I den här studien undersöktes användandet av webbkonferenssystem i nätbaserad undervisning på universitet. Det gjordes med hjälp av en litteraturstudie, en enkätundersökning med studenter, två intervjuer med lärare och några tester av programvara relaterat till webbkonferenssystem. Studien visade att det är många aspekter att ta hänsyn till för att tekniken ska kunna gynna bättre studieresultat. Det handlar dels om att skapa en god social miljö där deltagarna trivs och känner gemenskap. Det handlar även om att tekniska hinder ska överkommas för att det ska gå att kommunicera på ett enkelt sätt på distans. I studien gjordes testinstallationer av två webbkonferenssystem. Ett enklare test av ljudfördröjning gjordes på två datorer samt ett test för att se ifall ljud eller bild prioriterades högre av webbkonferenssystemen. / This study examined the use of web conferencing systems for education purposes in universities. It was done through a literature study, a survey with students, two interviews with university teachers and a few software tests related to web conferencing systems. Before the technology can be used to improve study results there are many aspects  to be considered. It's important to provide a good social environment for the students. It's also important to find technological solutions to enable communication in a way that is suitable for distance learning. Two web conferencing systems were tested in this study. One simple test was made to measure the sound delay on the two systems and another test was made to see if sound or video was prioritized differently.

SAMMANFATTNING Det senaste årtiondet har antalet utbildningsplatser på kandidatprogrammet i omvårdnadsvetenskap successivt ökat på landets högskolor och samtidigt har sjukhusen haft svår att tillsätta vakanta sjukskötersketjänsterna. Studentsalar har implementerats på utvalda vårdavdelningar med både pedagogiska avsikter och med avsikt att skapa platser för de sjuksköterskestuderande vid deras verksamhetsförlagda utbildning. Det var därför intressant att studera hur sjuksköterskor upplevde det fortfarande nya sättet att handleda på. Syftet var att beskriva sjuksköterskor upplevelser av att handleda sjuksköterskestudenter i studentsal på en akutvårdsavdelning. Som metod användes en kvalitativ induktiv intervjustudie. Ansats och design valdes utifrån studiens uppställda syfte. Studiens deltagare rekryterades från två olika kliniker på ett akutsjukhus i Mellansverige. Ett meningsfullt urval tillämpades. Datainsamlingen genomfördes via individuella intervjuer med sju legitimerade sjuksköterskor. All insamlad data transkriberades och meningsbärande enheter bröts ut ur texten för att vidare kondenseras, kodas och kategoriseras. Analysen genomfördes med en manifest innehållsanalys där fyra kategorier och tio subkategorier formulerades under analysprocessen. Resultatet visade att deltagarna hade både positiva och negativa upplevelser av att handleda på studentsal. De stora vinsterna som de handledande sjuksköterskorna poängterade var att handledningen efter införandet av studentsalar upplevdes mer professionell och att handledningsformen skapade en bättre struktur för både handledare och studenter. De negativa aspekterna som framkom handlade ofta om resursbrister i form av t.ex. bemanning och svårigheter att handleda flera studenter samtidigt. Det fanns en ambivalens hos deltagarna gällande handledningsmodellen som i sin tur inte alltid upplevdes som helt klar och tydlig enligt sjuksköterskorna. Handledning i studentsal kan vara en mycket fördelaktig form av handledning förutsatt att alla resurser som krävs för ett lyckat resultat tillhandahålls från verksamheten. Det förefaller vara av stor vikt att behovet av information, tid och resurser tillgodoses redan vid implementering av studentsal som handledningsmodell på en akutvårdsavdelning. / ABSTRACT During the last decade the number of training posts in the bachelor program in nurse education in Sweden has increased. At the same time the Swedish hospitals have had problems filling vacant posts among nursing staff. Student wards have been implemented at several wards on hospitals all around the country with both pedagogical intent and with the intent to create space for the nursing students in their clinical training. Therefore it was interesting to explore how the nurses experienced this new way of providing preceptorship for nursing students during clinical education. The aim was to describe nurses´ experiences of providing preceptorship on a student ward in an emergency care setting. A descriptive design and a qualitative approach was used. The participants were recruited from two clinics at an emergency hospital in a county situated in the middle of Sweden by a purposive sampling method. The data was collected through individual semi-structured interviews conducted with seven registered nurses. All data were transcribed and further analyzed using manifest qualitative content analysis. Four categories and ten sub-categories were identified during the process of analysis. The findings showed that the participants had both positive and negative experiences related to preceptorship in a student ward. The greatest gain of precepting nursing students in a student ward was that the supervision became more structured and felt more professional. Negative aspects that emerged were often referred to as lack of resources such as to few nurses on duty and the struggle of supervising more than one nursing student at the same time. There seemed to be ambivalence among the participants referring to the concept of peer-learning not being entirely explicit, according to the nurses preceptors. Preceptorship on a student ward might be a most beneficial model of supervision provided that all resources needed for a positive outcome are supplied by the hospital management. It seems to be of greate importance that all requirements such as information, time and resources are available for use at the early beginning of implementation.

De låga resultaten i matematik som visats både i PISA och TIMSS har skapat intresse för att bryta denna trend. En av de fortbildningsinsatserna som Skolverket tagit fram med universitet och högskolor är Matematiklyftet och avsikten med matematiklyftet är att höja de låga resultaten och detta med lärarnas lärande i fokus. Syftet med denna uppsats är att synliggöra vilket stöd som erbjuds lärarna för kollegialt lärande i Matematiklyftets didaktiska stödmaterial inom modulen problemlösning. Syftet är också förstå hur lärarna upplever stödet för det kollegiala lärandet som de får via det didaktiska stödmaterialet. Målet är att når en fördjupad kunskap om matematiklyftets potential i att stödja lärarna att förbättra matematikundervisningen. Resultat visar att matematiklyftets didaktiska stödmaterial ger lärarna stöd att jobba kollegialt men att det i vissa avseende ger lärarna ett lägre stöd utifrån vad de behöver veta om eleverna för att kunna jobba kollegialt. Detta kan tolkas som att matematiklyftet är en kompetensutveckling som fungerar bra under den period som det pågår som projekt på skolan.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, International Relations, 2013 / The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) was established on 9 March 2003 by the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) as an innovative instrument to improve governance in Africa. The APRM is a voluntary mechanism which enables African leaders to periodically monitor and review each other’s governance performance thus promoting peer-dialogue and peer-learning. The rationale behind the establishment of the APRM is the realization that socio-economic development and good governance are inextricably linked. Furthermore, for NEPAD to achieve its goal of placing African countries on a path of sustainable growth and development, it is imperative to ensure that an environment of good political and economic governance is created. In 2013, the APRM will mark ten years since its inception. This significant milestone provides scholars interested in governance and development issues on the continent with an opportunity to assess the gains (successes) which have been registered and the weaknesses regarding the implementation of this innovative African initiative. It is against this backdrop that this study undertakes to perform a retrospective analysis of the APRM since its inception in 2003. The study identifies as assesses the achievements and challenges of the APRM over the decade (2003-2013) as well as provides recommendations aimed at overcoming the challenges, strengthening the Mechanism as well as positioning it to effectively and efficiently carry out its mandate. The study establishes that there exists a positive correlation between good governance and development. The study further illustrates that the APRM has achieved much in its relatively short time of existence. Lessons have been learnt. However, as is the case with any new initiative, the Mechanism has experienced some teething problems (challenges) that ought to be addressed if the APRM is to effectively deliver on its mandate and improve the quality of governance across African countries. In essence, the APRM have proven itself to be a tool that holds immense potential for improving governance on the African continent.

ABSTRACT This study endeavors to elucidate how students are using the social media tool, Piazza, in their study of biology and which aspects do they find most valuable. Student perceptions of factors contributing to a community of practice through the use of Piazza were also explored. Students used Piazza primarily to communicate online with their classmates on both conceptual and administrative issues. Student use of Piazza varied according to the needs of the student with the majority of students accessing the site at least once a week. Students highly valued the ability to read posts left by other students to clarify questions. They especially appreciated the 24/7 online access of the site. Another dimension of accessibility that the students cited was that they often found explanations provided by peers easier to understand and therefore more accessible than from content experts. Students tended to post questions anonymously, however reported a strong sense of community although not a true sense of collaboration. Students took from the interactions what they individually needed even if it was a different way of looking at content, or finding out how a lab report needed to be formatted while still maintaining a sense of "being in this together". Social media allows for interactivity and content creation although most students in this study participated primarily as observers. Recommendations and suggestions for further study were provided.

In an effort to address declining university retention rates and to reach students who may not make it to the library for research help, the Sherrod Library at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is in the process developing a peer-mentoring program. This program is one way the library can help the institution in its efforts raise student retention rates and improve student success. Peer learning programs have proven successful in tutoring centers and elsewhere in the university for decades, and research has shown that trained undergraduates are ideal candidates for delivering general reference and information literacy instruction to their peers (Bodemer, 2014). It is the library’s hope that seeding the campus with library ambassadors will help raise the profile of the library and information literacy on campus and at our satellite campuses as well. ETSU’s Library Ambassador Program entails hiring undergraduates each fall and offering them two semesters of information literacy training with a specific focus on learning the databases within their respective fields. Once training is complete, ambassadors are deployed in the academic buildings of their majors to help students with research and to connect students requiring in-depth help to librarians. As word of the program continues to spread, requests for ambassadors at satellite campuses and at additional main-campus computer labs has grown, and in the Fall of 2018, the library plans to hire 20 additional ambassadors to meet these needs. It is the library’s goal for the Library Ambassador Program to continue to grow each fall until ambassadors are stationed in each computer lab, residence hall, and academic building on and off campus.

In an effort to address declining university retention rates and to reach students who may not make it to the library for research help, the Sherrod Library at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is in the process developing a peer-mentoring program. This program is one way the library can help the institution in its efforts raise student retention rates and improve student success. Peer learning programs have proven successful in tutoring centers and elsewhere in the university for decades, and research has shown that trained undergraduates are ideal candidates for delivering general reference and information literacy instruction to their peers (Bodemer, 2014). It is the library’s hope that seeding the campus with library ambassadors will help raise the profile of the library and information literacy on campus and at our satellite campuses as well. ETSU’s Library Ambassador Program entails hiring undergraduates each fall and offering them two semesters of information literacy training with a specific focus on learning the databases within their respective fields. Once training is complete, ambassadors are deployed in the academic buildings of their majors to help students with research and to connect students requiring in-depth help to librarians. As word of the program continues to spread, requests for ambassadors at satellite campuses and at additional main-campus computer labs has grown, and in the Fall of 2018, the library plans to hire 20 additional ambassadors to meet these needs. It is the library’s goal for the Library Ambassador Program to continue to grow each fall until ambassadors are stationed in each computer lab, residence hall, and academic building on and off campus.

This study, using a quasi-experimental research design, investigates connections between pedagogy and social psychology by applying social psychological theories of group work and interaction to collaborative learning, a current trend in pedagogical techniques. It was hypothesized that by creating a setting in which students would be evaluated based in part on the performance of their peers would improve their individual performance. The incentive (a percentage of their grade) would hypothetically motivate students to teach their peers effectively; thus they would be taking a vested-interest role in becoming a co-teacher to their partner. This study was implemented by examining two sections of Introduction to Sociology which were taught concurrently and in exactly the same manner, with the only difference between the classes being the vested-interest feature present in the experimental class and absent from the control class. While this technique was determined not to have any statistical significance on the students' final grades, it did indicate that other factors involved in group work and collaborative learning might influence student outcomes or perceived student outcomes. Students in the experimental course exhibited more signs of anxiety about their grades, expressed more concern about their partners' abilities, and gave the instructor significantly lower ratings than the control class. However, students in the experimental class also came to class more often. These findings may indicate that placing a grade on group work, while effective in encouraging attendance, does not significantly alter the output of the group. Instead, this increased pressure about partners' performance may diminish the effectiveness of the group as students tend to see that the performance of their partners as outside of their own control.

Although school leaders receive coursework and some practicum experience, there are gaps in their preparation that can only be filled on the job. Because the decisions made by new educational leaders are of great consequence to themselves and their school communities, an important goal should be the sharing of knowledge and support amongst a community of peers. This work reviews the challenges facing new administrators, critically reviews the training of educational administrators in Ontario, and recommends an in-service community method to supplement the support received by new administrators in their first several years. This document begins with an examination of relevant research literature in leadership development, online communities, the nature of expertise, and technology-enhanced learning with technology. One outcome of this review is a set of “knowledge dimensions” that are important to the development of leadership expertise. The dissertation then examines a three year journey of an online community of educational administrators who share in their journey toward expertise. The e-mails from the community were analyzed according to their function within the community and their relevant domain content. Of particular interest was the question of how such e-mail exchanges allowed members to develop in all five dimensions of school leadership knowledge. A coding of e-mail threads revealed that all dimensions of leadership knowledge were represented in the content, and that the quality of e-mails improved in both content as well as knowledge building practices over the three years. The growth of the community as a whole and of individual members is examined through a set of individual case studies. Finally, the dissertation closes with a discussion of the future of this community, as well as the prospects that such an approach could be applied more widely in support of new school leaders.

Although school leaders receive coursework and some practicum experience, there are gaps in their preparation that can only be filled on the job. Because the decisions made by new educational leaders are of great consequence to themselves and their school communities, an important goal should be the sharing of knowledge and support amongst a community of peers. This work reviews the challenges facing new administrators, critically reviews the training of educational administrators in Ontario, and recommends an in-service community method to supplement the support received by new administrators in their first several years. This document begins with an examination of relevant research literature in leadership development, online communities, the nature of expertise, and technology-enhanced learning with technology. One outcome of this review is a set of “knowledge dimensions” that are important to the development of leadership expertise. The dissertation then examines a three year journey of an online community of educational administrators who share in their journey toward expertise. The e-mails from the community were analyzed according to their function within the community and their relevant domain content. Of particular interest was the question of how such e-mail exchanges allowed members to develop in all five dimensions of school leadership knowledge. A coding of e-mail threads revealed that all dimensions of leadership knowledge were represented in the content, and that the quality of e-mails improved in both content as well as knowledge building practices over the three years. The growth of the community as a whole and of individual members is examined through a set of individual case studies. Finally, the dissertation closes with a discussion of the future of this community, as well as the prospects that such an approach could be applied more widely in support of new school leaders.