinforced its design principles for future projects; the solution mediator model had its application extended by the expectation of its use in an online version, which will be planned and modeled in later studies; the researchers engaged in it added to their academic experiences new knowledge, deepened their knowledge about the DBR methodology and its form of application. The final evaluations made by them cope with the qualification of those involved in the research, regarding the improvement of their initial outlines of DBR research; the construction of the framework of theoretical principles of their researches; thinking about organizing a peculiar summary to the works of the groups; besides making possible the organization of strategies for conducting the research and context. There is evidence that the framework is both justified as a mediator solution for the development of DBR projects for the SR and SSEETU groups and for other researchers. These results show the effectiveness of this pedagogical tool developed under the epistemological bases of Lev Vygotsky's socioconstructivism, that support this research, as well as Antonio Gramsci´s praxiology, Paulo Freire's conceptions of historical and dialectical materialism and Bakhtin's dialogism. By observing these theories, it was possible to achieve the main goal of building the proposed solution using the Design Based Research methodology based on an epistemology that has a close relationship between the theoretical knowledge and practical experience, typical of applied research.