Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1985. / Includes vita Includes bibliographical references (leaves 292-298). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

This study investigated the effectiveness of video tutorials, accessed via Quick Response codes, on Grade 10 Mathematical Literacy students' ability to complete their homework. Students often struggle to complete their Mathematical Literacy homework. To assist them outside of the classroom, an intervention involving video tutorials that explained specific sections of work and how to go about solving problems, was devised. Students could access the relevant tutorials on a mobile device via the scanning of barcodes provided on the worksheets. The effectiveness of the intervention was assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively, through analysis of the participating students' homework submissions and interviews with the students after the intervention had ended. Use was made of the YouTube analytics view count feature to observe how many times the videos had been watched. Feedback forms, focus group interviews and questionnaires were also used to obtain additional data. Unfortunately, the students did not make as much use of the intervention as had been anticipated, and this, together with the very small sample, meant that no meaningful conclusions could be drawn. The students who had made use of the intervention claimed that the tutorials had helped them in their understanding of the relevant concepts, as well as with the completion of their homework. This would indicate that the intervention was potentially beneficial. I have recommended that future research be undertaken in this regard. When trying to understand why so little use was made of the intervention, it became apparent that many of the weaker students were unaware of their limitations in Mathematical Literacy, and therefore did not feel the need to access the available resources offered by the intervention. This is a serious obstacle to implementing such an intervention, and possible solutions are considered.

Information Literacy is an integral part of university libraries. At the University of Cape Town (UCT) it has had varying levels of success, depending on the size of the class, the access to devices, the time provided, and the frequency of sessions. Unlikely other universities around the world, information literacy is not embedded in the curriculum. The standard practice in our context has been once-off sessions offered to students at the beginning of an academic year. This is targeted to different courses and disciplines. This study sought to understand the information (IL) and digital literacy (DL) skills of postgraduate students in an Information Systems (IS) course. Specifically it looked at how they undertake their academic writing tasks without formal exposure to IL or DL training. It examines the general IL and DL skills, the ineffectiveness of IL interventions provided and explores opportunites for curriculum integration of Il in postgraduate courses. This case study uses a case study approach to explore the perceptions of students and their lecturers of the IL presentations which the library offers. Using a mixture of interviews with lecturers and a student questionnaire and focus group discussions with students the study sought to provide a wholistic picture of the various perspectives and experiences. Findings showed that students and lecturers had a very narrow perception of IL, although IL is a skills set that helps students to acquire competencies for a lifelong learning journey in terms of information usage generally and digitally in particular. A framework for librarians is proposed based on SCONUL's Seven Pillars of Information Literacy. This would enable a more wholistic approach to IL as it develops student as self-directed learners rather than learners who just aim to comply with course regulations. Integration of IL into the curriculum is proposed as a necessary strategy and if librarians increased their teaching professionalisation working in partnership with their academic colleagues, they could raise the profile of IL in institutional priorities.

Spanning 14 states in the northeast United States, the Appalachian Trail (AT) is a popular destination for outdoor recreation, with thousands of individuals attempting to thru-hike the AT every year. For its scenic views and accessibility from the cities, the AT is experiencing a record number of visitors raising concerns about the sustainability of the trail. Many trail organizations manage the AT to reduce the visitor impact on the outdoors. In this research, I study the role of information and communication technologies in promoting collaboration between these trail agencies and visitors. I identify the need for a formal communication channel between the stakeholders by examining the existing information-sharing practices of hikers and trail managers through social media analysis, interviews, and a design workshop. I present the design of an online discussion platform, the SmarTrail board, and conduct a field usability study with two AT trail clubs to evaluate the platform. Findings from the study reveal that centralized direct communication and streamlined information can support trail management on the AT by promoting collaboration within the trail community. The research paves the path for future research into the design of ICTs for driving nature conservation goals. / Master of Science / The Appalachian Trail (AT) in the northeast of the United States spreads across 14 states. It is accessible from many regional urban centers, offering recreational opportunities to thousands of individuals every year. It is also a popular site for thru-hiking, an endeavor to hike the trail from end to end in a year. Such popularity and accessibility to the trail put pressure on the natural resources, raising concerns about the sustainability of the trail. Management of the trail deals with minimizing the resource impact while preserving the trail experiences of the visitors. Thirty trail clubs maintain separate sections of the AT, and a number of trail organizations work together to manage the trail. The core of this management relies on the collaboration of these trail agencies with each other and the visitors. As communication is central to collaborations in everyday life and for the trail, I explore the practices and possibilities for information sharing and communication on the AT. Digital conservation refers to the technological developments that support and forward nature conservation goals. As the pristine environment of the trails and the AT are not barred from the reach of digital technology, the prevalence of smartphones among visitors presents opportunities for information and communication technologies (ICTs) to support the digital conservation of the trail. In this research, I study digital technology use among hikers and trail managers on the AT, particularly for information sharing. By analyzing comments on Reddit, conducting interviews with the AT trail managers, and organizing a workshop with long-distance hikers, I highlight the need for direct communication between these stakeholders. I present the design of an online discussion board called the SmarTrail platform as a formal communication channel between hikers and trail managers and evaluate it with two trail clubs on the AT. The results from the evaluation offer several use cases of mediated communication, highlighting its need and potential in supporting trail management on the AT. Centralized and formal communication can lead to effective trail management by engaging visitors in trail management, improving volunteer management for the clubs, and enabling knowledge sharing and coordination between the trail agencies. With design considerations for improving human-nature interaction and simplifying the available information for visitors and trail management authorities, this study informs the design of ICTs for trail environments that would forward the digital conservation goals on the AT.

Parler de développement touristique, c’est aussi parler de santé environnementale, de stabilité sociopolitique et par conséquent de développement durable. C’est pourquoi, la liaison entre tourisme et développement durable devient une évidence. Mais cette relation n’a de valeur que lorsqu’elle tient compte de la dimension holistique même du concept de durabilité qui nécessite en priorité l’appréhension des notions de risque et d’urgence : d’où, les enjeux de l’information et de la communication dans la détection et la prévention des aléas.L’universalité des sciences et de la technologie doit permettre à toutes les nations, à travers un usage adéquat, des possibilités d’ouverture et d’apprentissage qui sont porteurs d’une croissance durable. C’est pourquoi, les transformations considérables que peuvent apporter dans la vie sociale et économique l’idéologie des SIC et les techniques de communication doivent donner lieu à un examen critique des possibilités qu’elles sont susceptibles d’engendrer dans les pays du Sud. Cependant, la question est de savoir si l’ensemble des moyens de communication avec les pressions inévitables qui les accompagnent, pourront servir à développer une image positive de ces pays qui, à l’instar du Sénégal, cherchent à travers l’écotourisme un moyen d’affirmation, politique, socioéconomique et culturelle. De toute évidence, nous savons que les médias et les techniques de l’information en général sont des outils à double tranchant : ce qui prête à réfléchir sur les enjeux du traitement de l’information et de l’appréhension des notions de risque par les institutions publiques, les touristes, les voyagistes, les populations et surtout les médias des pays émetteurs et de destination.. L’actualité des risques inhérents au tourisme et l’ampleur des frayeurs qu’ils continuent de susciter, vis-à-vis du continent africain – « destination à risque » - nous obligent à envisager cette étude afin de contribuer à l’identification de ces risques, au traitement de l’information liée aux aléas et à leur prévention. / The development of tourism raises the question of socio-political stability and environmental health concern: hence the notion of sustainable development. Therefore, the link between tourism and sustainable development becomes obvious. But this relationship has value only when it takes into account the holistic concept of sustainability even requiring priority apprehension of notions of risk and emergency with the necessity of information and communication as means of detection and prevention. The universality of science and technology should enable all nations, through proper use, opportunities for learning and opening holders of sustainable growth. Therefore, the considerable changes that can bring in the social and economic ideology and communication techniques should lead to a critical examination of the opportunities they are likely to foster in the South. However, the question is whether all means of communication with the inevitable pressures that accompany them, can be used to develop a positive image of these countries, like Senegal, which one is seeking its political, economical, and cultural affirmation through ecotourism. Obviously, we know that the media and information technology tools are usually double-edged: which leads us to reflect on issues of information processing and understanding of the concepts of risk by public institutions, tourists, tour operators, people and especially the media in tourists sending countries or destinations. News about the risks inherent to tourism and the extent of fears that they continue to generate as far as the African continent is concerned - "destination at risk" - forces us to consider this study to help identify these risks and the processing of information related to hazards and their prevention.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2012. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the informal sector in Kenya. The study specifically focused on micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in two provinces in Kenya, namely Nairobi Province and Central Province. Information for the study was gathered through a literature review, a field survey, and personal observation. Questionnaires were used to solicit information from micro and small enterprise participants drawn from the two provinces. A combination of purposive and probability random sampling was used to generate the sample frames of MSE clusters and respondents respectively. The sample of respondents was drawn from the central business district in the city of Nairobi, two markets (Gikomba market and Kenyatta market) and a horticultural products’ depot next to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi Province. Two urban centers and two market centers were selected from Central Province, namely Kiambu and Thika towns and Kabati and Makutano market centers in Muranga District. Questionnaires were administered to a sample of 390 MSE participants comprising of owner/managers and selected employees. The overall results revealed that the majority of MSEs are small and are started with little preparation and scarce capital. Only 5.6% of the enterprises had more than five employees, while less than one percent had over ten employees. The majority of the MSEs (over 90%) therefore fell in the micro-enterprises category. The use of ICTs by the micro enterprises’ participants, with the exception of the mobile phone and mobile money services, was found to be quite low. The use of the mobile phone and mobile phone services was over 90%. . Access to formal business information sources was also poor, and the majority of the MSE participants relied mainly on their knowledge and experiences, customer reactions, telephone contacts, and friends and relatives. Information was rarely sourced from government agencies and other formal sources like the internet and mass media. MSEs face many challenges in the use of ICTs because of the nature and small scale of their businesses, which do not allow them to focus on much else beyond survival. The MSEs lacked institutional capacity and support in the form of affordable telecommunications facilities and ICTs as formal sources of information. The mobile phone has been embraced by MSE workers, as an affordable and quick way to communicate and perform business transactions. The mobile phone technology has been quickly adopted and is heavily relied on in MSE operations. The study recommends accelerated government involvement in order to address the various challenges of providing the necessary infrastructure, developing and implementing effective policies, improving the distribution of economic resources, improving business premises and infrastructure that can reach the MSEs, improving skills and training to enable the use of ICTs, raising awareness, facilitating access to credit and finance, as well as improving information structures for formal information sources and dissemination. The study recommends more research to gain a deeper understanding of the context and information needs of small business enterprises in order to be able to offer a strategic framework for appropriate intervention in providing information for MSEs. Further research is also recommended in the area of mobile telephony, given its rapid adoption and use in a short span of ten years, to bring out its full potential and benefits. / University of Zululand

Economic, social, technological and educational factors have led to an increase in the use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in education at all levels. Most research concerning this has focused on the way in which e-learning can be used to improve teaching and learning across the curriculum and has neglected the teaching of ICT as a subject (Hammond, 2004). In a 1999 Ofsted inspection, ICT was found to be the least well taught subject in primary schools. The present research considers how the teaching of ICT could be better supported in the UK and Saudi Arabia. In the first stage, an investigation was made of the teaching of ICT in UK primary schools to understand why its teaching had been rated unfavourably. It was discovered that teaching focused on technical aspects (i.e. how to use specific applications) whilst ignoring the communication and information parts. Although it has been argued widely that e-learning improves teaching and learning across the curriculum, observations showed that e-learning was not, in itself, used to support teaching of the ICT curriculum. Hence, this research explored the ways in which the teaching of the ICT curriculum (to 9-11 year olds) could be made more effective, particularly through the incorporation of e-learning material. It was hypothesized that the experience of teaching and learning could be enhanced if e-learning material was designed which specifically addressed the needs of the teachers and young learners. Evidence collected in the course of the research suggested that little material existed to support the ICT curriculum, and that e-learning material produced to support other subjects does not always suit the teachers’ needs. Therefore in the second stage of the research, a design approach that engaged end users (teachers and young students) was proposed which was tested and refined during the design of e-learning material to support the teaching of the Multimedia Unit of the ICT National Curriculum. The resulting e-learning material was evaluated in UK schools to determine the extent to which it satisfied user needs and its effectiveness in teaching the intended learning outcomes. The results in both cases were positive implying that such a method could lead to the production of useful supportive material. As a former Saudi Arabian computer teacher, one of my personal goals was to provide opportunities to improve the experience of teachers and children in my own country. As such I have been interested in how I can transfer my understanding of the UK educational system to my home country. Following the successful evaluation of the elearning material in the UK, a demonstration of how a child centred design approach can be used to design effective educational material. Unfortunately although such a process might produce more effective learning outcomes and pleasurable material, I also found that such an approach is considered incompatible with commercial design environments. In the last stage of the thesis strategies are discussed which could be used (particularly in Saudi Arabia) to encourage the producers of educational materials to engage in the design of more effective teaching and learning experiences, especially in relation to the primary ICT curriculum. One such strategy would be to train undergraduates in applying a more user centred design approach as an integral part of their practice. The resultant design approach has now been approved by the Director of the Graphic Design Department in Dar Al Hekma Collage (Jeddah – Saudi Arabia) to be taught as a design approach for designing e-learning material for children on the Information Design Course. Additionally, a set of recommendations was developed for the Saudi Ministry of Education addressing the sort of revisions needed to improve the ICT curriculum in Saudi Arabia.

The interactive whiteboard is a fairly recent technical device, which has become an increasingly important teaching aid. The interactive whiteboard is supposed to have a positive impact on English Language Teaching, due to its interactivity and the unlimited opportunities it creates for language teaching. However, findings still show that the interactive whiteboard is used more as a traditional whiteboard to write and show information on rather than as an interactive teaching and learning device. This study seeks to investigate English language teachers’ integration of the IWB in ELT. A qualitative approach was used to collect data for this study. Four English Language Teachers at a lower secondary school in southern Sweden were interviewed. The result from this study shows similarities to previous research. The decisive factors for the participants’ incorporation of the IWB in ELT, such as attitude, knowledge and time, were comparable to previous studies. The result also implies that the participants saw the interactive whiteboard as a useful tool in English Language Teaching and as a regular part of their teaching. Nevertheless, there was a desire among the teachers to learn more about the interactive whiteboard and its possibilities and also to develop their skills in order to improve their teaching and the pupil's language proficiency. Although the teachers in the study used the interactive whiteboard frequently and interactively, the result shows that the most frequent usage was to display information non-interactively.

Det svenska skolväsendet har sedan 2000-talet fått övergripande stöd från regeringen för att utveckla den digitaliserade undervisningsformen. Trots detta har upprepande årsrapporter kring IT-användning i skolan visat på brister inom användarkunskap och IT-kompetens utvecklingsmöjligheter. Syftet med denna studie är att kartlägga hur digitala lärplattformar används och varför den digitala kommunikationen mellan lärare och elever inte uppnått förväntade resultat. Följande forskningsfrågor har varit relevanta i detta sammanhang: Hur ser användandet av lärplattformar på gymnasieskolan ut idag? Varför har digitalisering ännu inte slagit igenom som ett effektivt verktyg i undervisningen? Studien är baserad på en empirisk undersökning där data insamlats från intervjuer med rektorer och lärare från sex gymnasieskolor i Gävle och Uppsala. Ett slumpmässigt urval av 80 elever har även svarat på en enkät med mål att representera den generella inställningen till skolans digitala kommunikationssystem för delning av undervisnings-och studiematerial. Vidare har en litteraturgenomgång utförts där problemområden och brister inom forskningsområdet presenteras. Dels är informationen hämtad från forskare inom kommunikation och teknologi, men även från Skolverket och Skolinspektionen. Resultatet visar på att skolans lärplattformar används som verktyg för informationsöverföring där information överförs i vertikal riktning från lärare till elever. I nuläget används lärplattformar främst på grund av krav från ledningen och inte som en kanal för dubbelriktad kommunikation, där lärare och elever kan diskutera lösningar på uppgifter och problem, få feedback samt tips och råd. Resultatet påvisar även att lärare upplever tekniska brister i delar av lärplattformen och att de saknar systematiska arbetsrutiner för effektiv användning. Detta utgör ett hinder som begränsar kommunikationens effektivitet med avseende till kunskapsutveckling genom lärplattformer. / The Swedish school system has since the 2000s, received overall support from the government to develop digitized teaching methods. Despite this, repetitive annual reports on IT usage in schools revealed shortcomings in user knowledge and development of IT-skills. The purpose of this study is to identify how digital learning platforms are used and why digitized communication between teachers and students in high schools have not achieved the expected results. The following research questions were relevant in the study: How is the use of learning platforms in secondary schools today? Why has the digitization not yet been seen as an effective tool in teaching? The study is based on empirical data, where data is collected from interviews with principals and teachers from six different high schools in Gävle and Uppsala. A random sample of 80 students also completed a questionnaire with the aim to represent the general attitude to the school’s digital communications system for sharing of learning material. Furthermore, a literature review helped to evaluate problem areas and gaps in the research presented. The results show that the schools’ learning platforms are used as tools for information sharing, where the information is transferred in a vertical direction from teachers to students. Today the teaching platform is mainly used due to demands from the school management, and not as a channel for bidirectional communication, where teachers and students can discuss solutions to the tasks and problems, or to get feedback and advice. The result also shows that teachers are experiencing technical defects in parts of the learning platform and that lack of systematic work procedures prevent it from effective use. This is a barrier that limits the effectiveness of communication with regard to the development of knowledge through learning platforms.

Despite a growing awareness of the importance of support for carers who combine paid work with care of an older relative, so called ‘working carers’, there remains a lack of empirical knowledge about more innovative ways to support this largest group of carers of older people. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are becoming more readily available. As a result, ICTs have made it feasible to offer working carers more targeted forms of support. This thesis aimed to gain an understanding about support for working carers of older people via the use of ICT. An integrative literature review was conducted to explore and evaluate the current evidence base concerning the use of ICT-mediated support for working carers (I). Content analysis of qualitative data was used to describe nursing and support staff’s experiences of using web-based ICTs for information, e-learning and support of working carers (II). Content analysis was also used to describe working carers’ experiences of having access to a web-based family care support network provided by the municipality (III). Descriptive statistical methods were used to analyse survey data which focused on the types of support received and how they were valued by working carers, with a focus on ICT support (IV). Findings highlighted that ICT mediated support provided working carers with the means to manage their caring situation, via the provision of information, e-learning and education, in addition to practical assistance and emotional and/or physical respite from caregiving. In this way, working carers felt empowered in their caring situation by feeling more competent and prepared in their caring role and by strengthening their self-efficacy and positive self-appraisal of their situation. Carers were provided channels to share their frustrations and burdens via forums for emotional and social support between working carers, caring professionals, and other peer carers. This led to working carers feeling less burdened by their caregiving role and it helped promote their wellbeing. Further, carers were helped in some instances to balance work and care. As a result caregiving activities conflicting with work obligations were then lessened. In contrast, when ICT mediated support was neither provided in a timely fashion or in accordance with individual carers’ needs and preferences, then it was perceived by them to be unimportant. Cross-sectional data revealed that take-up of support services was low suggesting that unmet support needs may be inflated by work-care conflicts. For carers with lower digital skills, the additional time needed to learn to use ICTs was a further barrier. Overall, ICT mediated support acted as a complementary form of support for working carers. Measures to overcome dis-empowering aspects of this innovative from of support are needed to avoid working carers’ deprioritizing their own support needs and also to avoid possible digital exclusion from the current information society.