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The Higher Education Institution and the Construction Industry are yet to define the most appropriate and effective design parameters for E-learning spaces. Those which exist, focus mainly on cost, budget and timely delivery i.e. the process only not the product. An effective approach to E-learning space design is needed to address the problems of space efficiency, effectiveness, quality, innovativeness, performance and client satisfaction. This study aimed to develop a novel methodology for e-learning space design, by investigating: the impact of e-learning on facilities and design; the impact of e-learning on the design of future spaces; the impact of blended learning on space design; designing for the learn anytime, anywhere paradigm; security issues of e-learning and e-learning space design, the levels of design risk in an e-learning infrastructure and inclusive design issues. A Grounded theory approach was used during initial desk studies, synchronized with a three part forum and pilot survey of 33participants. From this process, two hypotheses emerged; firstly, e-learning space design could affect users‘ learning outcomes and secondly that; user‘s learning requirements were different and varied. To investigate further, site based analyses of 11 HEI‘s, 10 interviews and subsequently a questionnaire survey was administered. Users‘ and stakeholders requirements and good examples of e-learning space design were identified. Data were analysed using a mixed-method research design approach. Three main constructs, Space design, Technology and the E-learning Space Design research focus (ELSD focus), emerged as significant components in the development of a novel framework for the design of e-learning spaces. The relationship between the components is such that the design of spaces with consideration of the ELSD research focus would ensure the effective identification, interpretation and delivery of users‘ requirement while maximising the benefits of the adoption of appropriate technology within HEI facilities. This was therefore proposed as the realistic framework/model for future design of E- learning Spaces in HEI campuses. The framework was adapted into a conceptual design guide to provide guidance for future space design. It is expected the study will support the HEI sector globally as it moves towards achieving best practice solutions to future E-learning space design in HEI campuses.

Der Einfluss des Raumcharakters auf die menschliche Tätigkeit ist einer der Grundsätze der „Umwelt-Mensch-Beziehung“ – und findet sich in allen Maßstabsebenen. Zur Beschreibung des Raumcharakters auf Siedlungsmaßstabsebene wird dieser Grundsatz beispielsweise mit den Thesen kognitive Karte (E. Tolman), visuelle Wahrnehmung (J. Gibson), Raumverständlichkeit (K. Lynch) und territoriale Ansprüche (H. Hertzberger) diskutiert. Es wird bisher dargelegt, dass sich das sozialpsychologische Verhalten gewissermaßen auf den Raumcharakter auf Siedlungsmaßstabsebene bezieht. Räume sind also mit ihrer sozialpsychologischen Raumqualität entsprechend zu charakterisieren. Jedoch ist nach heutigem Stand der Siedlungsraumcharakter hinsichtlich der sozialpsychologischen Raumqualität schwierig quantitativ zu bewerten, sodass es mithilfe der empirischen bzw. subjektiven Methode nötig ist, die oben genannten Thesen praktisch zu prüfen. Da diese Arbeit die Position des Apriorismus bzw. der Naturwissenschaft bezieht, wird mithilfe des Werkzeugs Space Syntax versucht, eine apriorische bzw. relativ objektive Methode zur Prüfung dieser Thesen zu entwickeln, um den Siedlungsraumcharakter in die sozialpsychologische Raumqualität umzuwandeln. Durch diese Methode können städtebauliche Maßnahmen zur Lösung der sozialen bzw. sozialpsychologischen Probleme in vorhandenen Siedlungen oder zur Vermeidung dieser Probleme bei Siedlungsneubau vorgeschlagen werden. In dieser Arbeit wird die Methode durch eine Grundtypenanalyse von Siedlungsmorphologien hinsichtlich der jeweiligen sozialpsychologischen Raumqualität musterhaft aufgebaut. Die Stadt Raunheim im Ballungsraum Frankfurt/Rhein-Main, als eine Siedlung in einer wachsenden Metropolregion, wird als Beobachtungsobjekt empirisch untersucht; das Migrationsverhalten dient als sozialpsychologischer Indikator zum Beweisen der Methode.

We live in a society where the individual is prioritised over the collective. Newspaper articles abound lamenting adolescents' lack of personal responsibility and social commentators are increasingly highlighting the need to recapture and interweave an agenda of personal responsibility into the social fabric. Personal responsibility has been defined as being accountable to oneself and the needs and well-being of others (Ruyter, 2002). Doherty (1998) has argued that there is an increasing trend in society to refuse accountability and to blame others for one's situation. Despite these assertions, there is little empirical research that has attempted to define and examine personal responsibility. This dissertation is about the role of personal responsibility in the lives of adolescents. The research program was divided into three studies utilising quantitative and qualitative research methods to answer four research questions. Study 1: How do adolescents and teachers understand 'personal responsibility?' Study 2: Can a quantitative questionnaire define and measure an adolescent's level of personal responsibility? Study 3: Can a program aimed at enhancing the personal responsibility level of adolescents be taught in a high school and demonstrate measurable effect? Is there a relationship between personal responsibility, emotional intelligence and self-esteem? Study 1 used focus groups to address research question 1. Four focus groups with a total of 20 Year 11 students, and two focus groups with a total of 10 teachers were conducted. The results revealed that key components of the personal responsibility variable were choices and consequences, behavioural control, thoughts and feelings, and consideration for others. This finding complemented the definition derived from the literature review. Additionally, the focus group data served to inform Study 2, the development of the Personal Responsibility Questionnaire and Study 3, the creation, implementation and evaluation of the Personal Responsibility Program. Study 2 involved examining appropriate literature, focus group data from Study 1, and related measures to create a quantitative measure assessing personal responsibility in adolescents. A 100-item measure was created and tested on more than 500 adolescents. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were used to determine a final 30-item Personal Responsibility Questionnaire with two factors (factor 1 - 'self control of emotion and thoughts' and factor 2 - 'self control of behaviour'). This measure was to serve in the evaluation of the Personal Responsibility Program. A fundamental aim of the study was to determine whether a Personal Responsibility Program could be implemented in a high school and demonstrate measurable effect. Study 3 involved the creation of the Personal Responsibility Program through examining other values-based education programs and the focus group data obtained in Study 1. Once created, the five-lesson program was implemented twice in one high school, with approximately half of the Year 11 students undertaking the first implementation (the experimental group), and the remaining Year 11 students completing the program during its second implementation (the control group). To assess whether the program had generated any changes in the adolescents' levels of personal responsibility, the Personal Responsibility Questionnaire developed in Study 2 was administered pre- and post-intervention to both the experimental and control groups. Additionally, the well-established constructs of emotional intelligence and self-esteem were assessed using the Emotional Intelligence Scale (Schutte et al., 1998) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) to determine potential relationships between these variables and to provide additional construct validity for the measure. The results from Study 3 revealed no significant findings on any variable at any time (pre- or post-intervention). Despite this finding, certain data trends were apparent between males and females across the experimental and control groups. Overall, females demonstrated slightly higher mean scores on emotional intelligence and personal responsibility than males, while males had slightly higher mean scores than females on self-esteem. In order to gather additional feedback about the program and the students' learning, qualitative data were gathered from the students and the teachers by completion of a feedback sheet at the end of each lesson and a teacher focus group interview after the first implementation of the Personal Responsibility Program. In relation to student learning, the qualitative data offered by the students showed that learning in the key areas targeted had occurred, with students reflecting on their growth and changing understandings about personal responsibility. With reference to the program, the students commented that the program was fun, interesting, relevant, valuable, and enabled them to learn new things about themselves. Feedback from the teachers highlighted that the students appeared to engage with the program, and that teaching it was rewarding. This research program has contributed to the literature by providing a theoretically and empirically derived definition of personal responsibility. The focus group process highlighted that personal responsibility could be understood and considered by adolescents due to the cognitive and moral sophistication that develops early in this developmental timeframe. Study 2 generated a Personal Responsibility Questionnaire that can be used to assess personal responsibility in adolescents, and Study 3 contributed a Personal Responsibility Program which has been developed from conceptual and empirical literature. The program was designed to be "teacher friendly' and allowed the schools to gather qualitative and quantitative feedback on the success of the program's implementation. As school administrators and teachers often lament the lack of personal responsibility in their students (Lickona, 1992), this program could be used to address this concern and put the issue of personal responsibility firmly on the agenda in high schools.

The diploma thesis deals with the topic of Optimization of Public Procurement Process from the Perspective of Specific Contracting Authority. The thesis introduces the main contracting authority problems based on the analysis of concrete public procurement and an interview with Town Hall staff. Next there are described the main differences between the current and previous Public Procurement Law and the method Design - Build is presented.

<p dir="ltr">The Asiatic garden beetle (AGB), in its larval stage, has become an increasingly detrimental to the health of commercially grown mint in northern Indiana by feeding on their roots. In my research, I have optimized a method to quantify populations by determining the proper sample size to maintain accurate and precise estimates, determining the best sampling method and sampling scheme. Additionally, I established the relationship between AGB larval feeding and mint performance and have established a threshold of the average number of larvae required to cause significant yield loss. </p>

In der vorliegenden Dissertation werden die vielfältigen Einsatzmöglichkeiten von Planspielen in der beruflichen Bildung aufgezeigt. Zudem wird unter Berücksichtigung wissenschaftlicher und praktischer Anforderungen die Entwicklung eines Planspiels nach dem Design Science Research Ansatz vorgestellt. Um die Wirksamkeit von Planspielen sowohl kurzfristig als auch langfristig nachzuweisen, bedarf es empirischer Daten und differenzierter Aussagen, welche erfolgs- oder lernwirksame Faktoren in Planspielen implementiert sein müssen. Hierfür wurde ein Mixed Methods Untersuchungsdesign eingesetzt und durch Verwendung von Fragebögen, Storytelling- und Bild-Interviews untersucht, welche Einflussgrößen auf die Lerneffekte und die Akzeptanz von Planspielen wirken. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass in Abhängigkeit des Untersuchungszeitraumes und der Untersuchungspersonen unterschiedliche Einflussgrößen auf die Lerneffekte und die Akzeptanz wirken. Im Rahmen der Dissertation ist somit ein evaluiertes produktionsnahes Planspiel entstanden, dass die Elemente und Prozesse eines soziotechnischen Systems simuliert und in der beruflichen Bildung für verschiedene Lernende anwendbar ist. Die Arbeit bietet überdies einen Beitrag zur Überprüfung von Kausal- und Wirkungszusammenhängen in Planspielen. So werden die eingesetzten Methoden für die Planspielevaluation erweitert und die bisherigen Untersuchungen in der Planspielforschung ergänzt.:1 Einleitung 2 Stand der Wissenschaft und Technik 3 Iterative Entwicklung des Artefakts Planspiel 4 Evaluation der Einflussgrößen des Planspiels 5 Ergebnisse der empirischen Untersuchungen 6 Diskussion 7 Schlussbetrachtung Anlage A Ergänzendes Material zur theoretischen Fundierung Anlage B Ergänzendes Material zur iterativen Entwicklung und Evaluation Anlage C Ergänzendes Material der quantitativen Untersuchung Anlage D Ergänzendes Material zu den Storytelling-Interviews Anlage E Ergänzendes Material zu den Bild-Interviews Anlage F Zusammenfassende Übersichten / In this dissertation various application possibilities of business games in vocational education are shown. In addition, the development of a business game according to the Design Science Research approach is presented, considering scientific and practical requirements. In order to prove the effectiveness of business games in short-term as well as in long-term, empirical data and differentiated statements are needed, which success- or learning-effective aspects have to be implemented in business games. For this purpose, a mixed methods research design was employed using questionnaires, storytelling and picture interviews to examine which influencing variables have an effect on the learning effects and acceptance of business games. The results show that different variables influence the learning effects and the acceptance of business games depending on the time period and the participants. Within the framework of the dissertation, an evaluated production-related business game has been developed that simulates the elements and processes of a socio-technical system and can be used in vocational training for different learners. Moreover, the work offers a contribution to the assessment of causal and cause-effect relationships in business games. Thus, the methods used for business game evaluation are extended and previous studies in business game research are complemented.:1 Einleitung 2 Stand der Wissenschaft und Technik 3 Iterative Entwicklung des Artefakts Planspiel 4 Evaluation der Einflussgrößen des Planspiels 5 Ergebnisse der empirischen Untersuchungen 6 Diskussion 7 Schlussbetrachtung Anlage A Ergänzendes Material zur theoretischen Fundierung Anlage B Ergänzendes Material zur iterativen Entwicklung und Evaluation Anlage C Ergänzendes Material der quantitativen Untersuchung Anlage D Ergänzendes Material zu den Storytelling-Interviews Anlage E Ergänzendes Material zu den Bild-Interviews Anlage F Zusammenfassende Übersichten

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of introducing animated computer instructional aid (ACIA) in the learning of fluid mechanics. It was also intended as a means to evaluate the Constructionist Computer-Animated Instructional Model of Learning (CCAIML), which was developed and proposed for learning fluid mechanics. CCAIML includes the use of ACIA as a learning aid. Three theories underpins CCAIML learning model: the Constructionist learning theory, Media-Affects-learning hypothesis and Multiple representation principle. The study participants were the intact classes of first-time fluid mechanics’ students in Mechanical Engineering in four South African universities, who offer Bachelor of Engineering degrees in Mechanical Engineering. The study followed a mixed method approach: involving a static group design and a descriptive survey design. The control groups were the two consecutive, immediately preceding intact groups, who were taught fluid mechanics through the traditional lecturing method. The intervention groups were the non-randomized mechanical engineering students, who were taught by the same lecturer, who taught the control groups the same course material through a traditional approach, but taught the intervention group using the CCAIML learning approach. The findings of the study showed that: - ACIA facilitated the learning of the fluid mechanics module taught during the intervention, in CCAIML learning environment; - ACIA aroused the study participants’ interest in the learning of fluid mechanics module taught during the intervention; - The study participants understood the fluid mechanics module taught during the intervention better, in CCAIML learning environment, and were able to demonstrate this in the post intervention examination; - CCAIML learning approach encouraged classroom interaction, group and individual knowledge construction, practical demonstration of understanding of concepts and consequently improved classroom dynamics; - The majority of the study participants achieved higher scores in the fluid module taught during the intervention at the post intervention examination, by using CCAIML learning approach compared to the traditional approach; - No relationship was established between the level of study participants’ interest in the software used to aid learning ACIA and the study participants’ post-intervention achievement; and - Where the language medium of the instructional aid was different to that of the classroom medium of instruction, the learners’ achievement was affected. / Mathematical Sciences / Ph.D. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education)

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of introducing animated computer instructional aid (ACIA) in the learning of fluid mechanics. It was also intended as a means to evaluate the Constructionist Computer-Animated Instructional Model of Learning (CCAIML), which was developed and proposed for learning fluid mechanics. CCAIML includes the use of ACIA as a learning aid. Three theories underpins CCAIML learning model: the Constructionist learning theory, Media-Affects-learning hypothesis and Multiple representation principle. The study participants were the intact classes of first-time fluid mechanics’ students in Mechanical Engineering in four South African universities, who offer Bachelor of Engineering degrees in Mechanical Engineering. The study followed a mixed method approach: involving a static group design and a descriptive survey design. The control groups were the two consecutive, immediately preceding intact groups, who were taught fluid mechanics through the traditional lecturing method. The intervention groups were the non-randomized mechanical engineering students, who were taught by the same lecturer, who taught the control groups the same course material through a traditional approach, but taught the intervention group using the CCAIML learning approach. The findings of the study showed that: - ACIA facilitated the learning of the fluid mechanics module taught during the intervention, in CCAIML learning environment; - ACIA aroused the study participants’ interest in the learning of fluid mechanics module taught during the intervention; - The study participants understood the fluid mechanics module taught during the intervention better, in CCAIML learning environment, and were able to demonstrate this in the post intervention examination; - CCAIML learning approach encouraged classroom interaction, group and individual knowledge construction, practical demonstration of understanding of concepts and consequently improved classroom dynamics; - The majority of the study participants achieved higher scores in the fluid module taught during the intervention at the post intervention examination, by using CCAIML learning approach compared to the traditional approach; - No relationship was established between the level of study participants’ interest in the software used to aid learning ACIA and the study participants’ post-intervention achievement; and - Where the language medium of the instructional aid was different to that of the classroom medium of instruction, the learners’ achievement was affected. / Mathematical Sciences / Ph.D. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education)