Factors affecting the use of computer assisted learning by further education biology teachers

The UK educational system is currently under pressure from many quarters to increase its use of educational technology. Within this context, this thesis investigates the nature of a range of factors which influence teachers' use of computer assisted learning (CAL), focusing on biology teachers in Further Education (FE). The factors were identified from the literature, and include aspects such as resourcing, and the teachers' classroom practice and educational philosophies. There were three main stages to the thesis research. The first stage involved a survey of 68 FE biology teachers. The second stage involved two interviews each with 20 of the survey respondents, producing approximately 80 hours of audiotape. The third stage involved a total of nine classroom observations with six of the interviewees, producing approximately nine hours of videotape and nine hours of audiotape. The conclusions describe how the factors interacted to affect CAL use amongst the FE biology teachers. The findings stress the importance of teachers' development of classroom familiarity with computers; this development was encouraged by both current and previous exposure to the classroom practice of other computer-using teachers. The teachers involved in the study were generally positive about educational technology, but critical about many currently available biology programs; this critical perspective was particularly evident amongst the more student-centred teachers. The findings outline a list of criteria that the teachers appeared to consider when reviewing programs, and describe the relationship between the use of software and the teachers' classroom practice. The conclusions outline the potential of a framework developed by Brown and McIntyre (1993) for future studies of how classroom practice affects, and is affected by, educational technology. The conclusions also make recommendations, based on the findings, to those responsible for FE policy and staff development about how they might help to increase teachers' use of CAL

Evaluating learning and teaching technologies in further education

With the current emphasis on quality assessment and the role of evaluation in quality assessment, it is likely that teachers in post‐compulsory education will increasingly be expected to evaluate their teaching, especially when making changes to their teaching methods. In Further Education (FE), there have been a number of developments to foster the use of Information and Learning Technologies (ILT), following the publication of the Higginson Report in 1996. However, there is some evidence that the adoption of ILT has been patchy

Project communication, trust, collaboration and success : a structural equation model and the influence of computer mediated communication

Project success is the goal of every project that is undertaken. Literature supports the fact that project communication in addition to several other ‘human-related’ factors has an influence on the ultimate success of the project as it is well-known that it is people who deliver projects: not processes or systems. This thesis theoretically and empirically establishes that the quality of communication, level of trust and degree of collaboration are the main human-related factors that determine project success. Structural equation modelling techniques are used to determine that project success is positively influenced by the degree of collaboration and indirectly by the level of trust between project team members based on a foundation of quality of communication. Moreover, that the quality of communication factor is determined by frequency of interaction, communication content, type, technology, number of channels, audience and communications plan. Similarly, the level of trust in a project is determined by the degree of knowledge exchange, imported trust and meeting team members' expectations while the degree of collaboration is determined by team relationships, coordination, proximity, commitment, conflict and incentives. In order to better understand the foundational role that project communication plays in the model, the study determines that project and programme performance can be achieved by communication-mediated communication (CMC) that is facilitated by a programme call centre. A call centre can provide the correct combination of informal and formal communication to increase the communication, collaboration and trust between principals and agents in a project. The programme benefits of a call centre include improved team communication, project deliverables, service delivery and customer satisfaction. Furthermore, it was found that the CMC mediums of instant messaging and video conferencing impact positively on the variables that determine the quality of communication in a project, as they lead to more appropriate communication and improve the quality of communication of virtual teams. The thesis provides project managers with many practical ways in which project success can be achieved by promoting communication, trust and collaboration in their projects through the use of a call centre and other CMC’s. The results and findings of the two related studies that were undertaken have been published in ISI-rated international and national journals. The findings of this thesis contribute to better communication management in projects and enhance existing knowledge of project communication, trust, collaboration and project success.Thesis (PhD (Project Management))--University of Pretoria, 2014.Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM)Unrestricte

Mentor, colleague, co-learner and judge: using Bourdieu to evaluate the motivations of mentors of Newly Qualified Teachers

This study uses Bourdieu’s interconnected notions of fields, habitus and capital as a theoretical template to analyse the responses of eight mentors of Newly Qualified Teachers with regard to the motivations and challenges of their role. This is an original grounded approach to the analysis of the experiences of such mentors. The data reveal that each mentor was a highly committed re-creator of the fields and habitus in which they operated, although this was not consciously done. They were each also committed to helping the NQTs develop professional cultural capital. Although Bourdieu famously referred to education as ‘symbolic violence’ the data from this study give no indication that the recreation of fields through the mentoring of professional practice was viewed as an act of dominion on the part of the mentors. Rather, these mentors saw their role as an empowering aspect of professional agency in which both parties shared in a co-authoring of a (usually) positive and mutually-affirming outcome

The role of trust in project negotiation : a case study

SYNOPSIS : Most projects include procurement processes which may consist of tendering, negotiation or a combination of the two. It has been found that if the procurement relationships in a project are healthy, then it has a significant influence on the success of the project. This may be because team performance in a project environment is influenced, amongst others, by the extent to which the contracting parties trust each other. However, most of these studies have been conducted in Europe, America, and Asia and in large international construction projects where tendering is the usual method of contract award. Few studies have investigated the role and types of trust during project initiation, specifically during project negotiation. RELEVANCE FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION : One significant practical implication of the findings is that the customer and the other negotiating parties should determine to what extent they have competence, integrity and intuitive trust in the other party. As all three, these trust types are essential for increasing the likelihood of a successful negotiation outcome. Where a successful negotiation outcome is determined by the extent to which expectations regarding the outcome are aligned, the outcome is perceived to be fair and where both parties reach consensus. RESEARCH DESIGN : This paper investigates the role that trust plays during procurement negotiations. Thein-depth case study research was done on an electrical turn-key trace heating contract at the Medupi Power Station in South Africa. Five semi-structured interviews were undertaken with the organisation representatives that participated in the negotiation process to appoint a new contractor to carry out the project work. The interviews were transcribed and analysed based on the propositions put forward in the conceptual framework. MAIN FINDINGS : A conceptual framework is developed which shows that competence trust, integrity, trust, and intuitive trust are essential for a successful negotiation process. Implications of these findings for researchers and project practitioners are discussed. RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS : Academics and project practitioners may use the results regarding the role and types of trust that are instrumental to successful project negotiation to conduct further research in this field and increase the likelihood of successful project negotiations, respectively.https://pmrp.online/index.php/pmrp/indexhj2021Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM

Smart project management information systems (SPMIS) for engineering projects - project performance monitoring & reporting

Engineering projects are becoming increasingly complex as projects get larger and as technology improves. Greater competition worldwide has meant that projects are delivered quicker and cheaper. This necessitates sophisticated Project Management Information System (PMIS) technologies to be adopted to improve efficiency and quality on projects. PMIS data and reports can be used to better understand the risk exposure, resource utilisation, profitability, and scheduling of a project. It also informs strategic project decisions and performance monitoring and reporting. Unfortunately, project data is often fragmented and embedded in different systems. This paper investigates several commercially available PMIS, to understand and compare the functionality of these systems. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted with purposively selected project systems experts at twelve project-based organisations. Thematic analysis revealed what functions PMIS fulfils, how these systems are integrated and how they facilitate project monitoring and reporting. Moreover, a novel model for the basic architecture of a ‘Smart’ Project Management Information System (SPMIS) is proposed, which would facilitate software integration and intelligence based on identified industry needs and requirements. The model addresses the shortcomings of existing models by combining models and incorporating system intelligence i.e. the automation of certain project management activities.http://www.sciencesphere.org/ijispmam2022Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM

Exploring the influence of instant messaging and video conferencing on the quality of project communication

Growth in computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies such as instant messaging (IM) and video conferencing (VC) has led to a need to explore the utilisation and influence of these tools on the quality of project communication, which must still be established. This article reports the results of a survey conducted among 210 project practitioners using CMC in various industries to determine how, why and what each medium is used for, and how these media influence factors that promote quality communication. Some results showed that the use of both instant messaging and video conferencing in projects is moderate and both improve the quality of communication in virtual teams, however in different ways.Die groei in rekenaar-bemiddelde kommunikasietegnologie soos kitsboodskappe en videokonferensies het gelei tot ʼn behoefte om die benutting en invloed van hierdie tegnologie op die gehalte van projekkommunikasie te verstaan aangesien dit nog nie vasgestel is nie. Hierdie artikel rapporteer die resultate van ‘n opname wat gedoen was onder 210 projekpraktisyns wat CMC’s gebruik in verskeie industrieë om te bepaal hoe, hoekom en waarvoor elke medium gebruik word, en hoe hierdie media die faktore beïnvloed wat kwaliteitkommunikasie bevorder. Sommige resultate toon dat die gebruik van beide hierdie tipe media in projekte matig is en dat kitsboodskappe en videokonferensies albei die gehalte van kommunikasie in virtuele spanne verbeter maar egter op verskillende maniere.http://reference.sabinet.co.za/sa_epublication/structam2016Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM)Statistic

Leadership styles in projects : current trends and future opportunities

Currently, many organisations experience challenges as a result of uncertainty, fast-changing environments, globalisation, and increasingly complex work tasks. In order to adapt to these challenges, a shift in leadership style may be needed. Traditionally, leadership has been seen as a vertical relationship (top-down influence). For a number of decades, this vertical leadership model has been the principal one in the leadership field; but lately, shared and balanced leadership have gained importance, especially in the project management literature. This theoretical study highlights some differences between ‘leadership’ and ‘management’, and explores current trends in the leadership literature. It especially focuses on vertical, shared, and balanced leadership in project management, and identifies future opportunities for research.Baie organisasies ervaar vandag uitdagings as gevolg van onsekerheid, vinnig-veranderende omgewings, globalisering, en toenemend komplekse werkstake. ’n Verskuiwing in leierskapstyl mag nodig wees om aan te pas by hierdie uitdagings. Tradisioneel was leierskap gesien as ’n vertikale verhouding (bo-na-onder invloed), en hierdie vertikale leierskapsmodel was die vernaamste een in die leierskapsveld vir baie jare. Gedeelde en gebalanseerde leierskap het onlangs begin om belangrik te word, veral in die projekbestuursliteratuur. Hierdie teoretiese studie bespreek sommige verskille tussen leierskap en bestuur, en ondersoek die onlangse rigtings in die leierskapsliteratuur. Dit fokus veral op vertikale, gedeelde, en gebalanseerde leierskap in projekbestuur, en identifiseer toekomstige geleenthede vir navorsing.Presented at the 29th annual conference of the Southern African Institute for Industrial Engineering (SAIIE), held from 24-26 October 2018 in Stellenbosch, South Africahttp://sajie.journals.ac.zaam2019Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM