Dr Rick Woods

After spending a year working on the development of a new online Master's programme in higher education, members of the development team were interviewed to reveal their thoughts about the nature of the programme. The dialogue of each interview was summarised as a concept map. Analysis of the resulting maps included a modified Bernsteinian analysis of the focus of the concepts included in terms of their semantic gravity (i.e. closeness to context) and the degree of resonance with the underpinning regulative discourse of the programme. Data highlight a number of potential issues for programme delivery that centre around the use of appropriate language to manage student expectations in relation to the process of learning and the emotional responses this can stimulate, as well as the tensions that can be foregrounded between the demands of teaching and research within a university environment.

Geotechnical engineers need versatile numerical tools for the successful solution of seepage problems involving phreatic surfaces. The paper reviews and assesses techniques used for the numerical modelling of this category of problems, for both steady-state and transient conditions. This is based on experience gained through the development of a finite element computer model for seepage with phreatic surfaces. It is shown that the results from the various methods may differ significantly, especially for transient seepage analyses. A realistic modelling of flow in the unsaturated zone was found to improve the quality of the results. The study also led to conclusions on some additional points of interest to the numerical modeller, concerning other factors potentially affecting the quality of the results. © 2006 Taylor & Francis Group.