To work or not to work? The postgraduate balancing act.

This time of the year can be difficult for postgraduate students. You are likely to become very popular with academics as they vie for your available time to do tutorials, lectures, marking, and research for them. When you are an early career researcher, it is difficult to say 'no' when you feel the pressure to impress as well as the pressure of a not-so-great financial situation. So in this first in a series of discussions about postgraduate issues, I thought I would offer some useful tips on how to negotiate this balancing act

Holidays In The Empire (HIST 32) Syllabus

From seedy bars to holy sites, Europeans journeyed to colonized spaces to encounter people and places they would never see at home. This class examines how European peoples participated in the imperial project through their travels. It tackles a history of Europe and empire through different frameworks (Orientalism, gender studies…) and methods (mainly primary source analysis and Web-based tools). Students will examine how Europeans “experienced” empire through travel, including safaris, sex tourism, and mission work. This will include a brief study of European travel themes, such as the Grand Tour, transportation technology, and mass tourism, with our focus mainly on what happened when Europeans vacationed in “their” overseas holdings. As a class, we will also embark on an extended case study of Saharan travel, analyzing guidebooks on the subject and producing a Web site featuring original content and an interactive map

DSpace How-To Guide: Tips and tricks for managing common DSpace chores

This short booklet is intended to introduce the commonest non-obvious customization-related tasks for newcomers to DSpace administration. It has been written against the current stable version 1.3.2 of DSpace. We have tried to include instructions for different operating systems as required; most customizations, however, work identically cross-platform. This booklet was created as a handout for the tutorial "Making DSpace Your Own", at the Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL) 2006 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.unpublishednot peer reviewe

The Internet as a Diversion and Destination

Presents survey findings about trends since 2000 in why Americans go online by age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, and income. Considers contributing factors, including the increase in broadband connections, video, and social networking

Taking the lead: learners’ experiences across the disciplines

The first year at university is a time of significant flux for students, as they adjust to unfamiliar environments, encounter new approaches to teaching and develop fresh learning strategies on the road to becoming self-directed learners. This sense of uncertainty may be compounded by the need to interact with unfamiliar and frequently complex online systems and technologies, possibly even before arrival. Furthermore, although technology is embedded seamlessly into the personal lives of many of today’s students, recent reports have questioned the widespread assumption that young adults have the sophisticated information skills and digital literacy needed to become autonomous learners. In this paper we present findings from a recently-completed study addressing these important issues. We investigated the utilisation of ICT and learning technologies by first-year undergraduates from a variety of different entry routes and academic disciplines, including Physics, Divinity and Veterinary Medicine, at the University of Edinburgh. The focus of the work was on the impact of technology on students’ transition to university and how this changed as they progressed through their first year. The overall shape of the research was based on a student-centred approach, with students’ own views and opinions placed central to the study; and used a holistic approach in which students’ use of e-learning and technology was set within the context of their learning experiences as a whole. To capture the breadth and complexity of their experiences we used a mixed-mode approach, including a series of reflective diaries recorded by learners (in video, audio or text format) together with surveys and focus groups. Students do not form a homogenous group, and findings in this area are inevitably complex. They have high expectations and are generally confident with technology; however, they may not always recognise technology’s potential to support and enhance learning. The term e-learning does not mean much to them; there is simply learning with strands of technology running through. This is reflected in a strong desire for face-to-face contact, with technology used to supplement and enhance this. Students are social, with informal group learning often facilitated by technology. They find their comfort zones and ways of working that are personal to them, and use technology to suit their own way of learning

Furman University Scholar Exchange (FUSE) Registering for an Account

Learn how to register for an account on the Furman University Scholar Exchange (FUSE

Home Broadband 2010

Presents survey findings on trends in home broadband adoption as of May 2010, as well as views on the disadvantages of lack of broadband access and government's role in expanding it, by age, race/ethnicity, income, education, location, and Internet use