Thesis (MTech. degree in Business Information Systems.)--Tshwane University of Technology, 2010. / This research addresses how mobile learning by means of a virtual community of practice can facilitate interaction and knowledge sharing amongst contact university learners as they traverse varied learning environments. Using Activity theory and the theory of social presence, the research aimed to provide an informed understanding of virtual communities of practice and how they manifest in a mobile learning environment. In this dissertation, virtual communities of practice are argued to effectively facilitate personalized learning support in an environment where learning is not confined to particular places. Importantly, virtual communities of practice are fundamentally modeled by awareness of context and social presence. Informed by empirical evidence gathered through a Contextual Inquiry method, a field research framework that depends on interaction with users in the context of their work, this study shows how mobile learners in a typical South African university could be afforded personalized academic support as they traverse varied learning environments.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:tut/oai:encore.tut.ac.za:d1000425 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Tsela, Dumisani. |
| Contributors | Kekwaletswe, Ray M. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | © 2010 Tshwane University of Technology |
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