2002
Index
Journal
of Geography in Higher Education Cumulative Index
ABSTRACT
A growing body of literature in critical geography challenges authoritative
approaches to the production (and consumption) of knowledge in higher education.
Feminist perspectives have contributed to this literature by emphasising the
multiple and often conflicting voices of subjects, including those within the
classroom. This paper draws from critical and feminist pedagogy in geography
to examine student engagement with gender issues in the community. The case
study for this analysis is a project in which students volunteer at community
organisations and construct their own knowledges of social and political issues.
KEYWORDS
Feminism, critical geography, service learning.
ABSTRACT
The paper outlines the characteristics of a seminar on realism which forms part
of the teaching of 'ideas and methods in geography' in the department concerned.
The seminar requires each of about a dozen students to answer a specific question
by reading a single paper, writing a summary answer to the question based on
this source, and delivering an oral presentation. The questions are structured
to deal with abstract theoretical issues at first, and then to consider the
implications of these issues for research practice. The experience of the seminar
is intended to help students prepare for an open-book examination, and to develop
the research planning for their dissertations. Student feedback is reviewed,
and ideas for modification of the seminar structure are discussed.
KEYWORDS
Ideas and methods, seminar, realism.
MARTIN J. HAIGH, Oxford Brookes University, UK
ABSTRACT
Responding to the globalisation of commerce and communication and driven by
competition in the multi-billion dollar international market for higher education,
many universities are seeking to market their educational provision internationally.
Feedback from some disappointed 'customers' has created pressure for change
in the way that instruction is designed and delivered. This pressure is beginning
to affect teachers in subjects perceived as international in perspective. This
paper reviews the strategies suggested by Western universities to achieve internationalisation
of the curriculum. Internationalisation is a major project that affects all
aspects of a university's provision, including its priorities for staff development
and career rewards. The challenge for course developers is to design a curriculum
that serves global rather than national priorities, which does not rely on prior
knowledge of local provenance, where students from all sources share equal opportunities
for advancement in an inclusive learning environment, and which serves to introduce
stay-at-home students to the demands of an increasingly multinational world
of work.
KEYWORDS
Internationalisation, multicultural, inclusive education, curriculum change,
teaching strategies.
A. ZERGER, The University of Melbourne, Australia
I.D. BISHOP, The University of Melbourne, Australia
F. ESCOBAR, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
G.J. HUNTER, The University of Melbourne, Australia
ABSTRACT
Geographic information systems (GIS) are a rapidly evolving technology that
has recently been integrated into undergraduate and postgraduate learning. GIS
is also a multidisciplinary technology that has important relevance beyond its
traditional disciplinary homes. This paper describes an initiative developed
by the Department of Geomatics at the University of Melbourne, Australia, to
create multimedia-based self-learning modules for teaching GIS to undergraduate
and postgraduate students. The modules are designed to complement rather than
replace existing approaches to learning such as formal lectures, practical laboratory
assignments and major project requirements. The learning modules have been developed
using Macromedia Director and are delivered interactively via the Internet.
This paper examines the pedagogical issues of learning that accompany technological
advancement and practical issues of module development. It discusses results
from preliminary student evaluations and examines the broader learning opportunities
associated with flexible delivery mechanisms such as the Internet. Further details
and access to all modules are available at http://www.geom.unimelb.edu.au/gisweb/.
KEYWORDS
GIS, multimedia, self-paced learning, Internet.
PAULINE KNEALE, University College Leeds, UK
ABSTRACT
The School of Geography at the University of Leeds, UK, led the development
of a faculty-wide Personal Reflective Portfolio as part of a university project
- A Strategic Model for Developing Methods and Materials for Recording Achievement
in Traditional Universities (Jackson et al., 2000). This paper describes the
materials and their usage, the value of bottom-up design, and the issues of
embedding this type of material within faculty programmes. The reflections of
both students and tutors are considered. Overall the materials are viewed positively
and considered to have long-term and workplace relevance. Whether they meet
the original aim of helping students to become more reflective and evaluative
learners is impossible to measure and not thought to be successful as yet. Reflection
on action is more evident than action planning.
KEYWORDS
Reflection skills, personal development portfolios, recording achievement, personal
development planning.
JAMES D. SIDAWAY, National University of Singapore
ABSTRACT
Photography has a long history in geographical fieldwork. This paper reports
on a student project that recovers this history and uses photography and commentary
to represent the city of Barcelona. The place of the project within the broader
(second-year undergraduate) fieldcourse and curriculum is described. The paper
concludes with considerations of the way that photography lends itself to raise
issues of representation evident in contemporary human geography. Since it is
accessible to students, and offers practical examples, photography is a good
way to approach and introduce more complex questions of method, epistemology
and representation.
KEYWORDS
Fieldwork, photography, representation, Barcelona.
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