Interactivity is a factor on which cyber journalism is based and summarizes participation options between a user and the medium, a user with other users, and a user with editors. In this study, we focus on the latter in three countries-Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador-, which have been identified owing to their technological gap and the emerging importance of online communication for their respective societies. Through 35 in-depth interviews with journalists from these countries, we analyzed the concept of interactivity of these professionals and their relationship with users. The results revealed that the journalists positively valued civic contributions as a space for diagnosis, although they do not perceive its informational value, as they relate them to the context of opinions. These results verify the prevalence of journalism as strongly influenced by conventional offline production routines. / Revisión por pares

While credibility perception on the Web is a well-researched topic across multiple disciplines, extant studies have not considered nonvisual modalities of Web access. This research explores how Web users who are blind or visually impaired perceive the credibility of online information and how the screen reader used by them to interact with the Web mediates the process. Credibility perception was studied in the context of the screen reader users’ everyday information practices, examining in depth the effect of Web accessibility on their online information interactions, information practices and credibility perception. Adopting an exploratory approach, a sequential multimethods research design was used. Between April and July 2008 data were collected from adult screen reader users residing in Ontario, Canada through an electronic questionnaire survey (N=60) to identify salient issues, which were then examined deeper through semi-structured interviews with a subsample (N=13) during June 2009. Hands-on online information activities (with participant observation and think-aloud protocol) were also conducted during the interview session. Primary findings emerged through qualitative content analysis of descriptive data, with quantitative results guiding and supplementing the analysis. Online information credibility perception is found to be a dynamic and social process. It is governed by users’ assumptions based on their past experiences, personal knowledge/beliefs and social inputs. Assumptions evolve over time and usage into personal heuristics. The credibility perception process spans three phases—prediction, evaluation and corroboration—permeating the information seeking, using and sharing practices of users. Evaluation of website and web content depends on users’ online interaction proficiency and is bounded by the interface affordances provided by the screen reader and the amount of meta-information provided by the websites for interpreting visual/spatial features. Community support scaffolds users towards more effective technology management and credibility perception. Therefore, promoting inclusion in the online participatory culture will enhance the information practices of screen reader users.

While credibility perception on the Web is a well-researched topic across multiple disciplines, extant studies have not considered nonvisual modalities of Web access. This research explores how Web users who are blind or visually impaired perceive the credibility of online information and how the screen reader used by them to interact with the Web mediates the process. Credibility perception was studied in the context of the screen reader users’ everyday information practices, examining in depth the effect of Web accessibility on their online information interactions, information practices and credibility perception. Adopting an exploratory approach, a sequential multimethods research design was used. Between April and July 2008 data were collected from adult screen reader users residing in Ontario, Canada through an electronic questionnaire survey (N=60) to identify salient issues, which were then examined deeper through semi-structured interviews with a subsample (N=13) during June 2009. Hands-on online information activities (with participant observation and think-aloud protocol) were also conducted during the interview session. Primary findings emerged through qualitative content analysis of descriptive data, with quantitative results guiding and supplementing the analysis. Online information credibility perception is found to be a dynamic and social process. It is governed by users’ assumptions based on their past experiences, personal knowledge/beliefs and social inputs. Assumptions evolve over time and usage into personal heuristics. The credibility perception process spans three phases—prediction, evaluation and corroboration—permeating the information seeking, using and sharing practices of users. Evaluation of website and web content depends on users’ online interaction proficiency and is bounded by the interface affordances provided by the screen reader and the amount of meta-information provided by the websites for interpreting visual/spatial features. Community support scaffolds users towards more effective technology management and credibility perception. Therefore, promoting inclusion in the online participatory culture will enhance the information practices of screen reader users.

abstract: Few studies bridge workplace engagement and employee voice with internal communication. This analysis builds upon both the crucial concept of employee engagement and its implications for communication professionals and leaders. Further, it calls for more strategic integration of upward employee voice in internal communications. By examining factors that support communication (in two directions) and especially upward employee voice, researchers examine a case study of an intranet site at a major academic research institute. Factors that support employee expression are compared with data streams from both user survey and website analytics. The results point to voice-inducing techniques include projecting critical mass, fostering trust, and emphasizing intranet usefulness and rewards. By enriching workplace communications, voice can strengthen the employee’s ability to contribute, connect leaders with a source for direct feedback, and help employers be more responsive and nimbler. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Technical Communication 2020

Online learning in the present circumstances of the pandemic is unique, unlike common digital learning situations, raises a number of concerns. University students might struggle with adjustment and feel discouraged by changes, as conventional socializing in class is their major loss in online learning. Students should continue to learn, and schools have gone to great lengths to transfer educational content into the digital world, not just online teaching and delivery methods, but also support the students' wellbeing. The project created a framework for students’ wellbeing support, online learning in higher education and crisis preparedness. Moreover, the project used several research methods to collect and analyze data, and design methods to treat and develop ideation. The resulting project is called the ‘Online participation Art Strategy’. Based on the insights that ‘enhancing online learning by enhancing online participation’, the project provides educational materials in the form of campaign design and graphic design, to enhance online participation and thereby support the wellbeing of students. / <p>Online presentation</p>

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Ce mémoire analyse l'impact potentiel de la participation en ligne sur les médias burkinabè et sur les pratiques journalistiques. Il explore comment cette participation influence la production de contenu, l'interaction avec les audiences, et l'évolution des pratiques journalistiques au sein de la plateforme Lefaso.net, l'un des principaux médias en ligne au Burkina Faso. Les théories mobilisées dans ce mémoire sont celles de la hiérarchie des influences (Shoemaker et Reese, 1995), la théorie de l’agenda setting (McCombs & Shaw, 1972), et la théorie du gatekeeping (White, 1950). En utilisant une approche qualitative basée sur des entretiens semi-structurés avec quatorze journalistes et deux webmestres, cette étude examine également les défis et les opportunités que cette interaction pose pour le journalisme numérique dans un contexte africain en pleine évolution. Les résultats révèlent que la participation en ligne sur Lefaso.net enrichit considérablement la diversité des sources d'information disponibles pour les journalistes, tout en stimulant l'engagement du public à travers des interactions directes telles que les commentaires et les partages sur les réseaux sociaux. Cette interaction dynamique redéfinit également le rôle traditionnel du journaliste en favorisant une relation plus interactive et collaborative avec les audiences. Cependant, les résultats soulignent aussi les défis associés à cette évolution, notamment la gestion des contenus générés par les utilisateurs, le travail émotionnel que doivent désormais accomplir les journalistes pour gérer les réactions parfois vives des internautes, ainsi que les aspects néfastes potentiels de cette participation en ligne. / This master's thesis analyzes the impact of online participation on Burkinabe media and journalists’ practices. It explores how this participation influences content production, interaction with audiences, and the evolution of journalistic practices within the Lefaso.net platform, one of Burkina Faso's leading online media. The theories mobilized in this dissertation are those of the hierarchy of influences (Shoemaker & Reese, 1995), agenda setting theory (McCombs & Shaw, 1972), and gatekeeping theory (White, 1950). Using a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with fourteen journalists and two webmasters, this study examines the challenges and opportunities this interaction poses for digital journalism in an evolving African context. The results reveal that online participation on Lefaso.net significantly enriches the diversity of information sources available to journalists, while stimulating public engagement through direct interactions such as comments and shares on social networks. This dynamic interaction also redefines the traditional role of the journalist, fostering a more interactive and collaborative relationship with audiences. However, these results also highlight the challenges associated with this evolution, including the management of user-generated content, the emotional labor that journalists must now perform to manage the sometimes vivid reactions of Internet users, as well as the potential harmful aspects of this online participation.

L'objectif de cette thèse est d'étudier les débats publics tels qu'organisés par la Commission Nationale du Débat Public (CNDP), et plus particulièrement les usages du numérique pour venir « équiper » les dispositifs participatifs mis en place. Le travail mené en Sciences de l'information et de la Communication (SIC) interroge le rôle de la configuration des dispositifs de médiation dans la constitution des publics. Il s'agit d'observer comment les choix techniques effectués pour organiser la discussion contribuent à la sélection des publics, dans la mesure où ils leur permettent plus ou moins d'exprimer le lien qui les relie à l'objet du débat. Nous parlerons de leur « concernement » pour qualifier ce lien. Pour mener à bien notre enquête, nous avons mis en place une méthodologie originale de comparaison des espaces « en ligne » et « hors ligne », mobilisée sur trois études de cas : le débat Ivry Paris-XIII sur la rénovation d'un incinérateur de déchets ménagers, celui sur le projet de Parc éolien en mer des Deux Côtes et enfin celui sur le projet CIGEO, le centre d'enfouissement des déchets nucléaires à Bure. L'enjeu de la thèse est de montrer qu'en fonction des situations, la méthodologie du débat public est plus ou moins mise à l'épreuve par l'objet débattu. Les usages du numérique diffèrent également : s'il est parfois porteur d’espoirs d'inclusion de nouveaux publics dans le débat, il peut également être utilisé pour contourner l'expression de la critique sociale. Dans ces derniers cas, nous montrerons comment une forme de « gouvernementalité numérique » contribue à mettre à distance les critiques les plus radicales pour que le débat puisse se tenir, malgré tout. / The goal of this thesis is to study public debate as organized by the Commission of Public Debate (Commision Nationale du Débat Public – CNDP), and more specifically how they have employed digital solutions to “augment” the traditional channels of public participation. The manuscript is a work of Information and Communication Sciences and analyzes the role of the mediating technological devices, their configuration, and the public commons that they create. More precisely, we will discuss the technological choices that were made during the organization of the debate and to what degree these choices help or hinder the public to express their relationship and their point of view to the object of debate. Approaching the discussion in this manner will require an in depth understanding of the public’s line of concern and degree of investment. At the center of our investigation, we have designed a methodology that allows for the comparison of digital forums of debate to their traditional counterparts. This has been put into practice through three case studies : first, the debate Ivry Paris-XIII regarding the modernization of the municipality’s waste incinerator ; another on the wind farm in the “Mer des Deux Côtes” ; and finally, the debate concerning the project CIGEO, the landfill for nuclear waste in Bure, France. The main contribution of this thesis is to show that regardless of how the process is organized, the public debate depends more or less to the subject of debate. The medium through which the debate takes place shares the same quality : even if technological platforms for debate may sometime bring hope for a fair argumentation, it can just as easily be abused so as to mischaracterized the true nature of the public’s grievances. In these cases, we show how a form of digital governmentality will arise to expel the most radical ideas so that the debate can go on, nonetheless.

In TVET colleges, the traditional face-to-face mode of knowledge delivery appears to be the norm. Knowledge is often shared in a teaching space during a particular period of time. Students and a lecturer need to be in a specified venue during an allocated time slot for the learning process to take place which includes obtaining knowledge from the lecturer, sharing views and storing knowledge in their minds. There is often no interaction with the lecturer beyond the classroom. As such, learners with learning difficulties have no alternative platform into which they can get support; which compromises the quality of education and students’ success rate. The use of e-learning permits students to finalise a course in their own time and at their own location. It also implies that students are at an advantage as they do not need to go to a particular learning institution, and they can proceed with the training at their own pace. This research investigated how e-learning may be used as an enabler of learning by overcoming barriers associated with face-to-face learning. This was achieved through the development of a proposed e-learning framework based on the existing literature. The proposed framework was then tested through a survey distributed among TVET stakeholders to offer an improved framework. Furthermore, the improved framework was used to develop an e-learning architecture and prototype which can help guide institutions who wish to adopt e-learning. / Information Technology / M. Tech. (Information Technology)