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7. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICTS) AND THE
QUALITY OF EDUCATION: CASE OF THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO,
ROMA
Monaheng Maximus Sefotho
AbstractWithin a short time, information and communication
technologies (ICTs) have
become basic building blocks of modern societies. Schools and
universities that use them seem to have a greater reputation than
those that do not. Scholars (i.e. Toure, Tchombe, & Karsenti,
2008) argue that appropriate use of ICTs in education deepens the
quality of teaching and learning. In Africa, learners are
increasingly interested in ICTs. Yet in Lesotho, as in other some
countries on the continent, internet connectivity and accessibility
and use of ICTs are poor. The National University of Lesotho (NUL)
is the only public institution with full internet connectivity.
This paper presents the results of a study on perceptions of how
ICTs use contributes to the quality of education at NUL.
Respondents concurred that access to technology is necessary for
all subject areas, including use of word processing and, for
research, use of the internet. The majority of respondents
expressed frustration regarding the limited accessibility and
quality of ICTs, owing to the large student population and meagre
resources. They explained how this leads to a frustrating learning
environment and negatively impacts the quality of teaching and
learning. In general there is an outcry for the improvement of ICTs
facilities and services. It is recommended that the National
University of Lesotho strive to satisfy the demands for
ICT-assisted learning by mobilizing resources and building
partnerships. A shift is required, from lecturer-centred to
learner-centred learning.
Key words : ICTs, quality, education, resources and
partnerships
RésuméEn peu de temps, les technologies de l’information et de
la communication (TIC)
sont devenues les composantes de base des sociétés modernes. Les
écoles et les universités qui les utilisent semblent avoir une
réputation plus grande que ceux qui ne le font pas. Les
spécialistes comme (par ex. Toure, Tchombe et Karsenti, 2008)
soutiennent que l’utilisation appropriée des TICs dans
l’enseignement améliore la qualité d’enseignement et
d’apprentissage. En Afrique, les apprenants sont de plus en plus
intéressés par les TICs. Au Lesotho, comme dans d’autres quelques
pays sur le continent, la connexion Internet et l’accessibilité et
l’utilisation des TICs sont faibles. L’Université nationale du
Lesotho (NUL) est la seule institution publique avec une connexion
d’Internet complète. Ce papier présente les résultats d’une étude
sur les perceptions sur comment l’utilisation des TICs contribue à
la qualité de l’enseignement à NUL. Les personnes interrogées ont
été d’accord sur le fait que l’accès à la technologie est
nécessaire pour tous les domaines, y compris
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l’utilisation de traitement de texte et, pour la recherche,
l’utilisation de l’Internet. La majorité des personnes interrogées
a exprimé la frustration quant à l’accessibilité limitée et à la
qualité des TICs, du fait du grand nombre d’étudiants et de
ressources maigres. Ils ont expliqué comment cela mène à un
environnement d’apprentissage irritant et a un effet négatif sur la
qualité de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage. En général il y a
des bruits pour l’amélioration d’équipements en TICs et des
services. Il est recommandé que l’Université nationale du Lesotho
s’efforce de satisfaire les demandes d’apprentissage- assisté en
TIC en mobilisant des ressources et en développant les
partenariats. Un changement est exigé, de l’enseignement centré
autour de l’enseignant à l’enseignement centré autour de
l’apprenant.
Mots clés : TIC, qualité, éducation, ressources,
partenariat.
Introduction of technology at the National University of
Lesotho
The National University of Lesotho (NUL) is nestled in the Roma
valley some 35 kilometres from Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho.
The origin of the National University of Lesotho dates back to
1945, when a Catholic University College was founded at Roma by the
Roman Catholic Hierarchy of Southern Africa. It underwent several
changes and bore different names. Today, the National University of
Lesotho is a growing institution geared to prepare citizens to meet
Lesotho’s development challenges. The 2005 enrolment for full-time
students at Roma stood at 5 767.
In general, national internet connectivity and use Information
and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been poor in Lesotho.
The national ICTs policy (Government of Lesotho, 2005) stressed
that educational institutions should play a major role in
“improving teaching and learning mechanisms that would develop an
ICTs literate society capable of producing local ICTs products and
services.” The National University of Lesotho is currently the only
public institution with full Internet connectivity. The
introduction of technology dates back to 1969, when a photocopying
machine was introduced, and for mathematics teaching, an Olivetti
P101 programmable calculator, which Ambrose, nd) refers to as “the
first machine to be installed in Lesotho to which one could apply
the term desktop computer.”
Not long afterwards, the University acquired a Hewlett Packard
9830 desktop computer. A companion Hewlett Packard 9845B, ‘Kakapa’,
was purchased in 1978, and this remained the mainstay for student
records at Roma until a new system was installed in 1994 (Ambrose,
nd). In December 1996, NUL was connected via 9.6 kilobytes per
second analogue leased line to the University of the Orange Free
State in Bloemfontein, South Africa (UniNet). There were still no
private internet service providers (ISPs) in
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Lesotho as of early 1999. However, the University Information
Strategic Plan 1998-2000 (NUL) existed and refers to the
university’s functional areas of teaching and learning and research
under the heading ‘academic computing’ and ‘administrative
computing’ refers to the application of ICTs in the functional
areas of administration and management. The application of ICTs for
the function of academic information is under the heading ‘library
computing.’ The stated objective of the plan was as follows:
To develop and enhance … the utilisation of information and
communication technologies in support of education, research and
community services …. Specifically, the university’s management and
administration functions will be enhanced to ensure that their
internal efficiency and effectiveness are comparable to that of
similar universities in southern Africa.
Currently, there are seven common-purpose computer laboratories
on campus. It is stipulated in the NUL Information Strategy Plan
(1998-2000) that the University will support staff through
programmes that offer improvement of their basic ICTs skills as
well as the skills required for applying ICTs in their teaching and
research. The nature and extent to which ICTs are used in education
depends on the synergy between management and teaching
professionals. NUL, therefore, has to anticipate new developments,
such as ICTs and prepare teachers and other professionals for their
future roles.
ICTs and the quality of education Quality in education occurs
when students are learning and schools and
universities create values for those they serve and those who
serve them. According to Clemet (2003), “quality refers to the idea
of disposition, nature and characteristics – in other words, it
must tell us about the goodness of something. But we must first
know which characteristics to evaluate and in relation to what
these characteristics are to be assessed. In other words, quality
is a relative and an empty term until it is given content.”
In the EFA Global Monitoring Report (2005) discussions on
quality distinguish between “educational outcomes and the processes
leading to them,” and go on to say:
People who seek particular, defined outcomes may rate quality in
those terms, ranking educational institutions according to the
extent to which their graduates meet ‘absolute’ criteria
concerning, for example, academic achievement, sporting prowess,
musical success, or pupil behaviour and values. The standard of
comparison would be in some sense fixed, and separate from the
values, wishes and opinions of the learners themselves.
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The quote succinctly brings to the fore outcome-based quality
and subjective quality determined by how individuals or groups
define quality for themselves. Who should determine quality and
what model of quality should be adopted? Quality as related to the
ability to utilise resources such as ICTs concerns administrators,
those who impart knowledge and those who learn.
Within a relatively short time, information and communication
technologies have become building blocks of modern societies. Many
countries now regard understanding and mastering ICTs as part of
the core of education, alongside reading, writing and numeracy
(UNESCO, 2002). Broadly speaking, educators, policy makers and
researchers seem to agree on the potential of ICTs to have a
significant and positive impact on education. The debate, however,
is the role ICTs should play in educational reform and how best to
ensure that their potential is fulfilled at all educational levels,
including at university level. Institutions need to, as part of
shaping this process, define the quality of education within their
own contexts.
It is for this reason that research was undertaken at the
National University of Lesotho to understand how teachers and
learners perceive ICTs use in relation to the quality of education.
The objective of the paper is to relate the results of the research
process and, based on those results framed in relevant learning
theories, make recommendations on the pedagogical integration of
ICTs at university level in Africa. The questions that guided the
research process follow.
Research questions
1. Are lecturers at NUL using ICT in teaching?2. Do learners at
NUL use ICT to assist them in learning?3. Are ICT contributing to
the quality of education at NUL?4. Is the ICT infrastructure
sufficient to cater for the quality of education
at NUL?
ICTs in teaching and learning
Teaching and learning are best thought of not as separate and
independent activities, but rather as two sides of the same coin,
interconnected and interrelated (UNESCO). It is generally assumed
that lecturers have a deep understanding of the subjects they
teach, manage the subject matter well, use appropriate
instructional methods, and apply various classroom assessment
strategies.
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Teaching experience is invaluable. Whenever possible, it is
important that lecturers experience firsthand, as learners, the
instructional approaches they in turn will be using with their own
students. They may also attend workshops and courses, with
classroom follow-up, participate in study groups, visit or watch
videotapes of high-performing classes, observe demonstration
lessons, or receive classroom coaching. There can be in-house
training and mentoring by senior lecturers. Lecturers depend on
knowledge and skills to facilitate student success. New knowledge
and skills are developed both through research and use of ICTs in
teaching. The pedagogical use of ICTs is expected to increase
lecturer productivity and mentoring and coaching skills. Use of
ICTs can also facilitate improved student assessment.
Training and professional development will need to focus upon
these competencies as lecturers’ technical confidence and
competence with ICTs grows and as they continue to seek ways to
improve their teaching.
Changing mindsets, shifting paradigms
The ability to decide why, when, and where to use ICTs to
contribute to teaching objectives, and how to choose from among a
range of ICTs tools should form part of teachers’ repertoire. This
seems to be the case with younger teachers, but many with more time
in the teaching profession show reluctance to use ICTs. There has
to be a change in professional development and practice with
recognition of the need for learning all life long. Lecturers need
support to design lessons to incorporate larger, more complex,
problem-solving projects using ICTs tools and resources.
There is need for a paradigm shift in education, with
consideration for a constructivist approach to learning. Curricula
need to focus less on “things to know” and more on “strategies for
learning.” Instead of lecturers teaching from centre stage,
students should become more active, proactive, independent and
interdependent learners. The teacher should serve as a guide and
not the source of information. Students should be encouraged to
work on projects, enabling them to follow through more deeply and
meaningfully on ideas that arise in the course of their search for
knowledge.
It is this shift that will make the use of ICTs meaningful in
education. And the pedagogical use of ICTs by teachers and learners
will help the shift to happen, in the mind and in practice. This
same idea is articulated in UNESCO (2002) documents as follows:
“The integration of ICTs … represents the necessary component,
condition, and catalyst for the modernization of education, which
will permit the move from the reproductive model of teaching and
learning to an independent model which promotes initiation and
creativity with information.
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ICTs and student learning
The National University of Lesotho’s Information Strategic Plan
(1998-2000), recognised the need for ICTs literate graduates. The
plan states that “to further increase the relevance of the
university programmes to society, the university aims to increase
computer awareness and computer skills of NUL graduates, to align
them with labour market requirements”. This is in tandem with
global developments. Current educational literature widely
indicates that there are differences in the way students learn.
Learning is an extremely complex process. Learning styles come from
three schools of thought: Perceptual Modality, Information
Processing, and Personality Patterns (Conner & Hodgins in
UNESCO, 2002).
Learners use all three to receive information. However, one or
more of these receiving styles is normally dominant. This dominant
style defines the best way for a person to learn new information by
filtering what is to be learned. This style may not always be the
same for all tasks. The learner may prefer one style of learning
for one task, and a combination of others for another task (Clark
in UNESCO, 2002).
In this study, only one model will be considered: the perceptual
model. This model emphasises the Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic
(VAK) learning Style which uses the three main sensory receivers -
Vision, Auditory, and Kinaesthetic (movement) to determine the
dominant learning style.
One of the most powerful uses of technology in education is to
tailor instruction to students’ individual learning needs. It is
widely recognised in educational literature that there are
differences in the way students learn. Understanding students’
personal learning styles helps lecturers make learning more
relevant. Learners can be defined by the sensory pathways through
which they prefer to receive information: Visual learning, Auditory
learning, Kinaesthetic or tactile learning.
In visual learning, Information and Communication Technologies
can stimulate visual learning with graphics, animations and
simulations. Interactive whiteboards and PowerPoint presentations
enable lecturers to present concepts in a visual way. Use of
television sets and drawings or photographs helps visual learning
for learners who are visual. Many personal computers (PC) and all
tablet personal computers can record speech and sound. Thatcher
(2005) holds that with an all tablet PC you can, “write, rather
than type, in meetings, create a searchable archive of all your
handwritten notes; convert notes to text and share them with
colleagues. You can work easily with drawings, formulas, or
signatures”.
Auditory learning, that is, learning by hearing: Auditory
learners prefer to learn through sound and speech. ICTs can also
encourage conversation-
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based collaboration, for example, through video conferencing.
This is the mode of learning that augments the traditional lecture
method whereby educators talk most of the time and learners listen
to what they are being taught. Nowadays, computers and Liquid
Crystal Display (LCD) projectors can be used to go along with
visual learning in order to cater for learners who learn most by
hearing things.
Kinaesthetic or tactile learning: Kinaesthetic or tactile
learners prefer active forms of learning such as writing, drawing
and producing animations, or making models and doing practical
experiments. They benefit from using devices that involve touch,
like a tablet PC, which enables users to write or draw onto a
computer using a pen. This form of learning has promoted the
traditional active learning whereby learners read and then transfer
what they have read onto a separate paper as a form of
crystallising the material learned. It is also helpful in
encouraging learners to use such tools as drawing their own mind
maps in order to help them learn better (Buzan, 2005). This can be
done more effectively by computer as colouring and animations can
be added to drawings, depending on the learner’s taste and
innovativeness. This type of learning ties very well with the
modern constructivist approach to learning.
Students need to develop the ability to think for themselves,
continually learn as technologies change, and provide support to
one another and their teachers. Besides, young people can be more
dexterous with machines and gadgets. Regarding this last element,
peer teaching is a natural product of ICTs because often the
younger generations bring increasingly high levels of competence
into the learning environment.
The learning environment and ICTs
The pivotal aspect of continuing professional development is not
only enabling lecturers to understand and use ICTs tools in their
teaching practices, but understanding how technology, coupled with
new approaches to teaching and learning, may enhance student
learning. Many lecturers may recognize that approaches to education
are changing and that new technologies have the potential to
improve education and learning. Therefore, there is need to help
them to revitalize and modernize their teaching with ICTs.
Similarly, the risk that senior lecturers must take to develop
their practice needs to be recognized and mitigated.
UNESCO promotes access to good-quality education as a human
right and supports a rights-based approach to all educational
activities (Pigozzi in UNESCO, 2005). Within this approach,
learning is perceived to be affected at two levels. First, at the
level of the learner, education needs to seek out and acknowledge
learners’ prior knowledge, to recognize
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formal and informal modes, to practise non-discrimination and to
provide a safe and supportive learning environment. Second, at the
level of the learning system, a support structure is needed to
implement policies, enact legislation, and distribute resources and
measure learning outcomes, so as to have the best possible impact
on learning for all. There should be adequate and up to standard
ICTs resources for learning to take place.
Establishing New Learning Environments
Adopted from: Information and Communication Technologies in
Teacher Education: A Planning Guide (2002) UNESCO.
There is a dichotomy of learning environments, that is, the
traditional learning environments and the new learning
environments. The diagram above clearly demarcates the two
environments. Generally, there is a move towards the new learning
environments in which learning is more student-centred, active, and
exploratory. Students’ texts and presentations can be more
innovative and attention-capturing as they may include animations
that communicate a lot more than mere words do. Thus, the use of
multimedia in ICTs-supported learning is much more didactic than in
the traditional environments. The National University of Lesotho
has been following mainly the old tradition.
There are also tele-computing projects which are
Internet-enriched learning activities that often involve students
in one location collaborating with students or professionals in one
or more other locations around the world. Tele-computing tools
include e-mail, electronic mailing lists, electronic bulletin
boards, discussion groups, web browsers, real-time chatting,
and
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audio- and video-conferencing (Harris 2001). These things are
unknown to many learners and lecturers at the National University
of Lesotho.
Even though computers are available on campus, there can be
significant practical difficulties in using them and gaining access
to Internet. The issue of accessibility is a big problem at the
National University of Lesotho. Students far outnumber the current
provision for them to use computers and other ICTs equipment.
Access should be adequate and commensurate throughout the
educational experience of students in the process of becoming
teachers and future professionals. However, this could be an ideal
situation at the National University of Lesotho. The University
should strife to satisfy the demands for ICTs assisted learning.
Creative partnerships are often required to make this happen.
Additionally, there need to be access to technology appropriate
to the subject areas being studied, such as word processing
programmes and Internet access. The technology should be accessible
immediately when it is the best route to the information or tools
needed by lecturers and students, especially in this age when books
become obsolete after a short period. In addition to ICTs access in
their coursework, lecturers must have technology access in their
teaching environments and in their classrooms in the induction year
and beyond (Jager & Lokman, 1999).
With the Internet, students can have access to libraries that
are many times more extensive than libraries in their schools or
communities, and can take advantage of information that is
up-to-date, not found in their textbooks, and perhaps unfamiliar to
their lecturer. Interactions through e-mail have been shown to be
motivating factors for students to improve their reading and
writing skills. It is therefore very important for learning
environments, especially at NUL to be ICTs-driven and encouraging
to young developing minds.
MethodologyThe research design and methodology employed in the
present research
effort adheres to “The Scientific Method”. The method used is a
qualitative, descriptive type. The research followed a
methodological triangulation which involves using more than one
method and may consist of within-method or between-method
strategies (Herbert & Shepherd 2001). This is reiterated by
Sampieri, Callado & Lucio (2003), who contend that
triangulation, is complementary because it transcends methods and
mixes, in one single study, different facets of the phenomenon of
the study.
The sample of the study was made of clusters of informants. The
first stratum consisted of all lecturers who could be reached by
e-mail -- about 151 of them -- using the internal directory
containing their addresses. The second cluster was made up of
students taking the Educational Psychology and Counselling course
in the Department of Educational Foundation of the
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Faculty of Education. This is a very heterogeneous group made of
students from many faculties of the University. It may not be all
representative, but the majority of the students are represented
from across faculties at the second, third and fourth year of
study. A sample of about thirty students was selected through
purposive sampling from a population of four hundred and they were
given a questionnaire to fill. The last cluster consisted of key
players in the provision of ICTs at NUL. Interviews were conducted
with the heads of sections such as the Computer Service Unit, the
library and the Institute of Education, respectively.
Data collection and analysisData was collected by interviewing
key players in ICTs at NUL from
different sections of the University. Two sets of questionnaires
were used to collect data. One was sent electronically to all the
teaching staff (about 151 persons) through the information office
at NUL. A sample of 10 lecturers responded. The other was printed
and given to Educational Foundation students to fill. A sample of
30 students was purposefully chosen. The group is made up of
students from several faculties taking a course in educational
psychology, and the students are from second year to fourth year.
Data was also collected by taking photographs around the campus to
give a picture of ICTs laboratories on campus.
The method used in this case study was a qualitative,
descriptive type, since descriptive case studies are concerned with
a detailed description of the phenomenon within its contexts,
(Willig, 2008). As a small case study, the interest was to answer
the four research questions posed at the beginning. Data was
computed and analysed to calculate percentages. NUL Information
strategic plan (1998-2000) was analysed and some photographs taken
were analysed. Questionnaires from both students and lecturers were
analysed. The following tables show the type and usage of the
ICTs.Table 1: To what extent are lecturers at NUL using ICTs in
teaching (n=10)
Type of ICTs Number using How it is being usedInternet 5 Sending
documents
WORD 8 Preparing materials
PowerPoint 4 TeachingStatistical to-ols (Excel, SPSS, Stats)
6 Data processing
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Table 2: Learners Use of ICTs to assist learning (n=30)
Use of applications (word pro-cessing, spreadsheets, etc.)
21
In classroom learning of spe-cific subjects
E-mailing for telecollabora-tion/online collaborative
pro-jects,
9Exchanging assignments and lessons, commenting on pa-pers used
in school
Use of Internet resources 11To prepare homework, re-search,
lessons, for collabora-tive school projects
Table 3: Contribution of ICTs to quality of learning (n=10)
Vignette 1
‘ICTs would certainly contribute to a better quality in
teaching, but I think unfortunately, we don’t have enough
infrastructure and we still need better facilities in order to
actually use ICTs in teaching’.
Vignette 2
‘There are very few computers available at NUL for the stu-dents
and students learn to use a computer only to pass and not to
acquire knowledge. Students are not forced to type their
assignments and so do not see the need of acquiring computer
skills. There are no training programmes for teachers and no
emphasis on the use of ICTs’.
Vignette 3
‘One would expect that there would be tremendous improve-ment on
performance of both staff and students with introduc-tion of ICT
but that is not the case. Some staff do not utilize this facility
due to lack of time and basic training, students also complain that
there is no time and also that resources (space & computers)
are insufficient, therefore, access is impossible’.
Table 4: Sufficiency of ICTs infrastructure at NULUniversity
(own office) 10 Internet, ComputingAt home 4 Internet,
planningComputer laboratories 4 DemonstrationsAcademic Development
Centre 1 Internet, demonstrations
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Discussions and Conclusions
ICTs are a new teaching and learning phenomenon at NUL. The
study revealed that there are problems relating to inadequacy of
ICTs structures used by a significant number of lecturers and
learners. ICTs do not seem to be utilised satisfactorily at NUL.
The study found that opinions vary as to the contribution of ICTs
to the quality of education at NUL. There is a general outcry for
the improvement of ICTs facilities and services.
A significant number of negative reactions were voiced with
regard to the question of quality education at NUL. (see table 3).
The majority of the subjects decried the poor quality of education.
The reactions can be summed up in one statement: NUL is a
frustrating environment with minimal support for teaching and
learning. As a result, it is not possible to attract and maintain
high-quality learners and researchers. This situation adversely
impacts the quality teaching.’ There are those, however, who think
there is quality education at NUL and that ICTs contribute to the
quality of education despite inadequacies. This can be measured by
the competitiveness and good performance of NUL graduates who enrol
in other universities.
It seems that most learners (67 percent) at NUL learn best
visually. This implies that the use of visual ICTs could encourage
learning. A smaller portion of the respondents (23 percent) learn
by listening. This highlights the danger in overusing the
traditional lecture method, which in the new constructivist
paradigm could be improved by use of sound technologies. There is
an even smaller percentage (10), consisting of those who learn by
doing. The findings of the study therefore strongly suggest that as
far as students` learning is concerned, ICTs can play a major role
in promoting and facilitating all modes of learning.
The results show that the majority (87 percent) of lecturers
never use ICTs to make presentations or even teach. However, a
larger percentage of the lecturers have received on-the-job
training. This could suggest that non-use may be due to
non-availability or lack of support as has been observed
previously, or lack of interest.
Recommendations
The results of this study are should be used with caution, as
the sample was not representative enough. However, they can be used
to some extent. Based on the findings, it is recommended that NUL
review its policy on ICTs. Meanwhile, the University should take
steps to improve the curriculum in favour of a more learner-centred
constructivist approach. The Computer Service Unit at NUL should be
assessed to address issues
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of staff retention and improvements on the server so as to
accommodate teachers who would like to maintain websites to display
information relevant to learning on the web.
On-the-job training on the use of ICTs in teaching should be
provided on a regular basis to lecturers. NUL should develop its
own definition of quality.
References
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Lesotho. Unpublished paper.
Buzan, T. (2005). Mind Map: The Ultimate Thinking Tool. London,
United Kingdom: Thorsons.
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