Browsing by Author "Khoza, Lindiwe Mhakamuni"

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    Variables associated with student learning resource preferences in the learning management system at a Faculty of Military Science
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-12) Khoza, Lindiwe Mhakamuni; Gierdien, F.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT : The study was undertaken to determine variables associated with students’ learning resource preferences in the Learning Management System (LMS) of the Faculty of Military Science of Stellenbosch University. It aimed to explain why students either engage, disengage or not engage at all with institutional course content either on or off the existing LMS. The study was undertaken against the background of the challenges that the institution faces in taking informed decisions to improve its LMS to facilitate optimal engagement with its respective online courses. Few studies to date employed an integrated approach to understanding how lecturers teach online, firstly, and how students learn online, secondly. In order to gain a deeper understanding of why students either engage or not engage with course content both on and off the institutional LMS, the researcher has adopted an integrated approach to analysing data that reported on activities off the LMS as well as data automatically generated by the LMS. Qualitative data were collected through interviews and open ended questions of the questionnaire. Quantitative data were collected from logs on the LMS, closed questions of the questionnaire, and institutional class lists. Participants in this study were either first year distance education students, or second year residential and distance education students. They were either registered for a particular compulsory first-year module or a particular second-year module. All students were employees, mostly career soldiers of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Data were first analysed per data source. Both thematic content and critical discourse analysis were used in analysis of qualitative and quantitative data respectively. Findings were interpreted according to the conceptual framework for this study. The study highlighted important aspects in terms of online teaching and learning, key of which is the teaching strategy that the lecturer employed through learning resources which determined the level of engagement intended for students to achieve the expected level of understanding as stated in the learning outcomes. Another important finding highlighted is that students could identify a gap in their knowledge. Limited scaffolding conditions existed for students registered for the compulsory first-year module to achieve the stated learning outcomes. Conversely, adequate scaffolding conditions were created for students registered for the compulsory second-year module to attain the stated learning outcomes for the module. The findings revealed a complex combination of interrelated internal, external and contextual factors that should be considered in designing learning resources, because of the impact they have on students’ level of engagement with course content both in and off the LMS. The study revealed that the institution should capitalize on the best opportunities of both face-to-face and online learning to elicit the intended level of engagement with the LMS content in order to achieve the expected learning outcomes. Although the context of the findings is specific to the institution researched, the findings contribute to the general field of learning analytics through the application of an integrated analysis aimed at explaining why students either engage with course content within the Learning Management System, disengage from it, or not even start engaging at all.