Abstract

This dissertation presents a thesis in the form of three analyses to support creative decision making in the design of learner-centred, technology-enhanced education. The thesis was developed through use and improvement in practice over three decades.

The dissertation also describes the action research methodological approach & methods employed and explores a framework based on concepts of design, learner, technology as a foundation for framing the thesis. Finally it evidences the claim for an original contribution to knowledge through an annotated selection from a portfolio of practice.

The experience gained through increasingly responsible work rôles, in which the author was expected to guide other designers, shaped the articulation of the three analyses which were made for evaluating designs as a springboard for iterative improvement. These analyses are:

an 'expressive constructivist' model of learning;
an account of how technology can support such learning;
a learner-centred breakdown of questions to focus on progress in education more holistically.

This thesis arose from growing tacit and experiential understanding and has been informed by a theoretical and conceptual framework based on academic literature. It is argued that the successful application of these analyses in the practice cited has generated the validity of the thesis, and to a limited extent, reliability.

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