CAREER
Highlights
2008 Director of Strategic Development, Learning and Teaching Solutions, The Open University
Along with several colleagues, conceived the idea of identifying the Open University’s “nightmare competitor” and then gaining support for funding a project to “do it first”. This led to the SocialLearn project which looked at how best to integrate social networking principles into a formal/informal learning model.
2006 Director of Strategic Development, Learning and Teaching Solutions, The Open University
Put together a bespoke team to develop the OpenLearn platform for the production, support and delivery of open educational resources, based on Open University core learning and teaching materials. From inception, the team delivered in 5 months a working production and delivery system and over 900 hours of content for a global audience.
2006 Director of Strategic Development, Learning and Teaching Solutions, The Open University
Directed the work of a large team of developers to deliver the University’s virtual learning environment which integrates the Moodle open source learning management system with core University learning and teaching systems.
2002 Director of Strategic Development, Learning and Teaching Solutions, The Open University
Part of a management team which created a new department, Learning and Teaching Solutions and established it as the media production centre of the Open University.
2001 Director Interactive Media, The Open University
Championed the use of DVD technology as a significant learning and teaching media in distance education. Directed the work of the production team which produced the University’s first DVD title for learning and teaching (Discovering Science on DVD). This has now lead to the production of a number of University DVD titles and placed the Open University at the forefront of the use of DVD technology in distance education.
1999 Director Interactive Media, The Open University
At the beginning of 2001, following the appointment of a Director of LTS, I took on additional line management responsibility for editorial, graphics design and composition services staff in LTS. For the first time, all University media specialist and learning and teaching support/technical staff were within one co-ordinated management structure.
1999 Director Interactive Media, The Open University
Set up a sub-unit within the new Learning and Teaching Services (LTS), the Centre for Interactive Media with responsibility for educational software, on-line applications, and publishing systems as well as technical services within LTS.
1999 Director Multimedia Support, The Open University
As leader of the Planning Group set up by PVC LTT to develop and refine the key new role of Development Manager, gained support for the role from most of the media managers. Under my lead, the Planning Group developed a comprehensive selection process for Development Managers, won approval for the roles of Heads of Professional Areas (Publishing, Educational Software, Design and Composition Services) and produced a commentary to clarify the Development Manager job description.
1999 Director Multimedia Support, The Open University
After establishing a collaborative working relationship with the Knowledge Media Institute when it was first established, arranged for the formal hand-over of research projects for “roll-out” to Open University students. The first such project Lyceum, a synchronous audio-conferencing system with linked whiteboard and graphics tools, is being used by almost 1000 students, Associate Lecturers and course team members on B823 Managing Knowledge.
1996 Director Multimedia Support, The Open University
Presented a paper to the Media Development Subcommittee, recommending that “a Multimedia Production Unit should be created by the 1998/99 financial year with a remit to provide multimedia support to all Central Academic Units in the University.
Organised the Internet broadcast of the Tracking Technology for Academic Advantage Colloquium and parallel software exhibition. The event was significant, as it was probably the world’s first Internet broadcast of an event from five separate locations simultaneously. It also brought together for the first time, video engineers from the University’s Audio-Visual Department and the Open University BBC Production Centre.
1993 Educational Software Manager, The Open University
Co-authored a paper for the Programme Development Committee which recommended the creation of a new Media Development Committee and a number of other measures to ensure that the new media was “properly integrated into the system”.
1992 Educational Software Manager, The Open University
Presented a paper to the Academic Computing Committee to make the Committee aware of the potential of new multimedia developments in its long term teaching strategy and to urge the University to “provide the infrastructure to support its development.
Conceived and project managed the development of a comprehensive multimedia information programme for Open University visitors. This application was launched at the University’s Open Day and subsequently installed in the Visitor’s Centre, Presentation Suite and all regional offices.
Conceived and lead the Homer Project, the University’s first serious investigation into the potential of integrated multimedia learning environments. The project brought together a multi-disciplinary team from the Arts Faculty, ACS, IET, Operations and the Open University BBC Production Centre.
1987 Software Designer, The Open University
Project managed the development of twenty interactive applications for M371 Computational Mathematics. This was one of the first Open University courses to make use of computer-based learning and teaching material in the home, using a graphical user interface.
1982 Software Designer, The Open University
Developed with colleagues from the Open University and the Open University BBC Production Centre, a computer animation system which included a computer to videotape interface for recording animation sequences. In this system, BBC videotape machines were controlled remotely by Open University computers.
1978 Software Designer, The Open University
Developed the University’s first microcomputer based student application for TS251 Introduction to Materials. The application was still in use at the 1999 T203 Materials: Engineering and Science residential school.
1977 Research Fellow, University of Sheffield
Developed the first computer simulation of a double-drum coal-cutting machine that established the stability of a process control based system.
External membership
Acted as a referee for papers submitted to numerous conferences and served on their Programme Committees.
Served as a member of the Advisory Panel for the United Nations Drug Control Programme project for drug law enforcement training in East Asia.
Served on the Board of Directors of IMS GLC, the largest non-profit association focused on standards and adoption practices for learning and educational technology.
