Competition in the management of information through the use of ICT

This article presents a literature review on current issues in the field of library science, related to competence in the management and use of information, information technology and communication, information society and knowledge among others. It further seeks to highlight the importance of users to acquire these skills so they can deal effectively with decision-making, problem solving, conducting investigations and their own training. This is possible if the information and documentation systems as dynamic agents engaged to distribute scientific and technical knowledge.

Experience of problem-based learning (PBL) in virtual space : a phenomenographical study

This thesis reports the outcomes of an investigation into students’ experience of Problem-based learning (PBL) in virtual space. PBL is increasingly being used in many fields including engineering education. At the same time many engineering education providers are turning to online distance education. Unfortunately there is a dearth of research into what constitutes an effective learning experience for adult learners who undertake PBL instruction through online distance education. Research was therefore focussed on discovering the qualitatively different ways that students experience PBL in virtual space. Data was collected in an electronic environment from a course, which adopted the PBL strategy and was delivered entirely in virtual space. Students in this course were asked to respond to open-ended questions designed to elicit their learning experience in the course. Data was analysed using the phenomenographical approach. This interpretative research method concentrated on mapping the qualitative differences in students’ interpretations of their experience in the course. Five qualitatively different ways of experiencing were discovered: Conception 1: ‘A necessary evil for program progression’; Conception 2: ‘Developing skills to understand, evaluate, and solve technical Engineering and Surveying problems’; Conception 3: ‘Developing skills to work effectively in teams in virtual space’; Conception 4: ‘A unique approach to learning how to learn’; Conception 5: ‘Enhancing personal growth’. Each conception reveals variation in how students attend to learning by PBL in virtual space. Results indicate that the design of students’ online learning experience was responsible for making students aware of deeper ways of experiencing PBL in virtual space. Results also suggest that the quality and quantity of interaction with the team facilitator may have a significant impact on the student experience in virtual PBL courses. The outcomes imply pedagogical strategies can be devised for shifting students’ focus as they engage in the virtual PBL experience to effectively manage the student learning experience and thereby ensure that they gain maximum benefit. The results from this research hold important ramifications for graduates with respect to their ease of transition into professional work as well as their later professional competence in terms of problem solving, ability to transfer basic knowledge to real-life engineering scenarios, ability to adapt to changes and apply knowledge in unusual situations, ability to think critically and creatively, and a commitment to continuous life-long learning and self-improvement.

Report : enabling team collaboration with pervasive and mobile computing : cost benefit analysis methodology

Construction is an information intensive industry in which the accuracy and timeliness of information is paramount. It observed that the main communication issue in construction is to provide a method to exchange data between the site operation, the site office and the head office. The information needs under consideration are time critical to assist in maintaining or improving the efficiency at the jobsite. Without appropriate computing support this may increase the difficulty of problem solving. Many researchers focus their research on the usage of mobile computing devices in the construction industry and they believe that mobile computers have the potential to solve some construction problems that leads to reduce overall productivity. However, to date very limited observation has been conducted in terms of the deployment of mobile computers for construction workers on-site. By providing field workers with accurate, reliable and timely information at the location where it is needed, it will support the effectiveness and efficiency at the job site. Bringing a new technology into construction industry is not only need a better understanding of the application, but also need a proper preparation of the allocation of the resources such as people, and investment. With this in mind, an accurate analysis is needed to provide clearly idea of the overall costs and benefits of the new technology. A cost benefit analysis is a method of evaluating the relative merits of a proposed investment project in order to achieve efficient allocation of resources. It is a way of identifying, portraying and assessing the factors which need to be considered in making rational economic choices. In principle, a cost benefit analysis is a rigorous, quantitative and data-intensive procedure, which requires identification all potential effects, categorisation of these effects as costs and benefits, quantitative estimation of the extent of each cost and benefit associated with an action, translation of these into a common metric such as dollars, discounting of future costs and benefits into the terms of a given year, and summary of all cost and benefit to see which is greater. Even though many cost benefit analysis methodologies are available for a general assessment, there is no specific methodology can be applied for analysing the cost and benefit of the application of mobile computing devices in the construction site. Hence, the proposed methodology in this document is predominantly adapted from Baker et al. (2000), Department of Finance (1995), and Office of Investment Management (2005). The methodology is divided into four main stages and then detailed into ten steps. The methodology is provided for the CRC CI 2002-057-C Project: Enabling Team Collaboration with Pervasive and Mobile Computing and can be seen in detail in Section 3.

A soft approach to solving hard problems in construction project management

Construction projects are faced with a challenge that must not be underestimated. These projects are increasingly becoming highly competitive, more complex, and difficult to manage. They become ‘wicked problems’, which are difficult to solve using traditional approaches. Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is a systems approach that is used for analysis and problem solving in such complex and messy situations. SSM uses “systems thinking” in a cycle of action research, learning and reflection to help understand the various perceptions that exist in the minds of the different people involved in the situation. This paper examines the benefits of applying SSM to wicked problems in construction project management, especially those situations that are challenging to understand and difficult to act upon. It includes relevant examples of its use in dealing with the confusing situations that incorporate human, organizational and technical aspects.

Computer attitude and classroom computers

Computers not only increase the speed and efficiency of our mental efforts, but in the process they also alter the problem-solving tasks we are faced with and, in so doing, they alter the cognitive processes we use to solve problems. Computers are fundamentally changing our forms of thinking (Colc & Griffin, 1980). Therefore, the computer should be seen as not only having the potential to amplify human mental capabilities, but also of providing a catalyst for intellectual development.

Assessment in tertiary mathematics

There is a growing consensus among many educators that the goals of teaching and learning mathematics are to help students solve real-life problems, participate intelligently in daily affairs, and prepare them for jobs (Gardiner, 1994; Roeber, 1995). These goals suggest that the role of routine procedural skills should be diminished while more emphasis ought to be placed on learners gaining conceptual insights and analytical skills that appear essential in real-life mathematical problem solving (Schoenfeld, 1993; Stenmark, 1989).

Engaging students in programming

Poor student engagement and high failure rates in first year units were addressed at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) with a course restructure involving a fresh approach to introducing programming. Students’ first taste of programming in the new course focused less on the language and syntax, and more on problem solving and design, and the role of programming in relation to other technologies they are likely to encounter in their studies. In effect, several technologies that have historically been compartmentalised and taught in isolation have been brought together as a breadth-first introduction to IT. Incorporating databases and Web development technologies into what used to be a purely programming unit gave students a very short introduction to each technology, with programming acting as the glue between each of them. As a result, students not only had a clearer understanding of the application of programming in the real world, but were able to determine their preference or otherwise for each of the technologies introduced, which will help them when the time comes for choosing a course major. Students engaged well in an intensely collaborative learning environment for this unit which was designed to both support the needs of students and meet industry expectations. Attrition from the unit was low, with computer laboratory practical attendance rates for the first time remaining high throughout semester, and the failure rate falling to a single figure percentage.

The role of fluency in a mathematics item with an embedded graphic: Interpreting a pie chart.

The purpose of this study was to identify the pedagogical knowledge relevant to the successful completion of a pie chart item. This purpose was achieved through the identification of the essential fluencies that 12–13-year-olds required for the successful solution of a pie chart item. Fluency relates to ease of solution and is particularly important in mathematics because it impacts on performance. Although the majority of students were successful on this multiple choice item, there was considerable divergence in the strategies they employed. Approximately two-thirds of the students employed efficient multiplicative strategies, which recognised and capitalised on the pie chart as a proportional representation. In contrast, the remaining one-third of students used a less efficient additive strategy that failed to capitalise on the representation of the pie chart. The results of our investigation of students’ performance on the pie chart item during individual interviews revealed that five distinct fluencies were involved in the solution process: conceptual (understanding the question), linguistic (keywords), retrieval (strategy selection), perceptual (orientation of a segment of the pie chart) and graphical (recognising the pie chart as a proportional representation). In addition, some students exhibited mild disfluencies corresponding to the five fluencies identified above. Three major outcomes emerged from the study. First, a model of knowledge of content and students for pie charts was developed. This model can be used to inform instruction about the pie chart and guide strategic support for students. Second, perceptual and graphical fluency were identified as two aspects of the curriculum, which should receive a greater emphasis in the primary years, due to their importance in interpreting pie charts. Finally, a working definition of fluency in mathematics was derived from students’ responses to the pie chart item.

Towards developing an integrated model of information behaviour

This paper presents the results from a study of information behaviors in the context of people's everyday lives undertaken in order to develop an integrated model of information behavior (IB). 34 participants from across 6 countries maintained a daily information journal or diary – mainly through a secure web log – for two weeks, to an aggregate of 468 participant days over five months. The text-rich diary data was analyzed using a multi-method qualitative-quantitative analysis in the following order: Grounded Theory analysis with manual coding, automated concept analysis using thesaurus-based visualization, and finally a statistical analysis of the coding data. The findings indicate that people engage in several information behaviors simultaneously throughout their everyday lives (including home and work life) and that sense-making is entangled in all aspects of them. Participants engaged in many of the information behaviors in a parallel, distributed, and concurrent fashion: many information behaviors for one information problem, one information behavior across many information problems, and many information behaviors concurrently across many information problems. Findings indicate also that information avoidance – both active and passive avoidance – is a common phenomenon and that information organizing behaviors or the lack thereof caused the most problems for participants. An integrated model of information behaviors is presented based on the findings.

Individual differences in learning from worked examples by senior secondary mathematics students

The primary purpose of this research was to examine individual differences in learning from worked examples. By integrating cognitive style theory and cognitive load theory, it was hypothesised that an interaction existed between individual cognitive style and the structure and presentation of worked examples in their effect upon subsequent student problem solving. In particular, it was hypothesised that Analytic-Verbalisers, Analytic-Imagers, and Wholist-lmagers would perform better on a posttest after learning from structured-pictorial worked examples than after learning from unstructured worked examples. For Analytic-Verbalisers it was reasoned that the cognitive effort required to impose structure on unstructured worked examples would hinder learning. Alternatively, it was expected that Wholist-Verbalisers would display superior performances after learning from unstructured worked examples than after learning from structured-pictorial worked examples. The images of the structured-pictorial format, incongruent with the Wholist-Verbaliser style, would be expected to split attention between the text and the diagrams. The information contained in the images would also be a source of redundancy and not easily ignored in the integrated structured-pictorial format. Despite a number of authors having emphasised the need to include individual differences as a fundamental component of problem solving within domainspecific subjects such as mathematics, few studies have attempted to investigate a relationship between mathematical or science instructional method, cognitive style, and problem solving. Cognitive style theory proposes that the structure and presentation of learning material is likely to affect each of the four cognitive styles differently. No study could be found which has used Riding's (1997) model of cognitive style as a framework for examining the interaction between the structural presentation of worked examples and an individual's cognitive style. 269 Year 12 Mathematics B students from five urban and rural secondary schools in Queensland, Australia participated in the main study. A factorial (three treatments by four cognitive styles) between-subjects multivariate analysis of variance indicated a statistically significant interaction. As the difficulty of the posttest components increased, the empirical evidence supporting the research hypotheses became more pronounced. The rigour of the study's theoretical framework was further tested by the construction of a measure of instructional efficiency, based on an index of cognitive load, and the construction of a measure of problem-solving efficiency, based on problem-solving time. The consistent empirical evidence within this study that learning from worked examples is affected by an interaction of cognitive style and the structure and presentation of the worked examples emphasises the need to consider individual differences among senior secondary mathematics students to enhance educational opportunities. Implications for teaching and learning are discussed and recommendations for further research are outlined.

Sensitivity of the lane change test as a measure of in-vehicle system demand

The Lane Change Test (LCT) is one of the growing number of methods developed to quantify driving performance degradation brought about by the use of in-vehicle devices. Beyond its validity and reliability, for such a test to be of practical use, it must also be sensitive to the varied demands of individual tasks. The current study evaluated the ability of several recent LCT lateral control and event detection parameters to discriminate between visual-manual and cognitive surrogate In-Vehicle Information System tasks with different levels of demand. Twenty-seven participants (mean age 24.4 years) completed a PC version of the LCT while performing visual search and math problem solving tasks. A number of the lateral control metrics were found to be sensitive to task differences, but the event detection metrics were less able to discriminate between tasks. The mean deviation and lane excursion measures were able to distinguish between the visual and cognitive tasks, but were less sensitive to the different levels of task demand. The other LCT metrics examined were less sensitive to task differences. A major factor influencing the sensitivity of at least some of the LCT metrics could be the type of lane change instructions given to participants. The provision of clear and explicit lane change instructions and further refinement of its metrics will be essential for increasing the utility of the LCT as an evaluation tool.

Journalism education dilemmas : career-focussed skill set, teamwork or critical thinking?

In Australian universities, journalism educators usually come to the academy from the journalism profession and consequently place a high priority on leading students to develop a career-focussed skill set. The changing nature of the technological, political and economic environments and the professional destinations of journalism graduates place demands on journalism curricula and educators alike. The profession is diverse, such that the better description is of many ‘journalisms’ rather than one ‘journalism’ with consequential pressures being placed on curricula to extend beyond the traditional skill set, where practical ‘writing’ and ‘editing’ skills dominate, to the incorporation of critical theory and the social construction of knowledge. A parallel set of challenges faces academic staff operating in a higher education environment where change is the only constant and research takes precedent over curriculum development. In this paper, three educators at separate universities report on their attempts to implement curriculum change to imbue graduates with better skills and attributes such as enhanced team work, problem solving and critical thinking, to operate in the divergent environment of 21st century journalism. The paper uses narrative case study to illustrate the different approaches. Data collected from formal university student evaluations inform the narratives along with rich but less formal qualitative data including anecdotal student comments and student reflective assessment presentations. Comparison of the three approaches illustrates the dilemmas academic staff face when teaching in disciplines that are impacted by rapid changes in technology requiring new pedagogical approaches. Recommendations for future directions are considered against the background or learning purpose.

Embracing diversity : empowering preservice teachers for teaching gifted and talented students

This study investigated preservice teachers’ perceptions for teaching and sustaining gifted and talented students while developing, modifying and implementing activities to cater for the diverse learner. Participants were surveyed at the end of a gifted and talented education program on their perceptions to differentiate the curriculum for meeting the needs of the student (n=22). SPSS data analysis with the five-part Likert scale indicated these preservice teachers agreed or strongly agreed they had developed skills in curriculum planning (91%) with well-designed activities (96%), and lesson preparation skills (96%). They also claimed they were enthusiastic for teaching (91%) and understanding of school practices and policies (96%). However, 46% agreed they had knowledge of syllabus documents with 50% claiming an ability to provide written feedback on student’s learning. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds suggested they had educational language from the syllabus and effective student management strategies. Preservice teachers require more direction on how to cater for diversity and begin creating sustainable societies by building knowledge from direct GAT experiences. Designing diagnostic surveys associated with university coursework can be used to determine further development for specific preservice teacher development in GAT education. Preservice teachers need to create opportunities for students to realise their potential by involving cognitive challenges through a differentiated curriculum. Differentiation requires modification of four primary areas of curriculum development (Maker, 1975) content (what we teach), process (how we teach), product (what we expect the students to do or show) and learning environment (where we teach/our class culture). Ashman and Elkins (2009) and Glasson (2008) emphasise the need for preservice teachers, teachers and other professionals to be able to identify what gifted and talented (GAT) students know and how they learn in relation to effective teaching. Glasson (2008) recommends that educators keep up to date with practices in pedagogy, support, monitoring and profiling of GAT students to create an environment conducive to achieving. Oral feedback is one method to communicate to learners about their progress but has advantages and disadvantages for some students. Oral feedback provides immediate information to the student on progress and performance (Ashman & Elkins, 2009). However, preservice teachers must have clear understandings of key concepts to assist the GAT student. Implementing teaching strategies to engage innovate and extend students is valuable to the preservice teacher in focusing on GAT student learning in the classroom (Killen, 2007). Practical teaching strategies (Harris & Hemming, 2008; Tomlinson et al., 1994) facilitate diverse ways for assisting GAT students to achieve learning outcomes. Such strategies include activities to enhance creativity, co-operative learning and problem-solving activities (Chessman, 2005; NSW Department of Education and Training, 2004; Taylor & Milton, 2006) for GAT students to develop a sense of identity, belonging and self esteem towards becoming an autonomous learner. Preservice teachers need to understand that GAT students learn in a different way and therefore should be assessed differently. Assessment can be through diverse options to demonstrate the student’s competence, demonstrate their understanding of the material in a way that highlights their natural abilities (Glasson, 2008; Mack, 2008). Preservice teachers often are unprepared to assess students understanding but this may be overcome with teacher education training promoting effective communication and collaboration in the classroom, including the provision of a variety of assessment strategies to improve teaching and learning (Callahan et al., 2003; Tomlinson et al., 1994). It is also critical that preservice teachers have enthusiasm for teaching to demonstrate inclusion, involvement and the excitement to communicate to GAT students in the learning process (Baum, 2002). Evaluating and reflecting on teaching practices must be part of a preservice teacher’s repertoire for GAT education. Evaluating teaching practices can assist to further enhance student learning (Mayer, 2008). Evaluation gauges the success or otherwise of specific activities and teaching in general (Mayer, 2008), and ensures that preservice teachers and teachers are well prepared and maintain their commitment to their students and the community. Long and Harris (1999) advocate that reflective practices assist teachers in creating improvements in educational practices. Reflective practices help preservice teachers and teachers to improve their ability to pursue improved learning outcomes and professional growth (Long & Harris, 1999). Context This study is set at a small regional campus of a large university in Queensland. As a way to address departmental policies and the need to prepare preservice teachers for engaging a diverse range of learners (see Queensland College of Teachers, Professional Standards for Teachers, 2006), preservice teachers at this campus completed four elective units within their Bachelor of Education (primary) degree. The electives include: 1. Middle years students and schools 2. Teaching strategies for engaging learners 3. Teaching students with learning difficulties, and 4. Middle-years curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. In the university-based component of this unit, preservice teachers engaged in learning about middle years students and schools, and gained knowledge of government policies pertaining to GAT students. Further explored within in this unit was the importance of: collaboration between teachers, parents/carers and school personnel in supporting middle years GAT students; incorporating challenging learning experiences that promoted higher order thinking and problem solving skills; real world learning experiences for students and; the alignment and design of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment that is relevant to the students development, interests and needs. The participants were third-year Bachelor of Education (primary) preservice teachers who were completing an elective unit as part of the middle years of schooling learning with a focus on GAT students. They were assigned one student from a local school. In the six subsequent ninety minute weekly lessons, the preservice teachers were responsible for designing learning activities that would engage and extend the GAT students. Furthermore, preservice teachers made decisions about suitable pedagogical approaches and designed the assessment task to align with the curriculum and the developmental needs of their middle years GAT student. This research aims to describe preservice teachers’ perceptions of their education for teaching gifted and talented students.

Using Web 2.0 tools to facilitate knowledge transfer in complex organisational environments : a primer

An often neglected but well recognised aspect of successful engineering asset management is the achievement of co-operation and collaboration between various occupational, functional and hierarchical levels present within complex technical environments. Engineering and technical contexts have been well documented for the presence of highly cohesive groups based around around functional or role orientations. However while highly cohesive groups are potentially advantageous they are also often correlated with the emergence of knowledge and information silos based around those same functional or occupational clusters. Improved collaboration and co-operation between groups has been demonstrated to result in a number of positive outcomes at an individual, group and organisational level. Example outcomes include an increased capacity for problem solving, improved responsiveness and adaptation to organisational crises, higher morale and an increased ability to leverage workforce capability. However, an essential challenge for organisations wishing to overcome informational silos is to implement mechanisms that facilitate, encourage and sustain interactions between otherwise disconnected groups. This paper reviews the ability of Web 2.0 technologies and mobile computing devices to facilitate and encourage knowledge sharing between “silo’d” groups. Commonly available tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Wiki’s and others will be reviewed in relation to their applicability, functionality and ease-of-use by engineering and technical personnel. The paper also documents three case examples of engineering organisations that have successfully employed Web 2.0 to achieve superior knowledge management. With a number of clear recommendations he paper is an essential starting point for any organization looking at the use of new generation technologies for achieving the significant outcomes associated with knowledge transfer.