Brett Bligh and Katharina Lorenz of The University of Nottingham, present the Multi-Display Learning Spaces (MD-LS) in this article. It comprises technologies to allow the viewing of multiple simultaneous visual materials, modes of learning which encourage critical reflection upon these materials, and spatial configurations which afford interaction between learners and the materials in orchestrated ways. They argue that Multi-Display Learning Spaces support complex, disciplinary reasoning within learning.

Rolf Wiesemes and Ruolan Wang, of the University of Nottingham present an “alternative framework for conceptualising video-conferencing uses in initial teacher education and in Higher Education (HE) more generally. They deem current theories of video conferencing somewhat limited in their scope and suggest that the theoretical conceptualisations of video conferencing should be expanded to include elements of mimicking and ultimately improvisation.

Lara Alcock & Matthew Inglis of the Mathematics Education Centre Loughborough University raises issues about the visual in the presentation of mathematics within teaching situations in undergraduate education. They describe some of the decisions that a lecturer must make when presenting a written proof, from the layout of individual equations to the layout of a whole argument on the page. This has particular significance for lecturers who construct electronic learning resources termed e-Proofs.

Mikko Vesisenaho and Erkki Sutinen of University of Eastern Finland propose that information technology (IT) can make a difference in a developing country only if it is designed in close collaboration with its users. The experiences from an ethnocomputing-based IT education initiative at Tumaini University, located in the rural area of Southern Tanzania, indicates promising opportunities for engaging children and students as creative co-designers and users for diversifying, novel information technologies.

Edward Lester of The University of Nottingham UK and Damian Schofield of the State University of New York, have worked with advanced three-dimensional virtual environment technology, to generate interactive learning environments. The paper discusses the implementation of these systems and extrapolate the lessons learnt into general guidelines from their experience with developing ViRILE, a software package for undergraduate students in chemical engineering at the University of Nottingham.