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    Maximising participation : an integrated model of alternative development and participatory instructional design : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2002) Hatton, John
    This thesis is concerned with participation by third world people within an alternative development context. The thesis is aimed at identifying the current parameters within which participation is accepted and proposes that these should (and can) be extended. The thesis proposes a holistic alternative development model, which promotes maximum participation. This model is achieved by the integration of accepted alternative development practice and current instructional technology practice. The thesis initially outlines the theoretical perspectives of both practices to define each process and identify relational, structural and methodological linkages. Investigation of relational linkages reveals a strong link between the two practices with corresponding steps occurring at each phase of the process. In addition the investigation reveals similar considerations, in respect to participation, particularly in the areas of needs analysis, design and evaluation. A parallel ideology in respect to participant input, empowerment and self-determination is also evident. Secondly the thesis proposes an integrated alternative development model that maximises participation and achieves enhanced empowerment, equity and appropriateness. Primary research by way of a case study is utilised to further investigate the model. The case study (based in Vanuatu) gives comparison between current alternative development practice and the integrated model. The study reveals the integrated model significantly enhances participant input resulting in a development intervention that fully considers the instructional needs of participants and better promotes empowerment and efficiency. Using a web based questionnaire as a research tool, the thesis also investigates current participatory trends in instructional design. This research aims to identify if development practitioners have 'picked up' on current instructional technology. The survey revealed that 88% of all respondents whilst promoting participation, did not seek participant input during instructional design. The findings of the thesis show a definite developmental advantage in enhancing participation by the integration of the two practices. Additionally the integrated model proposed in the thesis gives a clear direction as to how this can be achieved.
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    Speak English : a collaborative language learning system using design thinking in second language education : an exegesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Ollerenshaw, Sue
    The desire to communicate and converse in a second language is often hampered by students’ lack of confidence, low motivation, passivity, unwillingness to take risks and/or over-reliance on contrived teacher-directed activities. This aim of this project, therefore, is to design a learning system that addresses these difficulties and thus helps English language learners improve fluency. The project highlights a clear connection between design thinking and cooperative language learning, with both pedagogies promoting collaborative, real-life, team-based approaches. This, in turn, suggests that incorporating design thinking into educational design can help learners overcome the obstacles identified above and thereby become more fluent and confident when conversing. Given this, the project involves designing and prototyping a cooperative language learning system drawing on the pedagogies of design thinking and design thinking for education. This Speak English system is based on a process of ‘problem framing’ that aims to improve communicative English competence through the motivational, risk-taking, ideational and iterative aspects of design thinking . The final design system consists of prototyped examples of instructional language learning materials, including an app, a learners’ booklet and worksheets. An accompanying explanatory poster and an animated overview of Speak English illustrate how the system works and how communicational language learning activities are initiated. As it stands, the initial Speak English system provides the basis for future integration of design thinking concepts (such as problem framing) into language learning pedagogy and materials design.
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    Online cooperation learning environment : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2005) Shang, Jun
    This project aims to create an online cooperation learning environment for students who study the same paper. Firstly, the whole class will be divided into several tutorial peer groups. One tutorial group includes five to seven students. The students can discuss with each other in the same study group, which is assigned by the lecturer. This is achieved via an online cooperation learning environment application (OCLE), which consists of a web based J2EE application and a peer to peer (P2P) java application, cooperative learning tool (CLT). It can reduce web server traffic significantly during online tutorial discussion time.
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    The centralised development of elearning resources : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters of Education (Elearning) at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2016) O'Brien, Raymond John
    This thesis explores the centralisation of elearning resource development in New Zealand Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs). There was a significant gap in existing research relating to the organisation of elearning resource development. The tertiary education sector has been subject to significant and rapid change with associated challenges. Centralisation has been mooted as contributing to a solution for these challenges. The lack of research around centralised development of resources makes it difficult to support such a claim. To address this, the thesis explored three areas: the extent to which centralised development of elearning has been adopted, the perceived advantages and disadvantages of a centralised model, and the attitudes teaching staff hold towards a centralised model. The study applied a mixed method convergent parallel research design. This drew on data from interviews with elearning managers and from a survey of teaching staff. Findings established that three categories of centralisation exist in New Zealand ITPs; decentralised, centralised and highly centralised. The typical composition and functions of the centralised teams were defined for each category. The findings supported the perceived advantages and disadvantages identified in existing research, but also identified additional advantages. These included better project management, more clarity around roles and responsibilities, that elearning resources produced by a centralised unit was more student focussed and specific cost saving information. Levels of understanding around the financial advantages of a centralised model were inconsistent. The attitudes teaching staff held towards a centralised model were seen as to some extent ambivalent. Attitudes were more positive where the staff already operated within a centralised model. The thesis makes a significant contribution where there was a gap in existing research. This new knowledge is directly relevant to current decisions around cost of development, composition of central teams, expectations when adopting a centralised model, and planning to centralise or decentralise. These findings are both timely and significant as recent mergers, qualification reviews and the expectation to innovate and adopt new models of delivery increase the need for more efficient solutions to creating elearning resources.
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    A feasibility study for the design of a web-based course delivery system : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2001) Zhang, Zhenzi
    This thesis presents a feasibility study for the design of a new web-based course delivery system-Technology Integrated Learning Environments (TILE), which has flexible online and offline delivery modes and new functionality such as knowledge presentation and free-form querying, adaptation in computer assisted self-learning modules and curriculum planning. The issues covered in this thesis include all relevant technical problems such as crossplatform support, Java security restrictions, client/server architecture selection and firewall restrictions. All problems associated with these issues have been solved during the system design phase. And the resulting system architecture model is presented. System environments such as selections of the client and the server side database, web server and server-side technique are also discussed. System functionality analysis, interface and functionality design and database design on both the client side and the server side are all finished. A running system prototype with part of the designed functionality has been set up which proves the correctness of the system design. A complementary Java application is also developed to enable the system administrator to set up database based on an XML configuration file. Further study of the generic system model is now continuing within a large international research project.
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    Developing an extramural e-learning environment to bridge the digital divide : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2005) Johnson, Russell Stewart
    The research presented in this thesis conceptualises a strategy for designing e-learning systems to bridge the digital divide between those who have access to - and know how to use - high performance information technology, and those whose do not. It describes the prototyping of a system to test this conceptualisation, and the subsequent evaluation of the prototype in a realistic setting. From a review of existing research, eight guidelines were synthesised for developing effective extramural e-learning environments. In addition, three broad user-centred strategies were identified as showing promise as possible ways to implement such an environment. These strategies emphasised localised over centralised functionality, specialised over general-purpose tools, and user-initiated adaptability over system-initiated adaptivity. It was hypothesised that by following the design guidelines and combining these three strategies - without making any presumptions about technological platform - a workable way could be found to meet all the requirements for an extramural e-learning environment that offers a significant improvement over correspondence-based courses. Incremental prototyping was used to evaluate and refine the main elements of the design specification and then to integrate them into an operational system. This prototyping confirmed that the method proposed for developing a computer-based learning environment was workable. The prototype was then installed and tested, first over a LAN, and then over a rural telephone-based communication system where it was tested it with users. The system performed very favourably under these conditions. The volunteers' response to the learning computer was enthusiastic, contrasting what they could accomplish with it to the difficulties they faced with conventional systems. It was concluded that the user testing gave strong support to the thesis that distributive, specialised and adaptable strategies can be successfully combined to provide a widely-accessible and usable computer-based learning environment.
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    Personality effect in the design of adaptive e-learning systems : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information System at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2007) Al-Dujaily, Amal
    This PhD thesis is a theoretical and practical study concerning the user model for adaptive e-learning systems. The research activity is two-fold. It firstly explores the personality aspect in the user model which has been overlooked in the previous literature on the design of adaptive e-learning systems, in order to see whether learners with different types of personality would have different effects on their learning performance with adaptive e-learning systems. And secondly, it investigates how to embody the personality features in the current user model, proposing that the inclusion of the personality in the user model for adaptive e-learning systems would lead to better learning performance. The thesis has considered the personality aspect in four parts. PART I reviews the theoretical and empirical literature on adaptive e-learning systems from which the main research questions are constructed. It explains how this study derives an overarching model for the inclusion of personality type in effective e-learning systems. PART II consists of the experiments, which explore empirically the importance of identifying the personality in the user model for adaptive e-learning and its effect in individual learning. That is, the main theme of the thesis hypothesises that different personality type’s influence performance with e-learning systems. PART III shows the effects of personality type on groups of learners performing collaborative learning activities. It suggests practical implications of designing collaborative learning technologies in conjunction with the personality feature. Finally, PART IV includes personality in the proposed user model and tests the primary hypothesis that “the personality may influence the learning performance of students using adaptive e-learning systems”.