Exploring lecturer experiences of the use of ICT in blended learning : a case study at a South African university
- Authors: Ntlabathi, Siyanda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Blended learning -- South Africa , Information technology -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- Technological innovations , Computer-assisted instruction -- South Africa , Internet in education -- South Africa , Educational technology -- South Africa , Critical realism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2044 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017355
- Description: ICTs have had a tremendous impact on our educational environment. There have been a huge number of developments and support in implementation of ICT in Higher Education teaching and learning, also referred to as e-learning. Similarly there appears to be quite a number of research conducted on the use of ICTs in blended learning settings worldwide and as well as in South Africa. Very little research however, has focussed on the experiences of lecturers with e-learning, specifically as it relates to Learning Management Systems (LMS). In trying to meet the requirements of its academic programmes and be in line with new developments worldwide, the University which is the focus of this study pilot projected the use of an LMS in a blended learning approach which integrates face-to-face classes with Blackboard, an ICT-based system or tool. Following the implementation of the pilot project, this study explores the experiences of lecturers in their blended learning environments at this university in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The research design was that of an interpretative paradigm within a qualitative research approach in a case study methodology. Purposive sampling of six lecturers from departments within faculties across two campuses was done. The data was gathered through interviews, a follow-up questionnaire and document analysis was employed. Using Critical and Social Realism as meta-theories the study employed aspects of Activity Theory as substantive theory to understand particular experiences of blended learning environments and identify conditions which enable and constrain engagement in these environments so as to explore potential lessons to inform the kind of educational support which could be offered to facilitate uptake of the LMS.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Ntlabathi, Siyanda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Blended learning -- South Africa , Information technology -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- Technological innovations , Computer-assisted instruction -- South Africa , Internet in education -- South Africa , Educational technology -- South Africa , Critical realism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2044 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017355
- Description: ICTs have had a tremendous impact on our educational environment. There have been a huge number of developments and support in implementation of ICT in Higher Education teaching and learning, also referred to as e-learning. Similarly there appears to be quite a number of research conducted on the use of ICTs in blended learning settings worldwide and as well as in South Africa. Very little research however, has focussed on the experiences of lecturers with e-learning, specifically as it relates to Learning Management Systems (LMS). In trying to meet the requirements of its academic programmes and be in line with new developments worldwide, the University which is the focus of this study pilot projected the use of an LMS in a blended learning approach which integrates face-to-face classes with Blackboard, an ICT-based system or tool. Following the implementation of the pilot project, this study explores the experiences of lecturers in their blended learning environments at this university in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The research design was that of an interpretative paradigm within a qualitative research approach in a case study methodology. Purposive sampling of six lecturers from departments within faculties across two campuses was done. The data was gathered through interviews, a follow-up questionnaire and document analysis was employed. Using Critical and Social Realism as meta-theories the study employed aspects of Activity Theory as substantive theory to understand particular experiences of blended learning environments and identify conditions which enable and constrain engagement in these environments so as to explore potential lessons to inform the kind of educational support which could be offered to facilitate uptake of the LMS.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Perceptions of being a learner: an investigation into how first year Journalism students at a South African university construct themselves as learners
- Authors: Lunga, Carolyne Mande
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Journalism -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa , Students -- Attitudes , Students -- Self-rating of -- South Africa , Discourse analysis, Narrative , Active learning -- South Africa , Learning -- Evaluation , Learning, Psychology of , College freshmen -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1332 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020026
- Description: The aim of the research reported in this document was to explore the ways in which first year Journalism students at a South African University construct themselves as learners. The research adopted a case study approach of purposively selected first year journalism students. In exploring this area, focus group and individual in-depth interviewing were employed which illuminated important aspects of learner identity construction. In order to make sense of these self-constructions, the research was located in the larger debates on discourse as espoused by Michel Foucault who argues that discourse constructs subjectivities. The research demonstrated that there were various discourses at play which influenced how these learners spoke and behaved. The influence of these discourses on learners' experiences varied at different times of the year. For example, the awarding of the Duly Performed (DP) certificate for students who met the minimum attendance and work requirements of a particular course, the giving of tests, exercises and examinations were some of the technologies that 'forced' students into compliance. In terms of identity formation, the heterogeneous nature of 'being' a journalism 'student' revealed that the different discourses at play influenced learner behaviour and that their identities continued to change over the year. Doing additional subjects such as Sociology, Drama, Art History and others at the same time as Journalism and Media Studies also meant that the learners had to negotiate the differing role requirements.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Lunga, Carolyne Mande
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Journalism -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa , Students -- Attitudes , Students -- Self-rating of -- South Africa , Discourse analysis, Narrative , Active learning -- South Africa , Learning -- Evaluation , Learning, Psychology of , College freshmen -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1332 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020026
- Description: The aim of the research reported in this document was to explore the ways in which first year Journalism students at a South African University construct themselves as learners. The research adopted a case study approach of purposively selected first year journalism students. In exploring this area, focus group and individual in-depth interviewing were employed which illuminated important aspects of learner identity construction. In order to make sense of these self-constructions, the research was located in the larger debates on discourse as espoused by Michel Foucault who argues that discourse constructs subjectivities. The research demonstrated that there were various discourses at play which influenced how these learners spoke and behaved. The influence of these discourses on learners' experiences varied at different times of the year. For example, the awarding of the Duly Performed (DP) certificate for students who met the minimum attendance and work requirements of a particular course, the giving of tests, exercises and examinations were some of the technologies that 'forced' students into compliance. In terms of identity formation, the heterogeneous nature of 'being' a journalism 'student' revealed that the different discourses at play influenced learner behaviour and that their identities continued to change over the year. Doing additional subjects such as Sociology, Drama, Art History and others at the same time as Journalism and Media Studies also meant that the learners had to negotiate the differing role requirements.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
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