How does Information Technology impact the methods, potential and purpose of education?

It is evident that information technology has affected changes to the methods, purpose and the perceived potential of education. While various authors differ in their opinion on the degree, desirability and destiny of these changes, all agree that change processes have certainly been underway. However, the process of change is far from over. Numerous authors auger grave peril for education institutions that refuse to integrate information technology into every level of the education institution. Some authors argue that the very nature of education itself will change. Information technology, whether perceived as a power for good or a power for evil, certainly has not been neutral. While effecting change has been difficult in many situations, contemporary information technology has by its very nature, been an agent of change in education institutions

E-LEARNING, VIRTUAL LEARNING AND SOCIAL CAPITAL

E-learning opens new possibilities that may enhance the efficiency with which conventional education reaches its objectives. This is reflectedin the fact that, in general,the returns to investment in human capital, both at the individual and the social level, are increasedwith the help of e-learning. Whereas the impact of e-learningon the acquisition of human capital seems, therefore, to be positive, the same cannot be said with the same level of confidence regarding the acquisition of social capital.As it is arguedin this paper, the impact of e-learningonsocial capital at primary education, when developed as a substitute forthe conventional school(distant e-learning) may well be negative. Taking into account the importance of some components of social capital with regard to the benefits of education, also from an economic point of view, the introduction of distant e-learningshould not be donein an uncritical manner, but after a careful analysis of its impact onsocial capital.At graduate levels, however, e-learning provides an interesting kind of social capital worth analysingin some more detail

Artists Becoming Teachers: Expressions of Identity Transformation in a Virtual Forum

This article is an investigation of art and design graduates' identities as they embark upon their training as teachers. The expressive, 'confessional' nature of forum posts from their Virtual Learning Environment are analysed in relation to the students' identity transformation into teachers. This transition is profound in the case of artist teachers, for whom the contrast between their practice as a critical artist and that of a regulated professional can be severe. The usage of these socially-oriented virtual forums, and the students' identity transition is analysed in terms of identity theorists such as Butler, hooks and Wenger. There are problems of expression that are brought about by the juxtaposition of visually and spatially adept artist-learners constrained within a largely textual environment, yet this impediment appears to be ameliorated by their social-expressive exploitation of the forums

THE MODERATING ROLE OF TRAINING ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRATEGY MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF SHARJAH POLICE

This study’s primary objective is to examine the role of training on the relationship between strategy management, information technology (IT) management, and organizational performance. The study proposed the study model based on theoretical basis and a review of literature with the underpinning model being the Resource-Based View of the Firm (RBV), Knowledge–Based View (KBV) and innovation theories. The analysis of data was conducted on the effects of IT management and strategy management on the organizational performance of three hundred and forty-one (341) Sharjah Police in Emirate of Sharjah, UAE, to which the questionnaire survey copies were distributed to. A total of two hundred and forty-five (245) questionnaires were retrieved and tested with the help of SPSS. The analysis results indicated the positive and significant effects of both IT management and strategy management on the performance of Sharjah Police departments. The study enumerated recommendations for the effective IT management and strategy management implementation in the Sharjah Police and confirmed the underpinning theories applicability to the context.&nbsp

The influence of information quality, system quality and service quality on student’s self-efficacy at institutions of higher learning in South Africa

The notion of improving student self-efficacy at institutions of higher learning has become a priority matter. There is a growing realization among institutions of higher learning that one way of achieving this, is by encouraging learners to make the best out of information technology use. It is therefore in this regards that this paper seeks to investigate the influence of information quality, system quality and service quality on student’s self-efficacy at institutions of higher learning in South Africa. To address this dearth, this study proposed three hypotheses that were validated using a sample of 271 university students in the Gauteng province. The findings indicated that there are positive relationships between the posited research variables. Managerial implications of the findings are discussed and limitations and future research directions are indicated.KIM201

Towards information fluency: applying a different model to an information literacy credit course

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to examine information literacy, critical thinking, and computer literacy in higher education and discuss the application of the information fluency model, created by the Associated Colleges of the South, to the Purdue University Libraries one-credit information literacy course, GS 175 Information Strategies. Design/methodology/approach – The case study has a two-part focus. The first examines information literacy, critical thinking, and computer literacy in higher education through a review of the literature. The second part discusses the pilot GS 175 Information Strategies course, shows how the information fluency model was applied, and analyzes the overall success of the pilot. Findings – Today, employers and professors expect graduates and students to exhibit critical thinking, analysis, research, and technology skills at a fairly high level. Universities are responding with a more rapid integration and adoption of technology and creating a higher emphasis on information use and retrieval. Increasingly, student research projects are being displayed, presented, and contained in a variety of formats. Library instruction programs and courses need to evolve and adapt to these changes as shown through the successful modification of the GS 175 Information Strategies course. Practical implications – The article provides ideas and concepts for enhancing the critical thinking and technology components of an information literacy course or program as well as touches on what to avoid when modifying assignments and projects. Originality/value – The application of the information fluency model is a fairly new model to the library profession. This case study shows one way information literacy credit courses can be modified to accommodate the changing educational landscape and the expectations of Generation Y. It can be used by instruction librarians and their faculty partners to explore alternatives to their current instructional programs

Motivations for Using CMC and Non-CMC Media in Learning Contexts: A Uses and Gratifications Approach

As the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) by students in the university learning contexts increases, there is a need to better understand students’ motivations for using CMC and non-CMC media in their learning. By employing the uses and gratifications (U&G) perspective, this paper identified 7 motivation dimensions including information seeking, convenience, connectivity, problem solving, content management, social presence, and social context cues. Furthermore, this study found that overall CMC media were not functional alternatives to non- CMC media. However, this study revealed some specific similarities and differences between CMC and non-CMC media in terms of each specific motivation dimension. Finally, the paper concluded with a discussion of the implications for both IS researchers, higher education and organizations

Using a VLE to enhance ‘assessment for learning’ mathematics in school sector

This paper investigates the use of VLE in enhancing or supporting assessment for learning mathematics by the KS4 students with special education needs in the London borough secondary school. The main challenge in teaching and learning of mathematics is to provide the special education needs students with extensive support structure that is associated with their subject area. As part of continuous teaching and learning, many schools in the UK have embraced Assessment for learning as an effective and efficient way of providing students, their teachers and their home schools with feedback and feed forward. A virtual learning environment (VLE), which is an electronic system, provides online interaction of various kinds that can take place between learners and tutors, including online learning and assessment [1]. A VLE as a platform for teaching and learning supports assessment for learning (AfL), encourages personalised and collaborative learning, enabling students to carry out peer and self assessment of mathematics course within a unified supportive environment online. Evidence from literature suggests that VLE supports out of school hours of learning, and that the special education needs learners who do not respond well to the formal structure of learning within the school system take an active part in learning in informal settings. The finding presents key issues related to mathematics teaching and assessment for learning using a VLE, based on the perspectives of the special education needs (SENs) students in the school sector. The students who received in-class feedback and feed-forward during mathematics lesson, and through the VLE (Fronter) platform, moved their learning forward and much quicker when compared with students who only received feedback in class. Correspondingly, the instant feedback provided by a VLE after the Observation stage was greatly valued by the SENs students who used this period to take greater responsibility for personal learning. In general, the finding suggests that a VLE effectively enhances assessment for Learning by offering instant feedback and feed-forward to the SENs students who, now began to take responsibility for their own learning, and have also been motivated to correct their work. Furthermore, evidence of teacher – student interactivity which facilitates greater understanding of mathematical concepts is highlighted by the study

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThe availability of online education in universities and colleges across the nation has significantly increased during the past decade. The increase has been due in part to recent federal policy changes authorizing access to financial aid for online higher education students. The dramatic growth in the number of students taking online courses and the corresponding increase in online offerings from United States (U.S.) colleges and universities have followed this policy change. Questions related to institutional compliance with national online quality standards remain unanswered in the extant literature. The exploratory study first examines the three phases in the development of online quality standards for U.S. higher education. It next considers the institutional context and commitment to online courses and degrees as well as the current online curriculum and instruction policies and practices of Doctoral/Research-Extensive Universities in the U.S. The study explores issues related to the quality and types of instructor and student support. Online evaluation and assessment are also considered in the context of the U.S. higher education experience. A survey instrument elicited data from university Chief Information Officers in the five key areas of online institutional activity defined by the agencies that accredit all U.S. colleges and universities. The findings provide new information on the online policies and practices of 25 U.S. Doctoral/Research-Extensive Universities in the areas of: 1) institutional context and commitment, 2) curriculum and instruction, 3) faculty support, 4) student support, and 5) evaluation and assessment. An analysis of the data provides new understanding of institutional policies and practices in light of both extant research and accrediting agency standards for online higher education. Implications for online policy and practice are explored in some depth as are a number of directions for further research. Limitations of the study are noted

An Evaluation in China and the UK of a Virtual Laboratory in Materials Science

This thesis describes the design, development and evaluation of virtual technology-based courseware—Virtual Laboratory in Materials Science used in a tension test that forms part of the course of “Properties of Materials” taught to most first year engineering undergraduates. The effectiveness of this specially developed courseware for virtual laboratory work was evaluated in a pretest—posttest comparative study of the performance of designated subjects between two treatment groups that worked with the courseware and two control groups that worked with a real testing machine. All participants were engineering students studying either with the United Kingdom Open University (UKOU) or with the China Radio & TV University system (CRTVUs). The findings showed that most students enjoyed using the courseware because the simulated real experiment environment can make them feel personally on the scene. Among all the media used in the courseware, 3D and images were more favoured and more helpful to the students in terms of the usability of the courseware. Sounds were not seen as particularly helpful although some participants agreed sounds made the courseware more interesting. The result of the research indicated that using the Virtual Laboratory in Materials Science could make a contribution to students’ understanding of the tensile testing. This evaluation clearly revealed that virtual reality (VR) and virtual environments (VE) technology can facilitate and support engineering course learning or even make learning fun. But when used at times when there were steps that need lots of manipulation, the virtual experiment still had some difficulties that need to be resolved. The research showed that the potential of the virtual testing courseware in promoting concept teaching needs to be tapped further