Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Educational technology Victoria'

This thesis examines the perceptions of lecturers, graduates and employers of personal and interpersonal skills development in an accounting degree at Victoria University. The development of personal and interpersonal skills in students in higher education has been the focus of discussion amongst accounting educators, accounting practitioners and the accounting profession for many years. There is a general consensus on what skills are necessarily sought to ensure success within the accountancy profession but very few previous studies on how those personal and interpersonal skills are being developed. This research study presents a research framework which emphasises the complex interrelationships between an accounting curriculum, accounting lecturers, accounting graduates and employers of graduate accountants and their perceptions of how personal and interpersonal skills are developed. A case study approach, combining archival, qualitative and quantitative methods, is used to investigate how a Bachelor of Business Accounting degree in one Australian university facilitates personal and interpersonal skills development. The case study results indicate that the curriculum, as the vector for skills development, has both explicit and implicit references to skills outcomes. Graduates� perceptions of many of the personal and interpersonal skills considered in this study are closely related to the curriculum findings. However, there appears to be a lack of convergence between lecturers� perceptions, the curriculum and graduates� perceptions. Employers generally agree that graduates display most of the personal and interpersonal skills, albeit at a low level, in the workplace. There are curriculum implications arising from the results of this research for accounting academics who design and develop accounting programs where the value of graduates� personal and interpersonal skills are acknowledged. As a first step, academics need to improve accounting curricula by explicitly integrating personal and interpersonal skills in their subjects. Communicating to students the explicit nature of personal and interpersonal skills development and making them aware is the next step.

This research project examined the diffusion of change within one Victorian TAPE Institute by engaging action research to facilitate implementation of e-mail technology. The theoretical framework involving the concepts of technology innovation and action research was enhanced with the aid of Rogers's (1983) model of the diffusion of the innovation process. Political and cultural factors made up the initiation phase of innovation, enabling the research to concentrate on the implementation phase of e-mail Roger's (1983) model also provided adopter categories that related to the findings of a Computer Attitude Survey that was conducted at The School of Mines and Industries Ballarat (SMB), now the University of Ballarat—TAPE Division since amalgamation on 1st January 1998. Despite management rhetoric about the need to utilise e-mail, Institute teaching staff lacked individual computers in their work areas and most were waiting to become connected to the Internet as late as 1997. According to the action research reports, many staff were resistant to the new e-mail facilities despite having access to personal computers whose numbers doubled annually. The action research project became focussed when action researchers realised that e-mail workshop training was ineffective and that staff required improved access. Improvement to processes within education through collaborative action research had earlier been achieved (McTaggart 1994), and this project actively engaged practitioners to facilitate decentralised e-mail training in the workplace through the action research spiral of planning, acting, observing and reflecting, before replanning. The action researchers * task was to find ways to improve the diffusion of e-mail throughout the Institute and to develop theoretical constructs. My research task was to determine whether action research could successfully facilitate e-mail throughout the Institute. A rich literature existed about technology use in education, technology teaching, gender issues, less about computerphobia, and none about 'e-mailphobia \ It seemed appropriate to pursue the issue of e-mailphobia since it was marginalised, or ignored in the literature. The major political and cultural influences on the technologising of SMB and e-mail introduction were complex, making it impossible to ascertain the relative degrees of influence held by Federal and State Governments, SMB's leadership or the local community, Nonetheless, with the implementation of e-mail, traditional ways were challenged as SMB's culture changed. E-mail training was identified as a staff professional development activity that had been largely unsuccessful. Action research is critical collaborative inquiry by reflective practitioners who are accountable for making the results of their inquiry public and who are self-evaluating of their practice while engaging participative problem-solving and continuing professional development (Zuber-Skerritt 1992, 1993). Action research was the methodology employed in researching e-mail implementation into SMB because it involved collaborative inquiry with colleagues as reflective practitioners. Thoughtful questions could best be explored using deconstructivist philosophy, in asking about the noise of silence, which issues were not addressed, what were the contradictions and who was being marginalised with e-mail usage within SMB. Reviewing literature on action research was complicated by its broad definition and by the variability of research (King & Lonnquist 1992), and yet action research as a research methodology was well represented in educational research literature, and provided a systematic and recognisable way for practitioners to conduct their research. On the basis of this study, it could be stated that action research facilitated the diffusion of e-mail technology into one TAPE Institute, despite the process being disappointingly slow. While the process in establishing the action research group was problematic, action researchers showed that a window of opportunity existed for decentralised diffusion of e-mail training,in preference to bureaucratically motivated 'workshops. Eight major findings, grouped under two broad headings were identified: the process of diffusion (planning, nature of the process, culture, politics) and outcomes of diffusion (categorising, e-mailphobia, the survey device and technology in education). The findings indicated that staff had little experience with e-mail and appeared not to recognise its benefits. While 54.1% did not agree that electronic means could be the preferred way to receive Institute memost some 13.7% admitted to problems with using the voice answering service on telephones. Some 43.3% thought e-mail would not improve their connectedness (how they related) to the Institute. A small percentage of staff had trouble with telephone voice-mail and a number of these were anxious computer users. Individualised tuition and peer support proved helpful to individual staff whom action researchers believed to be 'at risk', as determined from the results of a Computer Attitude Survey. An instructional strategy that fostered the development of self-regulation and peer support was valuable, but there was no measure of the effects of this action research program, other than in qualitative terms. Nevertheless, action research gave space to reflect on the nature of the underlying processes in adopting e-mail. Challenges faced by TAPE action researchers are integrally affected by the values within TAPE, which change constantly and have recently been extensive enough to be considered as a 'new paradigm'. The influence of competition policy, the training reform agenda and technologisation of training have challenged traditional TAPE values. Action research reported that many staff had little immediate professional reason to use e-mail Theoretical answers were submerged beneath practical professional concerns, which related back to how much time teachers had and whether they could benefit from e-mail. A need for the development of principles for the sound educational uses of e-mail increases with the internationalisation of education and an increasing awareness of cultural differences. The implications for conducting action research in TAPE are addressed under the two broad issues of power and pedagogy. Issues of power included gaining access, management's inability to overcome staff resistance to technology, changing TAPE values and using technology for conducting action research. Pedagogical issues included the recognition of educational above technological issues and training staff in action research. Finally, seventeen steps are suggested to overcome power and pedagogical impediments to the conduct of action research within TAPE. This action research project has provided greater insight into the difficulties of successfully introducing one culture-specific technology into one TAPE Institute. TAPE Institutes need to encourage more action research into their operations, and it is only then that -we can expect to answer the unanswered questions raised in this research project.

Buts industriels de l'École Pratique des Hautes Études et leur comparaison avec l’École des Hautes Études Mexicain. Ce travail est une comparaison entre deux écoles qui ont été créées avec les mêmes besoins pour améliorer le niveau d’instruction dans les établissements d’enseignement supérieur, car le secteur industriel créait de nouveaux besoins commerciaux et technologiques. Bien qu'ils aient été créés selon le même concept et dans le même but, leur développement était totalement différent en raison des contextes politiques et sociaux différents de leurs pays d’origine, l’un en France et l’autre au Mexique. Tous le deux ont été des pionniers dans la rupture des systèmes éducatifs en proposant de nouvelles politiques publiques susceptibles de changer le secteur de l’éducation; Abstract: Industrial purposes of the École Practique des Hautes Études and its comparison with the Mexican School of Higher Education. This work is a comparison between two schools that were created with the same needs to improve the educational level at institutions of higher education because the industry was generating new business and technological needs. Although they were created following the same concept and for the same purpose, their development was totally different due to the different political and social contexts of their countries of origin, one in France and the other in Mexico. Both were pioneers in breaking educational schemes by proposing new public policies that would change the education sector.

This study compares a face-to-face format of teaching with closed circuit interactive television courses offered to off campus students at California State University, San Bernardino. The study provides comparisons of student satisfaction and student performance between the two mediums.

This study explores progress narratives in technological, social and personal dimensions and the effect different attitudes towards progress have on educational assessment design and use. By addressing this question this study works towards a general theory for informing design and use of educational assessment so that it better meets the needs of economies, societies and citizens. This study responds to rapid developments in technology that are affecting contemporary educational assessment design and use at a time when theoretical approaches are unable to frame these developments. It works towards identifying and exploring tensions emerging from different attitudes to progress, and how these attitudes inform contemporary educational assessment design. This study engages with progress narratives through reconstructions of historical materialism associated with socialism (Marx & Engels, 1846/2000) and creativedestruction associated with capitalism (Schumpeter, 1942/2008). These formulations of progress narratives are explored through the work of Habermas (1981/1985, 1981/1992) and his use immanent critique (Antonio, 1981; Stahl, 2013). This sociological framing allows the effects of technological progress on educational assessment to be explored through its relationship with economies, societies, and citizens. This study uses immanent critique and rational reconstruction to reconceptualise educational assessment for a contemporary context by coherently linking theories from sociology and educational assessment. Emphasis is given to educational assessment as symbolic media, through which several legitimation tensions are identified that are not currently addressed in educational assessment validation. These legitimation tensions have implications for educational assessment design as well as for education system management more generally.

This thesis seeks to make a contribution to the debate about the role of ICT in education, by exploring schooling and pedagogical perspectives, identifying elements demanding systemic attention and defining a vision that is relevant and challenging to Australian education. Examining the notion of what e-confidence means for students, teachers, school leaders and schools enables a consideration of what strategies can be deployed for achieving this in all Australian schools.

This thesis investigates the impact of ICT on the learning outcomes for Learning Disabilities (LD) or special needs students, in a special school setting. The literature reported a significant prevalence of LD universally, ranging from physical and mild to extreme disabilities. It highlighted that there are a significant number of students with learning disabilities who require assistance and support in their learning. Assistive technology plays a significant role for educators and students with learning disabilities in facilitating the learning outcomes. The Internet and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) play a major part in shaping the knowledge and skills of LD students. Assistive technology has introduced awareness for both educators and students and, for the past decade, there has been a growing effort in designing and developing ICT based platforms to enhance the learning outcomes of these students. With the emergence of new technologies like Web 2.0, the need to design appropriate tools and provide an environment that is conducive to successful learning is stronger. This thesis examines the various teaching methodologies and ICT innovation in a holistic way. The literature shows that although there are some studies that investigate the impact of technology on the learning for special needs students, most of the data are second source. This study presents results from participant observations in two outer suburban special schools with students aged between 14-18 years, and in addition, examines the role and impact of Education Department policies on the schools‘ ICT environment. These observations are compared with a study based on an individual case of a student from Prep to Year 12 and TAFE. This study identified different categories of special needs students who were catered for in these special schools. These ranged from students with physical or cognitive disabilities, to mainstream students placed temporarily in a hospital. The latter group received ICT support to continue their studies which is now facilitated through a virtual classroom environment.

Business educators and employers recognize the importance of quantitative methods to business professionals, and subjects in quantitative methods are among the most frequentiy required in the business undergraduate curriculum. However, both business employers and graduates have expressed some dissatisfaction with business education and comment that school ttaining fails to prepare graduates adequately for the particular needs of business organisations. Because of recent changes in technology in the business environment, business educators need to understand what employers consider important, what quantitative methods are required in industry, and how education in quantitative methods can best be prepared in order to meet the needs of business in the 21st century. This research study attempts to answer these questions by investigating the content of quantitative programs offered at the Victoria University of Technology, the effectiveness of associated teaching methods in undergraduate business comses and the viewpoints of final-year students, graduates, educators and business employers about the courses.

This study investigates the experiences of first year engineering students to a newly implemented engineering problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum at Victoria University; its effects on their approaches to learning and their learning outcomes. This qualitative study, which uses ethnographic approaches for data collection and analysis, focuses on the learning cultures that emerge in multicultural PBL teams by interpreting the responses of students to the new emphasis on autonomous learning. In the first year of the curriculum change in this PBL setting, this research captures and theorises student approaches to learning as a team and their learning outcomes by analysing the ways in which these students approach and direct their learning as individuals and as a team.

This study investigates the experiences of first year engineering students to a newly implemented engineering problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum at Victoria University; its effects on their approaches to learning and their learning outcomes. This qualitative study, which uses ethnographic approaches for data collection and analysis, focuses on the learning cultures that emerge in multicultural PBL teams by interpreting the responses of students to the new emphasis on autonomous learning. In the first year of the curriculum change in this PBL setting, this research captures and theorises student approaches to learning as a team and their learning outcomes by analysing the ways in which these students approach and direct their learning as individuals and as a team.

This thesis describes a study of new level one undergraduate entrants to higher education courses at Victoria University of Technology in 1993 and 1994. Approaches to the study of student achievement and selection are reviewed and alternatives are investigated. An integrated model for evaluation of success, drawing upon varied approaches adopted in previous international studies, is described and its application documented.

The general objective of this study is to measure and analyse the impact of tourism development on Vietnam's economy. The study will concentrate on the activities of the tourist industry in 1994 in Vietnam as a whole. The measurement will be done by using the latest input-output tables for Vietnam, which were developed for the year 1989. However, during the five-year period it has been assumed that the input-output structures have been unchanged significantly, therefore, the results of the analysis are expected to be applicable to the current situation. Moreover, if they do change, or if the direction of the changes is known, the economic outcomes of the analysis can be interpreted to indicate current conditions.

The issue of graduate employment has long been a focus in research, particularly in accounting education. Increasingly, higher education institutions promote this aspect to help them attract and retain high-quality students and maintain their competitive advantage in the market place. Given its importance, the present research analyses the association between the three self-efficacy factors of the general self-efficacy scale (GSES): initiative, effort and persistence on accounting near-graduate employment outcomes. Currently, no studies in accounting education have analysed this association in this context, so this research constitutes a contribution to the literature. Furthermore, there is limited research on the association of overall general self-efficacy (GSE) with accounting student employment outcomes. In addition to the three-factor GSES structure, the present study also includes students’ individual characteristics (i.e., gender, age, residency, study mode and language), and WIL participation as potential factors impacting near-graduate accounting students’ employment outcomes. Furthermore, the study also examines the potential association between the three factors of the GSES with students’ participation in WIL programs during their degree course. The three-factor self-efficacy construct, based on a trait-like method, was adopted instead of the overall GSES structure, as the former approach enables a deeper analysis of the GSE concept via the employment of separate independent variables. Consequently, the importance of the individual factors and their impact on employment and WIL participation is clearly and distinctively revealed. The study sample consisted of 337 near-graduate accounting students from Victoria University and Swinburne University of Technology, both based in Melbourne, Australia. The research employed logistic regression, as well as Lasso and R-glmulti statistical techniques, to examine the main research questions. In addition, Mann-Whitney U tests and Pearson chi-square tests were conducted to examine the association between accounting students’ individual characteristics (gender, age, residency, study mode and language) and the three factors of GSES (initiative, effort and persistence). The study results indicate that two out of the three GSES factors (specifically, initiative and persistence) showed a significant relationship with the employment outcomes of near-graduate accounting students. The study results also confirmed prior research findings, which found that individual characteristics (i.e., language, study mode, residency and age) were significantly associated with employment outcomes. Furthermore, the results showed no significant association between the three self-efficacy factors and students’ WIL participation. The results of this study provide some important implications for accounting higher education with regard to improving the employment outcomes of accounting near-graduates. These include: (i) developing closer links with industry to improve student familiarity with workplace requirements; (ii) incorporating WIL programs into the accounting curriculum, such as in a professional degree program; (iii) tailoring parts of the curriculum, where possible, in order to improve student self-efficacy; (iv) promoting WIL and providingwider opportunities to access the program; and (v) examining the need for higher education reform to improve international student access to WIL participation during degree courses.

This thesis examines economic growth and change across the city of Melbourne over the 2000s. In the late 1970s to early 1980s, and again in the early 1990s, Melbourne was seen as having a bleak future, as a consequence of the deindustrialisation occurring in the city throughout the late twentieth century. However, Melbourne grew rapidly at the start of the twenty-first century, renewing its profile globally and attracting population. This thesis examines the factors behind the rise of Greater Melbourne over the 2000s, and specifically the rapid revival of the central city area of Melbourne. The study assesses the relevance of economic geography theories (the Global Cities hypothesis, the World City Network (WCN) and agglomeration economies) in relation to Melbourne’s economic growth. Globalisation related theories concerning knowledge cities and workers are also considered.