Learning Amenities

Special Considerations

Traveling on a ship can pose many challenges for those individuals with physical impairments, including moving and uneven surfaces and steep gangway steps or special dietary needs. ISE remains committed to providing travel, work and study opportunities for everyone. We will evaluate each situation individually and make every possible effort to accommodate the special needs of each participant.

Classrooms

The MV Explorer has nine state-of-the-art classrooms, which are equipped with the following:

• Multi-system Flat Panel TV Monitor PAL or NTSC 24"
• Portable Amp and Speaker Podium System
• Overhead Projectors
• 5-foot Portable Projection Screen
• Wireless Internet Access
• Anchor Portable Sound System
• Flip Charts
• CD/DVD Players
• Dual Well Cassette Players
• Roll-down Screen
• Flip Charts and White-boards
• Audio/visual Capabilities

Computer Lab

• The computer lab is an extension of the library and is designed to be used primarily for word processing and Internet access.
• This facility is available for academic use to the entire shipboard community on a 24-hour basis.
• Each of the 20 computers is configured with Windows XP, Microsoft Office XP, DVD Player (with a limited number of CD burners), and USB ports. External floppy drives and Zip drives are available for loan. The lab is also equipped with scanners, and several HP LaserJet printers. The printers are available from any of the computers inside the lab as well as individual laptops via wireless connection.
• Internet Access is available via satellite
• Students are provided with up to 125 minutes of free internet access. Participants can purchase additional access minutes through pre-paid plans that vary from $0.30 cents to $0.50 cents per minute. Access to Library online subscriptions (listed above) is free of charge including additional free websites such as news websites.

Multi-Media Lab

• The ship is equipped with a multi-media lab designed to meet the growing needs of the voyage photographer and the student yearbook and website teams.
• The centralized workspace allows students and other participants to collaborate on projects in the fields of graphic design, digital photography and website programming.
• The multi-media lab provides a shared meeting space for the photographer, yearbook staff and website team.

Union

The student union seats 380. This space is used as a large classroom and for shipwide events such as pre-ports, lectures, shows, movies, and more. Events can be videotaped and broadcast to all classrooms and cabins.

Library

The library contains about 9,000 volumes specifically tailored to international study and travel, and to the curriculum of each voyage. There is an extensive map collection containing physical, political, topographical and historical maps. Also onboard is a significant collection of videos for educational and recreational purposes.

Online Library Resources

Semester at Sea faculty and students have access to all of U.Va.'s digital resources during the voyage. Using a U.Va. ID, internet access to U.Va. library resources, including more than 400 full-text and index databases, is free for both faculty and students. Full-text resources include: Handbook of Latin American Studies Online, CIAO: Columbia International Affairs Online, ENVIROnetBASE, Ethnic NewsWatch, Latin American Network Information Center, FACTIVA, Lexis/Nexis, and journals available online through Blackwell Synergy, EBSCO Electronic Journals Service, Elsevier's Science Direct service, JSTOR, and Project Muse.