Virtual cafe gives taste of campus

Staffordshire University has launched a global learning initiative that aims to provide students with a virtual campus experience.

The Off Campus initiative, developed by the university's Learning Development Centre, is designed to enable students to study online while still gaining a flavour of campus experience.

Jennifer Yorke, project team leader, said they had heeded calls from learning technology experts for emerging e-universities to adapt a more conversational approach to distance learning.

"Off Campus's aim is to foster a worldwide community of learners," she said. "We believe that our model of technology-supported learning goes a long way to develop interpersonal communication and interaction between the university and the student."

Ms Yorke added that the university's strategy placed the student at the heart of activity and that Off Campus courses provided a supportive and interactive environment in which to work and communicate with fellow students and tutors. Students will be able to download course materials and use an online library of electronic journals and reference material.

Dr Yorke's team is developing a "wraparound" website that provides features designed to make online students feel part of the institution as they access course data. A virtual cafe bar will allow informal gatherings and a means to access student union information and careers services.

Geography and environmental experts from the university's school of sciences have joined forces with colleagues in the LDC to make this pioneering approach to virtual learning a reality.

They have unveiled the first university-validated, internet-based distance-learning awards that will allow students to study a range of postgraduate courses, using the latest Off Campus virtual learning environments.

From September, the university will offer postgraduate courses, the first web-based distance-learning courses of their kind in the country, in sustainable development, sustainability and environmental management and environmental management and protection. Gordon Walker, head of geography, said: "We have developed these high-quality courses, building on an established face-to-face programme, making use of a web-based learning environment and internet materials."

After initially targeting recruitment in the United Kingdom, the courses will be promoted to an international market in the following academic year.