About
I am a Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Educational Technology in the Open University (OU). My research is concerned with understanding aspects of human learning supported by technology in ways that contribute to projects of educational justice. My research is integrative and spans three areas: 1. Professional learning for complex professional knowledge work; 2. Socio-technical practices for learning across formal and informal settings and 3. Participatory approaches to research and development of educational technology. My current research projects maintain a strong interest in education in crisis contexts and foreground that educational spaces and practices are political; they can be transformative and bring possibilities to help create more just futures. I draw on ethnographic and participatory approaches in my scholarly work that help develop disciplinary expertise while expanding disciplinary boundaries. I have taught in a range of educational settings and take a collaborative approach to the research and design of technology, partnering with students, educators, researchers, civil-society organisations and policy organisations.
I am currently leading a pan-university, cross-faculty project ‘Transitions to distance and online education for students from refugee backgrounds’ that focuses on the first cohort of forcibly displaced students at the OU on the Open Sanctuary programmes (OU-funded, 2022-23). The Open Sanctuary Hub at the OpenLearn platform has been developed within this project. I am also the co-Investigator in the AHRC GCRF Network+ Mobile Arts for Peace (2020-2024) that investigates participatory arts-based methods to support peacebuilding processes in conflict and post-conflict societies. As part of this project, the podcasting series 'Everyday peace building through the arts" I'll be co-producing will be out in Autumn 2023. I am also a co-I in the OU-funded Open Societal Challenge project "Addressing antimicrobial resistance through professional learning" (2023-24). In my role at the OU, I am also serving as a member of the Sanctuary Advisory Network at the OU that aims to create pathways into studying at the OU for refugees and people seeking asylum.
My current teaching responsibilities include chairing the online course Online Teaching: Embedding Social, Race and Gender-Related Equity on Futurelearn platform. I'm the academic lead of the blended course "Digital Education for youth and adult learning in contexts of forced displacement"(to be launched in Autumn 2023) in collaboration with UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning,UNHCR, theUN Refugee Agency and the Connected Learning in Crisis Consortium. I am also a member of the authoring team of the online course "Online Teaching: Addressing climate emergency", leading on the topics 'Climate Justice' and 'Education Futures with Climate uncertainty'.
In 2021-22 I led a participatory project with teachers in refugee settings in Jordan that examined communicative approaches to English Language learning during Covid19 pandemic (2021-2022, funded by ASU/Mastercard Foundation and QR GCRF). I was further involved in two OU-funded Impact Accelerator Projects: (i) 'Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance through professional learning: Impact Insights from Nepal' (PI, 2021-2022) and (ii) 'Developing contextually-sensitive Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) for out-of-school adolescents in refugee settings' (co-I, 2021-2023). I have been co-leading the monthly knowledge exchange events ‘Connected Higher Education in Crisis contexts’, in collaboration with UNHCR and the Connected Learning Consortium (2021-22). Further to these research activities, I recently completed two major UK Aid projects: (i) Fleming Fund Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance Project (Academic Lead (Learning), 2018-2021) and (ii) ACCESS - Approaches in Complex and Challenging Environments for Sustainable Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (2019-2021). Past research activities also include leading the Evaluation of the Frontline Immigration Advice Project (FIAP) (2018-2019) through funding received by the Refugee Action, a national charity in the UK (2018-19).
I joined the OU as a Lecturer in 2017 and since then I have had academic responsibility in two university-wide strategic projects: i. Project MINERVA that explored new ways in course production (March-July 2017); ii. Academic Evaluation of the Group Tuition Policy (March 2017 - January 2018). I have further led the analysis of the work practices developed by the Teaching Excellence & Innovation (TEI) workstream team as part of the Students First strategic objectives (August 2017 - February 2018). Additionally, I am acting as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Interactive Media in Education JIME.
I serve as the OU co-lead in the Connected Learning in Cricis Consortiumthat promotes, coordinates, and supports the provision of quality higher education in contexts of conflict, crisis and displacement through connected learning.
I am currently supervising two PhD students and two EdD students.
In 2019 I received the OU Early Career Research Excellence Award in 2019.
Biography
Dr Koula Charitonos is a Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Educational Technology in the Open University (OU). Her research is concerned with understanding aspects of human learning supported by technology in ways that contribute to projects of educational justice. Her research is integrative and spans three areas: 1. Professional learning for complex professional knowledge work; 2. Pedagogies and educational practices for connected learning across formal and informal settings and 3. Participatory approaches to research and development of educational technology. Her current research projects maintain a strong interest in education in crisis contexts and foreground that educational spaces and practices are political; they can be transformative and bring possibilities to help create more just futures. She draws on ethnographic and participatory approaches in her scholarly work that help develop disciplinary expertise while expanding disciplinary boundaries. She has taught in a range of educational settings and take a collaborative approach to the research and design of technology, partnering with students, educators, researchers, civil-society organisations and policy organisations.
Dr Charitonos is currently leading a pan-university, cross-faculty project ‘Transitions to distance and online education for students from refugee backgrounds’ that focuses on the first cohort of forcibly displaced students at the OU on the Open Sanctuary programmes (OU-funded, 2022-23). She is also the co-Investigator in the AHRC GCRF Network+ Mobile Arts for Peace (2020-2024) that investigates participatory arts-based methods to support peacebuilding processes in conflict and post-conflict societies. As part of this project, the podcasting series 'Everyday peace building through the arts" she will be co-producing will be out in Autumn 2023. She is also a co-I in the OU-funded Open Societal Challenge project "Addressing antimicrobial resistance through professional learning" (2023-24). In her role at the OU, she is also serving as a member of the working group of the University of Sanctuary at the OU that aims to create pathways into studying at the OU for refugees and people seeking asylum.
Her current teaching responsibilities include chairing the online course Online Teaching: Embedding Social, Race and Gender-Related Equity on Futurelearn platform. She is the academic lead of the blended course "Digital Education for youth and adult learning in contexts of forced displacement"(to be launched in Autumn 2023) in collaboration with UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and the Connected Learning in Crisis Consortium. She is also a member of the authoring team of the online course "Online Teaching: Addressing climate emergency", leading on the topics 'Climate Justice' and 'Education Futures with Climate uncertainty'.
Koula serves as the OU co-lead in the Connected Learning in Crisis Consortium that promotes, coordinates, and supports the provision of quality higher education in contexts of conflict, crisis and displacement through connected learning.
She is currently supervising two PhD students and two EdD students.
In 2019 she was awarded the OU's Research Excellence award for Early Career Researchers.
Further to her academic posts, Koula has worked as a teacher in formal education settings for more than five years. She also has work experience as a Community co-ordinator in the Learning and National Partnerships Department at The British Museum (2012-2016).
Publications
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2012
2011
2010
Awards
Best Early Career Researcher
Open University Research Excellence Awards
British Academy Schools Language Awards.
Project: Close-Up on Heritage Language Learners: An inquiry learning project
Projects
Research programmes
Expertise
Professional memberships
- Member of the British Educational Research Association