Applying Activity Theory: Instructor Design and Development Experiences with Online Distance Learning in the Electrical Apprenticeship Trades Programs

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atmire.migration.oldid1476
dc.contributor.advisorLock, Jennifer Vivian
dc.contributor.authorSochowski, Robert William
dc.date.accessioned2013-09-24T23:11:25Z
dc.date.available2013-11-12T08:00:18Z
dc.date.issued2013-09-24
dc.date.submitted2013en
dc.description.abstractApprenticeship training historically has been the entry point for employment in the trades in Canada. However, with increasing shortages of qualified trades workers in Canada, it is timely to explore the affordances of online distance learning (ODL) education for this post-secondary education sector. The Internet has provided students with access to distance learning in many fields, but very little research has been conducted regarding online ODL activities for apprenticeship trades training. Thus, the benefits of ODL in electrical apprenticeship trades education remain largely experimental or anecdotal. In general, the apprenticeship trades industry has determined that learning apprenticeship trades skills requires practical, physical components, but scholars must determine whether online electrical apprenticeship trades activities meet these physical, hands-on requirements for constructing objects and assimilating skill-oriented knowledge. To examine the impact of online technologies in ODL environments for the electrical apprenticeship trades, a case study approach was used in this research in order to understand instructors’ experiences in designing, developing, and delivering electrical apprenticeship trades programs in an ODL environment. The study participants were six instructors from three different public institutions in two provinces. Each case was developed from an interview with the ODL electrical apprenticeship instructor, document analysis, and a review of online materials such as the institution’s website and the program and course shells. To analyze the data collected from the case studies, five activity theory principles were applied: the hierarchical structure of activities; the social and physical aspects of the online learning environment; the learning, cognition, and articulation of online activities; the development of online activities; and the zone of proximal development (ZPD) of online activities. The results from the data analysis indicated that the potential of ODL was not fully realized because of local accessibility issues as well as instructors’ unfamiliarity with the technologies employed. The culture of apprenticeship trades focuses on hands-on learning of practical skills from a master, and the idea that technology can provide equivalent experiences is not yet fully accepted. But the shift is underway, with a number of institutions in Canada now offering ODL in the electrical apprenticeship trades as well as in other trades such as welding and plumbing. The research findings would be valuable to the apprenticeship trades industry because they supported the efficacy of ODL which provided options that were anticipated to increase the number of qualified trades workers. Academic administrators would benefit as the findings would assist them with their strategic, long-term planning of ODL for the apprenticeship trades. Policy makers (typically governments, both federal and provincial) would benefit from the study as it would help to provide policy direction for apprenticeship trades education. Instructors would benefit from gaining a better understanding of the impact of changing roles and responsibilities and of what is involved in designing, developing, and delivering ODL apprenticeship trades programs.en_US
dc.identifier.citationSochowski, R. W. (2013). Applying Activity Theory: Instructor Design and Development Experiences with Online Distance Learning in the Electrical Apprenticeship Trades Programs (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/24974en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/24974
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11023/1028
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectTechnology
dc.subjectVocational
dc.subjectEducation
dc.subject.classificationApprenticeshipen_US
dc.subject.classificationTradesen_US
dc.subject.classificationVocationalen_US
dc.subject.classificationDistanceen_US
dc.subject.classificationOnlineen_US
dc.subject.classificationtechnologyen_US
dc.subject.classificationEducationen_US
dc.subject.classificationInstructoren_US
dc.subject.classificationActivityen_US
dc.subject.classificationTrainingen_US
dc.subject.classificationWorkplaceen_US
dc.subject.classificationaffordancesen_US
dc.subject.classificationconstraintsen_US
dc.subject.classificationelectricalen_US
dc.subject.classificationelectricianen_US
dc.subject.classificationDesignen_US
dc.subject.classificationDevelopmenten_US
dc.subject.classificationteachingen_US
dc.subject.classificationSkillsen_US
dc.subject.classificationGovernmenten_US
dc.subject.classificationinstitutionen_US
dc.subject.classificationprovicialen_US
dc.subject.classificationCanadaen_US
dc.subject.classificationconstructivismen_US
dc.subject.classificationconstructionismen_US
dc.subject.classificationSimulationsen_US
dc.subject.classificationCommunityen_US
dc.titleApplying Activity Theory: Instructor Design and Development Experiences with Online Distance Learning in the Electrical Apprenticeship Trades Programs
dc.typedoctoral thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineEducational Research
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Education (EdD)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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