Dr Anne Adams

Senior Lecturer Practice Centred Research & Development

The Open University Institute of Educational Technology IET Academic Team

a.adams@open.ac.uk
+44 (0) 1908 858 430
x 58430

Profile

CURRENT WORK

Dr. Adams is a senior lecturer in IET who is currently funded as a PI on the (250K) EPSRC 'Digital Economy' funded project 'OUT There and In Here' (http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/otih/). This project was looking at distributed learning investigations between a field base using mobile technologies and a mission control base using tabletops and large screen displays. The systems developed have been trialed with geology students (in quarries and the lab); biodiversity, special needs and school drama students as well as the public and historians. Project collaborators have been Microsoft Research Cambirdge, The Sea (mobile learning solutions) and academics from Science (Steve Swithenby, Sarah Davies) Knoweldge Media (Trevor Collins), Computing (Yvonne Rogers, Janet VanDerLinden) and Educational Technology (Canan Blake). Findings have established the valuable role of distributed collaboration in reflective learning, how to support discovery moments and generating hypotheses in the inquiry process.

Dr. Adams has previous co-pi experience in the Practice Based Professional Learning CETL for two projects:

GET-IT Project: Participatory Video techniques have been used to support AL staff development across the faculties of OUBS, FELS, HSC and IET. The results from this project identify that not only are these methods useful at an immediate tool but as an ongoing resource for workshop reflections. The videos have currently been used by OUBS Course Teams to support international collaboration and understanding aroudn practice based learning.

Mobile Clinical Learnig Project: Working with UCL CHIME and Turkish Teaching Hospital mobile devices are currently being distributed to clincians to support them in their work-based learning activities. A comparative mixed method evaluation of these mobile support mechanisms will support an international viewpoint on the use of mobile learning in a global arena.

Dr. Adams has also been commissioned by the NHS to complete consultancy work on digital libraries and information provision in safety critical contexts.

BACKGROUND

An infamous past acting in theatre and film led to years of work experience in Market Research. My reputation as a researcher was then saved by a degree in Psychology with IT. It was here that I realised computers can do quite useful things as long as they were designed for mere mortals to use them. I continued with this notion by studying an MSc in HCI (human computer interaction) at the UCL interaction center [formerly known as the ergonomics group]. I furthered my knowledge with a PhD at UCL, CS & psychology department. After a research fellow posts & consultancy work at Middlesex University & UCL my quest to make computers work through 'elearning' took me to Nottingham Univesity. I now continue my 'elearning' research in IET at the Open University.

Collaborations:

I enjoy collaborating with others and have worked / written with: Angela Sasse (CS, UCL), Yvonne Rogers, Ann Blandford & Simon Attfield(UCLIC), George Buchannan & Patty Kostakova (City University), Matt Jones & Harold Thimbleby (Swansea University) Eileen Scanlon, Janet VanDerLinden, Steve Swithenby, Sarah Davies, Tom Argles, Laura Hills (OU), Paul Cairns (CS, York), Peter Lunt (Psychology, UCL), Bob Fields (Middlesex University), Jeanette Murphy (CHIME, UCL). Sally Jo Cunningham (Waikato University, New Zealand), TO NAME BUT A FEW...

Qualifications

PhD (Psychology / CS) ’96 – ’00 UCL / BT

“Users’ Perceptions of Privacy in Multi-Media communications”

MSc (HCI & Ergonomics) ’95 – ’96 UCL (BT Placement)

BSc (Hons) Psychology (with IT & HCI) ’92 – ’95 Middlesex University

Teaching Interests

• Appointed Internal Exam Board member for H804 award board.

• Staff-Development Drop-In Sessions for CETLs - PBPL and COLMSCT (Dec ’06 - Present)

• Associate Lecturer on D845 (March ’09 - '11)

Supervising 4 PhD students: Pauline Ngwima (digital libraries in African HE), Kurt Anderson (Grounded theory), Anne Pike (offender learning and rehabilitation) Thiemo Romey (GIS in Teaching and Learning).

Supporting AL, Staff Tutor, Academic research into teaching and learning through the Open CETL (specifically PBPL & COLMSCT) for OUBS, FELS, IET, Science, M&C, Technology, through staff development seminars and workshops e.g.

• ‘Choosing Research methods’

• ‘Qualitative analysis’

• ‘Writing workshop’

• ‘Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods: what to use when’

• ‘Where, When, What to write that is the question’

• ‘ bid development workshops’

• ‘Enhancing the impact of practitioner inquiry'

With specific practitioner inquiry research method support & negotiation of institutional research procedures for on courses: MU120, MST121, M150, S292, SD329, T173, T224, T171 & T209, T160, T191, B700, E849, B624, E115, E215, B830.

Contributions to teaching methods and materials at previous institutions:

Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing

(Devised Course materials, Lectures / seminars, coursework & exam) – Course & teaching assessed in student review as ‘good’.

MSc: Nottingham University ‘06

LSRI (CS Dept)

Research Methods in Computing (lectures, seminars, coursework marking)

MSc: UCL Interaction Centre ’03 – ‘06

PhD: Middlesex University ’03 – ‘06

BSc Yr3: UCL CS dept ’99

Human Computer Interaction (lectures, seminars, coursework marking)

BSc Yr2 & 3: Middlesex University ‘00 – ’03

BSc Yr2: Luton University ‘03

Business & Computing (lectures, seminars, distance learning course contributor, marking)

MSc: Luton University ‘03

MSc: Middlesex University

‘ GLOBAL CAMPUS’ ’00 – ‘03

BSc: UCL ‘00

Computer Supported Collaborative Work (Distance learning course design and development)

MSc: Middlesex University

‘ GLOBAL CAMPUS’ ’00 – ‘03

Research Interests

I have a wide range of research interests varying from the social impacts of technology & digital libraries to security and HCI, CSCW and Qualitative methods in HCI.

Social impacts of technology

My interests in the social impacts of technology started when I was on the committee for the British HCI group. My research has delved into the social structures of a variety of organisations from industry (BT, the BRE) to the NHS and academia. My research interests extend from the effect of social structures on technology design and implementation to the impacts technology have on society.

Research Methods

My interests in qualitative methods for HCI have resulted in various seminars and lectures at various institutions (e.g. UCL, OU, Nottingham University, NHS, Eindhoven University) for undergraduate, graduates and academics in Grounded Theory, focus groups, in-depth interviews, Questionnaire design and application.

Digital Libraries

As a visiting research fellow of 'UCLIC' and a visiting senior lecturer at Middlesex University 'IDC' my research has sought to identify relationships between social structures and technological developments to aid user-centred digital library introduction and development.

The previous project I worked on 'co-evolving roles and technologies in the NHS: barriers and forces for change' was funded by the ESRC e-Society programme (RES-335-25-0032). The focus of the proposed research is on understanding the forces for, barriers against, and effects of change, as information systems such as digital libraries are introduced in clinical settings. This project has strong collaborative links with the Whittington and Milton Keynes hospitals, NHS Direct and the Middlesex and Archway healthcare library. This project follows on from an earlier one (funded by Middlesex University) on social and organisational aspects of digital library use.

I have also co-organised the 'health digital library (HDL) workshop at ECDL'03 / '04 / '05.

Security & HCI

My initial research into this field reviewed the usability and social impacts of authentication mechanisms, specifically passwords. Further research has delved into the field of privacy specifically users’ perceptions of privacy within multimedia communications. I am also a founding member of the ‘hcisec group’ (hcisec-owner@yahoogroups.com) . A group of internationally respected HCI and security experts who review the usability and user aspects of security technology.

CSCW

I am interested in the HCI implications of computer supported collaborative work. My previous research has concentrated specifically within the field of Multimedia communications (Video Conferencing, Virtual Reality, Multicasting, Web-based applications etc.). However, current research has delved into organisational awareness applications.

Current Research Projects

EPSRC funded 'Out There and In Here' project http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/otih/

Small-scale projects:

- Evaluating practitioner inquiry within the CETLs.
- Principle Investigator on successful short-listing of ESRC / EPSRC ‘Technology Enhanced Learning’ bid (approx £500,000 bid).
- Bid submitted to PBPL on: Developing a Multimedia Resource of Associate Lecturers as ‘Boundary Creatures’: how to ‘get’ practice based professional learning.
Analysis of tutor accounts of their informal learning. (with Prof. Shakespeare and Prof. Fenton O’Creevy (PBPL project)
The digital divide for offender learning (with Anne Pike COLMSCT project)
The role of technology in student widening participation (with Alice Peasegood COLMSCT project)

Publications

Book Chapter

Adams, Anne; Astruc, Lluisa; Garrido, Cecilia and Sweeney, Breen (2011). Situated learning in virtual worlds and identity reformation. In: Peachey, Anna and Childs, Mark eds. Reinventing Ourselves: Contemporary Concepts of Identity in Virtual Worlds. Immersive Environments. London: Springer-Verlag, pp. 275–299.

Adams, Anne and Cox, Anna L. (2008). Questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus groups. In: Cairns, Paul and Cox, Anna L. eds. Research Methods for Human Computer Interaction. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 17–34.

Adams, Anne; Lunt, Peter and Cairns, Paul (2008). A qualititative approach to HCI research. In: Cairns, Paul and Cox, Anna eds. Research Methods for Human-Computer Interaction. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 138–157.

Adams, Anne (2008). Understanding practitioner's emotive responses to technology in practice based learning. In: Austerlitz, Noam ed. Unspoken Interactions: Exploring the Unspoken Dimension of Learning and Teaching in Creative Subjects. London: Centre for Learning and Teaching in Design (CLTAD), University of the Arts.

Adams, Anne and Sasse, Angela (2005). The User is not the enemy. In: Cranor, Lorrie Faith and Garfinkel, Simson eds. Security and Usability: Designing secure systems that people can use. USA: O’Reilly, pp. 610–630.

Adams, Anne and Blandford, Ann (2003). Security and Online learning: to protect or prohibit. In: Ghaoui, Claude ed. Usability Evaluation of Online Learning Programs. UK: IDEA Publishing, pp. 331–359.

Adams, Anne and Blandford, Ann (2002). Digital libraries in academia: Challenges and changes. In: Goos, G.; Hartmanis, J. and van Leeuwen, J. eds. Digital Libraries: People, Knowledge, and Technology. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2555. Berlin: Springer, pp. 392–403.

Adams, Anne and Blandford, Ann (2001). Digital libraries in a clinical setting: Friend of foe? In: Constantopoulos, Panos and Sølvberg, Ingeborg T. eds. Research and Advanced Technology for Digital Libraries. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2163. Berlin: Springer, pp. 213–224.

Conference Item

Coughlan, Tim; Adams, Anne; Rogers, Yvonne and Davies, Sarah-Jane (2011). Enabling live dialogic and collaborative learning between field and indoor contexts. In: The 25th BCS Conference on Human Computer Interaction, 04-08 July 2011, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Adams, Anne; Coughlan, Tim; Rogers, Yvonne; Collins, Trevor; Davies, Sarah-Jane; Blake, Canan and Lea, John (2011). Live linking of fieldwork to the laboratory increases students inquiry based reflections. In: CSCL 2011: International Conference on Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 04-08 July 2011, Hong Kong.

Adams, Anne; Coughlan, Tim; Lea, John; Rogers, Yvonne; Davies, Sarah-Jane and Collins, Trevor (2011). Designing interconnected distributed resources for collaborative inquiry based science education. In: ACM/IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries, 13-17 June 2011, Ottawa.

Blake, Canan; Adams, Anne and Scanlon, Eileen (2011). Effectiveness of mobile learning across various settings. In: CAL Conference 2011, Learning Futures: Education, Technology & Sustainability, 13 - 15 April 2011, Manchester.

Coughlan, Tim; Adams, Anne; Collins, Trevor; Davies, Sarah-Jane; Lea, John and Rogers, Yvonne (2011). Working with "Mission Control" in Scientific Fieldwork: Supporting Interactions between In Situ and Distanced Collaborators. In: The 2011 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 19 - 23 Mar 2011, Hangzhou, China.

Blake, Canan; Adams, Anne and Scanlon, Eileen (2010). Using PDAs in healthcare settings. In: Proceedings of mLearn 2010, World Conference on Mobile and contextual Learning, Valetta, Malta. University of Malta,, 19-22 October 2010, Valetta, Malta.

Coughlan, Tim; Adams, Anne and Rogers, Yvonne (2010). Designing for balance: 'Out There and in Here'. In: 24th BCS Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI2010): Play is a Serious Business, 6- 10 September 2010, Dundee, Scotland.

Adams, Anne; Davies, Sarah; Collins, Trevor and Rogers, Yvonne (2010). Out there and in here: design for blended scientific inquiry learning. In: 17th Association for Learning Technology Conference ALT-C 2010 -, 07–09 Sep 2010, Nottingham, UK.

Sweeney, Breen and Adams, Anne (2009). Virual world users evaluated according to environment design, task based adn affective attention measures. In: Proceedings of the 2009 British Computer Society Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, 1-5 Sept 2009, Cambridge, UK.

Ngimwa, Pauline; Adams, Anne and Underwood, Josh (2009). Collaborative ownership in cross-cultural educational digital library design. In: 13th European Conference on Digital Libraries, ECDL 2009, 27 September- 2 October , 2009, Corfu, Greece.

Adams, Anne (2008). Tensions in designing and developing pedagogy in e-learning systems. In: 6th International Conference on Education and Information Systems, Technologies and Applications. EISTA '08, 29 June- 2 July 2008, Orlando, FL.

Adams, Anne and Pike, Anne (2008). Security issues within prison and health open and distance learning programmes. In: The Fifth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, 13-17 July 2008, London.

Adams, Anne and Pike, Anne (2008). Evaluating empowerment and control of HE e-learning in a secure environment. In: British Educational Research Association (BERA) Conference, 2008, Edinburgh, U.K..

Adams, Anne; Scott, Peter; Pettit, John and Kukulska-Hulme, Agnes (2007). Technology that enhances without inhibiting learning. In: CTSS Conference, 1-2 May 2007, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.

Adams, Anne and Hills, Laura (2007). Practitioner inquiry and academic work-based learning. In: 15th World Co-operative Education Conference (WACE '07), 26-29 June 2007, Singapore.

Adams, Anne (2007). How technology can enable or inhibit work-based learning in a clinical setting. In: 15th World Conference on Cooperative Education (WACE '07), 26-29 June 2007, Singapore.

Adams, A. and Hill, L. (2007). Where do we go from here: The value of practitioner inquiry for institutional change. In: International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Annual Conference (ISSOTL '07), 2-5 July 2007, Sydney, Australia.

Adams, A.; Bennett, J. and Beechener, K. (2007). The impact of communication technologies on teaching and learning identities. In: International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Annual Conference (ISSOTL '07), 2-5 July 2007, Sydney, Australia.

Adams, Anne (2007). Mobile digital libraries in a clinical domain. In: The First International M-libraries Conference, 13-14 November 2007, Milton Keynes, UK.

Adams, Anne and Blandford, Ann (2005). Digital libraries' support for the user's information journey. In: JCDL 2005, 7-11 June 2005, Denver, CO, USA.

Broome, Catherine and Adams, Anne (2005). Out with the old in with the new: What gets missed when deploying new technologies in A&E. In: HC2005: 22nd annual conference of Health Informatics, 21-23 March 2005, Harrogate, UK.

Nilsson, Maria; Adams, Anne and Herd, Simon (2005). Building security and trust in online banking. In: CHI 2005, 2-7 April 2005, Portland, Oregon, USA.

Adams, Anne (2005). The impact of authentication on health digital resources. In: HDL 2005: Healthcare Digital Libraries Workshop held in conjunction with ECDL 2005, 22 September 2005, Vienna, Austria.

Adams, Anne (2005). Grounded theory: A biased or holistic approach. In: JCDL '05 Workshop on Studying Digital Library Users In the Wild: Theories, Methods, and Analytical Approaches, 10-11 June 2005, Denver, CO, USA.

Attfield, Simon and Adams, Anne (2005). Patient information needs: Before and after doctor consultations. In: HDL 2005: Healthcare Digital Libraries Workshop held in conjunction with ECDL 2005, 22 September 2005, Vienna, Austria.

Buchanan, George; Adams, Anne; Jung, Doris and Hinze, Annika (2005). Health Service DL alerting: Users requirements and design. In: HDL 2005: Healthcare Digital Libraries Workshop held in conjunction with ECDL 2005, 22 September 2005, Vienna, Austria.

Adams, Anne; Attfield, Simon and Blandford, Ann (2004). Have digital resources taken a wrong turn on the health information journey. In: Health Digital Libraries Workshop (HDL04) at ECDL '04, 16 Sept 2004, University of Bath, Bath, UK.

Adams, Anne (2003). An outreach librarian projects impact upon successful digital library uptake. In: HDL 2003: Healthcare Digital Libraries Workshop 2003 held in conjunction with ECDL 2003, 21 August 2003, Trondheim, Norway.

Adams, Anne and Blandford, Ann (2001). Managing or reciprocating with digital library information in a clinical setting. In: IHM-HCI'01, 10-14 Sept 2001, Lille, France.

Adams, Anne and Sasse, Martina Angela (2001). Privacy in multimedia communications: protecting users not just data. In: IHM-HCI'01, 10-14 Sept 2001, Lille, France.

Journal Article

Coughlan, Tim; van der Linden, Janet and Adams, Anne (2012). Local connections: designing technologies for discovery and creativity within the community. Interactions, 19(1), pp. 18–22.

Ngimwa, Pauline and Adams, Anne (2011). Role of policies in collaborative design process for digital libraries within African higher education. Library Hi Tech, 29(4), 678 -696.

Blanford, Ann; Adams, Anne; Attfield, Simon; Buchanan, George; Gow, Jeremy; Makri, Stephann; Rimmer, Jon and Warwick, Claire (2008). The PRET A Rapporter framework: Evaluating digital libraries from the perspective of information work. Information Processing and Management, 44(1), pp. 4–21.

Adams, Anne; Blandford, Ann and Attfield, Simon (2006). Implementing digital resources for clinicians' and patients' varying needs. Informatics for Health and Social Care, 30(2), pp. 107–122.

Hinze, Annika; Buchanan, George; Jung, Doris and Adams, Anne (2006). HDLalert – a healthcare DL alerting system: from user needs to implementation. Health Informatics Journal, 12(2), pp. 121–135.

Attfield, Simon J.; Adams, Anne and Blandford, Ann (2006). Patient information needs: Pre and Post consultation. Health Informatics Journal, 12(2), pp. 165–177.

Murphy, Jeannette and Adams, Anne (2005). Exploring the benefits of user education: a review of three case studies. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 22(s1), pp. 45–58.

Adams, Anne and Blandford, Ann (2005). Bridging the gap between organisational and user perspectives of security in the clinical domain. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 63(1 - 2), pp. 175–202.

Adams, Anne; Blandford, Ann and Lunt, Peter (2005). Social empowerment and exclusion: A case study on digital libraries. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, 12(2), pp. 174–200.

Broome, C. and Adams, A. (2005). What gets missed when deploying new technologies in A&E? Informatics for Health and Social Care, 30(2), pp. 83–87.

Adams, Anne; Blandford, Ann; Budd, Dawn and Bailey, Neil (2005). Organizational communication and awareness: a novel solution for health informatics. Health Informatics Journal, 11(3), pp. 163–178.

Adams, Anne and Kostokova, Patty (2004). Healthcare digital libraries workshop - HDL 2004. D-Lib Magazine, 10(10),

Adams, Anne (2003). A whole picture is worth a thousand words. ACM SIGCHI Bulletin, 2003 p. 12.

Adams, Anne and Blandford, Ann (2002). The unseen and unacceptable face of digital libraries. International Journal of Digital Libraries, 4(2), pp. 71–81.

Adams, Anne and Blandford, Ann (2002). Acceptability of medical digital libraries. Health Informatics Journal, 8(2), pp. 58–66.

Other Interests

'HANSLOPE ENTERTAINMENT'S GROUP' - currently in rehersals for 'Cinderella' and 'Dracular Rock Show'

Vice Chair of Governors for the 'Radcliff School'

Web Site Development group for Hanslope Parish Church.

last updated 14-Oct-2011