"For researchers and scholars working at the intersection of physical, social, and technological space, this book provides critical research from leading experts in the space technology domain"--Provided by the publisher.

Following the first comprehensive transdisciplinary dialogue on humans in outer space which resulted in "Humans in Outer Space - Interdisciplinary Odysseys", the European Science Foundation (ESF), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) have continued and deepened this transdisciplinary dialogue, which can now be found in Humans in Outer Space - Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Going further than regarding humans as better-than-robot tools for exploration, it investigates the human quest for odysseys beyond Earth's atmosphere and reflects on arising issues related to Europe's role among the States conducting human exploration. It provides perspectives related to governance, management of space exploration, space settlements, the role of astronauts in the future as well as related to the encounter of extraterrestrial life.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 5th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning, EC-TEL 2010, held in Barcelona, Spain, in September/October 2010. The 24 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 150 submissions. The book also includes 10 short papers, 26 poster papers, 7 demonstration papers and one 1 invited paper.

What is the role of design research in the types of insight and knowledge that architects create? That is the central question raised by this book. It acts as the introductory overview for Ashgate’s major new series, ’Design Research in Architecture’ which has been created in order to establish a firm basis for this emerging field of investigation within architecture. While there have been numerous architects-scholars since the Renaissance who have relied upon the interplay of drawings, models, textual analysis, intellectual ideas and cultural insights to scrutinise the discipline, nonetheless, until recently, there has been a reluctance within architectural culture to acknowledge and accept the role of design research as part of the discourse. However, in many countries around the world, one of the key changes in architecture and architectural education over the last decade has been the acceptance of design as a legitimate research area in its own right and this new series provides a forum where the best proponents of architectural design research can publish their work. This volume provides a broad overview on design research that supports and amplifies the different volumes coming out in the book series. It brings together leading architects and academics to discuss the more general issues involved in design research. At the end, there is an Indicative Bibliography which alludes to a long history of architectural books which can be seen as being in the spirit of design research.

I highly recommend this edited collection. It is a timely intervention when universities around the world are facing changes akin to the newspaper industry a decade ago. The authors remind us of the potential power of the lecture and that there does not need to be a trade off between the size of the class and the quality of the delivery... Professor James Arvanitakis 2012 recipient of the Prime Minister?s Teaching and Learning Award, University of Western Sydney, Australia This is the first book of its kind that considers the complex issues of large classes. As such, it makes a very important contribution and provides a deep insight into large class pedagogy from a conceptual and practical perspective. Dr Mandia Menits Massey University, New Zealand If the thought of teaching large classes fills you with dread; if you think that pedagogic innovation is impossible in the face of burgeoning student numbers; or if you simply wish to understand more about the dynamics of this increasingly common environment in Higher Education, then this is the book for you. Written by highly experienced academics, it is a valuable (and long overdue!) resource for supporting good practice in the large class context. Dr Jenny Hadingham University of Rochester, New York

Uncovers the growing and expanding phenomenon of human behavior, social constructs, and communication in online environments.

The design of various virtual environments should be based on the needs of a diverse population of users around the globe. Interface design should be user centric and should strive for making the user's interaction as simple, meaningful, and efficient as possible. User Interface Design for Virtual Environments: Challenges and Advances focuses on challenges that designers face in creating interfaces for users of various virtual environments. Chapters included in this book address various critical issues that have implications for user interface design from a number of different viewpoints. This book is written for professionals who want to improve their understanding of challenges associated with user interface design issues for globally-dispersed users in various virtual environments.