In 1998, when University College Northampton (UCN) selected WebBoard as its campus-wide virtual learning environment (VLE) and encouraged its adoption, e-learning became a central feature of the French Department's learning and teaching strategy. By September 2003, all the campus-focused modules in French had become VLE-resourced. In April 2004,…

Framed by the accounting education change debate and growing national concern regarding student attrition, this paper examines the perceptions of first-year students as they commence their study of accounting at an Irish university. It explores a range of factors which impact on students' learning: their motives for entering higher education,…

An examination of the literature suggests that universities play a part in developing generic capabilities needed nowadays for societies, through immersing students in a stimulating campus environment. Part time students, though, spend less time on campus than their full time counterparts, and far less time than on-campus residents, so could be…

The use of Internet tools in economic pedagogy is growing. This paper attempts to investigate the impact of Internet tools, as a supplement to traditional teaching methods, on teaching and learning and attempts to answer the question why there are gaps between potential and reality of using Internet tools in economics education, based on our…

In the past decade there has been a dramatic growth in UK student numbers. Widening participation policies are encouraging students from non-traditional backgrounds to enter higher education. Southampton Institute has found that many non-traditional students have had little preparation for academic life. These students often have unrealistic…

This paper examines the educational implications of pursuing equity and access for adult learners across further and higher education sectors. It contextualizes some advantages and disadvantages in cross-sectoral arrangements by reference to a specific access and equity partnership program in Australia and analyses the impact on the equity aims of…

Articulation across the further education/higher education (FE/HE) interface is of vital importance in addressing the government's widening participation agenda. Many institutions are grappling with how best to prepare students to make this transition particularly when they are direct entrants and join ongoing cohorts of students who are already…

This case study from the University of Maine relates challenges, experiences and opportunities in broadcasting existing geographic information science graduate courses across the web using video streaming of class sessions in combination with web hosting of assignments, lecture outlines and reading materials. Technical, financial, logistical and…

The Alps have always been of global interest and significance due to their natural and cultural diversity and are presently the number one tourist destination worldwide. Therefore, raising awareness of issues of global change and sustainability is most relevant in this region. Due to its integrative nature, geography can contribute substantially…

The declaration of the "United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development" (ESD), Resolution 57/254, February 2003, provides the best yet occasion for higher education institutions (HEIs) to "green" their curricula. The idea for the Decade emerges from a progression of high-level international conferences, beginning with Stockholm,…

The World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg made it clear that political leadership the world over is incapable of rising to the challenges of sustainability. Yet, most of the hundred or so world leaders who attended have a higher education degree from some of the world's most prestigious universities. This paper tries to…

The conceptual underpinning and the organizational structure of the existing system of higher environmental education in Russia are analysed. The system, embracing 129 universities, has been created in the last 10 years. At present there is a shift from general environmental education to education for sustainable development. The new system is…

The results of an informal survey to uncover the diversity of existing programmes in GIScience are presented. The survey was an activity of the Distance Education Working Group within the Education Committee of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), a consortium of 61 US research universities from 37 states whose…

Speaking at a conference is a vital way of summarizing your work for others; of positioning yourself as a person working in a particular field; and of receiving feedback on your work from colleagues. In this "Directions", we suggest: reasons for speaking at a conference; characteristics of an effective presentation; strategies for preparation…

Because assessment reflects course pedagogy, aims, objectives but also broader institutional and cultural expectations, traditional examination still has a role in the new media of asynchronous, distance learning. This paper recounts experiences of incorporating such examination within an Internet-delivered, GIScience programme, outlining some…