Digital media storytelling and the creation of narrative texts using digital technology is an emerging social process that is being utilized by social workers as a means of engaging in critical reflection. As an emerging practice, little is known about the contributions that these texts make to critical social work knowledge; to this end this thesis considers social worker's use of digital media storytelling as a tool for resisting and remembering and as a tool for critical reflection about their changing field. Six digital media stories are considered in this thesis. The texts are deconstructed using multi-modal analysis informed by internet/digital media research scholarship. The layers produced through this deconstruction are crystalized using critical discourse, narrative and metaphor analysis in order to develop a complex understanding of the multi-modal and multi-vocal meaning making processes inherent in these stories. The analysis reveals the way in which discourses and themes present in the contemporary context of social work practice such as neo-liberalism, managerialism and professionalization, are brought to life in the narratives produced by the social workers, who each tell their stories using different genres, from unique points of view, based on their individual subjective positions. The findings point to the significance of digital media storytelling as an important resources for knowledge production and knowledge dissemination. The analysis further points to the significance of connections between and among these texts as demonstrating the tensions and contradictions that are produced through the workers’ attempts to bring to life the social justice values, goals and objectives of social work to which they are committed in a social climate that is increasingly hostile to such approaches to human service work.

Research findings have shown that online learning has the potential to improve the quality of learning if it is designed effectively to embrace interactive, collaborative knowledge building among learners. Online learning has the capacity to facilitate efficient and enjoyable learning through skills acquisition in a context specific environment especially in Southern Africa but there are a number of challenges that designers of online learning need to factor in to the design of this pedagogy. This study explores how learner - learner; learner - course facilitator and learner - content interactions influenced and shaped learners' online learning experiences particularly satisfaction with a course facilitated from the University of Botswana for participants within the SADC region. These three forms of interactions were further explored through using 6 online learning evaluation dimensions to provide a guide to the analysis. The study employed a range of data collection methods that provided rich qualitative data including: Life world accounts, discussion forum entries, online surveys, expert reviews, and learners' grades. The findings suggest that the learners' level of interaction at the levels of the 6 dimensions could have influenced what they perceived to be valuable, effective and satisfactory. Other influencing variables were course design and community of learning presence. The findings also reveal that although the participants found the course to be very valuable to them, there were areas that could improve the learning experiences. Further longitudinal research and investigation into alternative technologies is also recommended. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

This thesis reports on a usability study conducted on the Virtual Learning Spaces (VLS) computerbased educational adventure game. The aim of the game is to improve the acquisition of knowledge through play in an interactive, entertaining and intrinsically motivating computer-based environment. The objective of this study centred on assessing the quality of the VLS game user interface, and determining faults and problems that may hinder implementation Literature on usability of virtual reality educational game systems and related phenomenon of usability of other types of computer application systems was reviewed, including, to a lesser extent, literature on usability of web pages. The major issues of interest included, usability issues concerning principles of good user interface design, factors that influence how a user interface promotes user satisfaction and the objectives of playing the game, from player, game and the game as medium of learning perspectives. These principles provided a set of usability requirements for the VLS game user interface on which the evaluation was based. A series of data collection methods comprising a cognitive walk through, heuristic evaluation, usability testing and post-test questionnaire, were used in this study. Despite some usability problems, results indicate that the VLS user interface design conformed, extensively, to the principles of good user interface design in appearance, interaction and user help. It was also found to be engaging, comprehensible and unbiased (in terms of gender and variable computer skills). / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

This dissertation proposes a model supporting the creation of trustable privacies in public online spaces, with the model demonstrating the potential for supporting trustable data handling in the qualitative domain. Privacy and trust, from the pivotal perspective of the individual were identified as crucial intangibles in the qualitative research and personal trust domains. That both privacy and trust depend heavily upon credible mechanisms for privacy became clear during the literature review and interview processes. Privacy, in its many forms, is a concept requiring greatly varying degrees of anonymity, confidentiality and control (Rotenberg, 2001; Lessig, 1998) and this was position was validated by literature and by qualitative comments by academic interviewees. Facilitation of secondary users including academics, public and private organisations, communities, casual information browsers is a goal of this research. This goal of facilitation is supported by the model proposed, and is discussed in Chapter 6, where future work is discussed. The core requirement to address confidentiality, ethics, privacy, ownership and control of data (Corti, 2000) is satisfied by the model as proposed and discussed. Expected outcomes of this research project are summarised as: • Proposed model for the creation of trustable privacies in public spaces. [Primary outcome] • Promotion of collaboration amongst domains and disciplines through improved universal access to archived data [Secondary outcome] • Identification of application domains outside of the initially identified domain set [Secondary outcome]. Self-Contained ReposItory ProcesSIng Template (SCRIPSIT) describes a model supporting a decentralised, trustable set of structures and mechanisms. SCRIPSIT has its eponymous origin in the Latin word scripsit, meaning "he or she wrote". / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

The aim of the study was to evaluate an online tutorial designed to teach digitization and metadata indexing of library and archival resources. The online tutorial was designed according to constructivist teaching principles to promote collaborative learning. The tutorial was hosted on the OLS (Open learning System) of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). The research was concerned with answering three research questions: Is the online tutorial a teaching instrument capable of teaching metadata indexing and digitization skills? Is the online tutorial an effective teaching tool? Does the use of constructivist teaching elements in the tutorial design allow for a more effective communication of knowledge and skills? A total of 10 participants registered for and took part in the online tutorial. On completion of the tutorial a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the tutorial was done. In terms of the latter a self-administered questionnaire was used as the data collection technique. The qualitative evaluation was done via an analysis of discussions on the discussion forum and e-mail correspondence between learners and the researcher during the running of the tutorial. A more quantitative analysis was then conducted of the responses to the self-administered questionnaire. The qualitative and quantitative analysis identified significant issues that affected the running of the online tutorial. The main issues included problems relating to Internet access to the online tutorial, participation of learners on the tutorial and the functioning of the online learning environment. The analysis of the results of the evaluation provided answers for the three research questions. The analysis found that the online tutorial was able to teach metadata indexing and digitization skills. This was based on completed work that was submitted by participants and responses participants gave to questions on the postcourse questionnaire. However, the amount of work submitted by all participants for the metadata indexing and digitization exercises was generally low. The online tutorial was able to conduct effective teaching at certain times in the tutorial. However, there were a number of issues that disrupted the functioning of the online tutorial and this limited the effectiveness of teaching on the tutorial. The use of constructivist teaching elements in the tutorial design was unable to enable effective communication of knowledge and skills and the promotion of constructivist learning on the tutorial. This goal was hampered by various problems associated with the hosting of the online tutorial and Internet connectivity to the OLS site. Various suggestions for further research were made. / Theses (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

The goal of this research was the development of an e-learning model to address the needs of the South African corporate sector. To do this it was necessary to reach an understanding of: the South African corporate training needs; the difference between training, education, academic learning and learning theory; academic e-learning best practices and their integration into the e-learning model; various instructional /learning design models and how they can enhance e-learning in the corporate sector in South Africa and general and legislative requirements for the development of elearning portals in the South African corporate sector. Reeves and Hedberg (2003) recommend that research with a development goal should use an eclectic-mixed methods-pragmatic paradigm, and multiple research instruments to collect data. This study was conducted within an ICT company that designs e-learning courses for different companies. Three corporate learning portals developed by this company from the INSETA and BANKSETA were carefully interrogated to see if there is a match between the stated and the applied e-learning design methodology. A qualitative approach, with instructional design interviews, educational expert review forms and subject matter expert review forms was used for primary data collection and review of current e-learning design practices. The data was categorised into themes and topics using QSR NVivo 7. The patterns that emerged lead to a better understanding of local issues and these were linked to the best e-learning practices identified by the literature review and elearning practice in the South African corporate sector.. The SAeLAD model was then developed based on Trivedi’s e-learning best practices and using 13 e-learning design field-based findings namely; qualifications of practitioners, constructivism versus instructivism, learning through activities to support theoretical knowledge, need for a traceable recordkeeping system, testing and re-testing of the learning environment, incorporation of special needs in the learning design, access to ICT, level of ICT competence, learner motivation, prior experiences of learning, learners’ prior knowledge, cultural backgrounds and language skills and roles and responsibilities of the design team. Comments from practitioners were incorporated in the final design. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Newly qualified educators in Botswana face many challenges not least of which occurs when they are posted to rural schools a distance from other teachers and information resources. The Government of Botswana has committed itself to enhancing the ICT infrastructure for use in both the economic and educational endeavours of the country. Research conducted in first world countries show that Communities of Practice can take place in a virtual environment and that these can facilitate knowledge sharing and management. This research was conducted to investigate if a Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP), guided by the educational theories of Constructivism and Connectivism, could facilitate information and knowledge sharing among art teachers in dispersed location in the Botswana context. Using Reeves and Hedberg’s (2003) Development Research model, 13 art teachers, who were located in different parts of the country, participated in knowledge sharing through a Virtual Community of Practice. This study analysed the specific needs of art educators, interrogated the literature for best practices, formed a VCoP, and analysed how participants used it and reports on their comments The research findings indicate that educators would be enthusiastic about the use of such a facility if there was a perceivable benefit especially in breaking down the geographical induced communication barriers that they face at the moment. The research does not propose the replacement of existing face-to-face workshops, meetings and other communication fora, but rather suggests a VCoP can complement them by allowing discussions to continue beyond such meetings. It is contended that a carefully structured and supported VCoP can improve information and knowledge sharing significantly among educators and other stakeholders in Botswana. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Many contemporary theater practitioners and scholars agree that the investigation of the relationship between digital technologies and theater is an important yet relatively unexplored topic, both in theory and practice. A debate regarding the fundamental nature of performance and more specifically the quality of liveness in the face of media has been the dominant conversation on this topic. While the liveness debate is important, it is not the only angle from which to approach questions of specific types of technology and performance. This dissertation takes a different approach, while taking the liveness debate into account. This dissertation examines relevant historical and contemporary theory and practice in the area of digital technology in theater, and then describes a new method of practice and analysis in the form of a new dramaturgy. This new dramaturgy is then applied to examples of selected work and also used hands-on to create a two-part case study to try out its usefulness in practice. The first part of the case study is a production design created with the new dramaturgy in collaboration with undergraduate students within the context of a special topics course. The second part of the case study is a full-scale production by a professional director, incorporating elements of the production design created in the first part of the case study.

This thesis studies the explanation for the media fascination surrounding domestic violence criminal cases of professional athletes, and the reality of the power that the media has on the criminal justice system.

The purpose of this study was to examine changing news practices especially at the moment of going live in a convergent broadcasting newsroom. The study chose Al Jazeera English, a leading international news network, as a case and adopted content analysis and ethnographic research methods to examine both the content and process of breaking news and live reporting. The professional practices in making breaking, live news were changed as a result of the implementation of convergent journalism in AJE’s newsroom. These changes in both news products and news production were accounted for by the interrelated influences of a set of external and internal factors at the levels of newsroom and organization.