Composition software

At the Durban University of Technology (DUT), the fallout from the recommendation by the Rapid Response Task Team to transition from the blended mode of teaching to pure online due to the lockdown caused by COVID-19 in 2020 is now being felt. The realisation is dawning that not all courses are created equally and, more damning, that some assessment practices are not as good as others. To remedy this deficit, DUT is currently running an "Assuring the Integrity of Assessment Practices Project", under the ambit of the Centre for Quality Promotion and Assurance (CQPA). The focus is on evaluating selected online courses. As a possible option for evaluation, this paper proposes a systemic model for evaluating online courses, whether delivered in mixed mode or completely online. The research approach used to develop the model is critical realist, based mainly on Roy Bhaskar's philosophy, but also includes Margaret Archer's morphogenetic theory, which shows how principles developed in previous temporal epochs are not always in phase with elements of present-day contexts. This is particularly relevant in the postpandemic era, where it has been observed that student grades which were skewed upward during the COVID-19 period are now plateauing in line with the period before COVID-19. While it is obvious that certain key course elements are now no longer available to both staff and students, a systemic model of course design is needed which distinguishes between the givens and the variables, so that the most urgent course deficits are identified and remedied or replaced. It will be argued that the systemic model of course design discussed in this paper provides insight into the nature of hypermedia communication. It might assist educators to distinguish between Internet communication and written (i.e., hard print) communication by showing how the functions thought essential for learning to take place effectively are carried out in different ways and with different effects in the different media. The model in fact provides a course design principle outlining 'felicity conditions' for effective course delivery. However, while it suggests the prerequisites for effective course design, the ultimate assessment of effectiveness is left up to the participants-teacher and students-to decide. As the design principle used is descriptive rather than value-laden, and can thus be adapted to suit the specific local values operating in any given learning context, it is well-suited for use in multicultural educational contexts. However, it must be noted that the model is work-in-progress, and may still be refined further in both research and use.

ii DECLARATION Student number: 31246524 I declare that An Action Research Study on the implementation of Writing Approaches to improve Academic Writing Skills of Namibian Foundation Programme students is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references.

Protocols and processes provides an account of a video protocol
analysis method developed in masters and doctoral research into
written composition over a period of 20 years. It also features a
series of composing profiles drawn up in the course of developing
the video protocol analysis method. These provide case studies of
student composing, which, it is hoped, might be of interest not only
to composition teachers and researchers, but also to academics in
general, as writing is the main form of assessment of progress in
universities. The video protocol method evolved together with a
developing theory of written communication which went some way
towards explaining the systemic nature of composing, as well as the
infinite variety evident in specific instances of composing. The
theoretical aspect is dealt with in some detail in Modelling written
communication: a new systems approach to modelling in the social
sciences, which is now in press. Protocols and processes
complements the development of the theory. It does so by showing
how video protocol analysis made the theoretical advances possible
and in providing a case book of the video protocol analyses which
not only contributed to the development of the theory but also
validated it.

Currently criteria for evaluating mixed-mode courses do not go much beyond the paradigmatic level, which poses problems if the evaluator's preferred paradigm of knowledge construction is not congruent with the course designer's. A critical realist approach is suggested, using Margaret Archer's morphogenetic approach to social structure in order to provide a deep-theory explanation for effective integration of ICT in blended learning, moreover, one which does not favour any particular pedagogical epistemology. This is because critical realism provides a meta-theory for exploring causality at the ontological level, and accepts the existence of diverse epistemological positions in its ontology, rather than prescribing educational belief and value systems. The proposed framework will be illustrated by applying it to three best-practice mixed mode courses designed for undergraduate lecturing, staff induction and research capacity building respectively. It is hoped that this application of a deep-theory explanation will not only identify for practitioners the elements which are likely to result in effective mixed mode course design, but will also explain why this is so. This study is part of an ongoing project being carried out at a university of technology, and is intended to contribute to a theory of hypermedia communication based on social functioning.

This paper suggests a tentative answer to an old debate, namely the nature of the connection between teaching/learning and research, and the extent to which they are mutually (if at all) supportive. While existing literature in the field provides inconclusive results, it is the contention of this paper that any commonalities between teaching/learning and research lie in the systemic underpinnings of both processes. These common features, it is proposed, can be summed up in an interactive principle developed in doctoral research and applied in a mixedmode Research Module designed to develop research capacity at Bachelor of Technology Level. The paper thus offers a systems approach to the teaching/research nexus, which will be explored with reference both to the theory developed in doctoral research on written communication and application of the theory in mixed mode course design.

This paper deals with the implications for social transformation of software design, and is based on a doctoral study carried out within the critical realist orientation. The critical realist philosophy works sensitively towards human empowerment in that its focus is on the (mainly) hidden forces governing social phenomena: human agency is viewed as having the potential not only to replicate but also to transform social practices. During the research both theoretical and empirical (practical) models of written composition were formulated, providing the basis for the design of educational software in the form of a writing tutor program. In particular, the models represented the all-important social element in composing as operating intra-and extra-systemically, which explained the infinitely variable forms taken by actual instances of composing. The implications for transformation of the social practice of composing were that in using the software learners could be shown relatively easily which social factors were givens (i.e. systemic) and which were negotiable (i.e. extra-systemic), the latter in terms of reflecting the socio-cultural bias of the specific context in which composing took place. The potential of the writing tutor program for empowering learners in multicultural institutions is discussed, together with some preliminary feedback from learners.

This paper suggests a tentative answer to an old debate, namely the nature of the connection between teaching/learning and research, and the extent to which they are mutually (if at all) supportive. While existing literature in the field provides inconclusive ...

At the Durban University of Technology (DUT), the fallout from the recommendation by the Rapid Response Task Team to transition from the blended mode of teaching to pure online due to the lockdown caused by COVID-19 in 2020 is now being felt. The realisation is dawning that not all courses are created equally and, more damning, that some assessment practices are not as good as others. To remedy this deficit, DUT is currently running an "Assuring the Integrity of Assessment Practices Project", under the ambit of the Centre for Quality Promotion and Assurance (CQPA). The focus is on evaluating selected online courses. As a possible option for evaluation, this paper proposes a systemic model for evaluating online courses, whether delivered in mixed mode or completely online. The research approach used to develop the model is critical realist, based mainly on Roy Bhaskar's philosophy, but also includes Margaret Archer's morphogenetic theory, which shows how principles developed in previous temporal epochs are not always in phase with elements of present-day contexts. This is particularly relevant in the postpandemic era, where it has been observed that student grades which were skewed upward during the COVID-19 period are now plateauing in line with the period before COVID-19. While it is obvious that certain key course elements are now no longer available to both staff and students, a systemic model of course design is needed which distinguishes between the givens and the variables, so that the most urgent course deficits are identified and remedied or replaced. It will be argued that the systemic model of course design discussed in this paper provides insight into the nature of hypermedia communication. It might assist educators to distinguish between Internet communication and written (i.e., hard print) communication by showing how the functions thought essential for learning to take place effectively are carried out in different ways and with different effects in the different media. The model in fact provides a course design principle outlining 'felicity conditions' for effective course delivery. However, while it suggests the prerequisites for effective course design, the ultimate assessment of effectiveness is left up to the participants-teacher and students-to decide. As the design principle used is descriptive rather than value-laden, and can thus be adapted to suit the specific local values operating in any given learning context, it is well-suited for use in multicultural educational contexts. However, it must be noted that the model is work-in-progress, and may still be refined further in both research and use.

To provide the basis for a writing tutor program which could be used in a variety of contexts, a modelling process was followed which produced both a practical and a theoretical model of writing. While the practical model provided learner writers with metacognitive strategies to carry out composing processes, the theoretical model underpinning it consisted of a system of communicative functions necessary for effective communication. Having been validated empirically, the practical model formed the basis for a writing tutor program, which was produced in the form of a help menu designed around the five stages of composing shown in the model. The program can be loaded onto the learner writer's home computer and consulted while the writer is composing on computer, and was designed to allow for input by both teacher and student, which means that it can be customised to suit different educational contexts and purposes.

To provide the basis for a writing tutor program which could be used in a variety of contexts, a modelling process was followed which produced both a practical and a theoretical model of writing. While the practical model provided learner writers with metacognitive strategies to carry out composing processes, the theoretical model underpinning it consisted of a system of communicative functions necessary for effective communication. Having been validated empirically, the practical model formed the basis for a writing tutor program, which was produced in the form of a help menu designed around the five stages of composing shown in the model. The program can be loaded onto the learner writer's home computer and consulted while the writer is composing on computer, and was designed to allow for input by both teacher and student, which means that it can be customised to suit different educational contexts and purposes.

This study investigates the sources of difficulties that Damascus University learners face in their composition writing courses at the Department of English Language and Literature. The research is carried out through a longitudinal study of both the context and the product of writing across a four year EFL writing course. Findings suggest that the writing problems that students face are inherent in the writing pedagogy in current practice at the University. To my mother and father ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was made possible by a grant provided by the Syrian Ministry of Higher Education. I wish to record my gratitude to this body. My gratitude is greatly expressed to my supervisor Ms. Jennifer Jarvis from the School of Education for her time, invaluable guidance and support throughout this research. My thanks are due to all Damascus University composition writing lecturers and instructors and to all student informants without whose help and data much of the research carried out in this thesis could not have been made possible. The help given by Miss Amina Jaber from the examinations section at Damascus University in collecting much of the data used in this work is greatly acknowledged. My sincere thanks are due to Mme Akamatsu from the Linguistics and Phonetics department for her help and support and to my ex-supervisor Dr. Patrick Leach whose serious illness led to his early retirement from the department. My thanks are also due to Jacques Le Bot from the Department of Pure and Applied Biology and to Mrs. Jean Orton from the School of Education for their invaluable guidance in the statistical work carried out in this research. I also wish to thank all the friends in Leeds for their encouragement and support. Finally, I owe a particular debt to my husband Mouwaffak and my son Ahmed whose constant support, sacrifice, patience and understanding made the completion of this work possible amid all the difficulties that I faced in the process of completing it. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1. Statement of the problem 1 2. Theoretical Background 3. Objectives and Research Questions 4. Overview of the Whole Work

Even experienced writers can - and do - experience writer’s block when engaged in composing a thesis, and, while it is usual to have pauses and breaks during the course of writing up a thesis, unnecessary blocks can be avoided. Note that we are dealing with blocks occurring when writers are free to spend time on the thesis, not interruptions caused by work, ill health, festive seasons or family commitments. Writers also need breaks in between writing, for ideas to emerge and coalesce (which happens in the subconscious mind), and it is sometimes a good idea not to focus consciously on what to write next. Composing is a complex recursive process, occurring in distinct stages. While it is usual (and essential in thesis writing) to start  the cycle by giving some time to preparation, the writer can go back to any stage any number of times until the piece of writing is finished. Writers become blocked when they cannot complete a stage or move on to the next stage, even though the previous stage may be complete: they may not know how to do the job or have the resources needed (including skills), or they may have learned habits which inhibit progress. We all suffer from writer’s block: the point is to recognise the block and take appropriate action to resolve the problem. This paper discusses the most common reasons for blocks students might experience when composing a thesis.

While word processing skills are becoming increasingly important in tertiary courses in EST, there has been little discussion of what these skills are or how they might best be taught. This paper argues that word processing is a new creative environment which demands a radically different approach to writing. Originating, revising and formatting are important new literacy skills which students need to make effective use of the medium. The importance of developing these new skills is emphasized and some pedagogical implications of the relationship between thought and writing are discussed.

This article describes an approach to writing instruction that involves a combination of the genre approach and the process writing approach. The stages of the writing process that students often do not take time for, namely brainstorming, organizing ideas and drafting, are done as much as possible in the classroom. In preparation for this, students are introduced to models of the type of texts they will have to write, so that they can become familiar with the features that are typical of that text type (genre). These features form the basis of a checklist that will serve as a form for teacher feedback, which is given to the students at various stages of the writing process up to final revision. In addition, certain points are focused on in peer feedback. Throughout the entire process, students are encouraged to become aware of their progress through written reflection. We have found that such an approach, overseen and monitored by the teacher, leads students to writing more focused texts that conform to genre conventions. For the purposes of this article, the text type of argumentative (opinion) essay is used as an example.

The gathering, analysis and evaluation of heterogeneous data, derived from the interaction of users with a myriad of different technologies and proposed solutions are critical to the Design Process for the User Experience (UXD). Hence, it is important to have a clear picture of the initial design of the interdisciplinary teams involved in the process through common and collaborative semantics, as well as a better use of the data collected from users' assessments. Based on it, this article presents theoretical and practical support, corresponding to the DAfetU systemic modelling, a hybrid conceptual framework, structured by the existing triad in experiential contexts, aiming to gain cooperation among interdisciplinary teams to retrofit the UXD while reaping the benefits from the systemic modelling and the simulation.

The gathering, analysis and evaluation of heterogeneous data, derived from the interaction of users with a myriad of different technologies and proposed solutions are critical to the Design Process for the User Experience (UXD). Hence, it is important to have a clear picture of the initial design of the interdisciplinary teams involved in the process through common and collaborative semantics, as well as a better use of the data collected from users' assessments. Based on it, this article presents theoretical and practical support, corresponding to the DAfetU systemic modelling, a hybrid conceptual framework, structured by the existing triad in experiential contexts, aiming to gain cooperation among interdisciplinary teams to retrofit the UXD while reaping the benefits from the systemic modelling and the simulation.

Research on programming systems design needs to consider a wide range of aspects in their full complexity. This includes user interaction, implementation, interoperability but also the sustainability of its ecosystem and wider societal impact. Established methods of evaluation, such as formal proofs or user studies, impose a reductionist view that makes it difficult to see programming systems in their full complexity and, consequently, force researchers to adopt simplistic perspectives. This paper asks whether we can create more amenable methods of evaluation derived from existing informal practices such as multimedia essays, demos, and interactive tutorials. These popular forms incorporate recorded or scaffolded interaction, often embedded in a text that guides the reader. Can we augment such forms with structure and guidelines to obtain methods of evaluation suitable for peer review? We do not answer this question, but merely seek to identify some of the problems and instigate a c...

An in-depth investigation into the nature of composing was carried out to provide the theoretical basis for a computer mediated learning application, an interactive writing tutor computer program which might be customised by users to fit different educational contexts.  The investigation was carried out within a critical realist perspective, from which viewpoint composing can be seen to have an external reality in common with other social phenomena.  The intended outcome was to arrive at a description of writing which more closely approximated the reality so as to design more effective learning interactions, in particular, the writing tutor program itself.  In order to arrive at the deep structure underpinning composing, a theoretical model of written composition was developed as follows.

The starting point in the modelling process was an empirical model, formulated in a previous study, and based on the close observations and generalisations of educationists and researchers who had studied composing.  As the empirical model was already supported by extensive data of composing, a theoretical model was developed through a process of classical induction, with regular reference to data collected over a long-term period to support inferences arrived at inductively. The resulting theoretical model of written composition comprises an architecture of essential communicative functions, the property of which is communication in written mode.  Written communication manifests as a complex process in stages, as observed by researchers and teachers, and as confirmed in a series of video protocol analyses.  The system of functions without which effective written communication cannot take place revealed the empirical model to be in the nature of a stochastic algorithm which, while it could not guarantee effective written communication, would satisfy the preconditions for it to occur.  The system of functions provided a perspective which made it possible to identify the complex mechanism whereby written communication is effected, as well as the causal factors which can be seen to give rise to the infinitely variable forms composing takes in specific instances (i.e. as input into the composing system).  The system of functions is thought to be a generalisable principle applying not only to other communication modes, but with possible applicability in other fields, namely, educational design, art and music.  It also facilitated the formulation of a second more analytical empirical model which was used to validate the theoretical model.

The study concludes with an account of the design and production of a working prototype of a writing tutor program, based on the first empirical model.  This model was considered more suitable for pedagogical purposes as it offers learners a practical means of carrying out the essential communicative functions in real-life contexts: in effect, it is a type of social algorithm.  The writing tutor program is easily customisable by the user, not only so as to reflect local academic requirements, but also to cater for individual learning needs.

This study investigates the sources of difficulties that Damascus University learners face in their composition writing courses at the Department of English Language and Literature. The research is carried out through a longitudinal study of both the context and the product of writing across a four year EFL writing course. Findings suggest that the writing problems that students face are inherent in the writing pedagogy in current practice at the University. To my mother and father ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was made possible by a grant provided by the Syrian Ministry of Higher Education. I wish to record my gratitude to this body. My gratitude is greatly expressed to my supervisor Ms. Jennifer Jarvis from the School of Education for her time, invaluable guidance and support throughout this research. My thanks are due to all Damascus University composition writing lecturers and instructors and to all student informants without whose help and data much of the research carried out in this thesis could not have been made possible. The help given by Miss Amina Jaber from the examinations section at Damascus University in collecting much of the data used in this work is greatly acknowledged. My sincere thanks are due to Mme Akamatsu from the Linguistics and Phonetics department for her help and support and to my ex-supervisor Dr. Patrick Leach whose serious illness led to his early retirement from the department. My thanks are also due to Jacques Le Bot from the Department of Pure and Applied Biology and to Mrs. Jean Orton from the School of Education for their invaluable guidance in the statistical work carried out in this research. I also wish to thank all the friends in Leeds for their encouragement and support. Finally, I owe a particular debt to my husband Mouwaffak and my son Ahmed whose constant support, sacrifice, patience and understanding made the completion of this work possible amid all the difficulties that I faced in the process of completing it. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1. Statement of the problem 1 2. Theoretical Background 3. Objectives and Research Questions 4. Overview of the Whole Work

This study investigates the sources of difficulties that Damascus University learners face in their composition writing courses at the Department of English Language and Literature. The research is carried out through a longitudinal study of both the context and the product of writing across a four year EFL writing course. Findings suggest that the writing problems that students face are inherent in the writing pedagogy in current practice at the University. Most studies in ESL/EFL writing have looked at the final product in isolation from the context in which it has been produced. This work has attempted a study of the process of teaching and evaluating writing at Damascus University across four years and analysed longitudinally, in the light of the contextual findings, the final products (written under the influence of the context described) of the same group of learners. Research on ESL writing too has focused mainly on the teaching of writing in smaller classes. This work is uni...

This paper describes an in-service workshop on writing, which begins by having teachers air negative feelings and false conceptions about the writing process, involves the teachers in writing and introduces the writing process concept. A sentence completion activity, integrated with the viewing of a videotape, helps teachers examine their assumptions and misconceptions about the writing process. This self-assessment uncovers negative attitudes and anxieties about writing, reveals background knowledge of composition and related terminology, identifies individual problem areas in expectations of self and students, and releases fears and negative feelings as well as shared personal concerns. Finally, it involves teachers in writing, writing about writing, and writing to learn. A major part of the paper consists of sentence completion exercises.

This article describes an approach to writing instruction that involves a combination of the genre approach and the process writing approach. The stages of the writing process that students often do not take time for, namely brainstorming, organizing ideas and drafting, are done as much as possible in the classroom. In preparation for this, students are introduced to models of the type of texts they will have to write, so that they can become familiar with the features that are typical of that text type (genre). These features form the basis of a checklist that will serve as a form for teacher feedback, which is given to the students at various stages of the writing process up to final revision. In addition, certain points are focused on in peer feedback. Throughout the entire process, students are encouraged to become aware of their progress through written reflection. We have found that such an approach, overseen and monitored by the teacher, leads students to writing more focused texts that conform to genre conventions. For the purposes of this article, the text type of argumentative (opinion) essay is used as an example.

The claim has often been made that it is through writing, in particular, that we exploit the full potential of literacy, using it, as Bruner put it, as a technology for the empowerment of mind. Because of the need to make the meaning of our text clear and explicit for an audience who will have no other access to our thinking, we have a strong incentive to try to become clear for ourselves about what it is we think. And because we are released from the pressure to get it right first time, which is both the spur and the limitation to thinking in the context of face-to-face interaction, we can adopt a more reflective and reflexive stance, rethinking and rewriting ourselves towards an increased state of understanding.

The claim has often been made that it is through writing, in particular, that we exploit the full potential of literacy, using it, as Bruner put it, as a technology for the empowerment of mind. Because of the need to make the meaning of our text clear and explicit for an audience who will have no other access to our thinking, we have a strong incentive to try to become clear for ourselves about what it is we think. And because we are released from the pressure to get it right first time, which is both the spur and the limitation to thinking in the context of face-to-face interaction, we can adopt a more reflective and reflexive stance, rethinking and rewriting ourselves towards an increased state of understanding.

The first part of this paper reviews the state of the art in computer-aided writing, including a brief software survey and discussion of new developments, such as educational advisory systems, which offer alternatives to closely controlled tutorial instruction. The second part of this paper evaluates the state of the art in educational uses of technology. It concludes that, although important instructional functions are available in today's computers, computing resources are not well integrated and have not evolved to serve educational goals. Major needs are to integrate computing resources, raise the quality of software, and conduct research on how computers can support human learning and performance.

The objectives of this study were to explore the writing process of the Indonesian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students and to find out the effectiveness of using think-aloud protocol to understand the writing process. The data were obtained from six proficient EFL students who were doing Postgraduate English Language Studies Program in Indonesia. The participants were selected based on the following criteria: had completed a minimum of two academic writing courses, had written a thesis in English, had taught English for more than two years and considered as proficient writers based on IELTS result. The finding of the study showed that all of the participants went through the following writing process: prewriting, planning, drafting, pausing, reading, revising, editing and publishing. In addition, the think-aloud protocol had different effects on the participants. Five of the participants admitted that the think-aloud protocol had a positive effect because it helped them in organizing their thoughts and ideas. However, only one participant found thinking aloud made her difficult to focus on the writing task due to the demand to verbalize and write at the same time.

This paper deals with ongoing curriculum development in mixed mode, focusing in particular on student response to blended learning at a multicultural University of Technology. This is currently the subject of a masters research project investigating the possible ways in which learner access and response to blended learning might be affected by socio-cultural elements. The research investigates the impact of socio-cultural factors on blended learning in the development of academic literacy in a tertiary vocational context, and, it is hoped, will identify some of the factors which contribute positively or negatively towards blended learning in multicultural settings. The research orientation is critical realism, which is highly compatible with the scaffolded constructivist learning approach used in the Department of English & Communication"s Comm. Skills Online course, but has additional ontological dimensions which are helpful in pointing the way to social transformation. A key concept in critical realist research is that of the social mechanism, which can be seen as having two aspects, formal and practical: Franck"s modelling process represents these as theoretical and empirical models respectively. A tentative empirical model of blended learning based on a theoretical model of course design is discussed: socio-cultural factors impacting on both affect and access issues in blended learning can be represented as input into the system inherent in the social mechanism. The merits and disadvantages of the video protocol analysis as a possible research tool for capturing data on student response to blended learning are also discussed, and the paper concludes with the implications of this type of modelling for social transformation.

The process approach to writing emphasises the writing process, rather than the finished product. Writing is seen as a series of stages, and the teacher takes on a more collaborative role, especially during the early stages of the process. Research suggested that both the concept of writing as a process, and strategies for effectively engaging in it, could be communicated to learners in the form of an abstract "user's model". As there was no methodology available which could satisfactorily test out this hypothesis, I experimented with a video reconstruction system, attempting to reconstruct the writing behaviour of volunteer high school pupils before and after exposure to the user's model. The findings of this research suggested that a process approach to the teaching of written composition could give students both insight into the writing process, and suggest effective writing strategies. There were also some interesting possibilities for further research.

While online distance supervision of higher degrees is fairly commonplace overseas, it is relatively new at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). This paper looks at recent endeavours in distance supervision with overseas international students. Even face-to-face supervision of masters and doctoral students is fraught with potential pitfalls, in particular, dealing with implicit expectations on both sides and negotiating the transition from dependency to autonomy. Therefore it is not surprising that, while most students and supervisors at DUT now rely heavily on email interactions, supervision carried out completely online is not usually seen as an option. It is difficult to forge a trusting relationship completely online, and the nuances of face-to-face communication do not always survive the translation into electronic print. While mixed-mode research modules have been piloted at DUT since 2002, supervision carried out completely online with international overseas students is a relatively new venture. However, DUT fields many enquiries from international overseas students about registering for higher degrees, as the Recession, combined with DUT's Incentives awards which pay for tuition, makes overseas registration an attractive option. This paper uses an interactive principle derived from a theoretical model of communicative functions as a lens for reflecting on online supervision. The principle has been found to be useful in offering insights into the effectiveness of various mixed mode courses, including undergraduate Communication courses, staff induction into web-based learning and research capacity building courses. A self study approach is used, with both supervisor and students reflecting on supervision and research practices.

This paper suggests a tentative answer to an old debate, namely the nature of the connection between teaching/learning and research, and the extent to which they are mutually (if at all) supportive. While existing literature in the field provides inconclusive results, it is the contention of this paper that any commonalities between teaching/learning and research lie in the systemic underpinnings of both processes. These common features, it is proposed, can be summed up in an interactive principle developed in doctoral research and applied in a mixed-mode Research Module designed to develop research capacity at Bachelor of Technology Level. The paper thus offers a systems approach to the teaching/research nexus, which will be explored with reference both to the theory developed in doctoral research on written communication and application of the theory in mixed mode course design.

In this account a model of communicative functions is used in an attempt to clarify the nature of mixed mode learning delivery. Formulated in research on communication in written mode, the model can be seen to offer insights into the nature of hypermedia communication, as well as helping to identify some key features of effective mixed mode course design. The model also suggests that blended learning should be viewed as a multiplicity of combinations rather than 'middle ground' in a continuum of wholesale adoption or rejection of ICT. The tentative hypotheses outlined in this paper are illustrated with reference to doctoral research on communication in written mode and reflective monitoring of mixed mode courses run at

An in-depth investigation into the nature of composing was carried out to provide the theoretical basis for a computer mediated learning application, an interactive writing tutor computer program which might be customised by users to fit different educational contexts. The investigation was carried out within a critical realist perspective, from which viewpoint composing can be seen to have an external reality in common with other social phenomena. The intended outcome was to arrive at a description of writing which more closely approximated the reality so as to design more effective learning interactions, in particular, the writing tutor program itself. In order to arrive at the deep structure underpinning composing, a theoretical model of written composition was developed as follows.

This paper deals with the implications for social transformation of software design, and is based on a doctoral study carried out within the critical realist orientation. The critical realist philosophy works sensitively towards human empowerment in that its focus is on the (mainly) hidden forces governing social phenomena: human agency is viewed as having the potential not only to replicate but also to transform social practices. During the research both theoretical and empirical (practical) models of written composition were formulated, providing the basis for the design of educational software in the form of a writing tutor program. In particular, the models represented the all-important social element in composing as operating intra-and extra-systemically, which explained the infinitely variable forms taken by actual instances of composing. The implications for transformation of the social practice of composing were that in using the software learners could be shown relatively easily which social factors were givens (i.e. systemic) and which were negotiable (i.e. extra-systemic), the latter in terms of reflecting the socio-cultural bias of the specific context in which composing took place. The potential of the writing tutor program for empowering learners in multicultural institutions is discussed, together with some preliminary feedback from learners.

Educational software geared to literacy development is too often based on what computer programs can do rather than on any deep-level consideration of the social process involved or how social processes are learned. As social psychology suggests that young people learn social behaviour by means of social algorithms, it is suggested that designers of educational software should consider identifying the algorithm involved as a basis for effective program design.

One of the chief difficulties in designing effective courseware for improving writing proficiency is that composing, like other forms of human communication, is a complex social process with little or no agreement as to its precise nature or structure. Designing a versatile writing tutor program which will mimic the functions performed by a human tutor requires a systematic investigation into the complex processes involved in composing, in particular its commonalities and variables, and the ways in which it is shaped to the various contexts in which it occurs. This paper suggests that in order to translate complex social processes effectively into educational software design, it is first advisable to discover the social mechanisms which effect the process. In the case of written composition, a complex modelling procedure was followed which used a process of reverse engineering to arrive at a system of essential communicative functions. The architecture of functions thus revealed validated a practical model of composing, which in turn could be seen to constitute a stochastic algorithm for composing. The algorithm was used as the basis for the design of a writing tutor program, which took the form of a help menu based around the five stages of composing depicted in the algorithm. The program has still to be tested out by learner writers working in various educational contexts.

Comm. Skills Online, which involved integrated project work based around an Internet search, was piloted for three years at DIT with groups of Communication students, resulting in a marked improvement in students' computer literacy, academic literacy and hard print literacy. This paper reflects on a design principle, derived from research into communication in written mode, which revealed that five essential communicative functions are required for effective communication to take place, namely the contextual, ideational, interactive, social and reflexive functions. These functions were found to be integral to the construction of knowledge in academic writing, which suggested that they might constitute an educational design principle, as follows. Firstly, learning in mixed-mode must be contextualised so that offline and online activities are blended into a coherent experience for students. Next, the issue of course content and materials needs to be addressed: the Internet is an information-rich, easily accessed data source, but its potential to facilitate intellectual development needs to be harnessed. Thirdly, the nature of the learning interactions and how they will combine to promote effective learning needs to be thought through carefully in advance in blended learning. Social considerations include local academic requirements, but also a recognition of the social inequalities which have resulted in wide variations in student preparedness for online learning. Finally, the reflexive aspect regulates the learning process, and opportunities for peer and self reflection, as well as student and course assessment, need to be built into the course.

This paper suggests that a system of communicative functions can be used to provide a framework for analysing course design, and illustrates this with reference to three mixed-mode courses intended for use in a master's programme in Computer Assisted Language Teaching (CALT). The design principle is based on an architecture of functions necessary for effective communication, namely, the contextual, ideational, interactive social and reflexive functions. Because the principle is descriptive rather than prescriptive, and is thought to identify a deep structure of human functioning common to all social interaction, it provides a template for analyse of course design which can be applied within different educational paradigms. The template offers the course designer moving into a new milieu or medium the opportunity to gain a fresh perspective on the process of instructional design. Issues such as the educational context, course content, learning interactions, academic requirements and assessment can be now viewed in terms of how these contribute to knowledge construction, rather than whether the outcome per se is desirable: the latter issue is already addressed comprehensively in current instructional design paradigms.