Announced in 2003, Building Schools for the Future (BSF) was New Labour’s attempt to revolutionise secondary education in the UK, both in terms of infrastructure and pedagogy. The country’s school building stock was decades (and in some cases centuries) old and in poor repair, built for a different age with a history of lack of investment in modern technologies. BSF was to change all that with massive investment and plans to transform teaching and learning. The new buildings were to be of contemporary and revolutionary design more akin to modern office spaces than their Victorian predecessors. Each school project had £1,400 per pupil (approximately £1.4m) of its budget ‘ring fenced’ to be spent on Information Communication Technology (ICT), as this was to be a major transformational tool; the key to equipping students with the skills needed for a 21st Century economy. This Doctorate report is written from within one of the first BSF projects in the country, planned from 2005 and opened in 2007, with the ICT contract coming to an end in 2014. The author is the only surviving member of the original BSF planning team still working within the LA as a Deputy Head Teacher. The main research questions ‘To what extent and in what ways has the huge investment in ICT during BSF transformed teaching and learning and what was the perspective of this from the three main stakeholder groups; those leading, those teaching and those learning?’ sets out to investigate the impact of the ICT component of BSF, it does however also reflect on the BSF process as a whole because this set the context in which the ICT systems were deployed; through a Managed Service Provider (MSP) procured from the private sector. This contract cast a long shadow over the prospect of transformation as BSF became largely about procurement, contracts and cost, the ‘B’ prevailed; teaching and learning were marginalized. Another major influence was that the schools in BSF re-opened in the same educational climate of accountability, curriculum, timetables and assessment methodology as they had had in their old accommodation. Conflicting government policy streams only served to make this more evident. Teacher and pupils assimilated their new environments and continued as before. That is not to say the ICT did not have an impact; there were many positive outcomes ranging from a greatly reduced pupil to device ratios and multimedia lesson content readily available to all. Pupils in particular were delighted (initially at least) with their new environments. Communication and the sharing of ideas and resources were the result of modern networks and systems that meant efficiencies for some and up to date information for most. Overall, classroom teachers had little capacity to transform their professional lives with the ICT provision, and there was no real pressure for them to do so given the unchanged nature of the structures of education within which they worked. Although many saw the potential of the new ICT, the opportunities to improve their skills were frustratingly lacking or not suited to their needs, consequently most incorporated the ICT into their classroom practice at a level with which they were comfortable. The cancellation of BSF in 2011 was one of the first acts of the new coalition government, although the schools included in this work had a managed ICT service that ran until August 2014. At the end of this contract schools were left with both expensive change and refresh costs that were likely to be a financial burden many could ill afford and so they were hindered in their ability to embrace newer technologies that might assist transformation.

ICT user skill is a relatively new subject area and has a limited pedagogical history. To date, most of the discussion has been about ICT within schools, particularly integration of ICT into other curriculum areas, with less emphasis on how to teach user skills, especially to adults. This research explores differing teaching practices within the adult ICT user skills environment from a teacher professional knowledge perspective. By examining the ways that teachers develop, maintain and enact pedagogical knowledge and by determining influencing factors, this investigation contributes to the subject and pedagogical understandings vital to an emergent subject area. A naturalistic, qualitative, multi-methodology approach was used, involving interviews, classroom observations, document examination, and learner questionnaires. This enabled flexible examination and triangulation of the varying influences on practice and the development of emergent models. The research identified seven different teaching approaches but concludes that ‘transmissive’ teaching styles focusing on procedural skills dominate. Activity is almost universally perceived by stakeholders as practical, hands-on and individual. The diversity and nature of the teachers’ professional backgrounds, ambiguous subject goals, perceptions of adults as learners, and strong institutional and examination influences all contribute to this narrow perspective. This thesis questions whether such one-dimensional subject and pedagogical outlooks could impact adversely on outcome, leading to skills deficiencies which may limit economic and/or personal ICT potential. Drawing on problem solving examples from the research the thesis proposes a more holistic approach to create a robust theoretical base for both subject and pedagogy.

No description available.

This thesis investigated the application of enactive principles to the design of classroom technolo- gies for young children’s learning through play. This study identified the attributes of an enactive pedagogy, in order to develop a design framework to accommodate enactive learning processes. From an enactive perspective, the learner is defined as an autonomous agent, capable of adapta- tion via the recursive consumption of self generated meaning within the constraints of a social and material world. Adaptation is the parallel development of mind and body that occurs through inter- action, which renders knowledge contingent on the environment from which it emerged. Parallel development means that action and perception in learning are as critical as thinking. An enactive approach to design therefore aspires to make the physical and social interaction with technology meaningful to the learning objective, rather than an aside to cognitive tasks. The design framework considered in detail the necessary affordances in terms of interaction, activity and context. In a further interpretation of enactive principles, this thesis recognised play and pretence as vehicles for designing and evaluating enactive learning and the embodied use of technology. In answering the research question, the interpreted framework was applied as a novel approach to designing and analysing children’s engagement with technology for learning, and worked towards a paradigm where interaction is part of the learning experience. The aspiration for the framework was to inform the design of interaction modalities to allow users’ to exercise the inherent mechanisms they have for making sense of the world. However, before making the claim to support enactive learning processes, there was a question as to whether technologically mediated realities were suitable environments to apply this framework. Given the emphasis on the physical world and action, it was the intention of the research and design activities to explore whether digital artefacts and spaces were an impoverished reality for enactive learning; or if digital objects and spaces could afford sufficient ’reality’ to be referents in social play behaviours. The project embedded in this research was tasked with creating deployable technologies that could be used in the classroom. Consequently, this framework was applied in practice, whereby the design practice and deployed technologies served as pragmatic tools to investigate the potential for interactive technologies in children’s physical, social and cognitive learning. To understand the context, underpin the design framework, and evaluate the impact of any techno- logical interventions in school life, the design practice was informed by ethnographic methodologies. The design process responded to cascading findings from phased research activities. The initial fieldwork located meaning making activities within the classroom, with a view to to re-appropriating situated and familiar practices. In the next stage of the design practice, this formative analysis determined the objectives of the participatory sessions, which in turn contributed to the creation of technologies suitable for an inquiry of enactive learning. The final technologies used standard school equipment with bespoke software, enabling children to engage with real time compositing and tracking applications installed in the classrooms’ role play spaces. The evaluation of the play space technologies in the wild revealed under certain conditions, there was evidence of embodied presence in the children’s social, physical and affective behaviour - illustrating how mediated realities can extend physical spaces. These findings suggest that the attention to meaningful interaction, a presence in the environment as a result of an active role, and a social presence - as outlined in the design framework - can lead to the emergence of observable enactive learning processes. As the design framework was applied, these principles could be examined and revised. Two notable examples of revisions to the design framework, in light of the applied practice, related to: (1) a key affordance for meaningful action to emerge required opportunities for direct and immediate engagement; and (2) a situated awareness of the self and other inhabitants in the mediated space required support across the spectrum of social interaction. The application of the design framework enabled this investigation to move beyond a theoretical discourse.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor Of Education in Science Education in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education at the University of Zululand, 2017 / This study investigated possible factors predicting e-learning technology integration into the teaching and learning of science subjects by preservice science teachers. An E-learning technology integration model was developed in which factors such as intention (INT), attitude (ATT), Skill (SKL) and Flow Experience (FLW) served as possible precursors of e-learning technology integration. This was done against the gap that continued to exist between intention to integrate e-learning technology and actual integration of e-learning technologies. To close the gap, the study developed a model to predict e-learning technology integration by the research sample. More specifically, the model hypothesised that quality consciousness and innovation consciousness moderated the intention-integration gap. The proposed model was first pilot-tested on a sample of 30 preservice science teachers (PSSTs) before it was applied to the main study, which comprised a research sample of 100 final year PSSTs at the University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The study was located within the mixed-methods research paradigm, based on a survey research design. Data collection was carried out using a semi-structured questionnaire which allowed for the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were analysed using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), while qualitative data were analysed using a hermeneutic content analysis approach. The results of the study were, firstly, that the proposed model explained 44% of the PSSTs integration of e-learning technologies into the teaching and learning of science subjects and that skill was the most significant and strongest factor predicting the PSSTs integration of e-learning technologies; flow experience was the second important factor predicting the PSSTs integration of e-learning technologies, followed by intention and lastly, attitude. Secondly, the study revealed that quality consciousness and innovation consciousness significantly moderated the gap between intention to integrate e-learning technologies and the actual integration of e-learning technologies, with quality consciousness having the stronger moderating effect. Thirdly, the study revealed that some preservice science teachers were able to utilise e-learning technologies during the period of teaching practice for instructional preparation, instructional delivery, and to facilitate learning. However, some PSSTs were unable to utilised e-learning technologies during teaching practice, ostensibly because of a lack of e-learning facilities in the schools. Some recommendations are made based on the findings of the study. These relate to the management of e-learning at the university, schools and implications for policy.

The nature of learning and teaching in higher education has changed significantly in recent years. The emergence of social media and technologies has had a profound impact upon learner engagement and tutors have had to adapt their learning and teaching strategies accordingly. The thesis discusses the author’s published body of research and presents a pedagogical framework for engaging the networked learner. The framework is based upon three perspectives that have emerged from the author’s research. Firstly, different learning paradigms should be acknowledged when developing pedagogical approaches to using learning technologies. Secondly, the thesis discusses how the author’s research on learning technologies, including VLEs and iPod technologies, should embrace networked communities and learner empowerment. Thirdly, the research on learning approaches is discussed which acknowledges different learning behaviours and the adoption of differentiated methods in learning and teaching. Whilst discussing the evolving nature of the learning environment, the pedagogical framework draws together each of the aforementioned perspectives. The framework raises a number of factors for engaging the networked learner. A set of practical guidelines based around institutional, tutor and learner perspectives are discussed and underpin the application of the framework. The thesis concludes with theoretical observations on learning and learning theory and presents limitations and areas for further research.

This thesis investigates whether the use of hand-held technology affects motivation and learning in science. An innovative mixed methods approach was used to provide new insights into an emerging area of research. First, two pilot observational studies were conducted, which aimed to establish how a school currently uses hand held dataloggers, and gain further insight into how learners respond to this technology. This was followed by a primarily quantitative experiment that was concerned with the role of data ownership and the impact of ‘seams’ on the transformation process of the collected data. The results indicated that a hands-on experience increased confidence among students in explaining their own data, as opposed to data collected by someone else. A third study was designed to compare how student motivation and learning were affected when carrying out the same inquiry task either with or without the support of dataloggers. The results revealed no difference in accuracy or motivation for learning. The final, fourth, study was a longitudinal study designed in collaboration with a secondary science teacher, comparing three conditions: the inclusion of cameras to support student reflection, the inclusion of both cameras and the use of dataloggers to support teaching, and a control condition where the lessons were not changed. This study found that inclusion of dataloggers into modules led to increased assessment scores, while the use of cameras indicated that students are adept at taking relevant photos, and did not suffer from an extensive novelty effect. The results highlighted the importance of using a range of methods and tools for teaching students. The thesis concludes with recommendations and future research ideas, including exploring how data is visualised and the role of physical context. Of key importance is that future work is conducted in collaboration with educators in the wild.

In this compendium, we hope to continue the efforts of Bates (2000) and others who have convincingly argued the need for institutional strategic planning and adoption of best practices in learning technology management as institutions transform themselves in the new millennium. We offer here a snapshot of contemporary best practices in learning technology planning and management, based on case studies from leading higher educational institutions in Canada, the United States, Australia and Spain. While we make no claim to completeness, it is our hope that this collection and the associated resources we note will be of interest to key decision makers in the academic communities of universities and colleges, including heads of departments, deans, vice presidents, and presidents. It is also aimed at faculty members concerned with teaching and learning policies and practices.

In recent years, learning technology has become a very important addition to the toolkit of instructors at any level of education and training. Not only offered as a substitute in distance education, but often complementing traditional delivery methods, e-learning is considered an important component of modern pedagogy. Particularly in the last decade, learning technology has seen a very rapid growth following the large-scale development and deployment of e-learning financed by both Governments and commercial enterprises. These turned e-learning into one of the most profitable sectors of the new century, especially in recession times when education and retraining have become even more important and a need to maximise resources is forced by the need for savings. Interestingly, however, evaluation of e-learning has been primarily based on the consideration of users’ satisfaction and usability metrics (i.e. system engineering perspective) or on the outcomes of learning (i.e. gains in grades/task performance). Both of these are too narrow to provide a reliable effect of the real impact of learning technology on the learning processes and lead to inconsistent findings. The key purpose of this thesis is to propose a novel, data-driven framework and methodology to understand the effect of e-learning by evaluating the utility and effectiveness of e-learning systems in the context of higher education, and specifically, in the teaching of psychology courses. The concept of learning is limited to its relevance for students’ learning in courses taught using a mixture of traditional methods and online tools tailored to enhance teaching. The scope of elearning is intended in a blended method of delivery of teaching. A large sample of over 2000 students taking psychology courses in year 1 and year 2 was considered over a span of 5 five years, also providing the scope for the analysis of some longitudinal sub-samples. The analysis is accomplished using a psychologically grounded approach to evaluation, partially informed by a cognitive/ behavioural perspective (online usage) and a differential perspective (measures of cognitive and learning styles). Relations between behaviours, styles and academic performance are also considered, giving an insight and a direct comparison with existing literature. The methodology adopted draws heavily from data mining techniques to provide a rich characterisation of students/users in this particular context from the combination of three types of metrics: cognitive and learning styles, online usage and academic performance. Four different instruments are used to characterise styles: ASSIST (Approaches to learning, Entwistle), CSI (Cognitive Styles Inventory, Allinson & Hayes), TSI (Thinking Styles Inventory and the mental self-government theory, Sternberg) and VICS-WA (Verbal/Imager and Wholistc/Analytic Cognitive style, Riding, Peterson) which were intentionally selected to provide a varied set of tools. Online usage, spanning over the entire academic year for each student, is analysed applying web usage mining (WUM) techniques and is observed through different layers of interpretation accounting for behaviours from the single clicks to a student’s intentions in a single session. Academic performance was collated from the students’ records giving an insight in the end-of-year grades, but also into specific coursework submissions during the whole academic year allowing for a temporal matching of online use and assessment. The varied metrics used and data mining techniques applied provide a novel evaluation framework based on a rich profile of the learner, which in turn offers a valuable alternative to regression methods as a mean to interpret relations between metrics. Patterns emerging from styles and the way online material is used over time, proved to be valuable in discriminating differences in academic performance and useful in this context to identify significant group differences in both usage and academic performance. As a result, the understanding of the relations between e-learning usage, styles and academic performance has important practical implications to enhance students’ learning experience, in the automation of learning systems and to inform policymakers of the effects of learning technology has from a user and learner-centred approach to learning and studying. The success of the application of data mining methods offers an excellent starting point to explore further a data-driven approach to evaluation, support informed design processes of e-learning and to deliver suitable interventions to ensure better learning outcomes and provide an efficient system for institutions and organization to maximise the impact of learning technology for teaching and training.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1997. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 197-210). Also available on the Internet.