It is expected of lecturers to integrate content knowledge with appropriate pedagogical approaches and select relevant technology to enhance student learning. However the selection of effective technology to support 21st-century learning in tertiary education could be time-consuming and complex since there is a plethora of technology available. The aim of this research was therefore to support lecturers by providing them with an evaluated technology-integrated intervention in fluid mechanics. Hence the objectives were to develop this technology-integrated intervention to support 21st-century learning for first-year physics students and to determine its effectiveness when presented by various lecturers. An exploratory case study research design guided the research. A design-thinking framework for technology-integrated lessons was used and included the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) model. This research was done with two lecturers and 117 students from a University of Technology in South Africa. The data gathering tools comprised pre and post-tests, tutorials, observation schedules and questionnaires. Results indicated that student learning is affected by the way in which technology is used not only in schools, but also in tertiary education and that lecturer belief play a crucial role in the design process but also manifest when lecturers have to use a designed intervention.
Key words: 21st-century learning, fluid mechanics, teacher beliefs, technology integrated lesson, tertiary education.
The incidence and prevalence of alternative conceptions in science have been reported by a number of researchers. This article reports findings of a study involving the development and implementation of two intervention programmes to address alternative conceptions related to interference and diffraction of waves among 133 first year university physics students. The two interventions were (1) a learner-centred approach based on the principles of outcomesbased education (OBE), and (2) a teacher-centred approach in the form of a traditional lecture, characterised by frontal dissemination of information while students passively listened and took notes. A total of nine alternative conceptions had earlier been identified in the pilot part of the study. In determining the effectiveness of the interventions, a pre-test/post-test comparison group design was followed. The results revealed statistically significant gains between the preand post-test scores for both the OBE and traditional lecture groups (p < 0.05). Qualitative data showed that most of the pre-existing alternative conceptions appeared to have been alleviated, although not completely overcome, by both interventions. There was no statistically significant difference between the results of the OBE and traditional lecture interventions. The implications of these findings are discussed, and recommendations are made for effective teaching and learning, as well as for further research.
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