Profile
Academic Activities
In 2010 my colleague Linda Price and I undertook a synthesis project for the Higher Education Academy - 'Enhancing Learning and Teaching through the Use of Technology: Evidence-based Practice'. Until mid-2010 I was heavily involved with 'English in Action', a project funded by the UK Government's Department for International Development that aims to improve the learning and teaching of communicative English in Bangladesh as a tool for greater participation in the global economy. From 2005-07 I was the Course Team Chair of H808, The eLearning Professional - an international online postgraduate course.
My primary interest in student learning with media technologies - keeping the emphasis on learning to a greater extent than on the media technologies. In recent years, many of my activities have involved monitoring and evaluating developments in the use of educational media and the evaluation of media-based materials for open and distance education.
Findings from research in the Open University and elsewhere inform the preparation of my professional development workshops and presentations on media use and evaluation in higher education.
Academic Interests
- Domestic use of information and communication technologies for learning.
- The role of course design (and assessment in particular) in independent learners' use of online resources and communication.
- Pedagogic models and the use of information and communication technologies by teaching staff in higher education.
- Implications of the 'Digital Divide' for education in the UK and internationally.
Professional Activities
Editor (1999-2004) of the Journal of Educational Media, an international journal published by Carfax / Taylor & Francis. From 2005 the journal has been re-launched as Learning, Media and Technology - I am an Editorial Board member.
Open University representative on the Executive Committee of the British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFVC).
Head of the Programme on Learner Use of Media from 2001 to 2005.
Professional Development
Much of my teaching is undertaken in the form of professional development activities for teaching and learning staff in the Open University and other higher education institutions.
I have a long record of supporting professional development for academic and support staff at the Open University. In particular, this has been concerned with making the most effective use of media technologies for learning and teaching in courses developed for independent adult students.
Recently, this activity has been undertaken mainly within the ‘Teaching and Learning with Media’ programme in IET.
I have also led professional development workshops on the selection, use and evaluation of media technologies for academic staff in universities in the UK, Europe and other parts of the world.
Recent talks
Conferences
| 2009 | ‘Learners in the 21st Century: are they any different?’ Presentation (with Linda Price) at the 17th Improving Student Learning Symposium, Imperial College, London, 7-9 September. |
| 2009 | ‘Constructing the Foundations of Capacity Building: An Activity Theory Analysis of the English in Action Baseline Studies’. Presentation at the 8th International Language and Development Conference, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 23-25 June. |
| 2008 | ‘E-learning: You Don’t Always Get What You Hope For’. Presentation at the international conference “Teaching and Learning 2008: Achieving Excellence and Quality in Education”, Aveiro, Portugal, 25-29 May. |
| 2007 | ‘Engaging Learners at Multiple Levels: innovations to support the development of professional practice in eLearning’ (with Robin Goodfellow and Gill Kirkup). Presentation at the Higher Education Academy Annual Conference, Harrogate, 3-5 July. |
| 2007 | ‘Distance Education in Transition: Adapting Pedagogical Models and Approaches for Adult Learners in the Digital World’. Presentation at the International Conference on Researching Transitions in Lifelong Learning, University of Stirling, 22-24 June. |
| 2005 | ‘Pedagogic Integration and Learners’ Use of Electronic Resources’ Presentation at the 11th EARLI Conference – Integrating Multiple Perspectives on Effective Learning Environments, University of Nicosia, Cyprus, 23-27 August. |
| 2004 | ‘Networked Learning in Context: What does e-learning offer students working independently, and what do they bring to it?’ Presentation at the 21st ICDE World Conference on Open Learning and Distance Education, Hong Kong, 18-21 February. |
| 2004 | ‘Educational Professional Development and OU Tutors’ Use of ICT’ Presentation (with Gill Kirkup) to the CALRG 25th Anniversary Day Conference, The Open University, 2 July. |
| 2004 | ‘Why should students use on-line resources … and why don’t they?’ Presentation at ‘The Shock of the Old 4: e-Learning, the Student Experience’, Said Business School, University of Oxford, 15 April. |
| 2003 | ‘Media in education: Has research informed practice?’ IET Research Seminar, The Open University, 15 October. |
| 2002 | ‘The Changing Landscape for Learners and Learning: What do we know about students’ attitudes and experiences of ICT for learning?’ Presentation (with Linda Price and Simon Rae) to the Annual Conference of the Society for Research into Higher Education, Glasgow, 10-12 December . |
| 2002 | ‘Virtual Universities – New ways of teaching and learning; achieving effective education?’ |
| 2001 | ‘Understanding Independent Learners’ Attitudes to and Preferences for Media Technologies’ Presention at the 17th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, 8-10 August. |
| 2000 | ‘Shanty Towns around the Global Village? Reducing distance, but widening gaps with ICT’ Presentation at the International Conference - Distance Education: an open question? Adelaide, South Australia, 10-13 September. |
| 2000 | ‘IT in Education: Getting the Balance Right’. Invited Keynote presentation to the First Gulf Information Technology & Information Systems Conference – GITIS 2000, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 12-13 March. |
Teaching Conferences
| 2006 | ‘Surely after 30+ years we’ve learned something about our students’ use of media and technologies?’ Presentation (with Linda Price) at the Curriculum Innovation Across Boundaries Conference, The Open University, 17 January. |
| 2005 | ‘Achieving a Satisfying Blend? Engaging students with e-learning’ Invited workshop presentation (with Linda Price) at the Higher Education Academy Midlands e-Learning Forum, De Montfort University, Leicester, 11 May. |
| 2005 | ‘E-learning or E-Teaching? What's the Difference in Practice?’ Invited workshop presentation (with Linda Price) at a NHSU Learning and Sharing Event on e-Learning, Weetwood Hall, Leeds, 22-23 March. |
| 2004 | ‘e-Learning: Students’ Perceptions of Different Media’ Invited workshop presentation (with Linda Price) at a Higher Education Academy Northern Ireland Regional Seminar - Promoting Student Engagement, Queen’s University, Belfast, 16 November. |
| 2004 | ‘Using strategic thinking about educational media in curriculum design’ Presentation (with Linda Price) at the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) Spring Conference ‘Linking Strategy and Students: Making Connections through Educational Staff Development’, Cardiff, 30 March. |
| 2003 | ‘New Course Delivery Methods: Ensuring Satisfaction in Distance and e-Learning’ Presentation at the conference ‘Managing Student Complaints: Prevention and Early Resolution’ at the Inmarsat Conference Centre, London, 19 November. |
| 2003 | ‘What do we know about students’ attitudes and experiences of ICT for learning?’ Presentation at an e-Learning Exhibition & Conference at the Business Design Centre, London, 5 June. |
Teaching Interests
From 2005-07 I was the Course Team Chair for the course H808, The e-Learning Professional. This is an international online course that is part of IET’s Postgraduate Programme in Online and Distance Education. It is designed for professionals engaged in post-school education and training wanting to understand the issues involved in the evolving practices of elearning and, in particular, online assessment, and personal and professional development using online tools, resources and eportfolios.
Research Interests
I am interested in why and how adult learners use media technologies not only in their independent studies, but also in their home and work contexts. Investigating the realities of learning with media technologies can help inform the pedagogic design of courses to facilitate learning from the student’s perspective.
In particular, I am interested in examining the impact of recent e-learning developments in terms of the changing culture and skills requirements in higher education courses.
I am a member of the Computers and Learning Research Group which is a group within the Centre for Educational and Educational Technology Research (CREET) at the Open University.
Current Research Projects
- Investigating independent students and e-learning – Examining why and how students use e-mail, on-line resources and networked communication. The relationship between adult students’ ICT familiarity and skills (developed at home and/or at work) and their use in educational contexts.
- The implications for course design of students’ use of networked ICT – particularly on-line resources, e-mail and on-line tuition.
- Institutional research on distance education tutors’ use of ICT in teaching and this might be better supported and developed.
- Implications of the ‘Digital Divide’ for education – Both in the UK and internationally there exist significant differences in access to and use of ICT. What are the implications for education in an increasingly ‘global’ and ‘networked’ international community?