A GLOBE-TROTTING Plymouth academic who helps people study, no matter where they are, has been rewarded for his services to distance learning.

Steve Wheeler, a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the University of Plmouth, has been awarded a fellowship by the European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN).

Established in 1991, EDEN is an international educational association for e-learning and open and distance education. It is the largest association of e-learning academics and professionals in Europe.

Steve said: “I am delighted to receive this award, which not only recognises my own research, but will help to raise the international profile of the University of Plymouth as a key player in e-learning.”

E-learning helps create a virtual classroom to allow learners to study over the internet without ever coming face to face with their tutors.

Over the last two months, Steve has presented his research on learning technologies at a number of other venues including invited lectures for the Sloan Conference at the University of Phoenix, Arizona; the Edumedia Conference in Salzburg, Austria; the Technical University of Liberec, in the Czech Republic; and a keynote speech to the Polish Virtual Universities Conference at the Technical University of Warsaw.

Steve's research can be seen on the Faculty of Education e-learning website at www2.plymouth.ac.uk/ distancelearning. He also convenes the university's e-Learning Research Network whose membership is drawn from all faculties and partner colleges.