Information and communication technology (ICT) has dominated our lives and the way we learn in such a way that, without it, our way of life becomes obsolete. This study explored challenges experienced by tutors in facilitating teaching and learning through the use of videoconference (VC) technology in an open and distance learning (ODL) environment. These challenges are exacerbated by the fact that most tutors, although highly qualified, do not have teaching methodologies with their qualifications at the time of their employment as tutors. It is believed that if these challenges could be given attention, VC technology would serve as an effective facilitation tool for bridging the distance in teaching and learning. Based on qualitative research approach, this study followed a qualitative phenomenological research design. Qualitative data was collected from individual semi-structured interviews with specific VC tutors; tutorial observations based on tutorials offered in the VC environment; and focus group interviews with students who attended tutorials through VC technology. Informed by the Community of inquiry (CoI) theory, the study answered the following main research question: “What are the experiences of tutors in applying instructional methodologies during VC tutorials?” The findings indicate lack of skills and reluctance in applying various active facilitation methods by VC tutors, insufficient technology training intervention by the ODL institution under study, technical challenges of VC technology in teaching and learning, and lack of monitoring systems during VC discussions. The findings further featured various factors that contribute to tutors’ ability in promoting interactivity during VC tutorials. In conclusion, this study clearly indicates that instructional methodologies used in VC tutorials cannot contribute to a meaningful teaching and learning, and thus make interactivity absent throughout VC sessions. Based on these findings, and suggestions for further research, the study therefore recommends acceleration in tutor training on exploitation and integration of VC technology with various suitable teaching methodologies. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

Student assessment and feedback is not new to open and distance learning (ODL) but there is a paucity of empirical evidence as to its effectiveness in improving the performance of students and institutions. The objective of this study was to identify key aspects required to optimise feedback in ODL. In various studies, feedback has been heralded for its key role in the improvement of student learning. However, there are on-going expressions of uncertainty about whether assessment feedback is indeed delivering this potential, particularly in ODL mode. Against this backdrop of uncertainty and circumspection, this study offers a critical reflection on assessment feedback with particular focus on ODL. This case study was undertaken using semi-structured interviews with the students, which were conducted to explore and extrapolate their experiences and views on feedback. Focus group interviews with tutors were also conducted to provide an in-depth understanding of participants’ experiences and perceptions. Document analysis was used to make informed recommendations. The study recommends that creating an effective assessment programme, developing criteria, guides, exemplars and models; discussing and refining them and communicating them to students and their staff — will have a positive impact on the workload for staff with coordinating responsibilities. It is recommended that a student charter be devised to lay out student expectations alongside the expectations of an ODL institution. Such a student charter will ensure that both tutors and students know what is expected of them during the feedback giving and receiving process. My findings offer a deeper understanding of the assessment of code disciplines which require a specialist gaze for the judgement of student work, and the pressures experienced in this type of assessment in an ODL context. It is envisaged that the research findings will assist ODL practitioners with decisions related to assessment and feedback. There are clear implications for staff in ODL institutions to encourage changes in feedback culture. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum and Instructional Studies)

This study explores the training of Psychology tutors at the University of South Africa's (UNISA) learning centres with a view to providing a paradigm shift in tutor training and contributing towards new ways of thinking about education and training in South Africa. It furthermore opens up alternative ways of thinking about the process of facilitation in general. Although the study focuses on tutor training within the discipline of Psychology, the outcomes of the study are applicable to tutor training and tutoring in general, and make a valuable contribution in identifying the basic principles underlying tutor training in other disciplines as well. An ecosystemic approach encourages the trainer-trainee system to become aware of how they affect each other's thinking and behaviour. The basic principles underlying the process of facilitation that emerge in the study, therefore apply equally to the training of tutors and the tutoring of learners by others. These principles provide guidelines in terms of the processes involved in tutor development, as well as inform the issues and themes around which the sharing of ideas can be choreographed in the field of tutor training and tutoring. In conclusion, the information generated in the study focuses specifically on student support in the form of face-to-face tutorials in the distance education setting, the form of tertiary education which is most accessible to many historically disadvantaged learners in South Africa today. More generally, it will make a valuable contribution in the current educational context in South Africa, where student support is of the utmost importance in striving for equality in education, and where the focus is on outcomes-based education. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Abstracts in English, Zulu and Sotho / The provision of education through an open and distance learning (ODL) mode calls for institutions of higher learning to provide support services that can respond to students’ needs and expectations, and impact positively on their learning experiences. Tutorial support is one of the pillars of student support services which contribute to the academic success of students in this academic context. The use of technology has led institutions of higher learning to change the way support is provided to students by integrating online learning to reach students who cannot attend traditional face-to-face (F2F) tutorials at a specified time and venue. The University of South Africa (Unisa) responds to these global changes by integrating F2F and online services to support its students through the integrated tutor model (ITM) which seeks to address the learning needs and expectations of students. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of this ITM. The study was guided by a social constructivist theory of learning supported by connectivism, empathy theory and Salmon’s five stage model of e-learning. The fundamental theory of social constructivism is based on the assumption that learning is constructed in a social setting before individuals engage with knowledge. The experiences of individuals play a big role in the construction of knowledge hence it is crucial to acknowledge their prior knowledge. Students who are supported through the ITM in the six Unisa regional service centres and the Unisa staff involved in the implementation of the ITM participated in the study. A purposive sampling technique was used to select these participants. A random sampling technique was also used to sample students to complete a questionnaire. Qualitative data were collected through individual and focus group interviews and documents analysis. The findings of this study reveal that the ITM is not quite ffective as it partly meets the students’ needs and does not meet students’ expectations. This is because Unisa offers students’ needs such as F2F and online tutor support for some modules. However, students’ expectations in terms of receiving teaching by tutors, provision of assignment aswers to students, fully fledged resource provision in the learning centres and receiving technical support from tutors are not met. In light of the findings, the study contributes to the ITM by identifying and filling its gaps using the Context, Input, Process and Product (CIPP) model of evaluation. The improvements will assist Unisa to relook at the ITM to intensify its support for students to fully meet their needs and expectations. / Uhlelo lokuhlinzeka ngemfundo olusebenzisa uhlelo oluvulekile nohlelo lokufunda ukude (ODL) linxusa amaziko emfundo aphakeme ukuthi anikeze anikeze izinsiza ezixhasayo ezingabhekana nezidingo nezinhloso ezilindelwe kubafundi kanti futhi zinomthelela omuhle ohlelweni lwabo lokufunda. Uxhaso lweThuthoriyali ngolunye lwezinsika zemisebenzi yokuxhasa abafundi olunegalelo kwimpumelelo yabafundi kwezemfundo kulesi sizinda sezemfundo. Ukusetshenziswa kobuchepheshe sekuholele amaziko emfundo ephakeme ukuba aguqule indlela abafundi abaxhaswa ngayo – ngokuhlanganisa uhlelo lokufunda nge-inthanedi ukufinyelela abafundi abangeke bakwazi ukuya kumathuthoriyali okuhlangana nabafundi ngobuso nobuso (F2F) ngesikhathi kanye nendaweni enqunyiwe.. INyuvesi yaseNingizimu Afrika (Unisa) ibhekene nalezi zinguquko zomhlaba ngokuhlanganisa uhlelo lwe-F2F kanye nezinsiza zohlelo lwe-inthanedi ukuxhasa abafundi bayo ngokusebenzisa imodeli ehlanganisiwe yamatjhutha (ITM) efuna ukwanelisa izidingo zokufunda kanye nezinhloso ezilindwe abafundi. Ucwaningo beluqonde ukuhlola ukusebenza kahle kohlelo lwa le ITM. Ucwaningo belulandela ithoyori ebizwa nge-social constructivist theory of learning ngokuxhaswa ukuxhumana (connectivism), i-empathy theory kanye nemodeli yokufunda kaSalmon yezigaba ezinhlanu. Ithiyori yokuqala yokwakhiwa komphakathi isuselwa phezu komqondo wokuthi ukufunda kwakheka ngaphansi kwesizinda sabantu ngaphambi kokuthi abantu bahlangane nolwazi. Ulwazi abantu abahlangabezana nalo ezimpilweni zabo ludlala indima esemqoka ekwakhiweni kolwazi, kanti-ke kubalulekile ukwamukela ulwazi lwabo lwangaphambilini. Abafundi abaxhaswa ngohlelo lwe-ITM ezikhungweni ezisebenzayo eziyisithupha zezifunda kanye nabasebenzi ababandakanyeka ekusetshenzisweni kwe-ITM bazibandakaye kulolu cwaningo. Indlela yesampuli enezinhloso isetshenziselwe ukukhetha labadlalindima, kanti ngakwenye ingxenye indlela yokuksampula yinoma ngubani isetshenzisiwe ukusampula abafundi ukuba baqede umbhalo wemibuzo. Idatha eyencike kwingxoxo iqoqwe ngokusebenzisa izinhlolovo zabantu kanye namaqembu aqondiwe kanye nokuhlaziywa kwemibhalo. Ulwazi olutholakele lwalolu cwaningo luveza ukuthi i-ITM ayisebenzi kahle njengoba yanelisa izidingo zabantu ngokwesigamu, kodwa lolu hlelo lwe-ITM alufinyeleli izinhloso zabo ezilindelwe. Lokhu kungenxa yokuthi i-Unisa ifeza izidingo ngokuhlinzeka, isibonelo, ngohlelo lokufundisa lwe-F2F kanye nohlelo lwe-inthanedi lwamatshutha uma kunesidingo sabanye omojuli. Yize-kunjalo, izimpokophelo ezilindelwe ngabafundi mayelana nokuhlinzekwa ngemfundo eyethulwa ngamatshutha, ngokunikezwa izimpendulo zama-asayimenti kubafundi, ngokusebenzisa imithombo eqotho ezikhungweni zokufunda kanye nokuthola uxhaso lwesithekinikhali oluvela kumatshutha akuyona imisebenzi efeza lokhu. Ngokolwazi olutholakele, ucwaningo lufaka igalelo kwi-ITM ngokwehlukanisa kanye nokuvala izikhala zalo ngokusebenzisa i-Context. I-Input, uHlelo kanye noMkhiqizo (CIPP) okuyimodeli yokuhlola. Izintuthuko zizonceda i-Unisa ukuba ibuyekeze i-ITM ukuqinisa uxhaso lwayo kubafundi ukuze kufezwe izidingo kanye nezinhloso zabo ezilindelwe. / Kabo ya thuto ka mokgwa wa go ithuta ga phatlalatša le ga kgole (ODL) o ipiletša go dihlongwa tša thuto ya godimo go fana ka ditirelo tša thekgo tšeo di ka kgonago go arabela dinyakwa le dikemelo tša baithuti le go ama gabotse maitemogelo a bona a go ithuta. Thekgo ya dithutišo ke ye nngwe ya dikokwane tša ditirelo tša thekgo ya baithuti tšeo di tsenyago letsogo go katlego ya baithuti ka mo seemong se sa thuto. Tšhomišo ya theknolotši e dirile gore dihlongwa tša thuto ya godingwana go fetoša ka fao thekgo e fiwago ka gona go baithuti – ka go kopanya go ithuta inthaneteng gore go fihlelele baithuti bao ba sa kgonego go tsenela dithutišo tša setlwaedi tšeo baithuti ba kopanago le bafahloši (F2F) ka phapošing ya bofahloši. Yunibesithi ya Afrika Borwa (Unisa) e arabela ditlhohlo tše tša lefase ka bophara ka go kopanya F2F le ditirelo tša inthaneteng go thekga baithuti ba yona ka go diriša mokgwa wa go ruta wo o kopantšwego (ITM) wo o nyakago go rarolla dinyakwa le dikemelo tša go ithuta tša baithuti. Dinyakišišo di ikemišeditše go sekaseka go šoma gabotse ga ITM ye. Dinyakišišo di hlahlilwe ke teori ya kago ya setšhaba mabapi le go ithuta yeo e thekgwago ke tirišo ya theknolotši thutong, teori ya go naganela ba bangwe le mokgwa wa Salmon wa dikgato tše hlano tša go ithuta. Teori ya motheo ya kago ya setšhaba e theilwe go kwešišo ya gore go ithuta go agwa ka seemong sa setšhaba pele ga ge batho ba ka hwetša tsebo. Maitemogelo a batho a raloka tema ye bohlokwa ka go kago ya tsebo, ke ka lebaka leo go le bohlokwa go lemoga tsebo ya bona ya peleng. Baithuti bao ba thekgwago ka ITM ka disenthareng tša Unisa tše tshela tša ka dileteng le baithuti bao ba kgathago tema ka phethagatšong ya ITM ba tšere karolo ka mo dinyakišišong. Mokgwa wa go dira sampole ka maikemišetšo o šomišitšwe go kgetha bakgathatema ba, mola mokgwa wa go dira sampole ka sewelo o šomišitšwe go dira sampole ya baithuti go tlatša dipotšišo tša dinyakišišo. Tshedimošo ya boleng e kgobokeditšwe ka go botšiša batho ba nnoši le dihlopha dipotšišo gomme gwa dirwa le tshekatsheko ya dingwalwa. Dikutollo tša dinyakišišo tše di utolla gore ITM ga e šome gabotse kudu go fihlelela dinyakwa tša baithuti ebile ga e fihlelele dikemelo tša bona. Se ke ka lebaka la gore Unisa e hlokometše dinyakwa tša baithuti ka go fana ka, go fa mohlala, F2F le thekgo ya baithuti ya inthaneteng go dimotšule tše dingwe. Le ge go lebjale, dikemelo tša baithuti mabapi le go amogela go rutwa ke bafahloši, go fa baithuti dikarabo tša diasaenemente ke bafahloši, kabo ya methopo ka botlalo ka disenthareng tša thuto le go amogela thekgo ya sethekniki go tšwa go bafahloši ga di fihlelelwe. Go lebeletšwe dikkutollo tše, dinyakišišo di tsenya letsogo go ITM ka go tseba le go tlatša dikgoba ka go diriša mokgwa wa tshekatsheko wa Seemo, Tšweletšo, Tshepedišo le Setšweletšwa (CIPP). Dikaonafatšo tše di tla thuša Unisa go lekodišiša ITM go maatlafatša thekgo ya yona go baithuti gore e fihlelele dinyakwa le dikemelo tša bona ka botlalo. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Abstract in English, Sesotho and Zulu / The occurrence of Open Distance and e-Learning revolutionized Higher Education Institutions for students to access instruction at anytime and anywhere. Students benefitted instruction of anytime and anywhere in one of the Technology Education courses in ODeL from the e-tutors. As a result of the support from the e-tutors, the curriculum was designed to place a strong emphasis on the design process as the core around which the teaching of the curriculum should revolve. However, it is still not clear how effective is the content knowledge which relates to the design process from the e-tutors. In acknowledgment from such a gap, this study aimed to determine the relationship between the e-tutors’ technological, pedagogical, content knowledge of teaching design process within Technology Education specialization. In order to achieve this purpose, two theories, namely Transactional distance and Connectivism were coined together with the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework to underpin the study. The philosophical worldview is pragmatism having employed mixed method. Participants in this study were 145 students who registered a year programme for two modules in the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) programme at a Higher Education institution were surveyed to collect the quantitative data. Data from the face-to-face semi-structured interviews were collected with five e-tutors from the research sites. Online observations data were collected from the e-tutor sites of the institution’s learning management system (LMS). The results suggest that e tutors still lack the technology knowledge in order to deliver the content aimed for the design process in an ODeL environment. Also, it was evidenced that the e-tutors have not acquired pedagogical strategies for driving the pedagogy for the design process in an ideal context of ODeL. It should also be borne in mind that findings for the content knowledge indicated that the e-tutors still lack the knowledge for exploiting content knowledge of the design process to suit an ODeL environment. These findings highlight a need for technology to support e tutors’ pedagogical strategies towards a meaningful understanding of the design process and its implications across ODeL contexts. / Ketsahalo ea Open Distance le e-Learning e ntlafalitse litsi tsa thuto e phahameng bakeng sa baithuti ho fihlella taeo nako efe kapa efe le kae kapa kae. Baithuti ba ile ba rua molemo taelong ea nako efe kapa efe le kae kapa kae ho e 'ngoe ea lithuto tsa Technology Technology ho ODeL ho tsoa ho li-tutors. Ka lebaka la ts'ehetso e tsoang ho li-tutors, kharikhulamo e ne e etselitsoe ho hatisa ka matla ts'ebetso ea moralo e le khubu eo thuto ea kharikhulamo e lokelang ho potoloha ho eona. Leha ho le joalo, ha ho sa hlaka hore na tsebo ea litaba e sebetsa hantle hakae e amanang le tšebetso ea moralo ho tsoa ho li-tutors. Ho ananela lekhalo le joalo, phuputso ena e ne e ikemiselitse ho tseba kamano lipakeng tsa theknoloji ea "e-tutors", thuto ea thuto, tsebo ea litaba ea ts'ebetso ea moralo oa ho ruta ka har'a tsebo ea thuto ea Technology. Bakeng sa ho fihlela sepheo sena, ho ile ha qaptjoa likhopolo tse peli, e leng Transactional distance le Connectivism hammoho le sebopeho sa Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) ho tšehetsa thuto. Pono ea lefatše ea filosofi ke pragmatism e sebelisang mokhoa o tsoakaneng. Barupeluoa thutong ena e ne e le baithuti ba 145 ba ngolisitseng lenaneo la selemo bakeng sa li-module tse peli lenaneong la Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) setsing sa Thuto e Phahameng ba ile ba hlahlojoa ho bokella lintlha tse ngata. Lintlha tse tsoang lipuisanong tsa sebopeho sa sefahleho li ile tsa bokelloa le barupeli ba bahlano ba tsoang libakeng tsa lipatlisiso. Lintlha tsa tlhaiso-leseling ka inthanete li ile tsa bokelloa ho tsoa litsing tsa e-tutor tsa sistimi ea taolo ea ho ithuta ea setheo (LMS). Liphetho li fana ka maikutlo a hore barupeli ba ntse ba haelloa ke tsebo ea mahlale a morao-rao molemong oa ho fana ka litaba tse reretsoeng ts'ebetso ea boqapi tikolohong ea ODeL. Hape, ho ile ha pakoa hore li-e-tutors ha li e-so fumane maano a thuto ea ho khanna lithuto tsa thuto bakeng sa moetso oa moralo ka mokhoa o loketseng oa ODeL. Hape ho lokela ho hopoloa hore liphuputso tsa tsebo ea litaba li bontšitse hore li-e-tutors li ntse li haelloa ke tsebo ea ho sebelisa tsebo ea litaba tsa moralo oa moralo ho latela tikoloho ea ODeL. Liphuputso tsena li totobatsa tlhoko ea mahlale a morao-rao ho ts'ehetsa maano a thuto a barupeli ho fihlela kutloisiso e hlakileng ea ts'ebetso ea moralo le litlamorao tsa ona maemong a ODeL. / Ukutholakala kwe-Open Distance ne-e-Learning kuguqula izikhungo zemfundo ephakeme zabafundi ukuthi bathole imfundo nganoma yisiphi isikhathi noma kuphi. Abafundi bahlomule ngokufundiswa nganoma isiphi isikhathi noma kuphi kwesinye sezifundo zeTechnology Education ku-ODeL kubafundisi be-e. Njengomphumela wokwesekwa okwenziwa abafundisi be-e-tutors, ikharikhulamu yakhelwe ukugcizelela kakhulu inqubo yokwakhiwa njengongqikimba okumele kufundiswe ngayo ikharikhulamu. Kodwa-ke, akukacaci ukuthi lusebenza kangakanani ulwazi lokuqukethwe oluphathelene nenqubo yokwakha evela kubafundisi be-e. Ngokwazisa ngaleligebe elinje, lolu cwaningo luhlose ukucacisa ubudlelwano phakathi kwezobuchwepheshe be-e-tutors, ubuchwepheshe bokufundisa, ulwazi lokuqukethwe lwenqubo yokwakhiwa kokufundisa ngaphakathi kobuchwepheshe be-Technology Education. Ukufeza le njongo, imibono emibili, okungukuthi iTransactional distance neConnectivism yahlanganiswa kanye nohlaka lweTechnological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) ukusekela ucwaningo. Umbono wezwe wefilosofi yi-pragmatism esebenzisa indlela exubile. Ababambe iqhaza kulolu cwaningo bekungabafundi abayi-145 ababhalise uhlelo lonyaka lwamamojula amabili kuhlelo lweBachelor of Education (B.Ed.) esikhungweni seMfundo ePhakeme bahlolisiswa ukuqoqa imininingwane yobungako. Imininingwane evela ezingxoxweni ezihlelekile ezenziwe ubuso nobuso zaqoqwa nama-e-tutors amahlanu avela kumasayithi ocwaningo. Idatha yokubuka eku-inthanethi yaqoqwa kusuka kumasayithi e-e-tutor ohlelo lokuphatha lokufunda (LMS). Imiphumela iphakamisa ukuthi abafundisi be-e basenalo ulwazi lobuchwepheshe ukuze bakwazi ukuletha okuqukethwe okuhloselwe inqubo yokwakhiwa endaweni ye-ODeL. Futhi, kufakazelwe ukuthi abafundisi be-e abakawatholi amasu okufundisa okushayela inqubo yokuqamba ngendlela efanelekile ye-ODeL. Kumele futhi kukhunjulwe ukuthi okutholakele kolwazi lokuqukethwe kukhombisile ukuthi ama-e-tutors asenalo ulwazi lokusebenzisa ulwazi lokuqukethwe kwenqubo yokwakhiwa ukuze ivumelane nemvelo ye-ODeL. Lokhu okutholakele kugqamisa isidingo sobuchwepheshe ukuxhasa amasu e-tutors 'pedagogical maqondana nokuqonda okunenjongo kwenqubo yokwakhiwa nemithelela yayo kuzo zonke izingqikithi ze-ODeL. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / Ph. D. (Science and Technology Education)