The use of Blackboard as a tool for the teaching and assessment of large classes in mathematics education: a case study of second year level Bachelor of Education students in one university in South Africa
- Authors: Riley, Alanna
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Blackboards , Blackboard drawing , Mathematics -- Study and teaching , College students , Educational change , Information technology , Teaching -- Aids and devices , College teaching , Assessment , Blended learning
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Ed
- Identifier: vital:16182 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1006237 , Blackboards , Blackboard drawing , Mathematics -- Study and teaching , College students , Educational change , Information technology , Teaching -- Aids and devices , College teaching , Assessment , Blended learning
- Description: This study locates the Blackboard Learning Management System as a Technology Enhanced Learning tool within the bounds of the discipline of eLearning and aimed to interrogate the use of Blackboard for the purposes of teaching, learning and assessment in large classes. It is evident from the literature reviewed that changes in both Higher Education in the South Africa with regards to policy and legislation in addition to international shifts towards increased access and participation in a fast paced, ever-evolving knowledge-based economy, providing the context for this work. The theoretical framework for this study is not unidimensional due to the fact that the educational field of eLearning as an area of specialisation draws on a multitude of theories in terms of their utility value for instructional design of courses utilising Information and Communications Technology as a mode of delivery. This study was conducted within the bounds of an interpretivist paradigm as the researcher sought to focus on the use of Blackboard and the experiences of the lecturers and students involved in the implementation thereof. The research design for this study took the form of a case study and a multiple case method was employed. The researcher collected data through personal interviews conducted with participating lecturers, while student data was collected by means of a qualitative survey which was conducted through the Blackboard Learning Management System. The data was analyzed by means of a thematic analysis, consistent with the interpretive paradigm chosen for this study. The findings of this study revealed that Blackboard was utilised effectively in order to facilitate communication, access to course resources and promoted more efficient assessment processes. The implementation was however not without challenges many of which were systemic and focused on the lack of resources available to the students. The implications of using Blackboard for teaching and assessment of large classes include the use of the Learning Management System as part of a multimodal method of course delivery in an effort to reach the multitude of registered students both conceptually as well as electronically. The recommendations arising from this study include consideration on the part of the faculty for a unified approach in the use of Blackboard for communication as well as deployment of resources. Additionally, this study may form the foundation of further studies in this field, with a focus on the active engagement and training of lecturers in order to integrate traditional teaching methods with blended learning opportunities.
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- Date Issued: 2013
The experiences of the development support group DSG in the integrated quality management system IQMS in Butterworth District, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Ndandani- Msindwana, Judith Nonkululeko
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Work capacity evaluation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Ed
- Identifier: vital:16173 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/467 , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Work capacity evaluation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: This study investigated the experiences of the Development Support Group (DGS) when implementing the IQMS (Integrated Quality Management System) in Butterworth District of the Eastern Cape. The aim of the study was to explore the experiences of the DSG when implementing the IQMS in an attempt to determine whether the DSG can cope with the task of being part of evaluation in education, and how the negative experiences could be improved. In order to get the experiences of the DSG when implementing the IQMS, the researcher embarked on this phenomenological study. Data were collected by means of one-on-one semi-structured interviews and the perusal of the IQMS document, Resolution 8 of 2003. Responses from the participants were tape-recorded and eventually transcribed, analyzed and interpreted. The main feature revealed by the study is gross lack of confidence, feeling of insecurity and ambivalence on the part of the DSG. On the basis of the findings, recommendations that will assist the DSG (and other IQMS implementers) to improve IQMS implementation, have been made. This study also serves as the voice of the DSG for they have also made suggestions to improve on the negative experiences they have highlighted. The conclusions arrived at in this study are specific to the DSG of the sampled schools. The conclusions reflect and explain the challenges faced by the DSG in Butterworth district. But the findings give a reflective explanatory depth to the experiences the DSG when implementing the IQMS.
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- Date Issued: 2012