This research investigates the theory of organisational knowledge creation as a viable model in the management of multi-practitioner arts-related practice-led research projects conducted at the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus. In this regard Transgressions and Boundaries of the Page (2009-2012) (an interdisciplinary exploration of a practice-led research project by means of the artist’s book) is analysed according to the said theory in order to ascertain the compatibility of this theory and the projects outlined. It should be noted that the particular project is not discussed as an example of the application of the theory of organisational knowledge creation. Rather, the purpose of this research is to identify the appearance of salient aspects of the given theory in order to ascertain whether this could be an appropriate management model for future projects of this nature. Accordingly, the goal is to identify such a model that will facilitate and promote creative practice and accredited research within the History of Art, Graphic Design, and Creative Writing disciplines at the North-West Universities Potchefstroom campus. The proposed coupling of the theory of organisational knowledge creation and multi-practitioner arts-related projects by way of practice-led research is underpinned by the fact that both can be situated within the participatory paradigm due to a common conceptualisation of knowledge. This paradigm offers an extended epistemology consisting of practical, experiential, presentational, and propositional knowledge. This paradigm effectively integrates both the tacit and explicit knowledge modalities, which are fundamental to practice-led research and the theory of organisational knowledge creation. A further commonality is the fact that knowledge is considered as an interdisciplinary, subjective and socially constructed phenomenon. In the context of this research, practice-led research involves the self-reflective process, which involves the making, reading and interpretation of creative outputs in the academic milieu. This requires the utilisation of reflective practice to communicate both the tacit and explicit knowledge dimensions. Additionally the participatory paradigm, practice-led research and the theory of organisational knowledge creation advocate a knowledge process that moves through a tacit–explicit knowledge cycle. This knowledge creation cycle in the participatory paradigm and the theory of organisational knowledge creation occur in four levels. In consequence, the Transgressions and Boundaries of the Page project has been managed in four phases. It is against this background that the four knowledge conversion levels of this theory are linked with the extended epistemology of the participatory paradigm to analyse the four phases of the Transgressions and Boundaries of the Page project. The first phase of the Transgressions and Boundaries of the Page project entailed the conceptualisation, planning, and preparation during August 2008 to March 2009. This phase is analysed by means of level one of the theory of organisational knowledge creation (explicit to tacit knowledge conversion) and practical knowledge of the participatory paradigm. The second phase of the project, namely knowledge creation, took place from March 2009 to January 2010. The analysis of this phase is accomplished by means of level two of the theory of organisational knowledge creation (tacit to tacit knowledge conversion) and experiential knowledge of the participatory paradigm. The third phase of the project, namely knowledge presentation and communication, from February 2010 to July 2010 corresponds with, and is analysed by, level three of the theory of organisational knowledge creation (tacit to explicit knowledge conversion) and presentational knowledge of the participatory paradigm. The fourth knowledge formalisation and dissemination phase of the project occurred during July 2010 to December 2011. This phase is analysed by means of level four of the theory of organisational knowledge creation (explicit to explicit knowledge conversion) and propositional knowledge of the participatory paradigm. Consequently, I argued that each phase of the project correlates with the corresponding levels of the theory of organisational knowledge creation, knowledge conversion mechanisms and the knowledge modalities of the participatory paradigms. The four phases of the project and the four levels share common knowledge conversion and creation processes and goals that are attributed to the common conceptualisation of knowledge. Distinct correlations between the knowledge creation goals of the knowledge conversion levels and phases were identified. Therefore, the mechanisms used to achieve knowledge conversion and creation were applicable to the assigned management phases of the project. It was further argued that it is possible to adapt the current management approach to the more structured theory of organisational knowledge creation without negating either the tacit or explicit knowledge modalities. Consequently it is concluded that the theory of organisational knowledge creation, which is a management model normally used in the commercial business context, could be utilised to manage multi-practitioner arts related practice-led research projects more effectively in the academic context. / PhD (History of Art), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This research investigates the theory of organisational knowledge creation as a viable model in the management of multi-practitioner arts-related practice-led research projects conducted at the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus. In this regard Transgressions and Boundaries of the Page (2009-2012) (an interdisciplinary exploration of a practice-led research project by means of the artist’s book) is analysed according to the said theory in order to ascertain the compatibility of this theory and the projects outlined. It should be noted that the particular project is not discussed as an example of the application of the theory of organisational knowledge creation. Rather, the purpose of this research is to identify the appearance of salient aspects of the given theory in order to ascertain whether this could be an appropriate management model for future projects of this nature. Accordingly, the goal is to identify such a model that will facilitate and promote creative practice and accredited research within the History of Art, Graphic Design, and Creative Writing disciplines at the North-West Universities Potchefstroom campus. The proposed coupling of the theory of organisational knowledge creation and multi-practitioner arts-related projects by way of practice-led research is underpinned by the fact that both can be situated within the participatory paradigm due to a common conceptualisation of knowledge. This paradigm offers an extended epistemology consisting of practical, experiential, presentational, and propositional knowledge. This paradigm effectively integrates both the tacit and explicit knowledge modalities, which are fundamental to practice-led research and the theory of organisational knowledge creation. A further commonality is the fact that knowledge is considered as an interdisciplinary, subjective and socially constructed phenomenon. In the context of this research, practice-led research involves the self-reflective process, which involves the making, reading and interpretation of creative outputs in the academic milieu. This requires the utilisation of reflective practice to communicate both the tacit and explicit knowledge dimensions. Additionally the participatory paradigm, practice-led research and the theory of organisational knowledge creation advocate a knowledge process that moves through a tacit–explicit knowledge cycle. This knowledge creation cycle in the participatory paradigm and the theory of organisational knowledge creation occur in four levels. In consequence, the Transgressions and Boundaries of the Page project has been managed in four phases. It is against this background that the four knowledge conversion levels of this theory are linked with the extended epistemology of the participatory paradigm to analyse the four phases of the Transgressions and Boundaries of the Page project. The first phase of the Transgressions and Boundaries of the Page project entailed the conceptualisation, planning, and preparation during August 2008 to March 2009. This phase is analysed by means of level one of the theory of organisational knowledge creation (explicit to tacit knowledge conversion) and practical knowledge of the participatory paradigm. The second phase of the project, namely knowledge creation, took place from March 2009 to January 2010. The analysis of this phase is accomplished by means of level two of the theory of organisational knowledge creation (tacit to tacit knowledge conversion) and experiential knowledge of the participatory paradigm. The third phase of the project, namely knowledge presentation and communication, from February 2010 to July 2010 corresponds with, and is analysed by, level three of the theory of organisational knowledge creation (tacit to explicit knowledge conversion) and presentational knowledge of the participatory paradigm. The fourth knowledge formalisation and dissemination phase of the project occurred during July 2010 to December 2011. This phase is analysed by means of level four of the theory of organisational knowledge creation (explicit to explicit knowledge conversion) and propositional knowledge of the participatory paradigm. Consequently, I argued that each phase of the project correlates with the corresponding levels of the theory of organisational knowledge creation, knowledge conversion mechanisms and the knowledge modalities of the participatory paradigms. The four phases of the project and the four levels share common knowledge conversion and creation processes and goals that are attributed to the common conceptualisation of knowledge. Distinct correlations between the knowledge creation goals of the knowledge conversion levels and phases were identified. Therefore, the mechanisms used to achieve knowledge conversion and creation were applicable to the assigned management phases of the project. It was further argued that it is possible to adapt the current management approach to the more structured theory of organisational knowledge creation without negating either the tacit or explicit knowledge modalities. Consequently it is concluded that the theory of organisational knowledge creation, which is a management model normally used in the commercial business context, could be utilised to manage multi-practitioner arts related practice-led research projects more effectively in the academic context. / PhD (History of Art), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Cette thèse porte sur les pratiques évaluatives en contexte d’enseignement universitaire. Alors qu’à une certaine époque les études universitaires étaient réservées à l’élite de la population, elles sont dorénavant accessibles à une plus grande proportion de celle-ci. Les pratiques pédagogiques traditionnelles se limitaient souvent à la transmission des savoirs de manière magistrale et à des examens oraux ou écrits. Elles sont maintenant appelées à changer étant donné le contexte mouvant dans les établissements universitaires. En effet, la mission des établissements d’enseignement évolue pour former davantage des personnes « apprenantes pour la vie », des approches par compétences sont de plus en plus adoptées, notamment dans les programmes visant la professionnalisation des personnes apprenantes, l’omniprésence du numérique dans la vie quotidienne comme dans les classes modifie le rapport aux savoirs, et une population étudiante de plus en plus diversifiée fréquente l’université. Pour s’actualiser au regard de ce contexte mouvant, l’évaluation des apprentissages est amenée à se transformer pour soutenir davantage l’apprentissage et le développement des compétences de toutes les personnes étudiantes. En effet, une évaluation intégrée à l’apprentissage optimise le temps passé en classe en permettant aux personnes étudiantes de poursuivre leurs apprentissages tout en étant évaluées. De plus, elle favoriserait un engagement accru des personnes étudiantes, et ce, indépendamment de leurs caractéristiques personnelles soutenant ainsi la réussite d’un plus grand nombre. À cet égard, une évaluation à la fois inclusive et en soutien à l’apprentissage semble placer les personnes apprenantes au centre de la démarche dans laquelle leur formation est priorisée et valorisée. Or, de tels changements au niveau des pratiques enseignantes et évaluatives requièrent de s’intéresser aux façons de soutenir le personnel enseignant universitaire lequel n’a généralement pas ou peu de formation en pédagogie et encore moins en évaluation. Alors que de nombreux dispositifs de formation ou d’accompagnement formel sont mobilisés dans les établissements, plusieurs affirment que le développement professionnel réalisé de manière informelle est tout aussi efficace, voire davantage. Ainsi, l’objectif général de cette thèse est de documenter le développement et la mise en œuvre de pratiques évaluatives inclusives et en soutien à l’apprentissage par des personnes enseignant à l’université, ainsi que la perception qu’en ont les personnes étudiantes. Pour ce faire, les concepts entourant les pratiques évaluatives ainsi que les façons de les mettre en œuvre, d’une approche traditionnelle à une approche inclusive, sont exposés. De plus, le concept de développement professionnel est défini et le modèle de Clarke et Hollingsworth (2002) est mobilisé pour soutenir la compréhension du processus engagé par les personnes enseignantes. La mobilisation de ces concepts nous permettra d’atteindre les trois objectifs spécifiques suivants : O1 – Décrire les pratiques évaluatives déclarées et effectives de personnes enseignant à l’université en lien avec les caractéristiques de l’évaluation-soutien d’apprentissage et de l’évaluation inclusive ; O2 – Rendre compte de la perception des personnes étudiantes des caractéristiques de l’évaluation inclusive et en soutien à l’apprentissage présentes dans les modalités d’évaluation employées lors de leur cours universitaire ; O3 – Déterminer l’apport de la participation des personnes enseignantes au projet de recherche dans leur développement professionnel relatif aux pratiques évaluatives inclusives et en soutien à l’apprentissage. En adoptant une approche qualitative ancrée dans un paradigme participatif, cette recherche offre un regard approfondi et complexe des démarches évaluatives menées dans quatre cours de facultés différentes à l’Université de Montréal. Il en ressort notamment des exemples concrets de mises en œuvre de pratiques inclusives et en soutien à l’apprentissage ce qui avait peu été fait dans la littérature à ce jour. Ainsi, des façons de faire liées à l’intégration de l’évaluation dans l'apprentissage, notamment en adoptant une approche par projet, en constituant différemment les équipes de travail, en favorisant l’autorégulation ou la régulation par les pairs, et en assurant la transparence des tâches évaluatives et des critères d’évaluation sont observées. De plus, des entretiens semi-dirigés et des entretiens de groupe ont permis de comprendre les perceptions de personnes étudiantes (n = 17) sur ces pratiques, lesquelles sont généralement positives. Toutefois, un manque de clarté quant aux façons de réaliser ces mises en œuvre suscite des perceptions nuancées ou mitigées chez les personnes étudiantes, qui remettent également en question la cohérence de certaines pratiques avec les objectifs de la formation. Ainsi, les pratiques évaluatives inclusives et en soutien à l’apprentissage pour lesquelles des perceptions nuancées ou mitigées émergent évoquent davantage le besoin de développer une meilleure compréhension de l’évaluation chez la population étudiante et des compétences du corps enseignant dans le développement de modalités d’évaluations inclusives et en soutien à l’apprentissage que de freiner leur mise en œuvre. Finalement, l’observation de personnes enseignantes (n = 8) et l’interaction avec celles-ci, de la préparation du cours à la remise des notes, sur tout un trimestre a permis de mettre en évidence l’apport des échanges informels transversaux au projet de recherche relativement à leur développement professionnel. Plus précisément, quatre parcours de développement professionnel vécu à travers la participation au projet de recherche ont été dégagés, une version actualisée du modèle interconnecté de Clarke et Hollingsworth (2002) a été proposé prenant en considération les intentions des personnes participantes et leurs besoins de soutien pour mieux comprendre les effets de leurs pratiques, et l’observation directe en classe a été identifiée comme un outil pouvant soutenir une actualisation rapide des pratiques. De surcroit, le fait d’observer le développement professionnel à partir d’échanges informels au cours d’un projet de recherche plutôt qu’à partir d’un dispositif formel de formation apporte un regard inédit sur celui-ci. En conclusion, les données collectées lors de la réalisation de cette thèse campent les pratiques évaluatives inclusives et en soutien à l’apprentissage dans une perspective interactionniste qu’il serait pertinent d’approfondir. En effet, la négociation de l’évaluation, qui passe par la prise en compte des caractéristiques des personnes étudiantes, par la valorisation des interactions entre l’équipe enseignante et les personnes étudiantes, ainsi que par les rétroactions et les communications visant à rendre la démarche évaluative plus transparente, permet d’avancer vers une compréhension commune des attentes tout en plaçant les personnes évaluées dans des conditions d’évaluation les plus optimales possibles. Ces pratiques évaluatives s’inscrivent dans une approche de l’évaluation humaniste et s’insèrent finalement au cœur d’une relation humaine dont il faut prendre soin, ce qui représente une perspective encore non explorée de l’évaluation à l’enseignement universitaire. / This thesis explores assessment practices in the context of university education. While access to university has traditionally been reserved for a certain elite of the population, it is now accessible to a larger part of the population. Traditional practices, in which knowledge was imparted in a lecture-style format and verified by oral or written exams, are bound to change, given the evolving context in which university institutions operate. In fact, the mission of institutions is evolving to form more "lifelong learners", competency-based approaches are increasingly being adopted, particularly in programs aimed at the professionalization of learners, the omnipresence of technology in everyday life as well as in the classroom is changing the relationship to knowledge, and an expanding and diverse student population is attending university. To keep abreast of this changing context, learning assessment needs to evolve to better support the learning and competencies development of all students. In fact, assessment integrated to learning optimizes the time spent in class, enabling students to continue learning while being assessed. It also encourages greater student engagement, regardless of personal characteristics, thereby supporting the success of a greater number of students. In this light, the emergence of so-called "humanistic" assessment, which is both inclusive and supportive of learning, seems to place learners at the center of the process, in which their progress is prioritized and valued. However, such changes in teaching and assessment practices require attention to ways of supporting university teaching staff, who generally have little or no training in pedagogy and even less in assessment. While there are many formal training and support mechanisms in place in institutions, many argue that informal professional development is just as effective, if not more so. Therefore, the overall aim of this thesis is to document the development and implementation of more humanistic assessment practices by university lecturers, as well as their perception by students. To this end, the concepts surrounding assessment practices and the ways in which they are implemented, from a traditional to a humanistic approach, are outlined. Professional development is also defined, and Clarke and Hollingsworth’s (2002) model is mobilized to support understanding of the processes engaged by teachers. The mobilization of these concepts will enable us to achieve the following three specific objectives: O1 - Identify the humanistic characteristics of the declared and effective assessment practices of university teachers; O2 - Report on students’ perceptions of the humanistic criteria of the assessment methods used in their university courses; O3 - Distinguish the contribution of teachers' participation in the research project to their professional development in relation to humanistic assessment practices. Adopting a qualitative approach grounded in a participatory paradigm, this research offers an intimate and complex look at assessment practices in four different faculty courses at the Université de Montréal. Concrete examples of the implementation of humanistic practices emerge, which have been little documented in the literature so far, such as ways of integrating assessment into learning, notably by adopting a project-based approach, different ways of forming work teams, ways of encouraging self-regulation or peer regulation, and multiple ways of ensuring the transparency of assessment tasks and criteria. In addition, semi-structured interviews and group interviews were used to understand 17 students’ perceptions of these practices, which were generally positive. However, a lack of consistency or clarity in the practices experienced led to nuanced or mixed perceptions among the students, who also questioned the alignment of certain practices with the program’s objectives. Thus, the humanistic practices for which nuanced or shared perceptions emerge more evoke the need to develop a better understanding of assessment among the student population and the skills of teaching staff in the development of humanistic assessment modalities than to slow down the implementation of these practices. Finally, this research, which enabled us to observe and interact with 8 teachers over the course of a whole term, from lesson preparation to grading, highlighted the contribution of informal exchanges across the research project to their professional development. In this way, the project was able to identify four paths of professional development experienced through participation in the research project, to propose an updated version of Clarke and Hollingsworth’s (2002) interconnected model, taking into account the intentions of the participants and their needs for support to better understand the effects of their practices, and to highlight the fact that direct observation in the classroom can lead to rapid updating of practices. Moreover, observing professional development from informal exchanges during a research project, rather than from a formal training device, provides a new perspective on it. In conclusion, this thesis places humanist assessment practices in an interactionist perspective that could be explored in further study. Indeed, the negotiation of assessment, which involves acknowledging the characteristics of individual students, valuing the interactions between the teaching team and the students, and providing feedback and communication to make the assessment process more transparent, enables progress to be made towards a shared understanding of expectations, while placing those being assessed in the best possible assessment conditions for them. In the final analysis, these more humanist assessment practices are central to a human relationship that needs to be cultivated, which represents an unexplored aspect of assessment in university teaching.

Working with an organization outside the public school system that was creating schoolyard gardens, I began to think about culture and cultivation inside and outside of schooling practices. The liveliness of the schoolyard gardens presented possibilities for enlivening educational discourses. With two participants I planted a container box schoolyard garden outside Lamoureux Hall, which houses the Faculty of Education. Utilizing aspects of place-based pedagogy, ecoliteracy, ecopedagogy and a metissage of a/r/tography, eco-art and writing as a method of inquiry, we tended the garden and dwelled upon ideas of nature, culture, and their intersection in a particular place. Our garden experiences left cyber footprints in virtual space as blog spots on a thesis blog site. The garden and the inquiry it generated outside,is brought back inside the education building as a Master's thesis. The garden grew in different and unpredictable ways due to intense construction on site, entwining the planter boxes with unseen variables.

Working with an organization outside the public school system that was creating schoolyard gardens, I began to think about culture and cultivation inside and outside of schooling practices. The liveliness of the schoolyard gardens presented possibilities for enlivening educational discourses. With two participants I planted a container box schoolyard garden outside Lamoureux Hall, which houses the Faculty of Education. Utilizing aspects of place-based pedagogy, ecoliteracy, ecopedagogy and a metissage of a/r/tography, eco-art and writing as a method of inquiry, we tended the garden and dwelled upon ideas of nature, culture, and their intersection in a particular place. Our garden experiences left cyber footprints in virtual space as blog spots on a thesis blog site. The garden and the inquiry it generated outside,is brought back inside the education building as a Master's thesis. The garden grew in different and unpredictable ways due to intense construction on site, entwining the planter boxes with unseen variables.

Working with an organization outside the public school system that was creating schoolyard gardens, I began to think about culture and cultivation inside and outside of schooling practices. The liveliness of the schoolyard gardens presented possibilities for enlivening educational discourses. With two participants I planted a container box schoolyard garden outside Lamoureux Hall, which houses the Faculty of Education. Utilizing aspects of place-based pedagogy, ecoliteracy, ecopedagogy and a metissage of a/r/tography, eco-art and writing as a method of inquiry, we tended the garden and dwelled upon ideas of nature, culture, and their intersection in a particular place. Our garden experiences left cyber footprints in virtual space as blog spots on a thesis blog site. The garden and the inquiry it generated outside,is brought back inside the education building as a Master's thesis. The garden grew in different and unpredictable ways due to intense construction on site, entwining the planter boxes with unseen variables.

Working with an organization outside the public school system that was creating schoolyard gardens, I began to think about culture and cultivation inside and outside of schooling practices. The liveliness of the schoolyard gardens presented possibilities for enlivening educational discourses. With two participants I planted a container box schoolyard garden outside Lamoureux Hall, which houses the Faculty of Education. Utilizing aspects of place-based pedagogy, ecoliteracy, ecopedagogy and a metissage of a/r/tography, eco-art and writing as a method of inquiry, we tended the garden and dwelled upon ideas of nature, culture, and their intersection in a particular place. Our garden experiences left cyber footprints in virtual space as blog spots on a thesis blog site. The garden and the inquiry it generated outside,is brought back inside the education building as a Master's thesis. The garden grew in different and unpredictable ways due to intense construction on site, entwining the planter boxes with unseen variables.

Basic element of competitive Dance Sport is the dance couple. For being succesful, it's needed to master the combination of specific dance skills, sport skills, stress resilience and skills connected to dance partnership, mainly communication skills and conflict resolution skills. Since the scientific research of conflict resolution among competitive couples is very scarce, aim of our explorative qualitative research is to understand how Latin Dance Sport couples experience conflicts and their subjective meaning of partnership in competitive dance. Experiences of dancers of various dance classes and their trainers were gathered using questionnaire (= 43) and half-structured interviews (= 13). Based on themati analysis, relevant themes were identified and described, and explanatory model further based on activity theory, game theory and theory of interdependence was proposed. Model suggests that contradiction of two different motives (competitive success vs. partner relationship) in the activity systems of competitive dance predisposes possible complex relationships between (implicit and/or explicit) aims of dancers, their type of partnership, possible expressed conflicts and their preferred styles of conflict resolution (based on the unique context of every dance couple). Relevant identified themes...