Explored and reported as three distinct but interrelated studies, this dissertation endeavored to develop a technology (i.e., process) to address the challenges faced by higher education faculty charged with updating or otherwise redesigning online courses. Considering the growing prevalence of online learning in higher education, calls on faculty with limited pedagogical training to design effective instruction are increasingly commonplace. Through a developmental research approach, these studies chronicled the Productivity in Online Course Redesign (POCR) model's construction via practical and theoretical means as well as its validation via expert review and field evaluation. The first of three contributing publications recorded the POCR model’s initial conceptualization and internal validation via review by an expert panel. Realized as a case study, the second contributing publication utilized field evaluation procedures to test the POCR model in a real-world setting, thus externally validating the model. The final contributing publication detailed a model refinement effort in which instructional design principles aligned with the Community of Inquiry framework were integrated to provide users with additional pedagogical support. The integration underwent internal validation via Delphi review. Deemed a valid model in both a conceptual and a practical sense, the POCR model shows promise as a tool for faculty who wish to engage with course design more efficiently and systematically.

This dissertation describes a research aimed at finding text-optimization techniques which would increase the comprehension and better the attitudes of the readers towards the text. The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of these techniques considering the possibility of implementation into the text-production process of state and commercial institutions. The theoretical basis for text comprehension is the construction of mental representations of the text. Many factors, internal and external, can influence the construction of a correct mental representation of the text. This thesis researches the factors of text quality and attitudes towards the text. Effects of the same text manipulations of Slovak and Dutch texts were observed in three language groups. These were: a group of Slovak native speakers, Dutch native speakers and people who learned Dutch as a foreign language. For this research two texts were selected, namely the instructions provided with the tax declaration form and an instruction manual provided with a digital camera. Parts of the texts were optimized and rewritten into two variants. The first variant is based on the principle of rewriting the text into a dialogue. The instructions for such transformation can be summarized into three points. This approach should be usable for not...

The objective of this diploma thesis is a dynamic analysis of a cable-stayed walkway. The RFEM structural analysis software is used for the calculation. Design principles of the structure are explained and analysis of the construction phases is then performed. The eigenmodes of the structure are calculated for various material combinations. The thesis examines the effects of moving loads and earthquake effects using several different methods. A comparison of the various loading effects on the structure and also the calculation methods is presented at the conclusion.

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