Search on for most creative use of technology

Have you got what it takes to win one of these two Times Higher Awards?

Three expert judges are waiting for nominations for the Most Imaginative Use of Distance Learning award. And they will depend on technology that will allow them to communicate long distance during their deliberations since two are in the UK while Sir John Daniel, president of the Commonwealth of Learning and former vice-chancellor of the Open University, is based in Vancouver.

Sir John said: "I welcome The Times Higher 's award for Distance Learning, which provides the incentive to a wider audience to pursue excellence in this rapidly evolving field."

The UK-based judges are Grainne Conole, head of Southampton University's Post-compulsory Education and Training Research Centre, and Erica McAteer, senior lecturer at Strathclyde University's Applied Educational Research Centre.

Dr McAteer said: "I'm very excited about The Times Higher's initiative. This particular prize will disseminate really good use of today's technologies for distance learning, and what we are looking for is creativity in teaching and quality of learning."

Innovations in distance learning range from the Robert Gordon University's virtual campus - offering courses such as tourism and European law - to a higher education consortium led by Newcastle University that is giving music students iPods so that they can download world music.

The award is sponsored by Adobe Systems Europe. A spokeswoman said: "Adobe is a very forward-thinking international company and we realise the growing value in making learning accessible from every and any location."

"We want to recognise those institutions that have embraced new ways of delivering learning and that have embraced distance learning to meet the needs of a wider range of students," she added.