About
I am a Learning and Teaching Enhancement Manager in the Institute of Educational Technology, where I have worked since 2021. My role involves supporting strategic projects that explore how inclusive curriculum design, assessment innovation and digital technologies can enhance distance education.
My current projects include AIDA, which investigates how institutional AI assistants can support student learning, and ADMIT, a European collaboration exploring the pedagogical and ethical implications of large language models. I also contributed to the Accessibility and Inclusive Learning Training adopted across faculties and to initiatives such as OpenReal and Accessible by Design.
I bring over 15 years of international experience in higher education, with expertise in curriculum development, media and communication, and the design of creative and digital learning experiences. I am passionate about understanding how students engage with new technologies and how these can be used responsibly to improve learning opportunities, accessibility and equity. Alongside my professional work, I am completing a PhD in Media Studies at the University of Westminster, where I focus on digital activism and misinformation on social media.
Biography
Felipe Tessarolo is a Learning and Teaching Enhancement Manager in the Institute of Educational Technology, where he has worked since 2021. In this role he contributes to strategic projects that enhance inclusive curriculum design, assessment innovation and the use of digital technologies in distance education.
Over the past five years Felipe has been involved in a wide range of institutional and externally funded projects. These include AIDA, which examines the role of institutional AI assistants in student learning; ADMIT, a European collaboration exploring the pedagogical and ethical implications of large language models; and Accessible by Design, which embedded inclusive principles into curriculum development. He also contributed to the Accessibility and Inclusive Learning Training (AILT), now adopted across faculties, and to the OpenReal pilot, which tested the use of augmented reality in distance learning. Within the Open University he has also worked on initiatives such as TMA interventions and OU Ready, focusing on student induction and success.
Felipe’s main areas of expertise are inclusive pedagogy, curriculum development, and the integration of emerging technologies into teaching and learning. His career spans more than 15 years in higher education across the UK, Portugal and Brazil. In Brazil he worked as a Lecturer and Head of Department in Journalism and Advertising, coordinating postgraduate and undergraduate programmes, and leading research and student projects that received national recognition.
He is part of the Quality Enhancement and Innovation (QEI) team, and currently contributes to working groups such as SeGA, CFAWG and ARP. He has also been involved in cross-faculty initiatives including OU Ready, the Foundations Programme, PVC-S and PVC-RI projects, and collaborations with OpenXR Studios, all of which focus on advancing inclusive practice, digital innovation and institutional enhancement.
Alongside his role at the OU, Felipe is completing a PhD in Media Studies at the University of Westminster, funded by Techne AHRC. His doctoral research examines digital activism and misinformation on social media, complementing his professional focus on how technologies can be applied responsibly to support learning and equity in higher education.