Since its beginning in 2003, the International Summer School on Biometrics proved to be a unique forum, where advanced research students and lecturers in biometrics gathered together for a full week of study in several aspects of the science and technology of biometric recognition. This special issue includes some contributions of the school lecturers and the school students. The papers include...

BACKGROUND A decade has passed since South Africa signed and ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a human rights treaty that protects the rights and dignity of people with disabilities. However, not much have changed for students with disabilities. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to explore lecturers' experiences with, and perspectives on, disability as wel...

REQUIRED) Changing academics’ perceptions of information and communications technology (ICT) in developing countries has always been a challenge. A university in Zimbabwe has witnessed an about-turn in lecturers’ perceptions and beliefs about technology, from being negative (technophobic) to positive (technologically savvy) for users of technology. This paper reports on the interplay of factors...

Electronic devices are widely-used in modern life, and among the multitude of application possibilities, educational technology in order to facilitate learning and practicing becomes more and more important. Portable devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs make learning and teaching materials more accessible to students and lecturers. Although there already exists a large number of mobile-ba...

This paper describes a study of mobile learning for undergraduate design and technology education. The methodology is action research, to assess student/ lecturer competencies with mobile learning on two modules. It was found that RSS and Vodcasting learning scenarios require a fundamental shift in stakeholders’ management of internetbased educational information for design and technology educa...

The secondment project was devised to allow lecturers time to update teaching skills and become familiar with the use of learning technology. This paper describes the origins of the project and the outcomes after four groups totalling 20 lecturers had completed a secondment to the project. The project has been judged successful and there are plans to continue secondment in the future.

Transition from school to university can cause concern for many students. One issue is the gap between students' prior expectations and the realities of university life, which can cause significant distress, poor academic performance and increased drop-out rates if not managed effectively. Research has shown several similarities in the expectations of staff and students in regards to which fact...

Civil engineering lecturers need to develop effective early emphasis and educational challenges in order to prepare the current students with in-depth fundamental principles, applicable technical knowledge, and realistic appreciation on challenges faced by practicing civil engineers. In view of its importance, the use of past civil engineering projects as case studies have been integrated into ...