Browsing by Author "Heinrich, Eva"
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- ItemFrom gimmick to game-changer : a study on the use smartphones to expand access to higher education in sub-Saharan Africa : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Technology at Massey University, New Zealand(Massey University, 2022) Okore, Roxanne HawiToday, blended university courses are designed with an unspoken assumption that students will use desktop PCs and laptops for online learning. Recent studies regarding smartphone usage in educational settings explore ways to adapt desktop PC and laptop content for viewing on smartphones; however, the impact of these studies is limited. Smartphones are still subservient to conventional platforms. While this is not an issue in developed countries, it is problematic for developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Only 20% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa own desktop PCs and laptops compared to 80% smartphone ownership. The dearth of these conventional platforms means many learners in sub-Saharan Africa are excluded from the benefits of blended learning. This research took the first steps to explore whether a student who owns a smartphone and does not have access to a desktop PC or laptop can successfully participate in a blended university course. Shaped by the pragmatist philosophical perspective, the research utilised a mixed-methods case study design. The case examined was Tom Mboya University College (TMUC), a Kenyan public university that exclusively offers on-campus courses. The research progressed in four phases: a feasibility study; survey with students (n = 114); interviews with lecturers (n = 17); and beta-testing of a smartphone-supported blended course with students. Results indicate that smartphones could provide a viable learning platform. Key findings identify that TMUC students and lecturers value smartphone-supported learning due to its ability to enhance collaborative learning activities. Furthermore, the results led to the development of a novel framework entitled ‘Smartphone Only Learning Environment’ (SOLE), that provides guidelines on how teachers can deliver blended university courses solely to smartphones.The research implication is three-fold: First, it facilitates introduction of blended learning in extraordinarily resource-constrained public universities of sub-Saharan Africa. Second, it provides the foundations for critical discussions on smartphone-supported online learning policies; notably, discussions about supporting teachers by providing an institution LMS are necessary. Finally, underpinned by the collectivist culture of sub-Saharan Africa, this research showcases opportunities for educators around the world to uncover learning theories that focus on more collaborative forms of blended learning.
- ItemA multimedia information system for the support of studies of behaviour : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Systems at Massey University(Massey University, 1999) Heinrich, EvaThe research presented in this thesis describes the conceptualisation of multimedia information systems to provide advanced support for the study of behaviour, the specification and implementation of such a system, called PAC, and the application of PAC in case studies in the fields of education and psychology. Researchers in disciplines such as education, psychology and sociology are concerned with the study of behaviour and record behaviour on video or audio to capture it for subsequent analysis. A variety of quantitative and qualitative analysis methods are employed across the disciplines. Despite different emphases in the study of behaviour across the disciplines, a common set of core analysis steps can be established and identified as description of behaviour, retrieval of descriptions according to common characteristics, and interpretation of these descriptions. With the advances in multimedia computing, data of multiple media formats have become very accessible even on end user computer systems. This suggests the investigation into new analysis tools for multimedia data to support the analysis of behaviour recordings. A conceptualisation for a new multimedia information system was developed which aimed at supporting the core analysis steps of description, retrieval and interpretation, providing means for the combined analysis of behaviour recordings of multiple media formats, and facilitating quantitative and qualitative interpretation techniques. This analysis support was complemented by the ideas of setting a single study into a domain context to form, over time, a knowledge basis for future studies and by the capture of study conclusions in multimedia format to allow rich, informative reporting of study results. The single most important conceptualisation for a new system was the design of the Flexible Structured Coding Language, FSCL. This coding language allows formulating rich and precise descriptions of behaviour in a very flexible way. Due to the structure of the coding language it is possible to correctly and completely retrieve the subject - verb - object relationships within the description sentences. Based on the conceptualisation, a specification for a concrete advanced multimedia information system to support the study of behaviour was developed and a system was implemented accordingly. This system, called PAC, was used in three case studies concerned with the study of behaviour in collaboration with domain experts from the disciplines of education and psychology. The case studies aimed at testing the concepts behind the implementation PAC. By conducting their analyses using PAC, the domain experts gained detailed familiarity with the conceptualisation developed in this research and confirmed the usefulness of this conceptualisation for the study of behaviour.
- ItemTeaching groups as contexts for learning about teaching in higher education : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2013) Heinrich, EvaThis research proposes a new concept, called teaching groups, as approach to learning about teaching for academics in higher education. Teaching groups are defined at the outset of the research as groups of academics who have, based on their positions in their institutions, shared responsibilities in teaching. To build a theoretical foundation, the community-based approaches of communities of practice and (faculty) learning communities are investigated and links to teaching groups established. In an important departure from existing community-based approaches, the idea of voluntary participation is abandoned and, in contrast, membership in teaching groups is by default. The motivation for this step is to overcome the low participation rates in activities related to learning about teaching, ultimately aiming at participation of the vast majority of academics. An exploratory mixed-methods research design was employed. The first, qualitative research phase was conducted using focus groups. The aim of this research phase was to explore how academics relate to the concept of teaching groups, what interactions take place in these groups and how engagement with teaching, and learning about teaching, might be facilitated in the groups. Based on the results of the focus group research, hypotheses and goals for investigation in the second, quantitative research phase were developed. A survey was conducted via a questionnaire, aiming at confirmation of key findings of the first research phase. The findings across both research phases show that nearly all participants could identify and describe their teaching groups. Characteristics of teaching groups were determined and a classification into a scale from tight-knit to individualistic teaching groups was derived. The results show that tight-knit teaching groups provide academics with a community environment highly supportive of learning about teaching, whereas members of individualistic teaching groups miss out on valuable opportunities for learning from and with each other. About 40% of the teaching groups discussed in this research were classified as tight-knit,indicating that the remaining majority of teaching groups would benefit from improvements. Setting the findings in context to the situation of teaching in higher education, recommendations were made to strengthen line management with regard to teaching and to officially acknowledge the existence of teaching groups. The research comes to the conclusion that teaching groups form a promising concept for learning about teaching in higher education. Future research will need to investigate the reasons why teaching groups develop certain characteristics and what could be done to help teaching groups to move along the scale from individualistic to tight-knit teaching groups.