Diane Newton, Stewart Hase and Allan Ellis
This study identified the factors that are important in the effective implementation of online learning in the mining industry in Queensland, Australia. Two sources of data and a…
Abstract
This study identified the factors that are important in the effective implementation of online learning in the mining industry in Queensland, Australia. Two sources of data and a Grounded Theory approach were used to develop a theoretical model that would inform managers, trainers and educators considering online learning implementation. The first source of data was key stakeholders in the Queensland mining industry, which had yet to implement online learning in any systematic way. The second source was literature case studies of other industries that had reported experiences of implementing online learning that were compared with the field case study. Six major factors were identified from this analysis as important for effective online learning implementation: external influences; organizational culture; organizational structures; training environment; learners’ needs and the online learning environment. Implications for further research and the implementation of online learning in other industries are also discussed.
Details
Keywords
Roger Debreceny and Allan Ellis
Demand by students for access to institutional computing and network resources is a management issue for universities throughout the world. A survey of the IT directors of…
Abstract
Demand by students for access to institutional computing and network resources is a management issue for universities throughout the world. A survey of the IT directors of Australian universities was conducted. The survey sought details of the provision of IT resources to students and particularly the management of network resources for access to institutional CWISs and to the wider Internet. The survey established that considerable investment has been made in the provision and quality of on‐ and off‐campus network access for students. At the same time, universities in Australia face rapid growth in demand for network access. The study reports institutional responses to this demand and the concerns of the management of the IT function in Australian universities.
Details
Keywords
This case study identifies factors influencing the implementation of e‐learning within the Australian Army training context.
Abstract
Purpose
This case study identifies factors influencing the implementation of e‐learning within the Australian Army training context.
Design/methodology/approach
A grounded theory approach was used to gain an understanding of the concerns of stakeholders involved in e‐learning implementation. This research included interviews with Army managers, course developers, instructional designers and instructors.
Findings
The main factors that were important for respondents involved in e‐learning management, design, development and delivery could be identified. This case study demonstrates the importance of maintaining focus on organisational priorities and learning goals while meeting the demands of change pressures.
Research limitations/implications
This is an initial study to gain an overview of the main issues. More research will be required to understand the Army's e‐learning context and to confirm these findings. Further research will include other stakeholders, including trainees' perspectives and extend to other Army sites.
Practical implications
For effective implementation there needs to be a process of continual adaptation and alignment of e‐learning to reflect changing demands while meeting the priorities of the organisational culture and learners' needs.
Originality/value
This paper analyses the first independent external research into e‐learning in the Australian Army. Although this is a specialised context for e‐learning, the issues raised in this case study will inform research into other workplace e‐learning projects.
Details
Keywords
These are the days of falling standards and sagging morale, nowhere more apparent than in the one‐time efficient public service. The division between management and workers in the…
Abstract
These are the days of falling standards and sagging morale, nowhere more apparent than in the one‐time efficient public service. The division between management and workers in the field in the large public enterprises has grown wider and wider and we tend to blame the lower strata of the structure for most of the ills which beset us, mainly because its failures are more obvious; here, the falling standards of work and care speak for themselves. The massive reorganization of the National Health Service and local authorities has made evident, especially in the first, that the upper strata of the colossi which dominate our everyday lives have their ills too. Local authorities have been told “The party is over!” and the National Health Service has been told of the urgent need for the strictest economy in administration; that the taking over of personal health services from local authorities was wrongly attributed to “managerial growth” instead of a mere “transfer of functions”, but, nonetheless, new authorities were created, each with fast‐growing administrative organs operating services—doctors, nurses and patients—which had remained unchanged. Very large local authorities, with many functions lost to others, one would have expected to have resulted in economy of administration, has all‐too‐often been the opposite. Hardly surprising that those who pay for it all, distinct from those who receive of its largesse, are being stirred to rebellion, when they have been overtaxed, ill‐used and what is more important, ignored for so long.
One of the arguments used against British entry to the EEC was the loss of sovereignty; that Parliament would not be able to fully control all the statutory measures which would…
Abstract
One of the arguments used against British entry to the EEC was the loss of sovereignty; that Parliament would not be able to fully control all the statutory measures which would be applied to the people. EEC regulations apply without implementation by national governments, but since member‐states, through their representatives on Council and Commission, have participated, it is considered that national governments have in effect enacted them. EEC Directives as the name implies requires national governments to apply the provisions of the EEC measure; transitional exemptions up to five years are usually included for individual provisions, where internal adjustment is required. MAFF food regulations, implementing EEC Directives, have been made after this pattern for a number of food additives. The statutory measures are unlikely to present any greater difficulties than usual, but in interpretation, courts in this country have to consider EEC law above that of English and Scottish courts. The Court at Luxemburg exists mainly for interpretation, but courts and litigants have been advised against reference owing to the lengthy delays and the high court or court of sessions should make is interpretation based on EEC law.
This paper aims to examine the reading of a book-length fiction or non-fiction text in one disciplinary literacy (DL) teacher education course. This paper considers how the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the reading of a book-length fiction or non-fiction text in one disciplinary literacy (DL) teacher education course. This paper considers how the assignment may help pre- and in-service teachers understand literacy as multifaceted and connected within and beyond their content areas (Moje, 2015). The research explores how reading a book-length text may help support DL, equity-oriented curricula that consider literacy as empowerment and connected to lived and communal experiences (González et al., 2005; Muhammad, 2020).
Design/methodology/approach
This work is grounded in a qualitative, humanizing methodology and thematic analysis approach (Braun and Clarke, 2006; Paris and Winn, 2014). This approach examines student work in one DL course, considering how teachers within and beyond English language arts (ELA) respond to the task of reading a book-length text.
Findings
First, the assignment offered space for participants to redefine literacy as empowerment and enjoyment. Second, the assignment helped participants connect literacy within and beyond their content areas and to see literacy as active and interdisciplinary. Third, the assignment includes clear limitations for a DL approach, particularly when participants focus mainly on connections to their content area. This sometimes obfuscated participants’ enjoyment of reading.
Originality/value
The study offers a new perspective on a task that is often seen as specifically “ELA”: reading a book-length text. This project offers space for ELA educators to consider literacy from a DL, equity-oriented framework focused on enjoyment in literature within and beyond ELA classrooms.
Details
Keywords
Gary McKenna, Gavin Baxter and Thomas Hainey
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the attitudes of staff and students towards adopting the use of e-portfolios for the purposes of supporting the concept of personal…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the attitudes of staff and students towards adopting the use of e-portfolios for the purposes of supporting the concept of personal development planning (PDP). The study compares and contrasts the views and opinions of staff and students at one UK Higher Education Institution (HEI) about whether e-portfolios can support PDP.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting a case study approach, this study presents empirical data gathered from two surveys involving 460 students and 182 lecturers from one UK HEI, collected from four different campuses across the West of Scotland.
Findings
The results of the surveys showed that the framework the authors used in the research to collect information about students and staffs attitudes was effective and that further research is merited for a more extensive investigation into PDP e-portfolio usage within HEI.
Research limitations/implications
The research was conducted at only one UK HEI so at this stage of the research, it is difficult to assess how generalisable the findings are.
Practical implications
This study provides useful empirical evidence to educators who may be considering employing e-portfolios within an educational context. For example, the views of students and staff identified in this paper can aid towards informing educators about some of the issues that might impact on using e-portfolios for supporting PDP in higher education.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first work that presents survey data on both students’ and lecturers’ attitudes towards e-portfolio use to support and facilitate PDP.
Details
Keywords
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementations and implications of Grounded Theory as an exploratory and inductive research method in the LIS studies. The…
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementations and implications of Grounded Theory as an exploratory and inductive research method in the LIS studies. The paper seeks to illustrate the opportunities and challenges that this methodology has brought to the methodological paradigms of LIS research body. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on two blended constituents including a selective literature review and the author's personal experience in using Grounded Theory. Regarding the paper's scope it possesses a holistic approach to the issue and does not examine the results of individual reviewed studies in detail. Findings – The results suggest that up to now there have been a considerable number of studies in the LIS area that have successfully employed Grounded Theory. Nevertheless, it does not mean that this methodology is applicable in any research context. Accordingly, there is not a unanimous agreement on the usefulness of this methodology in the research community. Nevertheless, these arguments not only did not diminish the value of Grounded Theory but also helped grounded theorists to enhance this methodology's credibility and trustfulness. Research limitations/implications – Regarding the wide use of Grounded Theory it was not possible to carry out an exhaustive review of all studies that have employed Grounded Theory. However, the reviewed studies in this paper can be considered as a representative of the targeted research body. Providing the research community with an overall image of the applicability of Grounded Theory in LIS research is the main implication of the paper. Future researchers will benefit from the paper by finding out about the nature of this methodology and the aspects that they need to consider before using it. Originality/value – Although Grounded Theory is a widely used methodology, there are few publications about its applicability in LIS research. Therefore, this paper can contribute to the area through providing a holistic picture of the role of this methodology in LIS research.
Details
Keywords
Wieland Schwinger, Werner Retschitzegger, Andrea Schauerhuber, Gerti Kappel, Manuel Wimmer, Birgit Pröll, Cristina Cachero Castro, Sven Casteleyn, Olga De Troyer, Piero Fraternali, Irene Garrigos, Franca Garzotto, Athula Ginige, Geert‐Jan Houben, Nora Koch, Nathalie Moreno, Oscar Pastor, Paolo Paolini, Vicente Pelechano Ferragud, Gustavo Rossi, Daniel Schwabe, Massimo Tisi, Antonio Vallecillo, Kees van der Sluijs and Gefei Zhang
Ubiquitous web applications (UWA) are a new type of web applications which are accessed in various contexts, i.e. through different devices, by users with various interests, at…
Abstract
Purpose
Ubiquitous web applications (UWA) are a new type of web applications which are accessed in various contexts, i.e. through different devices, by users with various interests, at anytime from anyplace around the globe. For such full‐fledged, complex software systems, a methodologically sound engineering approach in terms of model‐driven engineering (MDE) is crucial. Several modeling approaches have already been proposed that capture the ubiquitous nature of web applications, each of them having different origins, pursuing different goals and providing a pantheon of concepts. This paper aims to give an in‐depth comparison of seven modeling approaches supporting the development of UWAs.
Design/methodology/approach
This methodology is conducted by applying a detailed set of evaluation criteria and by demonstrating its applicability on basis of an exemplary tourism web application. In particular, five commonly found ubiquitous scenarios are investigated, thus providing initial insight into the modeling concepts of each approach as well as to facilitate their comparability.
Findings
The results gained indicate that many modeling approaches lack a proper MDE foundation in terms of meta‐models and tool support. The proposed modeling mechanisms for ubiquity are often limited, since they neither cover all relevant context factors in an explicit, self‐contained, and extensible way, nor allow for a wide spectrum of extensible adaptation operations. The provided modeling concepts frequently do not allow dealing with all different parts of a web application in terms of its content, hypertext, and presentation levels as well as their structural and behavioral features. Finally, current modeling approaches do not reflect the crosscutting nature of ubiquity but rather intermingle context and adaptation issues with the core parts of a web application, thus hampering maintainability and extensibility.
Originality/value
Different from other surveys in the area of modeling web applications, this paper specifically considers modeling concepts for their ubiquitous nature, together with an investigation of available support for MDD in a comprehensive way, using a well‐defined as well as fine‐grained catalogue of more than 30 evaluation criteria.