A computing studio method for teaching design thinking
- Authors: Van der Post, Leda
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Creative thinking -- Study and teaching , Creative ability -- Study and teaching , Management information systems
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10465 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1128 , Creative thinking -- Study and teaching , Creative ability -- Study and teaching , Management information systems
- Description: Current trends in technology have led to a need for creativity and innovation in the design of contemporary digital products and systems. This has resulted in design thinking and creative design process having a higher profile in digital design practice. In turn, this has impacted computing education, by creating a need for computing students to develop creativity and design thinking skills. Creative design is taught using design studio teaching methods, which require a culture, environment and activities that are different to the teaching methods used in traditional computing education. Some computing academics have implemented courses using aspects of studio teaching methods, but no clear guidelines for a computing academic without creative design experience to fully apply studio teaching methods in courses could be found. The reason for the change in the role of design in the digital domain and how it affected the needs of computing students was investigated and a comparison of typical design studio and computing teaching methods was conducted using a learning systems model adapted for this specific purpose. This led to an identification of areas that required further investigation, or gaps in the knowledge of how to adapt design studio methods for use within a traditional computing education environment. These gaps were used as the basis for identifying a set of research questions for an empirical study. An exploratory case study was conducted at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University to answer the research questions. Three computing academics implemented studio teaching methods within three separate modules, following provisional guidelines devised from the preliminary research. Feedback was collected from the lecturers and the students registered for the modules regarding their experiences. It was found that it would be possible for computing academics to implement aspects of a design studio approach within the existing computing environment. An explicit teaching method, termed the computing studio teaching method, was developed from the results of the case study. This teaching method aims to provide computing academics with little or no creative design experience with explicit methods for implementing modified design studio teaching methods in order to promote creativity and design thinking within traditional computing modules. This teaching method will be tested, validated and refined in future research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Van der Post, Leda
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Creative thinking -- Study and teaching , Creative ability -- Study and teaching , Management information systems
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10465 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1128 , Creative thinking -- Study and teaching , Creative ability -- Study and teaching , Management information systems
- Description: Current trends in technology have led to a need for creativity and innovation in the design of contemporary digital products and systems. This has resulted in design thinking and creative design process having a higher profile in digital design practice. In turn, this has impacted computing education, by creating a need for computing students to develop creativity and design thinking skills. Creative design is taught using design studio teaching methods, which require a culture, environment and activities that are different to the teaching methods used in traditional computing education. Some computing academics have implemented courses using aspects of studio teaching methods, but no clear guidelines for a computing academic without creative design experience to fully apply studio teaching methods in courses could be found. The reason for the change in the role of design in the digital domain and how it affected the needs of computing students was investigated and a comparison of typical design studio and computing teaching methods was conducted using a learning systems model adapted for this specific purpose. This led to an identification of areas that required further investigation, or gaps in the knowledge of how to adapt design studio methods for use within a traditional computing education environment. These gaps were used as the basis for identifying a set of research questions for an empirical study. An exploratory case study was conducted at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University to answer the research questions. Three computing academics implemented studio teaching methods within three separate modules, following provisional guidelines devised from the preliminary research. Feedback was collected from the lecturers and the students registered for the modules regarding their experiences. It was found that it would be possible for computing academics to implement aspects of a design studio approach within the existing computing environment. An explicit teaching method, termed the computing studio teaching method, was developed from the results of the case study. This teaching method aims to provide computing academics with little or no creative design experience with explicit methods for implementing modified design studio teaching methods in order to promote creativity and design thinking within traditional computing modules. This teaching method will be tested, validated and refined in future research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
Social sustainability of biogas production in Sogwala village, lower Gweru district, Zimbabwe
- Authors: Dhliwayo, Nyaradzo
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Biogas -- Zimbabwe , Biogas -- Developing countries , Sustainability -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10648 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1459 , Biogas -- Zimbabwe , Biogas -- Developing countries , Sustainability -- Zimbabwe
- Description: The study has explored the social sustainability of biogas production in a local village of Sogwala which is located in the Lower Gweru District of Zimbabwe. The social sustainability assessment was based on the two concepts of social sustainability, namely human capital and social capital with particular emphasis on their respective elements and aspects. Qualitative and quantitative research methodology methods were used on a sample of 100 households using biogas and some key informants. Analysis of the variance was used to determine whether biogas production could account for any effects on the social and human capital elements of the Sogwala community. An overview and descriptive statistics analysis of the findings from the study have been provided where the biogas users’ experiences, perspectives are discussed and results were assessed. For instance, effects on the aspects of social capital elements which include increases in the social group membership of households after the introduction of biogas production the village; the performance of biogas energy as compared with other fuel sources in terms of accessibility, efficiency and the degree of labour needed for continual production of biogas. In view of the human capital element, assessment is done on the economic status per household before and after the production of biogas, where emphasis is placed on the aspects of employment, education and health indicators within the social sustainability context. The fundamental benefits from biogas production are considered and discussed with the technical issues surrounding biogas production also being presented. This is not just a technical unit for providing alternative energy supply, but it requires management, labour and knowledge, skills to operate on a daily basis for it to have an impact that can bring positive change to the daily social lives of both the young and old.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Dhliwayo, Nyaradzo
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Biogas -- Zimbabwe , Biogas -- Developing countries , Sustainability -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10648 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1459 , Biogas -- Zimbabwe , Biogas -- Developing countries , Sustainability -- Zimbabwe
- Description: The study has explored the social sustainability of biogas production in a local village of Sogwala which is located in the Lower Gweru District of Zimbabwe. The social sustainability assessment was based on the two concepts of social sustainability, namely human capital and social capital with particular emphasis on their respective elements and aspects. Qualitative and quantitative research methodology methods were used on a sample of 100 households using biogas and some key informants. Analysis of the variance was used to determine whether biogas production could account for any effects on the social and human capital elements of the Sogwala community. An overview and descriptive statistics analysis of the findings from the study have been provided where the biogas users’ experiences, perspectives are discussed and results were assessed. For instance, effects on the aspects of social capital elements which include increases in the social group membership of households after the introduction of biogas production the village; the performance of biogas energy as compared with other fuel sources in terms of accessibility, efficiency and the degree of labour needed for continual production of biogas. In view of the human capital element, assessment is done on the economic status per household before and after the production of biogas, where emphasis is placed on the aspects of employment, education and health indicators within the social sustainability context. The fundamental benefits from biogas production are considered and discussed with the technical issues surrounding biogas production also being presented. This is not just a technical unit for providing alternative energy supply, but it requires management, labour and knowledge, skills to operate on a daily basis for it to have an impact that can bring positive change to the daily social lives of both the young and old.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
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