Die gebruik van die internet as faset van 'n multimodus onderwysbenadering by Technikon Pretoria

Abstract

Verskeie tegnologiese ontwikkelings het die afgelope eeu plaasgevind, maar die meeste daarvan het weinig of 'n minimale invloed op hoer onderwys gehad. Daar is baie gespekuleer dat die tegnologie die slaagsyfer en die retensie van studente sal verhoog, maar tot nou toe was dit nie die geval nie. Waar het die tegnologie gefaal, of het die tegnologie nie gefaal nie, maar die onderwysmodel? Hierdie is van die vrae waarop in hierdie studie gefokus word. Riegelman, Povat, Ott en Piemme (1985:279) stel dit dat kennis elke 3 - 5 jaar verdubbel en dat die tyd verby is dat dosente slegs uitdelers van kennis kan wees. Die hedendaagse student behoort daarom begelei te word om self kennis binne 'n bree raamwerk te vind, en dit kom daarop neer dat die onderwysmodel van hoeronderwysinstellings om vernuwing vra. Die tradisionele dosentgesentreerde onderrigbenadering moet plek maak vir 'n meer studentgesentreerde leerbenadering. Die probleem is egter dat daar tans nog geen riglyne [of model] bestaan vir die gebruik van byvoorbeeld die internet binne so 'n nuwe onderwysbenadering nie. Hierdie studie is daarop gefokus om 'n didakties-verantwoordbare model [riglyne], vir die gebruik van die internet binne 'n multimodus-onderwysbenadering daar te stel, aangesien daar tans nie so 'n model by die Technikon is nie. Hierdie model en riglyne behoort die dosent as onderrig-leerbestuurder in staat te stel om 'n multimodus onderrig-leerprogram te beplan, te ontwikkel, te implementeer en te evalueer. Voordat enige didaktiese model of riglyne egter ontwikkel kan word, is dit noodsaaklik dat vasgestel word vanuit watter vertrekpunt die ontwerp gedoen moet word. Ten einde tot 'n gefundeerde vertrekpunt te kom, is 'n omvangryke literatuurstudie van plaaslike en oorsese publikasies en persoonlike onderhoude en besoeke aan kundiges plaaslik en internasionaal onderneem. Sodoende is 'n insiggewende oorsig verkry van wat reeds gedoen is om die probleem, wat in die vorige paragraaf beskryf is, te hanteer. Die navorsing vir die ontwikkeling van die model [didaktiese riglyne] is deur 'n driejaarlange institusionele ondersoek voorafgegaan, waartydens tendense, behoeftes en persepsies op 'n institusionele forum onder voorsitterskap van die navorser, naamlik die TLTR [Teachning, Learning and Technology Roundtable] gedebatteer is. Die verslag van hierdie ondersoek word in ses hoofstukke verdeel en verteenwoordig die probleme wat deur die TLTR ge"identifiseer is en wat die fondament [kern] vorm waarop die model en riglyne gebaseer is. Die vrae is soos volg: • Wie is die Technikon Pretoria en hoe word daar tans aan die Technikon onderrig? • Wie is die Technikon se klient(e) en wat is hulle behoeftes? [Hoe leer hulle en hoe wil hulle bedien word?] • Hoe kan die akademici van die Technikon, die tegnologie gebruik om hulle taak te vergemaklik en die studente effektief te onderrig sonder om kwaliteit in te boet? [Watter onderrig-leergeleenthede bestaan?] Hierdie model is deur 106 dosente en 437 studente geevalueer om: • die houding van die dosent teenoor die voorgestelde model te bepaal; • die dosent se persepsie van die verskille tussen aanlyn- en kontakonderwysbestuur vas te stel; en • te bepaal of daar enige verskille in die leerervaring(s) van studente bestaan wat onderrig deur middel van 'n internetondersteunde program ontvang, en studente wat 'n kontakprogram ontvang. Laastens is aandag aan 'n aantal verbandhoudende bevindings en aanbevelings wat uit die studie voortvloei, geskenk. Hierdie aspekte het aanleiding tot aanbevelings vir toekomstige navorsing binne die veld gegee.

Various technological developments have taken place in the last century, but most of them had very little or a minimal influence on higher education. It has often been speculated that technology would increase the pass mark and retention of students, but to date that has not happened. Where has technology failed? Or is it not technology that has failed, but, rather, the educational model? These questions will be addressed in this study. Riegelman, Povat, Ott and Piemme (1985:279) state that knowledge doubles every three to five years and that lecturers can no longer be mere disseminators of knowledge. Therefore, the present-day student should be guided to find knowledge him- or herself within a broad framework. This means that the educational model of higher education institutions needs to be renewed. The traditional lecturer-centred teaching approach should give way to a more student centred learning approach. However, the problem is that there are not yet guidelines [or a model] for the use of, for example, the Internet in such a new educational approach. In this study, the focus is on the creation of a didactically justifiable model [guidelines] for the use of the Internet in a multi-mode educational approach, since the Technikon currently does not have such a model. This model and these guidelines should enable the lecturer, as the teaching-learning manager, to plan, develop, implement and evaluate a multi-mode teaching-learning programme. However, before any didactic model is, or guidelines are, developed, it is essential to determine the starting point from which the design should be done. In order to arrive at a well-founded starting point, a comprehensive literature study of local and international publications was undertaken, personal interviews were conducted and specialists locally and abroad were visited. In this manner, an illuminating overview was obtained of that which has already been done to deal with the set problem, as described in the previous paragraph. The research for the development of the model (didactic guidelines) was preceded by a three-year institutional study, in the course of which trends, needs and perceptions were debated at an institutional forum chaired by the researcher, namely, the TLTR [Teaching, Learning and Technology Roundtable). The report on this study is divided into six chapters and represent the problems identified by the TLTR, which form the foundation [core] on which the model and guidelines are based. The questions are as follows: • Who are we and how do we currently execute our core task? [How do we teach?] • Who are our clients and what are their needs? [How do they learn and how do they wish to be served?] • How could we use technology to facilitate our task and teach our students effectively without sacrificing quality? [What teaching-learning opportunities are there?] The theoretical study that provides the answers to the above questions is embodied in a model [guidelines] for the use of the Internet within a multi-mode educational approach. This model is then evaluated by 106 lecturers and 437 students to: • Determine the lecturer's attitude to the proposed model, • determine the lecturer's perception of the differences between on-line and contact instruction management, and • determine whether there are any differences in the learning experience(s) of students who receive instruction by means of an Internet-supported programme and students who receive contact instruction. Lastly, attention is given to a number of related findings and recommendations that flow forth from the study. These aspects also lead to recommendations on future research in this field.