M.Ed. / Die doel van hierdie studie is om te bepaal hoe effektief ’n interaktiewe leersisteem gedurende die Meesterskursus in Rekenaar gebaseerde onderrig te RAU, is. Ten einde hierdie navorsingsdoel te bereik, is die volgende doelwitte as riglyn vir die navorsing geformuleer: • om ’n literêre oorsig te verkry ten einde vas te stel hoe die effektiwiteit van leer bepaal kan word; • om ’n evalueringsinstrument op te stel wat die effektiwiteit van leer bepaal deur die gebruik van die Kirckpatrick-model vir leerevaluering; en • om te bepaal, deur middel van ’n evaluerings- gevallestudie, hoe effektief studente in hierdie ondersoek geleer het om ’n onderrigplan te ontwerp deur middel van ’n interaktiewe leersisteem. Die rasionaal van die studie het tot die volgende navorsingsvraag, gelei: “Hoe effektief het Meestergraad-studente in rekenaargebaseerde die ontwerp van ’n onderrigplan onder die knie gekry deur gebruik te maak van ’n interaktiewe leersisteem?” ’n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering is gevolg. Die navorsingsmetode wat vir hierdie studie gebruik is, is ’n gevallestudie wat ’n in-diepte begrip van die leerderondervinding en effektiwiteit van leer, geskep het deur gebruik te maak van WebCT. Metodes om data te versamel, om hierdie spesifieke navorsing uit te voer, bestaan uit ’n literatuurstudie (vir die daarstelling van die begrips- en teoretiese raamwerk) asook; en ’n gemengde data-versamelingsmetode wat insluit: waarnemings, vraelyste, onderhoude en die dokument-analise. ’n Kort inleiding van die data-analise, die strategieё wat gevolg is om die betroubaarheid van die studie te waarborg, en ’n beknopte beskrywing van die etiese aspekte wat in ag geneem is vir hierdie studie, is ingesluit. ’n Wye oorsig van die toepaslike literatuur vir hierdie navorsingsondersoek word voorsien. Om die navorsingsvraag te beantwoord, is die begrip leer, eerstens verken en verduidelik deur gebruik te maak van drie leerteorieё, naamlik, Gedragsteorie, Kognitiewe Teorie en Konstruksie-teorie. Tweedens, deur te fokus op die ondersoek van “hoe om die effektiwiteit van leer te meet”, is vier paradigmas en verskeie evalueringsmodelle bestudeer en bespreek. Laastens is Kirckpatrick se viervlak-evalueringsmodel ook bestudeer en bespreek. Hierdie model is gekies as ’n gepaste evalueringsmodel vir die betrokke studie. ’n Oorsig van die Meesterskursus en die onderrigprogram WebCT is gegee. Die werking en samestellende dele van WebCT, wat gebruik is vir hierdie kursus, word kortliks beskryf. Die gekose tema (Tema 5 - Die teorie oor die ontwerp van ’n onderrigprogram) wat gebruik is vir hierdie studie, is ook beskryf en bespreek. Die bevindinge van Vlak Een - Reaksie-evaluering wys dat die kursus se doelwitte bereik is en dat studente die verlangde leeruitkomste ten opsigte van Tema 5 bereik het. Die studente se oorsigtelike evaluering van die onderrigprogram, WebCT was oor die algemeen goed. Volgens die evaluering van die toepaslikheid van die inhoud van Tema 5, wys die bevindinge egter dat die ontwerp van ’n onderrigplan nie heeltemal van toepassing was op elke student se werk nie. Die bevindinge van Vlak Twee - Leerevaluering wys dat na die onderrig van Tema 5, die kennis en vaardighede van die studente oor die ontwerp van ’n onderrigplan aansienlik vermeerder het. Die meerderheid van die studente het ’n positiewe uitkyk gehad oor wat hulle geleer het uit Tema 5. Die bevindinge van Vlak Drie - Gedragsveranderings-/Oordrag van leer-evaluering wys dat die meerderheid studente hulle gedrag op ’n positiewe manier, ten opsigte van Tema 5, verander het. Die bevindinge van hierdie Vlakevaluering wys egter uit dat dit nodig is om die kennis en vaardighede wat gedurende die onderrig verkry is, deur gebruik in die werksplek te versterk. Die bevindinge van Vlak Vier - Resultate-/Organisatoriese invloed- evaluering wys dat die onderrig van Tema 5 nie ’n sterk invloed op die organisasie van studente gehad het nie.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / Since there was a need for an Educational Management Information System (EMIS) in the Ministry of Education in Afghanistan, we designed and implemented a prototype for use in the ministry and investigated the appropriateness of using Agile methods for producing the EMIS. The prototype consisted of a database containing data about schools and a Dari interface which was used by educational planners, managers and policy makers of the ministry for decision making and planning. Agile methods are relatively new in software engineering and have an approach and development guidelines which strive for user satisfaction and early incremental delivery of software. We adapt them to local conditions due to their collaborative client-developer approach. The interface, a key component, is easy to use and efficient. The key research result is an evaluation concerning the appropriateness of using Agile Methods for developing the EMIS. Focus groups and surveys were used to develop the prototype and accomplish the study. / South Africa

This study describes first and second year university physics students' understanding and reasoning of the concepts, angular speed and angular acceleration. The analysis was based on student responses to various tasks presented to them during one hour long interviews. These responses were characterized from a phenomeno graphic research perspective developed by Marton (1981) and his colleagues at Gothenburg University in Sweden. The findings of the study are described by categories of description and by categories of reasoning. Categories of description characterize; students' conceptualizations of angular speed from different frames of reference, and the ways in which students make comparisons of the angular speeds of two objects. Categories of reasoning characterize the ways in which students were thought to reason about the concepts of angular speed and angular acceleration in several task settings. Interpretation of these findings are discussed with reference to the role a typical introductory physics textbook may have had in shaping the way in which students think about these angular kinematic concepts. Finally, instructional implications and directions for future research are given. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

EthnoQuest, an interactive multimedia CD-ROM simulating a visit to a fictional village named Amopan, was conceived as an adjunct to college-level classroom instruction in introductory anthropology courses. Since these classes typically involve large numbers of students, the logistics on conducting actual fieldwork pose serious problems for instructors and students alike. The conception of an engaging, interactive, accessible learning tool that incorporates appropriate pedagogical principles has found its ultimate expression in EthnoQuest.

The purpose of this project was to examine the current staff development training program's impact on the integration of technology into the teacher/participants' classroom. This thesis evaluates whether or not training practices were being transitioned to the classroom, which practices need to be added to the training program to increase the implementation of technology into the classrom.

Thesis (M. Ed.) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of guided discovery instructional strategy on the grade 9 learners’ performance in chemical reactions. Secondly, to determine the effect of guided discovery instructional strategy on gender (boy and girl). The quantitative, descriptive and inferential research was conducted to determine if there were any differences between the performance of learners taught using Guided discovery and learners taught using direct instruction. Data collection was done using pre-test and post-test. Two groups of learners participated in the study. The experimental group (n = 40) was taught through Guided discovery. The second was Control Group (n = 35) taught through direct instruction. The findings reveal that guided discovery instructional strategy resulted in better performance of learners in science than direct instruction. Learners expressed an increased interest, motivation and self-efficacy after being exposed to guided discovery. Therefore, the study recommends that teachers need to move learners from dependent direct instruction to more independent learning through guided instruction. KEY TERMS Guided discovery learning, performance, learner

Online learning has been widely adopted in higher education to reach students who typically would not have a chance to complete accredited courses (Kentnor, 2015). Massive open online courses (MOOC), which is a type of online learning, makes it easier for people to take university courses with internet access and a fraction of cost compared to traditional residential programs (Reich, 2020). MOOCs also become popular for those who want to increase their professional profile or advance their academic career (Pheatt, 2017). However, online learning has long been criticized for its universally low completion rates, high dropout rate and poor learning performance (Almeda et al., 2018). This phenomenon is more exacerbated in MOOC environments. Historical studies have attempted to support learner self-regulated learning (SRL) activities in order to enhance completion rates and academic outcomes. Prior studies have conducted pre-course questionnaires as inexpensive SRL interventions to prompt learners as SRL support(Kizilcec et al., 2017, Kizilcec & Cohen, 2017; Kizilcec et al., 2020; Yeomans & Reich, 2017). Yet, these one-time-only, short-term interventions only yield limited or no effects. This study implemented and evaluated the effectiveness of an alternative intervention, the self-regulated learning user interface (SRLUI), to support students' self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies in a MOOC environment. SRLUI is based on Zimmerman’s (2000) SRL model and develops learner’s SRL skills through longitudinal, recurring practice of multiple SRL dimensions activities (i.e., goal setting, self-evaluation, task planning, setting reminders) with content-specific information. The study utilized a randomized experimental design and implemented SRLUI in eight MOOCs with a total of 808 participants. The results indicated a higher usage rate of SRL support compared to the historical findings, which may be owing to the SRL support embedded into the learning activities throughout the course. Also, the study showed improved learning outcomes for a subgroup of participants, but there was no reduction in the number of dropouts. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that a personalized SRL tool featuring content-specific information should be embedded in online courses. The research design also recorded direct cognitive records of learners' SRL activities, which yield stronger validity compared to trace and survey data. The result suggested SRLUI might only benefit a subgroup of learners with passing grades. Thus, it is recommended that future research identify various subgroups of learner profiles in MOOC environments and to consider how to reach and support learners in different subgroups.

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My dissertation examines the experiences of Teachers College faculty that transitioned to online teaching for the first time during the forced circumstances of COVID-19. More specifically, I explore: 1) the relationship between feeling prepared, supported, and connected with professional development; 2) the experiences of faculty making the transition to online teaching; and 3) how faculty described re-evaluating, as Boud describes it, their teaching experiences. To better understand this, I used the case-selection variant of the explanatory sequential, mixed-methods design (quan → QUAL). I surveyed 85 participants (Phase 1) that engaged in professional development opportunities provided by the institution to better understand their experiences preparing for this transition and then interviewed 10-participants (Phase 2) to better understand their unique experiences. I found that most participants that made this transition grew both in their ability to use technology and comfort with teaching online. Participants described the experience as a challenging transition, especially as there was little time to prepare; however, participants also learned (through consultations, intensive programs, colleagues, and students) from this experience. In Phase 2, 7 of 10 participants indicated that they will take their learnings from teaching online and integrate them into their face-to-face teaching.

My dissertation is a qualitative design-based research study that explores Singaporean elementary school students’ documentation and reflection practices in a maker learning environment. In this work, I build upon literature from Constructionism, Metacognition, and formative assessment methods. I investigate the following research questions regarding student-driven documentation of maker processes: 1. How might artifact documentation and organization, as a mode of formative assessment, provide new insights to students and teachers in complex making/construction processes? 2. How could artifact documentation embedded in a collaborative tool contribute to students' identification and reflection of new knowledge gained during their making process? Over the course of two and a half years, I developed prototypes of the CoCreator App, informed by constructionist pedagogy and metacognitive practices. Then, I implemented the CoCreator App prototypes in two schools and an afterschool makerspace in Singapore, where students and teachers used it as their technology-facilitated process for documentation. Through analysis of students’ and teachers’ interviews, observations and field notes of classroom sessions, I reveal opportunities for thoughtful design of documentation tools that advance and challenge the theoretical underpinnings of Constructionism and Metacognition, and cater to elementary school students’ learning and reflection. My design recommendations include: multimodal choices of documentation, integration with students’ routines and workflows, organization of artifacts to achieve a balance between multimodality and integration with routines. Finally, I end with a note about the essential role that teachers play in engaging with students’ artifacts and nurturing a culture of documentation in the classroom, to inch closer to helping students develop intrinsic motivation towards student-driven formative assessment.