| Summary: | Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. === ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study is a structured evaluation of the integration of ICTs (Information and Communication
Technologies) in teaching and learning activities at the University of Stellenbosch. Although
anecdotal evidence exists of the success of the e-Learning initiatives at the University of
Stellenbosch, this study addresses these questions in a more structured approach within the
global and local higher education context in order to:
- Improve the e-Learning project (as part of the e-Campus initiative) and other e-Learning
initiatives,
- Generate knowledge to improve our understanding of how the e-Learning initiatives work
and how people change their attitudes and behaviours because of successful
interventions,
- Evaluate the institutional characteristics of successful integration,
- Evaluate the technological environment and, more specifically, the use of WebCT as
learning management system, and
- Assess the overall progress of the e-Learning initiatives at the University of Stellenbosch.
This evaluation is done taking the broader global and changing local higher education landscape
and, more specifically, the interplay of three of the main global drivers into account. The three
drivers discussed are: knowledge as a driver of growth in a networked society, the information
and communication technology revolution and new competitors in the higher education
marketplace The first part of the study is therefore a literature review of the changing global
higher education landscape, with a specific focus on how these changes are contextualised within
the unique South African post-1994 higher education landscape.
After considering the global and South African higher education landscape, the study then
provides a critical overview of the status of the integration of ICTs into teaching and learning
activities world wide, the possible benefits of the integration of ICTs into teaching and learning
activities and the implications of these changes for the lecturers, students and the higher
education institutional and technological environment.
These overviews of both the global changing higher education landscape and the integration of
ICTs into teaching and learning activities serve as the backdrop for the case study and
retrospective assessment of e-Learning initiatives at the University of Stellenbosch. The study
contains a description of the e-Campus initiative, the e-Learning project and other e-Learning
initiatives. In the retrospective assessment, the main focus of the study, I make use of quantative
and qualitative methods to analyse the results of two Web surveys administered to students andlecturers who use WebCT. These results are integrated with other data sources to assess the
progress made at the University of Stellenbosch.
This retrospective assessment of the e-Learning activities at the University of Stellenbosch, set
against the backdrop of the global changing higher education landscape, enables me to make
general recommendations for:
- Dealing with changes in the higher education context on an institutional level as a result
of the three forces discussed,
- Integrating ICTs at the institutional level in all business process at a higher education
institution,
- Integrating ICTs in teaching and learning activities, paying attention to the enabling
institutional and technological environment, as well as to good teaching and learning
practice, and
- Improving the implementation of the e-Campus initiative and, more specifically, the e-
Learning project and other e-Learning initiatives at the University of Stellenbosch. === AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie is ‘n gestruktureerde evaluering van die integrasie van IKTs (Informasie- en
Kommunikasietegnologieë) in leer- en onderrigaktiwiteite by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch.
Alhoewel daar wel anekdotiese bewyse is dat die e-Leer inisiatiewe by die Universiteit van
Stellenbosch suksesvol is, spreek hierdie studie die vrae binne ‘n gestruktureerde benadering
aan met inagname van die globale en plaaslike hoër onderwys konteks om:
- Die e-Leer projek (as deel van die e-Kampusinisiatief) en ander e-Leer inisiatiewe te
verbeter,
- Kennis te genereer om ons begrip van hoe e-Leer inisiatiewe werk en hoe mense hulle
houdings en gedrag as gevolg van suksesvolle intervensies verander, te verbeter,
- Die institusionele eienskappe om sukses te behaal met die integrasie, te evalueer,
- Die tegnologiese omgewing, en meer spesifiek die gebruik van WebCT as leer
bestuurstelsel te evalueer, en
- Die totale vordering met e-Leer inisiatiewe by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch te
evalueer.
Hierdie evaluering word gedoen met inbegrip van die breër globale en plaaslike veranderende
konteks, met spesiale inagname van die wisselwerking tussen drie van die hoof globale drywers.
Die drie drywers wat bespreek word is: kennis as drywer van groei in ‘n netwerksamelewing, die
revolusie in informasie en kommunikasie tegnologieë, en nuwe kompetisie in die hoër onderwys
landskap. Die eerste deel van die studie is dus ‘n literatuuroorsig van die veranderende globale
hoër onderwys landskap, met ‘n spesifieke fokus op hoe hierdie veranderinge binne die unieke
Suid-Afrikaanse hoër onderwys landskap ná 1994 gekontekstualiseer word.
Na ʼn oorweging van die globale en Suid-Afrikaanse konteks, voorsien die studie ‘n kritiese oorsig
van die status van die integrasie van IKTs in leer- en onderrigaktiwiteite wêreldwyd, die moontlike
voordele van die integrasie van IKTs in leer- en onderrigaktiwiteite en die implikasies van hierdie
veranderinge vir dosente en studente, sowel as vir die institusionele en tegnologiese omgewings
van hoër onderwys.
Hierdie oorsigte van beide die veranderende globale hoër onderwys landskap en die integrasie
van IKTs in leer- en onderrigaktiwiteite verskaf die agtergrond vir die gevallestudie en
retrospektiewe evaluering van die e-Leer aktiwiteite by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch. Die
studie bevat ‘n beskrywing van die e-Kampus inisiatief, die e-Leerprojek en ander e-Leer
inisiatiewe. In die retrospektiewe evaluering, wat die hooffokus van die studie uitmaak, maak ek
gebruik van kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe metodes om die resultate van twee vraelyste teontleed wat aan studente en dosente wat WebCT gebruik, versprei is. Hierdie resultate is
geïntegreer met ander databronne om die vordering wat reeds aan die Universiteit van
Stellenbosch gemaak is, te evalueer.
Hierdie retrospektiewe evaluering van die e-Leer aktiwiteite by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch
teen die agtergrond van die veranderende globale hoër onderwys landskap, stel my in staat om
algemene aanbevelings te maak om:
- Op institusionele vlak veranderinge te hanteer wat ‘n resultaat is van die drie kragte wat
bespreek is,
- IKTs op institusionele vlak in alle besigheidsprosesse van die instelling te integreer,
- IKTs in leer- en onderrigaktiwiteite te integreer, terwyl aandag geskenk word aan die
institusionele en tegnologiese omgewing wat dít moontlik maak, asook aan goeie leer- en
onderrigpraktyk, en
- Die implementering van die e-Kampus inisiatief, en meer spesifiek die e-Leer projek en
ander e-Leer inisiatiewe by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch, te verbeter.
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