Thesis (MPhil (Modern Foreign Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / This study focuses on foreign language teaching and learning in the professional workplace. A gap was perceived in the catering industry where chefs and waitrons are required to use French cooking terminology in their profession without ready access to the correct usage of this terminology. The purpose of this study is to address this gap and to offer a solution to the observed need. The study concentrates on the reading and writing of menus in French. The reason for this focus is that this is the area where French cooking terminology is arguably needed, as it is here where the incorrect usage of the French language is most evident.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an animated pedagogical agent on Spanish vocabulary learning. Furthermore, the study examined learners’ reactions and attitudes towards the presence of the pedagogical agent in a web-based environment, as well as how learners used the conversational component of the pedagogical agent in their learning process. A total of 47 university students enrolled in two fourth-semester Spanish classes participated in this study. Both the Control group and the Experimental group used a web-based environment that presented new vocabulary (in audio and text), along with activities for practicing the vocabulary in context. The difference between the two groups was that an animated pedagogical agent (Laura) was present in the environment used by the Experimental group. In addition, a conversational component was added at a second phase to the environment used by the Experimental group, which the learners used to chat with the pedagogical agent about the material presented. The data were analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative data were derived from a demographic information questionnaire, a vocabulary pre-test and two vocabulary post-tests (an immediate post-test and a delayed post-test), as well as from attitudes scales completed prior to the learners’ exposure to the web-based environments and after completing the learning sessions. The qualitative data were derived from a learning experience questionnaire completed by all learners at the end of the learning sessions, as well as from the scripts of the chat sessions between the learners in the Experimental group and the pedagogical agent, and a chatting experience questionnaire completed by the same group. Analysis of the quantitative data did not yield significant differences between the Control and the Experimental groups with respect to vocabulary learning outcomes and affective outcomes. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed learners’ preferences with respect to features embedded in the web-based language learning environments. In addition, it explored how learners utilized the conversational aspect of the pedagogical agent, and provided information as to the type of information the agent’s knowledge base should include in order for the agent to be a beneficial tool for the learners’ progress. / text

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of Web-based learning (WBL) versus those of traditional instructor-based learning (IBL) on student knowledge and satisfaction based on student learning styles. Other goals were to determine if WBL is more effective for those with a particular learning style. The study examined a sample of undergraduate students who were enrolled in the college algebra offered as both oncampus instructor-based (traditional) and Web-based at the university of North Texas (UNT). A total of 36 Web-based students and 58 instructor-based students participated in this study. This study utilized a posttest-only intact group. The Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI) measured the learning styles of students. This study used learning methods (Web-based learning (WBL), instructor-based learning (IBL)), and learning styles (Diverger, Converger, Assimilator, and Accommodator) as independent variables. Student knowledge and student satisfaction was measured at the end of the course as independent variables. Based upon the results of the LSI, post-learning exam, and satisfaction a series of two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA 4x2) techniques and independent variable tests was used for each of the dependent variables, knowledge and satisfaction, based on a student's learning styles. The results revealed that students' learning styles were statistically significant for knowledge when learning on the Web versus instructor-led. In addition, the learning style was important factor for Web-based learning. The results indicated students with Assimilator and Converger as learning styles received better result with the Web-based learning method. Furthermore, this study found there is significant difference in student satisfaction based on learning on the Web versus instructor-led. The outcome of the study could be of particular interest in educational institutions; especially those that want to transfer some of their traditional courses onto the Web. The finding also has implications for training organizations as they seek efficient and effective ways to satisfy their training needs.

This study applied components of Csikszentmhalyi’s flow theory to the Web-based Training (WBT) environment. Specifically considered were how the equivalence of a learner’s perceived challenges and skills for an activity can effectively predict the emergence of flow in the WBT environment. Also considered was the ability of flow dimensions — defined in flow theory — to predict and model the occurrence of flow during WBT activities. Over a period of about one hour, students (n=43) from a southwestern US university engaged in WBT learning activities pertaining to on-line coursework or self-study. A special Web-based software installed on the students’ computers sporadically reminded them to complete a series of on-line questionnaires which collected data on their flow experience, learning activities, and flow dimensions. The data collection method employed by this study is effectively an electronic, Web-enabled version of, and functionally equivalent to, the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) used in other flow studies. This study employed questionnaires used in prior flow studies to collect data regarding respondents’ flow experiences and flow dimensions, and developed an on-line instrument to collect data on students’ learning experiences based on instructional events found in computer-based lessons from Gagné. Significant findings (p<.05) from this study suggest that, in the WBT environment studied, as the relative level of challenge and skill of a learning activity increases, so does the level of flow experienced by the individual. This study also found that flow dimensions are good predictors of flow experience. The results of this study should have important implications for WBT users and instructional designers. Since flow is a positive experience that most individuals wish to repeat, understanding how to facilitate the occurrence of flow, from both the WBT user’s and instructional designer’s perspective, is likely to be beneficial to the rapidly emerging field of WBT.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of web-based instruction (WBI) on cognitive and psychomotor learning. The subjects of the study received two types of instructional methods, WBI (experimental group) and traditional classroom instruction (control group). Each group received 30 minutes of instruction on "Soldering a Circuit Board." The researcher chose this content subject because it involved both cognitive and psychomotor objectives, which suited the purpose of this study. It was hypothesized that there would be no significant difference between the two methods of instruction, and also that there would be no significant interaction effects between methods of instruction and gender. Forty-six subjects from a population of students enrolled in summer classes offered by the Applied Technology, Training and Development (ATTD) program at the University of North Texas voluntarily participated in this study. Random assignment of subjects was applied in this study. A subject matter expert delivered the content for both the experimental and control groups. To measure cognitive variable, a 10 item, multiple-choice test was administered immediately after instruction. To measure the psychomotor variable, a 15-item checklist was utilized by trained judges to evaluate learners’ performances while soldering. The 2 x 2 factorial model with interaction was used in this study. The analysis was run for each of the dependent variables, cognitive and psychomotor learning. Although there was not a statistically significant difference in the main effects of method of instruction or interaction effects between method and gender, the results imply that students in the traditional-classroom instruction group performed better than those in the WBI group in psychomotor learning. Perhaps, this trend would be statistically significant if the sample size were larger. This study provides empirical evidence for the effectiveness of WBI in delivering cognitive and psychomotor objectives. The outcome of this study supports the need for more research on the effects of WBI on learning domains.

[pt] O crescente interesse em ambientes de aprendizado na Web incentiva pesquisas e torna evidente a importância do desenvolvimento de tecnologias e padrões que permitam ambientes, instrutores e participantes a criar, encontrar, consumir, reusar e compartilhar conteúdos instrucionais, conhecidos como objetos de aprendizagem ou learning objects. Padrões para metadados, objetos de aprendizagem e arquiteturas para prover suporte a estas tecnologias em sistema de ensino na web (learning management systems - LMS) são a chave para o sucesso do e-Learning. Neste sentido, o conceito de objetos de aprendizagem possui fundamental importância e concentra grande parte das pesquisas realizadas nesta área. Em paralelo, a observação de que o aprendizado na web ocorre através do auxílio de ferramentas e serviços que fazem parte dos LMS gera a reflexão sobre a atual modelagem e entendimento destes serviços. Com isso, este trabalho defende a modificação do conceito de learning objects, estendendo o atual, incorporando serviços à sua abrangência, sendo estes modelados com base na tecnologia de serviços web (web services). No final, é apresentado um framework para facilitar a adaptação de Learning Management Systems a este novo conceito de learning objects e o estudo de caso no Ambiente AulaNet. / [en] The increasing interest in web-based learning environments stimulates researches and evidences the importance of developing technologies and standards that allow environments, instructors and participants to create, find, consume, reuse, and to share instructional contents, known as learning objects. Metadata standards, learning objects and architectures to support these technologies in Learning Management Systems (LMS) are the key for the success of e-learning. In this context, the learning object concept has essential importance and concentrates the majority of the researches accomplished in this field. At the same time, observing that the learning in the web happens through the aid of tools and learning services which are part of LMS, leads to the reflection about the current modeling and understanding of these services. This work defends the modification of the learning objects concept, extending the current one by incorporating services to its extent, being these modeled as Web Services. Finally, a framework is presented in order to facilitate the adapting of the Learning Management Systems to the new concept of learning objects, as well as a case study in the AulaNet Environment.

The Situation Management discipline is intended to address situations happening or that might happen in dynamic systems. In this way, this discipline supports the provisioning of solutions that enable analyzing, correlating, and coordinating interactions among people, information, technologies, and actions targeted to overcome situations. Over recent years, the Situation Management has been employed in diverse domains ranging from disaster response to public health. Notwithstanding, up to now, it has not been used to deal with unexpected, dynamic, and heterogeneous situations that network administrators face in their daily work; in this thesis, these situations are referred to as network management situations. The mashup technology also allows creating solutions, named mashups, aimed to cope with situations. Mashups are composite Web applications built up by end-users through the combination of Web resources available along the Internet. These composite Web applications have been useful to manage situations in several domains ranging from telecommunication services to water floods. In particular, in the network management domain, the mashup technology has been used to accomplish specific tasks, such as botnet detection and the visualization of traffic of the border gateway protocol. In the network management domain, large research efforts have been made to automate and facilitate the management tasks. However, so far, none of these efforts has carried out network management by means of the Situation Management and the mashup technology. Thus, the goal of this thesis is to investigate the feasibility on using the Situation Management and mashups as an effective (in terms of complexity, consuming of time, traffic, and time of response) approach for network management. To achieve the raised goal, this thesis introduces an approach formed by mashments (special mashups devised for coping with network management situations), the Mashment Ecosystem, the process to develop and launch mashments, the Mashment System Architecture, and the Mashment Maker. An extensive analysis of the approach was conducted on networks based on the Software-Defined Networking paradigm and virtual nodes. The results of analysis have provided directions and evidences that corroborate the feasibility of using the Situation Management and mashups as an effective approach for network management.

Turning to online educational technology is a growing trend in our society. In particular, many community college Mathematics Departments have adopted online preparation and rigorous enhancement platform (OPREP) such as WebAssign. Nationally educators are attempting to address the low passing rates in developmental mathematics. Developmental mathematics courses are the gatekeepers to higher education. Slow progression through these courses can adversely affect a student’s ability to persist to graduation, which in turn impacts an individual’s employment opportunities and quality of life. The literature shows that OPREPs are typically employed to replace the tedious and time-consuming task of grading paper-based homework. Ignoring the testing management features of an OPREP and limiting it to a web-based homework tool is a reflection on implementation strategy. The purpose of this research is to develop a grounded theory about effectively implementing OPREP, which is informed by the perspectives and beliefs of the developmental mathematics students who use them. This mixed method study critically analyzed the student comment sheets, student evaluations, and the responses from 129 Elementary Algebra students who completed a questionnaire about their experiences using WebAssign. Analysis through an adult learning theory lens revealed the central phenomenon of the students’ needs for immediate feedback and the role that feedback plays in facilitating self-regulated learning. The findings reveal that the nature of the feedback extended beyond correctness. Students preferred to use interactive step-by-step tutorials, practicing different versions of the problem and watching lectures more than any other learning tool. The instructor’s implementation was a point of emphasis for key students. Multiple repeaters of elementary algebra stressed the importance of the OPREP implementation strategy on their achievement. Comments range from differences in the availability and strategic deployment of the learning tools to proper instruction on how a student should use the OPREP. Although this study confirms a significant and relative large correlation between homework and an exit examination, it also shows that OPREP assessments such as quizzes and practice examinations have stronger positive correlations. Results showed that OPREP quiz average was the best sole predictor of student achievement. OPREP quiz average was also the only OPREP assignment category included as a predictor of student achievement in the best multiple linear regression model.

Este estudo investiga os processos de co-construções webcurriculares em um curso de Língua Inglesa, caracterizado pela ausência de livro didático e cujas construções das aulas são mediatizadas pelas tecnologias digitais da informação e comunicação, suas ferramentas e seus recursos. Amalgamados em movimentos agênticos de alunos e professor, os processos de construção de discursos e enunciados (BAKHTIN, 1929), sentidos e significados (BRUNER, 1960) por meio de práticas translíngues (CANAGARAJAH, 2013) oferecem alguns dos elementos mediatizadores para que esses processos de co-construções de novas arquiteturas pedagógicas ocorram. Essa composição caleidoscópica que fomenta a ecologia social e cultural desta pesquisa etnográfica é caracterizada por ser interpretativa em busca de significados (GEERTZ, 1973), e não uma análise de uma ciência experimental em busca de uma lei. Assim, este trabalho encontra-se organizado em três capítulos que discorrem sobre as concepções que envolvem esta pesquisa etnográfica e seus processos de construção de dados contemplando os webcurrículos, as agências e as práticas translíngues por meio dos letramentos. A partir dos conceitos de temporalidade (EMIRBAYER e MISCHE, 1998) e da abordagem ecológica da agência (BIESTA e TEDDER, 2007) é possível observar como os movimentos agênticos de cada um dos sujeitos da pesquisa dialogam em busca de um equilíbrio outro, a partir de forças que emanam dessa ecologia social, cultural e material. Assim, o leitor é convidado a espiar através das lentes deste pesquisador-etnógrafo, alguns movimentos e olhares construídos, cujos elementos mediadores são os letramentos com as suas múltiplas linguagens e as tecnologias digitais da informação e comunicação. Tal composição ecológica propicia a abertura de novas janelas acompanhadas por visões de mundo outras, cujos elementos possibilitam infinitas combinações que fomentam a construção de outros tipos de conhecimentos inacabados. / English language program, characterized by the absence of textbooks and whose classroom constructions are mediated by digital information and communication technologies, their tools and their resources. The processes of constructing discourses and speeches (BAKHTIN, 1929), sense and meanings (BRUNER, 1960) by means of translingual practices (CANAGARAJAH, 2013) offer some of the mediatizing elements for these processes of co-constructions of new pedagocial architectures to occur. This kaleidoscopic composition that fosters the social and cultural ecology of this ethnographic research is characterized by being interpretative in search of meanings (GEERTZ, 1973), and not an analysis of an experimental science in search of a law. Thus, this work is organized in three chapters that discuss the conceptions that involve this ethnographic research and its processes of data construction contemplating the web-based curricula, the agencies and the translingual practices and the literacies. Based on the concepts of temporality (EMIRBAYER and MISCHE, 1998) and the ecological approach of agencies (BIESTA and TEDDER, 2007), it is possible to observe how the agentic movements of each of the research subjects intertwine in seach of some equilibrium of the other, whose forces emanate from this social, cultural and material ecology. Thus, the reader is invited to peer through the lenses of this ethnographer-researcher, some of the constructed movements and looks, whose mediating elements are the literacies and their multiple languages and the digital technologies of information and communication. Such ecological composition allows the opening of new windows accompanied by other world views, whose elements allow infinite combinations that foment the construction of other types of knowledge, unfinished knowledge.