Model-based teaching and learning of kinematics in an introductory physics course for underprepared students

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-182).This study concerns the application of a model-based approach for problem solving and conceptual understanding, in the context of kinematics, relating to the "foundation" component of an introductory physics course designed for students who are academically and scientifically underprepared. A new method for portraying objects in motion, "freeze frame" representation, was introduced. The particular visual conceptual model was employed as a representational bridge for translating physics information between different modes of representations as well as for eliciting qualitative information

Representing

The earliest recorded use of the term representation is in France in the mid-13th century, when it referred to the presentation of letters, documents or evidence for view. Since then, representation has taken on various meanings, which concern the symbolic denotation of something; ‘standing in for’ others with the authority to act on their behalf; a discursive or written account; and the visual portrayal of a person or thing (Oxford English Dictionary, 2009). Today, many people around the world are immersed in representations, such as adverts, newspapers, debates and art. It is important to differentiate between the meaning of a representation, and the medium or form that it takes

The role of motivation in regulating the extent to which data visualisation literacy influences business intelligence and analytics use in organisations

Dissertation (MCom (Informatics))--University of Pretoria 2022.The ability to read and interpret visualised data is a critical skill to have in this information age where business intelligence and analytics (BI&A) systems are increasingly used to support decision-making. Data visualisation literacy is seen as the foundation of analytics. Moreover, there is great hype about data-driven analytical culture and data democratisation, where users are encouraged to have wide access to data and fully use BI&A to reap the benefits. Motivation is a stimulant to the richer use of any information system (IS), yet literature provides a limited understanding of the evaluation of data visualisation literacy and the effect of motivation in the BI&A context. Thus, this study aims to explain the role of motivation in regulating the extent to which data visualisation literacy influences BI&A’s exploitative and explorative use in organisations. Data visualisation literacy is measured using six data visualisations that focus on the five cognitive basic intelligent analytical tasks that assess the user's ability to read and interpret visualised data. Two types of motivations are assessed using perceived enjoyment as an intrinsic motivator and perceived usefulness as an extrinsic motivator. The model is tested using quantitative data collected from 111 users, applying Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results indicate that intrinsic motivation exerts a positive effect on BI&A exploitative and explorative use while extrinsic motivation has a positive effect on BI&A exploitative use but weakens innovation with a negative effect on explorative use. The results further show an indirect relationship between data visualisation literacy with BI&A use through motivation. In addition, exploitation leads to creativity with exploitation positively being associated with exploration.InformaticsMCom (Informatics)Unrestricte

Quality in MOOCs: Surveying the Terrain

The purpose of this review is to identify quality measures and to highlight some of the tensions surrounding notions of quality, as well as the need for new ways of thinking about and approaching quality in MOOCs. It draws on the literature on both MOOCs and quality in education more generally in order to provide a framework for thinking about quality and the different variables and questions that must be considered when conceptualising quality in MOOCs. The review adopts a relativist approach, positioning quality as a measure for a specific purpose. The review draws upon Biggs’s (1993) 3P model to explore notions and dimensions of quality in relation to MOOCs — presage, process and product variables — which correspond to an input–environment–output model. The review brings together literature examining how quality should be interpreted and assessed in MOOCs at a more general and theoretical level, as well as empirical research studies that explore how these ideas about quality can be operationalised, including the measures and instruments that can be employed. What emerges from the literature are the complexities involved in interpreting and measuring quality in MOOCs and the importance of both context and perspective to discussions of quality

An exploration of how social science students utilise an opportunity to learn about simulation-based research methods : A design-based study

Paper I, Paper III and Paper IV is excluded from the dissertation with respect to copyright.Paper III and Paper IV is not published yet.At the core of this thesis lies an exploration of how social science students utilise an opportunity to learn about Modeling and Simulation (M&S)-based research methods. The study is framed within the Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). The thesis also utilises local theories such as the community of practice theory, the theory of objectification, and the theory of semiotic representation, and these are used to analyse, interpret and discuss the data generated in the study. During the analysis, boundary-crossing, boundary objects, tension and contradictions within and between activity systems were identified. Metaknowledge underpinning Modelling and Simulation (M&S) research methodology and mathematics, process and product mathematics, and epistemological analysis of simulation-based educational tools are explicated to interpret the data generated and explore students’ meanings and anchor the discussion presented in the dissertation. The study aims to understand how social science students utilise opportunities to learn about M&S-based research methods to study social dynamics. Further, to achieve the goal, the research also explores how students utilise metaknowledge while learning about M&S-based research methods. The study uses a design-based intervention approach to implement an M&S-based research methods curriculum module for students on social sciences programs. The design-based research processes were cyclic and iterative, with each component of the intervention affecting the others. This dissertation includes four independent papers (published or submitted for publication). The overall study resulted in the development of an M&S-based research methods module that was informed by and evolved throughout each intervention. My Paper 1 reports the outcome of intervention study I, which set out to explore the feasible and practical design of an M&S-based research methods module with the students of religion. Precisely, Paper 1 laid an empirical foundation of the study that made it possible to increase the intensity of the M&S-based research methods module in the following iteration with the students of Development Studies. Paper 2 reports intervention study II, which investigates how Development Studies students can gain metaknowledge about M&S-based research methods: its rationale, background knowledge, and opportunities and limitations of the research methods. Using the results of intervention studies, I and II, the next iteration, intervention study III, set out to explore how undergraduate students of religion utilise an opportunity to learn about the M&S-based research method. Paper 3 reports on formative evaluation of ‘meet-the-expert’ event, an element of the M&S-based methods curriculum module implemented through seminars and workshops. Moreover, Paper 4 deals with the pedagogical aspects of M&S-based tools and reveals how such tools can facilitate students’ evolutionary process of mathematical and social science sense-making during their interaction with the social simulation applet.publishedVersio

Exploring teachers’ perceptions of critical digital literacies and how these are manifested in their teaching practices

Digital systems are increasingly becoming central to the running of contemporary schools. A range of digital tools are also adopted by teachers to facilitate face to face teaching and learning and more recently to accommodate remote schooling. Similarly, digital technologies lie at the heart of how students support their learning but also interact with peers. These digital practices raise questions in relation to teachers’ own critical digital literacies as well as their role in developing students’ critical digital literacies. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study that aimed to develop an understanding of teachers’ current experiences and future needs relating to critical digital literacies within school contexts. Drawing on empirical data collected during focus group interviews with primary and secondary school teachers in Finland, Italy, Spain and the UK this paper looks at teachers’ perceptions of critical digital literacies and explores whether and how these are manifested in their practices. Findings revealed that different dimensions of critical digital literacies were more prevalent for each national group and highlighted the disjuncture between how Critical digital literacies (CDL) is defined and perceived in academic research with a stronger emphasis on the “critical” and between the more “twenty-first century skills” oriented policy agendas and curricula which inform teachers’ practice. The paper goes on to discuss the implications of these findings and identifies gaps in relation to teachers’ understandings of critical digital literacies. Last, it offers original insights for future policymaking, research and practice regarding the challenges of supporting teachers with developing critical digital literacies