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Dr Leigh-Anne Perryman PhD MEd BA (Hons) FHEA PGCTLHE

Senior Lecturer

About

I am Associate Director (Curriculum) in the Institute of Educational Technology, where I'm responsible for the academic development of our postgraduate curriculum. I'm also Qualification Director for IET's Masters in Online Teaching, IET's Microcredentials Lead and Faculty Lead for Student Support Teams. In addition, I'm production chair/lead educator/chair for our microcredential 'HZFM889: Teacher development: addressing the climate emergency'. I have many years of teaching experience in the tertiary sector, specialising in arts subjects, teacher education and educational technology.

I am an active researcher, currently focusing on the impact of open educational resources, open educational practices and open pedagogies in helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically Goal 5, Target 5b, which covers women's empowerment through ICTs, and Goal 13, which covers climate action. I' currently a co-investigator in the Horizon Europe-funded Every1 project, which supports a wide range of citizens in the digitalisation of energy. More broadly, my research interests cover open educational practices and resources in development contexts and in the voluntary sector. I am passionately committed to educational equity and social justice and this informs my research and my teaching.

Biography

Dr Leigh-Anne Perryman is Associate Director (Curriculum) in the Institute of Educational Technology, where she is responsible for the academic development of IET's postgraduate curriculum. She is also Qualification Director for IET's Masters in Online Teaching, IET's Microcredentials Lead, and IET's Faculty Lead for Student Support Teams. In addition, Leigh-Anne is production chair/lead educator/chair for the microcredential 'HZFM889: Teacher development: addressing the climate emergency'. Leigh-Anne has many years of teaching experience in the tertiary sector, specialising in arts subjects, teacher education, educational technology, educational equity and climate change-related education.

Research interests

Leigh-Anne is an active researcher, currently focusing on the impact of open educational resources, open educational practices and open pedagogies in helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in low income countries, specifically Goal 5, Target 5b, which covers women's empowerment through ICTs, and Goal 13, which covers climate action. Leigh-Anne is currently a co-investigator in the Horizon Europe-funded Every1 project, which supports a wide range of citizens in the digitalisation of energy. More broadly, Leigh-Anne's research interests cover open educational practices and resources in development contexts and in the voluntary sector, with an emphasis on social justice and educational equity.

Until 2016 Leigh-Anne was a Fellow of the Hewlett Foundation-funded OER Research Hub project, led by Martin Weller. Her OER Research Hub Fellowship research was broadly focussed on exploring the impact of OER in low-income countries (with a particular focus on India, and the TESS-India project) and various informal learning contexts (including OpenLearn). Leigh-Anne's Fellowship work built on her previous role as a Research Associate for the OER Research Hub, where she was responsible for overall project evaluation. In 2012 she led a research project for the UK’s Big Lottery Fund researching the use of peer-support and online learning communities within the UK voluntary sector. Prior to that she worked within IET as an author and learning materials (re-)designer on the Next Generation Learning Challenges-fundedBridge to Success project.  

Leigh-Anne was awarded her IET-based PhD in 2011. Her research explored adults’ cognitive and affective responses to contemporary art and the implications for arts pedagogy, resulting in her developing a multi-emotion appraisal theory-based model of aesthetic perception and visual arts pedagogy.

Teaching experience

Leigh-Anne is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the Institute for Learning and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (PGCTLHE). She has extensive and wide-ranging teaching experience gained through 12 years spent as an OU tutor, 8 years spent as a member of various OU module teams and 12 years’ teaching within other adult education contexts, including two years spent teaching and mentoring FE tutors taking the City & Guilds 7407 qualification.

Twitter: @laperryman

Publications

2024

Rets, Irina; Whitelock, Denise; Edwards, Chris; Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Goshtasbpour, Fereshte. (). Energising the energy literacy debate for environmental education: Exploring citizens’ interest levels, knowledge gaps and individual differences. Australian Journal of Environmental Education (Early Access).
Chandler, Kathy; Aristeidou, Maria; Ball, Simon; Charitonos, Koula; Kent, Carmel; Perryman, Leigh‐Anne and Rets, Irina. (). Collaboration and care in climate education: Brave responses to an uncertain future. The Curriculum Journal (Early access).
Ferguson, Rebecca; Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Ball, Simon J.. (). The Importance of Offline Options for Online Learners. Journal of Interactive Media in Education.

2023

Rienties, Bart; Calò, Francesca; Corcoran, Suz; Chandler, Kathy; FitzGerald, Elizabeth; Haslam, Daniel; Harris, Claire A.; Perryman, Leigh-Anne; Sargent, Julia; Suttle, Martin and Wahga, Aqueel. (). How and with whom do educators learn in an online professional development microcredential. Social Sciences and Humanities Open.
FitzGerald, Elizabeth; Sargent, Julia; Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Rossade, Klaus-Dieter (). A microcredentials-based Postgraduate Certificate of Academic Practice (PGCAP). EADTU.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne (). Using imagery within a pedagogy of identity for online teaching and learning. In: EADTU, eds. The Envisioning Report for Empowering Universities. 7th edition EADTU, pp. 26-29.
Chandler, Kathy and Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). ‘People have Started Calling Me an Expert’: The Impact of Open University Microcredential Courses. Journal of Interactive Media in Education.
Sargent, Julia; Rienties, Bart; Perryman, Leigh-Anne and FitzGerald, Elizabeth. (). Investigating the Views and Use of Stackable Microcredentials within a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice. Journal of Interactive Media in Education.

2021

Aristeidou, Maria; Ferguson, Rebecca; Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Tegama, Natalie. (). The Roles and Value of Citizen Science: Perceptions of Professional Educators Enrolled on a Postgraduate Course. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice.

2020

Perryman, Leigh-Anne (). Evaluating MOOCs' Long-Term Impact: A Theory of Change Approach. In: Mishra, Sanjaya and Panda, Santosh eds. Technology-Enabled Learning: Policy, Pedagogy and Practice Vancouver, Canada: Commonwealth of Learning, pp. 143-164.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne (). TEL MOOC Long Term Impact Evaluation Study. Commonwealth of Learning.

2019

Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). Open with care: Socially-responsible, culturally-responsive and equitable open pedagogy for a diverse world. In: Creative Commons Global Summit 2019, 9-11 May 2019, Lisbon, Portugal.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). Evaluating Long-term MOOC Impact: A Case Study of TEL MOOC. In: Pan-Commonwealth Forum 9 (PCF9), 2019, 9-12 Sep 2019, Edinburgh.

2017

Law, Patrina and Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). How OpenLearn supports a business model for OER. Distance Education, 38 (1) pp. 5-22.

2016

Farrow, Rob; Perryman, Leigh-Anne; de los Arcos, Beatriz; Weller, Martin and Pitt, Rebecca (). OER Hub Researcher Pack. Milton Keynes, UK: OER Hub.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Seal, Timothy. (). Open Educational Practices and Attitudes to Openness across India: Reporting the Findings of the Open Education Research Hub Pan-India Survey. Journal of Interactive Media in Education.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne and de los Arcos, Beatriz. (). Women’s empowerment through openness: OER, OEP and the Sustainable Development Goals. Open Praxis, 8 (2) pp. 163-180.
Coughlan, Tony and Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). 50,000 Facebook views from a $30 investment: CYP-Media’s use of open practices to increase access to learning in the children and young people’s sector. In: Open Education Global Conference 2016, 11-13 Apr 2016, Krakow, Poland.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne and de los Arcos, Beatriz. (). Women’s empowerment through openness: OER, OEP and the Sustainable Development Goals. In: OEGlobal 2016: Convergence through Collaboration, 12-14 Apr 2016, Krakow, Poland.

2015

Law, Patrina; Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Law, Andrew. (). Badging and employability at The Open University. European Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, Best of EDEN 2013-2014.
Farrow, Robert; Pitt, Rebecca; de los Arcos, Beatriz; Perryman, Leigh-Anne; Weller, Martin and McAndrew, Patrick. (). Impact of OER use on teaching and learning: data from OER Research Hub (2013–2014). British Journal of Educational Technology, 46 (5) pp. 972-976.
Coughlan, Tony and Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). Learning from the innovative open practices of three international health projects outside academia. In: Open Education Global Conference 2015, 22-24 Apr 2015, Banff, Alberta, Canada.
Coughlan, Tony and Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). Learning from the innovative open practices of three international health projects: IACAPAP, VCPH and Physiopedia. Open Praxis, 7 (2) pp. 173-189.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Lesperance, John. (). Collaborating across borders: OER use and open educational practices within the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth. In: Open Education Global Conference 2015, 22-24 Apr 2015, Banff, Alberta, Canada.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Seal, Timothy. (). Open educational practices and attitudes to openness across India: reporting the findings of the OER Research Hub pan-India survey. In: OER15, 14-15 Apr 2015, Cardiff.
Coughlan, Tony and Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). Are student-led Facebook groups open educational practices?. In: OER15, 14-15 Apr 2015, Cardiff.
Coughlan, Tony and Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). A murky business: navigating the ethics of educational research in Facebook groups. European Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning pp. 146-169.
Law, Patrina and Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). Internal Responses to Informal Learning Data: Testing a Rapid Commissioning Approach. European Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning pp. 76-84.
de los Arcos, Beatriz; Farrow, Robert; Pitt, Rebecca; Perryman, Leigh-Anne; Weller, Martin and McAndrew, Patrick (). OER Research Hub Data 2013-2015: Educators. Open Education Research Hub.
de los Arcos, Beatriz; Farrow, Robert; Pitt, Rebecca; Perryman, Leigh-Anne; Weller, Martin and McAndrew, Patrick (). OER Research Hub Data 2013-2015: Formal Learners. Open Education Research Hub.
de los Arcos, Beatriz; Farrow, Robert; Pitt, Rebecca; Perryman, Leigh-Anne; Weller, Martin and McAndrew, Patrick (). OER Research Hub Data 2013-2015: Informal Learners. Open Education Research Hub.

2014

Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Coughlan, Tony. (). When two worlds don’t collide: can social curation address the marginalisation of open educational practices and resources from outside academia?. Journal of Interactive Media in Education.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne; Buckler, Alison and Seal, Timothy. (). Learning from TESS-India’s approach to OER localisation across multiple Indian states. Journal of Interactive Media in Education.
de los Arcos, B.; Farrow, R.; Perryman, L.-A.; Pitt, R. and Weller, M. (). OER Evidence Report 2013-2014. OER Research Hub.
Law, Patrina and Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). Internal responses to informal learning data: testing a rapid commissioning approach. In: 8th EDEN Research Workshop: Challenges for Research into Open & Distance Learning: Doing Things Better-Doing Better Things, 27-28 Oct 2014, Oxford, UK.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Coughlan, Tony. (). A murky business: the ethics of conducting educational research in Facebook groups. In: Proceedings: Challenges for Research into Open & Distance Learning - Doing Things Better – Doing Better Things, European Distance and E-Learning Network, 277-289.
Buckler, Alison; Perryman, Leigh-Anne; Seal, Timothy and Musafir, Shankar. (). The role of OER localisation in building a knowledge partnership for development: insights from the TESSA and TESS-India teacher education projects. Open Praxis, 6 (3) pp. 221-233.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Coughlan, Tony. (). When two worlds don’t collide: the marginalisation of open educational practices outside academia. In: OER14, 28-29 Apr 2014, Newcastle, UK.
Buckler, Alison; Perryman, Leigh-Anne; Seal, Timothy and Musafir, Shankar. (). The role of OER localisation in building a knowledge partnership for development: The TESSA and TESS-India teacher education projects. In: OCWC Global Conference 2014, 23-25 Apr 2014, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne; Buckler, Alison and Seal, Timothy. (). From global to local: learning from TESS-India’s approach to OER localisation across seven Indian states. In: OER14 Building communities of open practice, 28-29 Apr 2014, Newcastle.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Coughlan, Tony. (). The marginalisation of open educational practices outside academia. In: Open Educational Resources 2014, 28-29 Apr 2014, The Centre for Life, Newcastle, UK.

2013

Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Coughlan, Tony. (). The realities of ‘reaching out’: enacting the public-facing open scholar role with existing online communities. Journal of Interactive Media in Education.
Coughlan, Tony and Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). Using open educational resources in online welfare communities: Facebook as an arena for open scholarship across the Commonwealth. In: Seventh Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF7), 2-6 Dec 2013, Abuja, Nigeria.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne; Law, Patrina and Law, Andrew. (). Developing sustainable business models for institutions’ provision of open educational resources: Learning from OpenLearn users’ motivations and experiences. In: Open and Flexible Higher Education Conference 2013, 23-25 Oct 2013, Paris, France.
Law, Patrina; Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Law, Andrew. (). Open educational resources for all? Comparing user motivations and characteristics across The Open University’s iTunes U channel and OpenLearn platform.. In: Open and Flexible Higher Education Conference 2013, 23-25 Oct 2013, Paris, France.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Coughlan, Tony. (). Slides: Reaching out with OER: the public-facing open scholar and the benevolent academy. In: OER13: Creating a Virtuous Circle, 26-27 Mar 2013, Nottingham, UK.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne and Coughlan, Tony. (). Reaching out with OER: the public-facing open scholar and the benevolent academy. In: OER13, 26-27 Mar 2013, Nottingham, UK.
Coughlan, Tony and Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). Beyond the ivory tower: a model for nurturing informal learning and development communities through open educational practices. Revista de Universidad y Sociedad del Conocimiento (Globalisation and Internationalisation of Higher Education), 10 (1) pp. 312-326.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). Addressing a national crisis in learning: open educational resources, teacher-education in India and the role of online communities of practice. In: Seventh Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF7), 2-6 Dec 2013, Abuja, Nigeria.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). Open solutions to a 'national crisis': the impact of OER on teacher education in India.. In: Open Education 2013, 6-8 Nov 2013, Park City, Utah.

2012

Coughlan, Tony and Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). Reaching out with OER: the new role of public-facing open scholar. eLearning Papers.

2011

Coughlan, Tony and Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). Something for everyone? The different approaches of academic disciplines to Open Educational Resources and the effect on widening participation. Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning, 15 (2) pp. 11-27.
Perryman, Leigh-Anne (). Alienation and educational inclusion : a mixed methods study of teaching and learning with contemporary art in the Level 1 university curriculum. PhD thesis The Open University.

2009

Perryman, Leigh-Anne. (). Contemporary art and the level 1 higher education curriculum: empathy, alienation and educational inclusion. Pedagogical Research in Maximising Education, 3 (2) pp. 59-78.

Media appearances

How can business students get the best from remote study

Financial Times | 23rd September 2020

Awards

Open Education Consortium Open Research Award of Excellence

Awarded as member of OER Research Hub

Open Education Consortium Open Research Award of Excellence

Awarded for research with Patrina Law

Projects

Research programmes

Expertise

Affiliations

Professional memberships

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • Member of the British Educational Research Association