The #VLEIreland Project

A decade after Martin Weller’s proclamation that ‘The VLE/LMS Is Dead’ (2007) was met with widespread acclaim and debate, virtual learning environmentsVLEs)remain pervasive in most higher education institutions (HEIs) including those in Ireland

Opening up to open source: looking at how Moodle was adopted in higher education

The Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) has grown to become a piece of complex infrastructure that is now deemed to be critical to higher educational provision. This paper looks at Moodle and its adoption in higher education. Moodle’s origins, as an open source VLE, are investigated and its growth examined in the context of how higher educational institutions adopt VLEs

Cultural change and perpetuation in organisations: Evidence from an English Emergency Ambulance Service

Transforming cultures rather than changing structures is a favourite prescription for reforming health care organisations. We explore the relationship between cultures, performance measures, and organisational change by analysing the cultural characteristics of an English ambulance trust to understand how organisational culture is perpetuated. Internal and external factors that impact on culture change programmes, such as historical legacy and sub-cultural dynamics, are identified. The role and identity of ambulance personnel, the conflict between professional culture and managerial objectives, and the role of performance measurement were found to be significant issues which promoted resistance to enforced change and impeded planned management action

Cultural change and perpetuation in organisations: evidence from an English emergency ambulance service

Transforming cultures rather than changing structures is a favourite prescription for reforming health care organisations. We explore the relationship between cultures, performance measures, and organisational change by analysing the cultural characteristics of an English ambulance trust to understand how organisational culture is perpetuated. Internal and external factors that impact on culture change programmes, such as historical legacy and sub-cultural dynamics, are identified. The role and identity of ambulance personnel, the conflict between professional culture and managerial objectives, and the role of performance measurement were found to be significant issues which promoted resistance to enforced change and impeded planned management action

La educación como elemento dinamizador en la implantación de sistemas de información de código abierto en las organizaciones

Programa de Doctorado en Administración y Dirección de EmpresasLínea de Investigación: Sistemas de InformaciónClave Programa: DAECódigo Línea: 106Los Sistemas de Código Abierto (Open Source Software, en adelante OSS), se pueden definir, en una primera aproximación, como aquellos sistemas que permiten el acceso al código fuente con la intención de incrementar la flexibilidad de los sistemas de información. En el ámbito de la investigación, OSS cuenta con un amplio cuerpo científico. Son numerosos los trabajos que tratan de profundizar en diversos aspectos del OSS, especialmente desde la vertiente tecnológica. Sin embargo, son muchos los tópicos relacionados con el OSS que todavía cuenta con recorrido científico ante la escasez de evidencia científica. Nos estamos refiriendo, por ejemplo, a un extenso grupo de aspectos relacionados con el contexto de las organizaciones, tanto aquellos vinculados a dimensiones propias de los usuarios, como los que se encuentran más cercanos al espectro de la dirección. Tomando como punto de partida esta realidad científica, la presente tesis doctoral pone el foco en la discusión de la implantación en las organizaciones de soluciones basadas en el OSS, teniendo como eje vertebrador el influjo de la formación reglada sobre esta tecnología. Así pues, el objetivo principal es analizar la relación que existe entre la formación reglada recibida sobre soluciones tecnológicas basadas en OSS y su posterior impacto en las organizaciones. En concreto, esta tesis doctoral se centra en la formación sobre el OSS incluida en el sistema público de educación andaluza y su relación con sus posteriores implicaciones en el tejido empresarial andaluz. En particular, este objetivo general se articula en cuatro objetivos específicos: 1. Analizar el impacto en la intención de uso de soluciones tecnológicas basadas en OSS en usuarios finales que están recibiendo alguna formación reglada sobre este tipo de tecnología en diferentes etapas educativas. 2. Identificar y analizar los determinantes motivacionales del comportamiento de los estudiantes hacia el uso del OSS una vez concluido su periodo formativo. 3. Analizar la percepción gerencial hacia los determinantes motivacionales de los usuarios del OSS después de recibir una formación específica, así como determinar un escenario previsible sobre la implantación de sistemas OSS en las organizaciones. 4. Analizar la motivación de los docentes para contribuir al desarrollo de proyectos de OSS en el ámbito educativo.Universidad Pablo de Olavide de Sevilla. Departamento de Organización de Empresas y Marketin

A Grounded Theory for managerial action in the process of e-learning implementation in business schools of Brazil

Neste trabalho, influenciado pela interacionismo simbólico, investigamos a ação gerencial no processo de implementação do e-learning e propomos um quadro conceptual para explicar como as interpretações que os gestores desenvolvem em torno dessa tecnologia influencia como ela é apropriada por uma organização de ensino superior. Usando a metodologia da Grounded Theory, estudamos sete escolas de negócios no Brasil e concluímos que a ação dos gestores pode levar a dois padrões de apropriação do e-learning: uma apropriação orientada a usar o e-learning como instrumento para melhorar o processo de ensino existente e uma apropriação orientada para o mercado. Esses resultados oferecem novas evidências empíricas e explicações quando o fenômeno do e-learning é analisado em termos simbólicos nas escolas de negócios,sendo útil para pesquisadores que estudam o papel do e-learning nas organizações de ensino superior, bem como para os responsáveis pela gestão da sua implementação.Palavras-chave: ação gerencial, implementação de e-learning, escolas de negócios, Grounded Theory.We investigate managerial action in e-learning project implementation. We frame our investigation in the symbolic interactionism paradigm to propose a grounded theory that explains how managers’ perceptions towards e-learning influence how the organization will appropriate this technology. We studied seven business schools in Brazil to conclude that managerial action may lead to two appropriation patterns. Either the e-learning technology is seen as an instrument to improve the existing teaching process or it is seen as solely an instrument to market positioning. These results provide fresh evidence about e-learning in business schools useful for both researchers and practitioners.Key words: managerial action, e-learning implementation, business schools, Grounded Theory

A Grounded Theory for managerial action in the process of e-learning implementation in business schools of Brazil

Neste trabalho, influenciado pela interacionismo simbólico, investigamos a ação gerencial no processo de implementação do e-learning e propomos um quadro conceptual para explicar como as interpretações que os gestores desenvolvem em torno dessa tecnologia influencia como ela é apropriada por uma organização de ensino superior. Usando a metodologia da Grounded Theory, estudamos sete escolas de negócios no Brasil e concluímos que a ação dos gestores pode levar a dois padrões de apropriação do e-learning: uma apropriação orientada a usar o e-learning como instrumento para melhorar o processo de ensino existente e uma apropriação orientada para o mercado. Esses resultados oferecem novas evidências empíricas e explicações quando o fenômeno do e-learning é analisado em termos simbólicos nas escolas de negócios,sendo útil para pesquisadores que estudam o papel do e-learning nas organizações de ensino superior, bem como para os responsáveis pela gestão da sua implementação.Palavras-chave: ação gerencial, implementação de e-learning, escolas de negócios, Grounded Theory.We investigate managerial action in e-learning project implementation. We frame our investigation in the symbolic interactionism paradigm to propose a grounded theory that explains how managers’ perceptions towards e-learning influence how the organization will appropriate this technology. We studied seven business schools in Brazil to conclude that managerial action may lead to two appropriation patterns. Either the e-learning technology is seen as an instrument to improve the existing teaching process or it is seen as solely an instrument to market positioning. These results provide fresh evidence about e-learning in business schools useful for both researchers and practitioners.Key words: managerial action, e-learning implementation, business schools, Grounded Theory

The Relationship Of Community College Staff\u27s Job Satisfaction To Administration\u27s Leadership Style: A Correlational Study

Today, higher education faces more social, cultural, accreditation, and funding opportunities than they have faced in the past and it is important for staff to have job satisfaction to assist the colleges to meet these opportunities. Higher education leaders are increasingly recognizing that to keep the institutions doors open financially, they must have staff that are satisfied with their jobs and thus are placing a greater emphasis on meeting the staffs’ expectations and needs. This will allow for the staff to assist with the opportunities that those in higher education are facing today. The purpose of this study was to examine quantitatively the correlation between the leadership styles of community college leaders and the satisfaction level of staff. Ultimately, this research study extended the literature that pertained to the relationship between leadership the predictive variable has on staff satisfaction the criterion variable and examined whether specific types of leadership supports staff satisfaction quantitatively at the community college level. This study was a correlation research design, using 130 participants that are employed as staff for a community college in Texas. Data was collected from two questionnaires, the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5X (MLQ 5X) assessment tool developed by Avolio and Bass (2000) and a Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) developed by Spector (1985) delivered through an employee email survey portal. The study explored the relationship between the three leadership styles transformational, transactional, and passive avoidance as related to staffs’ job satisfaction and allowed the researcher to investigate relational trends to determine if there are any positive and negative associations. A one-way ANOVA was used to analyze the means and test the hypothesis. The significance level for all three leadership styles was

Managerial e-learning professionals at the corporate university

Includes vita.This study explores the lived experience of managerial professionals. With the pressures on higher education to generate new revenue streams, specifically the professional life and identity of instructional designers are explored regarding the various pressures of academic capitalism and instructional unbundling through the lens of Activity Theory. Including interviews and annotated calendars/journaling, participants provide insights into the daily life and professional negotiation involved in a changing higher education landscape. Ultimately, professional esteem and respect, as well as trusting relationships between these academic professionals, framed a sense of professional identity.Includes bibliographical references (pages 96-114

Exploring the Experiences and Needs of Faculty When Implementing Active Learning at a Public Southeastern Regional University: A Mixed-Methods Approach

The purpose of this action research was to identify participant experiences and needs of faculty when teaching in the active learning classrooms at a public regional southeastern university. This study aimed to determine what were the experiences of faculty members who have taught in the active learning classrooms, what were the experiences of students who have taken a course in the active learning classrooms, and what are the faculty development, classroom technology, and technical support needs of faculty members who have taught in such classrooms. With the five-year Federal grant cycle ending in 2019, the university needs to create a formal process to train faculty members in teaching active learning strategies and preparing them to utilize the active learning classrooms built. Such activities and research being done at this institution is consistent with other institutions reporting on how active learning classrooms were constructed and how they created faculty development programs for appropriate active learning instruction in active learning classrooms. To answer the research questions, explanatory sequential mixed methods were executed that included sending a quantitative survey and conducting qualitative focus groups with participants chosen through purposive sampling. The results of this study indicated overall agreement in the active learning strategies being implemented, the technology experiences within the active learning classrooms, and overall experiences. For strategies implemented, faculty and students both agreed that more collaborative activities were being implemented while faculty struggled to implement independentbased active learning activities and traditional assessment strategies. While participants felt there was adequate technology support, faculty felt that more troubleshooting training was needed and students felt more hands-on exposure is needed prior to starting classroom activities. Overall, faculty overwhelming disagreed that the active learning classroom experience was a waste of time while students were mixed on their active learning classroom experience. Recommendations given to academic affairs administrators include providing prefaculty development observation activities to allow perspective participants to see the benefits and challenges of teaching in active learning classrooms, address the individual assessment issues related to academic integrity, and training faculty members on how to implement active learning strategies when in traditional or online course environments. Recommendations given to information technology administrators include utilizing the technology usefulness results as a way to better allocate technology funds, initiate conversations with academic affairs administrators to standardize active learning classrooms that provide basic rudimentary furniture and technology features, and assist in orientating students to the new active learning classrooms by creating technology tutorials