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Dr Simon Cross MA (Cantab), PhD, PGCE, FRGS

Senior Lecturer

About

I’m a Senior Lecturer at The Open University’s (UK) Institute of Educational Technology (IET). I have over fifteen years’ experience working in Higher Education with research interests in online learning, digital assessment and learner experiences of assessment, the role of innovative technology in teaching and in Teacher Professional Development at scale, quality enhancement, and Learning Design.

I am presently a Principal Investigator on the ‘Transforming Teacher Professional Development at Scale with Innovative Technologies’ project – an initiative supported by the OU’s Societal Challenge Programme. The focus of this work - which builds on previous research - isto improve the quality of Teacher Professional Development (TPD), classroom practice and  teacher agency through harnessing emerging technologies at scale and of scale in low and medium resource contexts by providing research leadership, building partnerships and collaborating on research. I have also been Co-Investigator on funded research projects totalling over £1.5 million in UK, Europe, India and Africa. These include the award-winning TESS-India Programme (2016-19) and S4PK Project (2021-23), and the impactful ABC Learning Gains project (2016-18) and Open University Learning Design Initiative (OULDI) (2008-13). My university roles have included Associate Director (Quality Enhancement and Innovation) in IET between 2019-23.

Recently, in my academic work I’ve been thinking about how the ‘windows of disruptive potential’ created by new technologies are, and can be, employed for educational change and movement – either at the individual, collective or policy level. This applies to my interests in assessment, spherical 360-degree video, and digital badge micro-credentials but I’m also looking beyond this. How are spaces of contest created around and within the ever re-emerging Windows of Disruptive Potential and how do we understand, frame and theorise at scale what follows? I have also begun to explore the question of assessment as gendered social practice and the impact of this, ethnicity, age, and culture on learners’ preference for assessment and equity of access to supportive ‘assessment networks.’

My recent publications have explored how teachers engage and value digital badges for professional development in India drawing on results from field-trials involving teachers from over 220 schools, how spherical 360-degree video can support TPD and educational research, and how moving online impacts the student experience of exams. I draw on a background grounded in education, educational technology, and geography which means my focus is often on technologies that are, or may soon be, within the cost-competence reach of practitioners.

I have also led a variety of strategic work within the University. I have led the Student Experience of Revision, Assessment and Feedback (SEFAR) survey project since 2016. Recent analysis of our latest 2020 survey has identified significant difference in the assessment experience between students from different ethnic backgrounds and ages and highlighted the need for rethinking how dialogic feedback and assessment literacies can be supported in a distance learning context. The survey comprises over 100 question items. Also, I am presently leading a qualitative study about factors impacting students’ early engagement and retention in distance learning, and recently led an analysis of the assessment strategies used in over four hundred university modules.

If you would like to learn more about my work, explore new opportunities or discuss participation in UK or international bids, then please do get in touch. I have also expertise in supervision of PhD and EdD students so am always happy to be contacted by prospective post-doctorial students. 

Biography

Dr Simon Cross is a Senor Lecturer at The Open University (UK). He has expertise in distance learning pedagogy, the design and embedding of innovative online learning and assessment, and in trailing and evaluation of emerging educational technologies in different contexts. Based in the Institute of Educational Technology, he has published and presented about distance and online learning, assessment at scale, learning design, and teacher professional development in the Global South. He has experience working on externally and internally funded projects and strategic work.Between 2019 and 2023 he was Associate Director in the Institute of Educational Technology. Simon's present interests include understanding how new technologies can support teacher professional development and improvement in classroom practice in the Global South, and how educators can improve assessment experiences by better understanding present interconnections and inequalities. Simon recently led a project that was shortlisted for the 2022 OU Research Excellence Awards and now leads a university-sponsored challenge project 'Transforming Teacher Professional Development at Scale with Innovative Technologies.' He regularly publishes in leading journals and presents at international events.

Publications

2024

Aristeidou, Maria; Cross, Simon; Rossade, Klaus-Dieter; Wood, Carlton; Rees, Terri and Paci, Patrizia. (). Online exams in higher education: Exploring distance learning students' acceptance and satisfaction. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 40 (1) pp. 342-359.

2023

Aristeidou, Maria; Cross, Simon; Rossade, Klaus-Dieter and Wood, Carlton. (). Students’ experiences of remote online exams at a distance learning university. In: EARLI 2023: The 20th Biennial EARLI Conference for Research on Learning and Instruction, 22-26 Aug 2023, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Aristeidou, Maria; Cross, Simon; Rossade, Klaus-Dieter; Wood, Carlton and Paci, Patrizia. (). Examining university student satisfaction and barriers to taking online remote exams. In: 9th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd’23), UPV Press, València, Spain, 1-8.
Goshtasbpour, Fereshte; Pitt, Beck; Cross, Simon; Ferguson, Rebecca and Whitelock, Denise. (). Challenges for Innovation and Educational Change in Digital Education in Low Resourced Settings: A Kenyan Example. In: European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN) 2023 Annual Conference, 18-20 Jun 2023, Dublin, Ireland.
Aristeidou, Maria; Cross, Simon; Rossade, Klaus-Dieter and Wood, Carlton. (). Online remote exams in higher education: distance learning students' views. In: INTED 2023 Proceedings, 6-8 Mar 2023, Valencia, Spain.
Cross, Simon; Aristeidou, Maria; Rossade, Klaus-Dieter; Wood, Carlton and Brasher, Andrew. (). The impact of online exams on the quality of distance learners' exam and exam revision experience: Perspectives from The Open University UK. Online Learning, 27 (2) pp. 27-45.

2022

Goshtasbpour, Fereshte; Ferguson, Rebecca; Pitt, Rebecca; Cross, Simon and Whitelock, Denise. (). Adapting OER: Addressing the Challenges of Reuse When Designing for HE Capacity Development. In: 21st European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL), 27-28 Oct 2022, Brighton.
Cross, Simon; Charania, Amina; Wolfenden, Freda; Adinolfi, Lina; Sen, Sohini and Sarkar, Durba (). Digital Badges for TPD at scale in the Global South: a framework for implementation and field study in Assam, India. The Open University, Milton Keynes.
Edwards, Chris; Whitelock, Denise; Cross, Simon and Wild, Fridolin. (). Towards autonomous, confident academic writing : supporting students in developing their writing through a stand alone online tool. In: AHE2022, 22-24 Jun 2022, Manchester, UK.
Cross, Simon; Wolfenden, Freda and Adinolfi, Lina (). Spherical 360-degree video recording and viewing in educational research: a case-study from India. In: Sharpe, Rhona; Bennett, Sue and Varga-Atkins, Tünde eds. Handbook of Digital Higher Education Edward Elgar.
Cross, Simon; Wolfenden, Freda and Adinolfi, Lina. (). Taking in the complete picture: framing the use of 360-degree video for teacher education practice and research. Teaching and Teacher Education.
Chaudhari, Vasudha; Littlejohn, Allison and Cross, Simon (). Antecedents and consequences of uncertainties perceived by finance professionals. In: Rienties, Bart; Hampel, Regine; Scanlon, Eileen and Whitelock, Denise eds. Open World Learning: Research, Innovation and the Challenges of High-Quality Education New York, USA: Routledge, pp. 237-249.
Foster, Stephen; Whitelock, Denise; Cross, Simon and Kear, Karen. (). To what extent can graphical feedback from a ‘rainbow diagram’ help students develop coherence in their academic writing?. PRISM, 4 (1) pp. 41-55.
Edwards, Chris; Whitelock, Denise; Cross, Simon and Wild, Fridolin. (). Developing automated ways to give essay writing feedback to students. In: INTED2022 Proceedings: 16th International Technology, Education and Development Conference, IATED Academy, Valencia, Spain, 5446-5450.
Cross, Simon; Wolfenden, Freda; Charania, Amina; Adinolfi, Lina; Sen, Sohini and Sarkar, Durba. (). Supporting practice-based teacher professional learning and assessment at scale in the Global South. In: INTED2022 Proceedings.
Cross, Simon; Aristeidou, Maria; Rossade, Klaus-Dieter; Wood, Carlton and Brasher, Andrew. (). The impact of online exams on the quality of distance learners' exam and exam revision experience? perspectives from The Open University UK. In: Innovating Higher Education Conference 2022, 19-21 Oct 2022, Athens, Greece.

2021

Charania, Amina; Wolfenden, Freda; Sarkar, Durba; Cross, Simon; Sen, Sohini and Adinolfi, Lina. (). Teacher Motivation and Aspiration for Online Mentoring their Fellow Teachers in the COVID Lockdown Period. In: SITE Interactive 2021, 26-28 Oct 2021, Online.
Whitelock, Denise; Herodotou, Christothea; Cross, Simon and Scanlon, Eileen (). Open Voices on Covid-19: Covid challenges and opportunities driving the research agenda. England: Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and E-learning.
Aristeidou, Maria and Cross, Simon. (). Disrupted distance learning: the impact of Covid-19 on study habits of distance learning university students. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-learning, 36 (3) pp. 263-282.
Aristeidou, Maria and Cross, Simon. (). The impact of the Covid-19 disruption on distance learning higher education students and activities. In: Seventh International Conference on Higher Education Advances proceedings (HEAd'21), UPV Press, València, Spain, 695-702.
Cross, Simon; Adinolfi, Lina; Charania, Amina; Wolfenden, Freda; Ramchand, Mythili; Sen, Sohini; Paltiwale, Sumegh; Coughlan, Emily; Shende, Satej; Sarkar, Durba; Chatterjee, Ananya and Balli, Omkar (). Teachers’ professional learning during and after Covid: A role for open digital badges. The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
Aristeidou, Maria and Cross, Simon (). The impact of Covid-19 disruption on the learning activities of OU students (Final Report). The Open University.
Aristeidou, Maria; Cross, Simon and Rossade, Klaus-Dieter (). Online remote exams: Open University students’ views around the nuances and variants of online exams. The Open University.
Whitelock, Denise; Herodotou, Christothea; Cross, Simon and Scanlon, Eileen. (). [Editorial] Open voices on COVID-19: covid challenges and opportunities driving the research agenda. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 36 (3) pp. 201-211.

2020

Wolfenden, Freda; Adinolfi, Lina and Cross, Simon. (). Exploring open digital badges in teacher education: a case study from India. Journal of Learning for Development - JL4D, 7 (1) pp. 108-115.
Cross, Simon; Adinolfi, Lina; Charania, Amina; Ramchand, Mythili; Wolfenden, Freda; Sen, Sohini; Paltiwale, Sumegh; Balli, Omkar and Chatterjee, Ananya (). Digital Badges for Teacher Professional Development in India: Interim Project Report. The Open University & Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

2019

Cross, Simon; Sharples, Mike; Healing, Graham and Ellis, Jim. (). Distance Learners’ Use of Handheld Technologies: Mobile Learning Activity, Changing Study Habits, and the ‘Place’ of Anywhere Learning. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 20 (2) pp. 223-241.
Clow, Doug; Coughlan, Tim; Cross, Simon; Edwards, Chris; Gaved, Mark; Herodotou, Christothea; Nguyen, Quan; Rienties, Bart; Thorne, Sam and Ullmann, Thomas (). Scholarly insight Winter 2019: a Data wrangler perspective. Open University, Milton Keynes.
Rogaten, Jekaterina; Rienties, Bart; Sharpe, Rhona; Cross, Simon; Whitelock, Denise; Lygo-Baker, Simon and Littlejohn, Allison. (). Reviewing affective, behavioural, and cognitive learning gains in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44 (3) pp. 321-337.
Cross, Simon. (). How handheld devices transform, augment and reinforce university students' study habits: emerging themes from a three-year study. In: EDULEARN: 11th annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies, 1-3 Jul 2019, Mallorca, Spain.
Cross, Simon. (). Using VLEs to offer higher education students choice and differentiation in learning activities: Micro-pathway Learning Design implementation and opportunities. In: Proceedings of the 18th European Conference on e-Learning, 7-8 Nov 2019, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Cross, Simon; Adinolfi, Lina and Wolfenden, Freda (). TESS-India: An approach to supporting teacher development and improving classroom practice. The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.

2018

Cross, Simon; Wolfenden, Freda and Adinolfi, Lina. (). Transforming classroom observation and professional development with 360-degree video and mobile VR. In: 8th Annual mEducation Alliance Symposium, 6-8 Nov 2018, Washington DC, USA.
Weller, Martin; van Ameijde, Jitse and Cross, Simon. (). Learning Design for Student Retention. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice.
Ullmann, Thomas; Lay, Stephanie; Cross, Simon; Edwards, Chris; Gaved, Mark; Jones, Edwina; Hidalgo, Rafael; Evans, Gerald; Lowe, Sue; Calder, Kathleen; Clow, Doug; Coughlan, Tim; Herodotou, Christothea; Mangafa, Chrysoula and Rienties, Bart (). Scholarly insight Spring 2018: a Data wrangler perspective. Open University UK, Milton Keynes.
Ullmann, Thomas; Lay, Stephanie; Coughlan, Tim; Lister, Katharine; Cross, Simon; Rienties, Bart and Whitelock, Denise. (). Understanding SEaM student comments from a Big(ger)Data perspective: what are students saying?. In: CALRG Annual Conference 2018, 18-19 Jun 2018, The Open University, Milton Keynes.
FitzGerald, Elizabeth; Kucirkova, Natalia; Jones, Ann; Cross, Simon; Ferguson, Rebecca; Herodotou, Christothea; Hillaire, Garron and Scanlon, Eileen. (). Dimensions of personalisation in technology-enhanced learning: a framework and implications for design. British Journal of Educational Technology, 49 (1) pp. 165-181.

2017

Cross, Simon; Rogaten, Jekaterina; Bektik, Duygu; Whitelock, Denise and Rienties, Bart. (). How do students understand and interpret learning gains? Perspectives from in-depth interviews of UK distance learners. In: SRHE Conference, 6-8 Dec 2017, Newport, Wales, UK.
Rienties, Bart; Clow, Doug; Coughlan, Tim; Cross, Simon; Edwards, Chris; Gaved, Mark; Herodotou, Christothea; Hlosta, Martin; Jones, Jan; Rogaten, Jekaterina and Ullmann, Thomas (). Scholarly insight Autumn 2017:a Data wrangler perspective. Open University UK.
Wolfenden, Freda; Cross, Simon and Henry, Fiona. (). MOOC adaptation and translation to improve equity in participation. Journal of Learning for Development - JL4D.
Rienties, Bart; Rogaten, Jekaterina; Nguyen, Quan; Edwards, Chris; Gaved, Mark; Holt, Deborah; Herodotou, Christothea; Clow, Doug; Cross, Simon; Coughlan, Tim; Jones, Jan and Ullmann, Thomas (). Scholarly insight Spring 2017: A Data Wrangler Perspective. Open University UK.
Wolfenden, Freda; Adinolfi, Lina; Cross, Simon; Lee, Clare; Paranjpe, Sandhya and Safford, Kimberly (). Moving towards more participatory practice with Open Educational Resources: TESS-India Academic Review. The Open University, Milton Keynes.
Bektik, Duygu; Cross, Simon; Holmes, Wayne; Aleksieva, Lyubka and Whitelock, Denise. (). A European pilot study of a modular assessment system designed to authenticate the authorship of online learners. In: CALRG Annual Conference 2017, 14-16 Jun 2017, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
Cross, Simon and Whitelock, Denise. (). Similarity and difference in fee-paying and no-fee learner expectations, interaction and reaction to learning in a massive open online course. Interactive Learning Environments, 25 (4) pp. 439-451.
Wolfenden, Freda; Henry, Fiona and Cross, Simon. (). Extending the MOOC footprint: supporting capacity building in India. In: 8th Pan Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF8), 27-30 Nov 2016, Kuala Lumpur,.
Rienties, Bart; Cross, Simon; Marsh, Vicky and Ullmann, Thomas. (). Making sense of learner and learning Big Data: reviewing 5 years of Data Wrangling at the Open University UK. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-learning, 32 (3) pp. 279-293.

2016

Rienties, Bart; Edwards, Chris; Gaved, Mark; Marsh, Vicky; Herodotou, Christothea; Clow, Doug; Cross, Simon; Coughlan, Tim; Jones, Jan and Ullmann, Thomas (). Scholarly insight 2016: a Data wrangler perspective. Open University UK.
Rogaten, Jekaterina; Rienties, Bart; Whitelock, Denise; Cross, Simon; Littlejohn, Allison; Sharpe, Rhona; Lygo-Baker, Simon; Scott, Ian; Warburton, Stephen and Kinchin, Ian. (). Multilevel modelling of learning gains: The impact of module particulars on students’ learning in Higher Education. In: SRHE International Annual Research Conference 2016, 7-9 Dec 2016, Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, South Wales, United Kingdom.
Cross, Simon; Sharples, Mike and Healing, Graham. (). Learning with mobile devices: the changing place and space of distance learners' study. In: EDULEARN16 Proceedings, 5385-5393.
Rienties, Bart; Boroowa, Avinash; Cross, Simon; Farrington-Flint, Lee; Herodotou, Christothea; Prescott, Lynda; Mayles, Kevin; Olney, Tom; Toetenel, Lisette and Woodthorpe, John. (). Reviewing three case-studies of learning analytics interventions at the open university UK. In: Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Learning Analytics & Knowledge, ACM, New York, 534-535.
Rienties, Bart; Cross, Simon and Zdrahal, Zdenek (). Implementing a Learning Analytics Intervention and Evaluation Framework: what works?. In: Kei Daniel, Ben and Butson, Russell eds. Big Data and Learning Analytics in Higher Education: Current Theory and Practice Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 147-166.
Rienties, Bart; Boroowa, Avinash and Cross, Simon. (). Analytics4Action Evaluation Framework: A Review of Evidence-Based Learning Analytics Interventions at the Open University UK. Journal of Interactive Media in Education.
Cross, Simon; Whitelock, Denise and Mittelmeier, Jenna. (). Does the Quality and Quantity of Exam Revision Impact on Student Satisfaction and Performance in the Exam Itself?: Perspectives from Undergraduate Distance Learners. In: EDULEARN16 Proceedings, IATED Academy, 5052-5061.
Rogaten, Jekaterina; Rienties, Bart; Whitelock, Denise; Cross, Simon and Littlejohn, Allison. (). A multi-level longitudinal analysis of 80,000 online learners: Affective-Behaviour-Cognition models of learning gains. In: Emerging Methodologies in Educational Research: Book of Abstracts, Maastricht University, Maastricht, 25.

2015

Cross, Simon; Sharples, Mike and Healing, Graham (). E-Pedagogy of Handheld Devices 2013 Survey: Patterns of student use for learning. The Open University, UK.
Brasher, Andrew and Cross, Simon (). Reflections on developing a tool for creating visual representations of learning designs: towards a visual language for learning designs. In: Maina, Marcelo; Craft, Brock and Mor, Yishay eds. The Art and Science of Learning Design Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, pp. 169-180.

2014

Cross, Simon; Whitelock, Denise and Galley, Rebecca. (). The use, role and reception of open badges as a method for formative and summative reward in two Massive Open Online Courses. International Journal of e-Assessment.

2013

Mwanza-Simwami, Daisy; Kirkwood, Adrian; Thomas, Rhodri; Woods, William and Cross, Simon. (). Understanding mobile VLE usage in distance education: A pilot study. In: World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications (EDMEDIA) 2013, 24-27 Jun 2013, Victoria, Canada.
Scanlon, Eileen; Sharples, Mike; Fenton-O'Creevy, Mark; Fleck, James; Cooban, Caroline; Ferguson, Rebecca; Cross, Simon and Waterhouse, Peter (). Beyond prototypes: Enabling innovation in technology-enhanced learning. Open University, Milton Keynes.

2012

Cross, Simon and Galley, Rebecca (). MOOC Badging and the Learning Arc. OLDS MOOC Blog Post.
Cross, Simon; Galley, Rebecca; Brasher, Andrew and Weller, Martin (). OULDI-JISC Project Evaluation Report: the impact of new curriculum design tools and approaches on institutional process and design cultures. OULDI Project (Open University).
Whitelock, Denise and Cross, Simon. (). Authentic assessment: What does it mean and how is it instantiated by a group of distance learning academics?. International Journal of e-Assessment, 2 (1) pp. Article 9.

2011

Whitelock, Denise and Cross, Simon. (). Academics understanding of authentic assessment. In: 2011 International Computer Assisted Assessment (CAA) Conference, Research into e-Assessment, 5/6 Jul 2011, Southampton.
Whitelock, Denise and Cross, Simon. (). Assessment benchmarking: accumulating and accelerating institutional know - how for best practice. International Journal of e-Assessment, 1 (1) pp. 1-10.
Aczel, James; Cross, Simon; Meiszner, Andreas; Hardy, Pascale; McAndrew, Patrick and Clow, Doug. (). Some issues affecting the sustainability of open learning courses. In: EDEN 2011 Annual Conference: Learning and Sustainability: The New Ecosystem of Innovation and Knowledge, 19-22 Jun 2011, Dublin, Ireland.

2010

Cross, Simon and Whitelock, Denise. (). Benchmarking assessment: breaking down barriers and building institutional understanding. In: 2010 International Computer Assisted Assessment (CAA) Conference, 20-21 Jul 2010, Southampton, UK.
Jones, Chris; Ramanau, Ruslan; Cross, Simon and Healing, Graham. (). Net generation or Digital Natives: Is there a distinct new generation entering university?. Computers & Education, 54 (3) pp. 722-732.

2009

Jones, Chris and Cross, Simon. (). Is there a net generation coming to university?. In: ALT-C 2009 “In Dreams Begins Responsibility”: Choice, Evidence and Change, 8-10 Sep 2009, Manchester, UK.
Conole, Grainne; Wilson, Tina; McAndrew, Patrick; Culver, Juliette; Brasher, Andrew and Cross, Simon. (). New methods and approaches to the design and evaluation of open educational resources. In: EDEN Annual Conference 2009, 10-13 Jun 2009, Gdansk, Poland.
Cross, Simon; Clark, Paul and Brasher, Andrew. (). Preliminary findings from a series of staff surveys on perceptions, attitudes and practices of learning design. In: ALT-C 2009 “In Dreams Begins Responsibility”: Choice, Evidence and Change, 8-10 Sep 2009, Manchester, UK.

2008

Conole, Grainne; Culver, Juliette; Williams, Perry; Cross, Simon; Clark, Paul and Brasher, Andrew. (). Cloudworks: social networking for learning design. In: ASCILITE 2008 conference: Hello! Where are you in the landscape of educational technology?, 30 Nov - 3 Dec 2008, Melbourne, Australia.
Conole, Grainne; Brasher, Andrew; Cross, Simon; Weller, Martin; Nixon, Stewart; Clark, Paul and Petit, John. (). A new methodology for learning design. In: Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications (EDMEDIA), 30 Jun - 4 Jul 2008, Vienna.
Cross, Simon; Conole, Grainne; Clark, Paul; Brasher, Andrew and Weller, Martin. (). Mapping a landscape of learning design: Identifying key trends in current practice at the Open University. In: 2008 European LAMS Conference, 25-27 Jun 2008, Cadiz, Spain.
Conole, Grainne; Brasher, Andrew; Cross, Simon; Weller, Martin; Clark, Paul and Culver, Juliette. (). Visualising learning design to foster and support good practice and creativity. Educational Media International, 45 (3) pp. 177-194.
Brasher, Andrew; Conole, Gráinne; Cross, Simon; Weller, Martin; Clark, Paul and White, Juliette. (). CompendiumLD – a tool for effective, efficient and creative learning design. In: Proceedings of the 2008 European LAMS Conference: Practical Benefits of Learning Design, 25-27 Jun 2008, Cadiz, Spain.

2007

Cross, Simon. (). The experience of Owenite socialism and anti-socialism in Halifax, 1829-1845. Transactions of the Halifax Antiquarian Society, 15 pp. 91-111.