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Affordances of Web-based tools for instruction : the case for professional development
Author
Low, Alfred Hon Loon
Supervisor
Lim, Cher Ping
Abstract
A series of surveys administered by the Republic University (fictitious) revealed that, despite having a Learning Management System (LMS) to support teaching and learning, inconsistencies of usage remained unsolved. These inconsistencies have emerged to a large part, from the teaching staffs' problems of practices concerning technology integration into the curriculum.
Arising from these problems, this dissertation seeks to improve the teaching staff's technology integration skill in support of teaching and learning through the ability to perceive affordances (opportunities) in virtual learning environments (VLEs). Implicit in the goal of eliciting such improvement was the grounding in pedagogical reasoning and the use of software. In conveying the perception and uptake of affordances in VLEs, this study administered four runs of three-hour workshops to participating teaching staff of the Republic University. In each of these workshops, participating staff members were introduced the relationships between the tenets of self-instruction, topology of affordances, and the topology of ICT tools and given hands-on opportunities to assemble deconstructed Web-based instructional materials. An online survey was administered after the workshop to gather feedback on the content of workshop as well as other issues that emerged.
Based from the feedback gathered, it was found that one-time workshops were only able to promote an attitudinal change in terms of the way the affordances in VLEs may be perceived, but insufficient to promote wide-scale uptake of LMS tools in more consistent ways. Arising from the findings, this dissertation recommends a Professional Development solution to bridge affordance perception and uptake of ICT tools.
Arising from these problems, this dissertation seeks to improve the teaching staff's technology integration skill in support of teaching and learning through the ability to perceive affordances (opportunities) in virtual learning environments (VLEs). Implicit in the goal of eliciting such improvement was the grounding in pedagogical reasoning and the use of software. In conveying the perception and uptake of affordances in VLEs, this study administered four runs of three-hour workshops to participating teaching staff of the Republic University. In each of these workshops, participating staff members were introduced the relationships between the tenets of self-instruction, topology of affordances, and the topology of ICT tools and given hands-on opportunities to assemble deconstructed Web-based instructional materials. An online survey was administered after the workshop to gather feedback on the content of workshop as well as other issues that emerged.
Based from the feedback gathered, it was found that one-time workshops were only able to promote an attitudinal change in terms of the way the affordances in VLEs may be perceived, but insufficient to promote wide-scale uptake of LMS tools in more consistent ways. Arising from the findings, this dissertation recommends a Professional Development solution to bridge affordance perception and uptake of ICT tools.
Date Issued
2005
Call Number
LB1028.38 Low
Date Submitted
2005