Claim

My claim for PhD by Practice connects the threads which have emerged in my career by reflecting on the development of my knowledge and my practice structured into four decades. I link projects, artefacts, peer-reviewed publications and employment with my theoretical & conceptual framework. The 21 items cited are a selection from all of my output, and are to be taken together as a whole to represent my claim. Finally, I discuss the next steps to develop my research further.

Introduction - from tacit to explicit knowledge

I have been designing, developing and researching educational materials, contexts and practices based on computer technologies since 1978, and as a practitioner in this field, sought to design these more effectively. In that time I have focused on learner-centred analyses and researched widely across multiple disciplines to improve education. This section describes this practice, setting the individual portfolio items, labelled as [C1] to [C21], in the context of my story and linking them to my theoretical development of the four analyses [A1] to [A4].

Teaching

I have progressed from an individual enthusiastic and creative teacher [C1] taking part in developing practice [C2] to a researcher/teacher- educator [C3] and leader of innovation in education [C7], taking a full part in a developing research community.

My early work concentrated on improving the design of individual pieces of software for addressing challenging learning in the school curriculum. [C3, C5]

Curiosity about learning

An interest in user-interface design and mental models [C4] led to an approach to analysing individual learning based on cybernetic principles [A1] and an account of how technology enhances such learning [A2]. My work on new multimodal learning based on multimedia technology [C6], together with an appreciation of cultural and linguistic factors [C10], led to a simplified and more holistic model of the learning process itself [A1] to inform my design practice.

Creativity in learning

In this period my increasing awareness of the wider context of education informed a holistic and systemic approach to large-scale action research addressing the development of new systems of education [C7, C9, C11, C12, C14, C18, C20]. Alongside this work, I focussed in on creativity and reflection in learning through a sequence of projects aimed at enhancing creativity and reflection at a range of levels in education [C13, C15, C16, C17, C19].

Leadership

My increasingly responsible rôles as a teacher, software developer, media designer, team leader and director led to a broad and deep knowledge of the factors which lead to effective design methods and criteria for improving design quality in iterative design cycles. My identification of these factors and criteria is structured on a creative and constructivist model of learning [A1], a learner-centred holistic model of the decision points in education [A3] and a perspective analysis of other stakeholders in education [A4]. I recently created a critical overview of this knowledge of learning theory for non-academic innovators in a report for an EU project [C21], and I have been working for twenty years to develop an historical research archive of developments in educational computing [C8].

This account of the progression in development of my knowledge is followed in the next sections by an account of each decade's practice.

(Words: 642 )

Seventies

The early seventies saw my transition from university undergraduate to school teacher at the same time as low cost computers became available. This fertile time offered early experiences, influences and practice that laid the foundation for a career as a designer.

Table 8: Selected items from the 1970s

Portfolio reference	Aim	Contribution	Originality, Impact and Importance
[C1] Teacher of Mathematics and Computer Studies at Scott Lidgett School	To design improvements to mathematics education practice.	I led the teaching and development of Computer Studies in the school working with colleagues in the local authority, developing Mode 3 syllabus and examination. I independently developed the Snooker learning software for mathematics and for computer studies and was solely responsible for creating a curriculum analysis for the whole school. My part: 100%	The software developed, Snooker, was in its time completely original as a design for learning and foreshadowed many interactive graphic simulations to come. It was published later and was widely used in schools in the 1980s (SMILE 1984).
[C2] Microcomputers in Computer Education (MICE)	To develop new ways to teach computer studies using animated visualisations.	The design and development of educational software and the critique of others' designs. My part: 20% (with the members of the group)	Although there was a growing interest in teaching programming concepts through animations in higher education, it was new to be focussing such innovation on secondary school. Our work made impact on the practice of colleagues in the Inner London Education Authority and at the time was considered a vital part of the development of teaching computer studies there. Its work was reported regularly in the newsletter distributed to computer studies teachers in London by the advisory service.

My work began in 1976, aged 20 as an untrained teacher of Mathematics in a secondary school in London. Even at this stage, I was exposed to the design of (mathematics) education through the SMILE (Secondary Mathematics Individual Learning Experiment).

In this period I developed a computer program called ‘Snooker’ [C1] which simulated a snooker table, inviting learners to estimate angles to improve their knowledge of bearings, which was subsequently published as part of the SMILE Mathematics scheme, after peer review by teachers engaged in that curriculum development.

In my second post as a Mathematics and Computer Studies teacher (1977-1980), I developed an interest in the teaching of both Computing and Mathematics using the computer. As well as taking part in the design of the Computer Studies Mode 3 CSE exam syllabus, I attended continuing professional development courses in the design of educational materials for the computer and joined a development group of computer studies teachers, Microcomputers in Computer Education [C2], to develop computer software as educational resources for learners.

(Words: 518 )

Eighties

I took up my first professional research post in 1980 to design and develop educational software. This period saw a progression in my practice from a focus on technology to a concern for design & pedagogy and my first attempt to engage with doctoral study.

Table 9: Selected items from the 1980s

Portfolio reference	Aim	Contribution	Originality, Impact and Importance
[C3] Researcher in the Computers in the Curriculum Project at Chelsea College London	To establish design leadership for teams of programmers developing computer assisted learning for secondary age students.	I designed and developed many educational programs, guidance documents, course materials and developed analytical models for evaluation of user-interfaces. I exercised nationwide team leadership and national leadership in educational software interoperability. My part: 100%	The Computers in the Curriculum project, first established in 1973, was one of only a very few world-leading curriculum development projects in its time to create brand new computer assisted learning materials based on a 'revelatory' approach using simulations (Millwood 1987, 8). There were very few predecessors in the schools sector. It was funded for the first half of the eighties by the UK government funded Micro-electronics Education Programme, absorbing a large proportion of its budget. The materials were widely published internationally through Longman, BBC and others. The work covered a wide range of subjects in the secondary curriculum. (Watson 1987)
[C4] London Mental Models Group	To discover new perspectives on the mental models of learners with regard to their use of technology as a tool for developing such models.	I participated and contributed ideas to seminars considering models of learning with technology. My part: 5% (project led by the late Joan Bliss)	The work to integrate an educational approach to technology, learning, artificial intelligence and mental models was unique, recognised by an Economics and Social Research Council grant for the 'Tools for exploratory learning' project (Bliss and Ogborn 1989) and peer-reviewed publications. It had impact on the design of new modelling software and importance in raising the level of debate at an early stage in the maturation of technology in education amongst the educational research community in London.
[C5] Procedure Library	To improve standards of interoperability in the design of educational computer programmes.	I designed the set of procedures and functions, wrote the BBC BASIC and Pascal code and technical guide and co-authored the design guide which included the creation of the diagram and analytical explanations. My part: 50% (with David Riley)	The design, code and analysis were new, based on lessons learnt over seven years of using a BASIC subroutine library and the best of graphics routine library literature (Newman and Sproull 1989). The impact and importance was on the development and design of educational software by the Computers in the Curriculum team.
[C6] The Renaissance Project	To design the most effective uses of multimedia in higher education.	Working within a small team I helped design, collate, program and took sole responsibility for technical production of some of the earliest CD-ROMs developed for education. My part: 20% (with Stephen Heppell and others)	Our exploration of the educational design to discover the potential of new interactive multimedia on CD-ROM led to some of the first such products created for higher education in Europe. At the time I had to travel to a factory in Germany, since there were few facilities in the UK for manufacture and very few places we could prototype the CD-ROM materials. They were subsequently distributed worldwide with international publishing agreements. Each CD-ROM pioneered interactive and participative learning design in the years before internet. (Neesham 1990)

Portfolio reference

Aim

Contribution

Originality, Impact and Importance

[C3] Researcher in the Computers in the Curriculum Project at Chelsea College London

To establish design leadership for teams of programmers developing computer assisted learning for secondary age students.

I designed and developed many educational programs, guidance documents, course materials and developed analytical models for evaluation of user-interfaces. I exercised nationwide team leadership and national leadership in educational software interoperability. My part: 100%

The Computers in the Curriculum project, first established in 1973, was one of only a very few world-leading curriculum development projects in its time to create brand new computer assisted learning materials based on a 'revelatory' approach using simulations (Millwood 1987, 8). There were very few predecessors in the schools sector. It was funded for the first half of the eighties by the UK government funded Micro-electronics Education Programme, absorbing a large proportion of its budget. The materials were widely published internationally through Longman, BBC and others. The work covered a wide range of subjects in the secondary curriculum. (Watson 1987)

[C4] London Mental Models Group

To discover new perspectives on the mental models of learners with regard to their use of technology as a tool for developing such models.

I participated and contributed ideas to seminars considering models of learning with technology. My part: 5% (project led by the late Joan Bliss)

The work to integrate an educational approach to technology, learning, artificial intelligence and mental models was unique, recognised by an Economics and Social Research Council grant for the 'Tools for exploratory learning' project (Bliss and Ogborn 1989) and peer-reviewed publications. It had impact on the design of new modelling software and importance in raising the level of debate at an early stage in the maturation of technology in education amongst the educational research community in London.

[C5] Procedure Library

To improve standards of interoperability in the design of educational computer programmes.

I designed the set of procedures and functions, wrote the BBC BASIC and Pascal code and technical guide and co-authored the design guide which included the creation of the diagram and analytical explanations. My part: 50% (with David Riley)

The design, code and analysis were new, based on lessons learnt over seven years of using a BASIC subroutine library and the best of graphics routine library literature (Newman and Sproull 1989). The impact and importance was on the development and design of educational software by the Computers in the Curriculum team.

[C6] The Renaissance Project

To design the most effective uses of multimedia in higher education.

Working within a small team I helped design, collate, program and took sole responsibility for technical production of some of the earliest CD-ROMs developed for education. My part: 20% (with Stephen Heppell and others)

Our exploration of the educational design to discover the potential of new interactive multimedia on CD-ROM led to some of the first such products created for higher education in Europe. At the time I had to travel to a factory in Germany, since there were few facilities in the UK for manufacture and very few places we could prototype the CD-ROM materials. They were subsequently distributed worldwide with international publishing agreements. Each CD-ROM pioneered interactive and participative learning design in the years before internet. (Neesham 1990)

In 1980 I sought a position as a university researcher to develop educational resources. I was appointed as the first developer for the Computers in the Curriculum Project [C3] at Chelsea College, University of London. Over the decade I became a project leader in software development, an author of design guidelines [C5] for the team and a teacher educator involved in teacher training. I was responsible for the design and development of many educational packages based on computer simulations, working with teams including practising teachers to offer advice on the pedagogical and practical design issues. In researching human computer interface issues, I was strongly influenced by Donald Norman’s models of user-centred design (Norman 1983). These proved practical as applied theories in my everyday work and formed the basis for my first ideas for a simplified model of the learning process, later developed as 'expressive constructivism' [A1]. In this decade I joined the ESRC funded London Mental Models Group [C4] led by the late Professor Joan Bliss and Professor Jon Ogborn and planned to conduct a PhD supervised by Professor Paul Black to focus on modelling using computers. I took part as a lecturer in the development of a diploma course to retrain teachers for Computer Studies and finally as a half-time lecturer in Mathematics Education [C3]. I co-directed the Modus project to develop computer modelling software for learners to create their own simulations, resulting in the development of Expert Builder and Model Builder software. I acted as Research Fellow on interoperability in educational software for the national Microelectronics Education Support Unit, creating several reports and peer-reviewed publications and was a member of the Software Advisory Group for the BBC Domesday Project. As pointing devices, audio, picture, video and the CD-ROM, became available, I led the technical production and contributed to the educational design of interactive multimedia for higher education in mathematics, environmental science, theatre studies and business studies for higher education [C6]. In this decade I began to be invited to academic conferences as a speaker and to take part in international seminar and workshop activity as co-tutor.

(Words: 1058 )

Nineties

In 1990 I stepped back from an academic research focus and returned to creative practice, developing interactive multimedia materials to distribute on CD-ROM, albeit as a senior lecturer in the education faculty of Anglia Higher Education College. The decade saw the rise of Ultralab, of which I was an informal deputy head, growing from half a dozen to over fifty staff. My practice saw a move from software development to medium-scale action research in pilot projects relating to online communities. I also helped develop an online Masters degree and begin supervising doctoral students.

Table 10: Selected items from the 1990s

Portfolio reference	Aim	Contribution	Originality, Impact and Importance
[C7] Senior Lecturer in Ultralab at Anglia Polytechnic University	To develop a collaborative team approach to the design & development of new technology in learning.	I was a designer, developer and technical producer of many projects, a lecturer in ICT in Education and a designer and developer of a Masters level course. My part: 25% (with Stephen Heppell and others)	The Ultralab team was distinctive in its structure, ethos and practice, developed on values and principles of inclusion and participation. It’s ethos was to directly change the world of education with its action-research innovations and thought leadership. Its work influenced national policy in the UK and throughout the world.
[C8] National Archive of Educational Computing	To design & develop a historical archive and narrative for developments in technology enhanced learning.	Since leaving Ultralab I have taken sole responsibility for this work, establishing working methodology, designing a participative web site and convening and attending events to disseminate knowledge. My part: 90% (Initially with Stephen Heppell and Greta Mladenova)	The archive is unique in the UK in its focus on educational computing. Its impact has been on international education conferences and events where it has exhibited and in its support for other projects such as the BBC’s Domesday Reloaded. I believe its importance will be found in the future to satisfy a desire to interpret the historical development of technology enhanced learning and to mine the ideas which have been developed and forgotten, but are ripe for re-invention.
[C9] Learning in the New Millennium	To research the new uses for creative & communicative digital tools in secondary classrooms.	My part was very small in the action of the project, but I acted as a mentor (with Stephen Heppell) to the project and as research supervisor to Carole Chapman who led the project. As such I helped develop the conceptual thinking which then provided a basis for much other research. My part: 10% (with Stephen Heppell and Carole Chapman)	The project was groundbreaking in its online connection between professional scientists and school students to discuss science problems, in its early use of mobile technology and in its development of the concept of online community. The impact of the project was felt in its larger scale successor projects such as Notschool.Net, Schools Online, Think.com, TeacherNetUK, Talking Heads and Ultraversity. Its importance was the establishment of design, practice and conceptual knowledge for Ultralab and beyond.
[C10] Translating software: what it means and what it costs for small cultures and large cultures	To clarify the importance of designing in opportunity for users to localise educational software to suit their own cultural and linguistic environment and thus enhance regional and international uptake	I helped design the software methodology for translation and the implementation of it in the 'Work Rooms' software as well as co-authoring the paper. My part: 20% (with Dai Griffiths, Stephen Heppell, Sam Deane and Greta Mladenova)	The practice and paper was novel in education at that time and the conceptual thinking was only just making impact in the software operating systems world. Its importance is seen in the way modern software is now developed and content management systems such as Plone have been developed to manage translation as a matter of course.
[C11] TeacherNet UK	To develop the design proposition for online communities of practice to support the continuing professional development of teachers.	In TeacherNet UK, I co-designed and developed the organisation itself, designed, developed and maintained the the initial website, made many conference presentations and acted as one of six directors of the company. I exercised national and European thought leadership to establish notions of informal professional development online. My part: 25% (with Marilyn Leask, Norbert Pachler, Darren Leafe, Kryss Durling and Keith Byrom)	TeacherNetUK was inspired by the Australian OZTeacherNet, but proposed original think around continuing professional development for teachers and self-profiling of teachers in order to match content to their interests. Although it did not become a mass-movement, it enjoyed a considerable membership for a time and was in demand by UK government and industry for consultancy, culminating in the government creating its own TeacherNet service with the help of members of the team.
[C12] The Online Learning Network	To research the practice of human facilitation and software design to support online communities.	I was mentor to project leader, contributor to the online community design and provided technical support for the service. 10% (with Stephen Heppell, Leonie Ramondt and others)	This project was Ultralab's first to create a community of practice for adults. It informed the design of the emerging UK University for Industry and also many successor projects at Ultralab. (Ramondt & Heppell, 1998)
[C13] Étui	To research & develop a toy for use by early learners to encourage learning about learning.	I acted as co-developer of the project's ideas about meta-level learning, mentor to the project leader and other personnel, researcher in classrooms and disseminator of the progress and outcomes. My part: 20% (with Andy Simpson, Dai Griffiths, Stephen Heppell and Kris Popat)	The project was unique for its design of a mysterious toy which did not represent existing creatures in order stimulate wonder, inquiry and imagination. As part of the i3 research network, it was shared widely to the European research community and generated much debate about early years learning with technology.

Portfolio reference

Aim

Contribution

Originality, Impact and Importance

[C7] Senior Lecturer in Ultralab at Anglia Polytechnic University

To develop a collaborative team approach to the design & development of new technology in learning.

I was a designer, developer and technical producer of many projects, a lecturer in ICT in Education and a designer and developer of a Masters level course. My part: 25% (with Stephen Heppell and others)

The Ultralab team was distinctive in its structure, ethos and practice, developed on values and principles of inclusion and participation. It’s ethos was to directly change the world of education with its action-research innovations and thought leadership. Its work influenced national policy in the UK and throughout the world.

[C8] National Archive of Educational Computing

To design & develop a historical archive and narrative for developments in technology enhanced learning.

Since leaving Ultralab I have taken sole responsibility for this work, establishing working methodology, designing a participative web site and convening and attending events to disseminate knowledge. My part: 90% (Initially with Stephen Heppell and Greta Mladenova)

The archive is unique in the UK in its focus on educational computing. Its impact has been on international education conferences and events where it has exhibited and in its support for other projects such as the BBC’s Domesday Reloaded. I believe its importance will be found in the future to satisfy a desire to interpret the historical development of technology enhanced learning and to mine the ideas which have been developed and forgotten, but are ripe for re-invention.

[C9] Learning in the New Millennium

To research the new uses for creative & communicative digital tools in secondary classrooms.

My part was very small in the action of the project, but I acted as a mentor (with Stephen Heppell) to the project and as research supervisor to Carole Chapman who led the project. As such I helped develop the conceptual thinking which then provided a basis for much other research. My part: 10% (with Stephen Heppell and Carole Chapman)

The project was groundbreaking in its online connection between professional scientists and school students to discuss science problems, in its early use of mobile technology and in its development of the concept of online community. The impact of the project was felt in its larger scale successor projects such as Notschool.Net, Schools Online, Think.com, TeacherNetUK, Talking Heads and Ultraversity. Its importance was the establishment of design, practice and conceptual knowledge for Ultralab and beyond.

[C10] Translating software: what it means and what it costs for small cultures and large cultures

To clarify the importance of designing in opportunity for users to localise educational software to suit their own cultural and linguistic environment and thus enhance regional and international uptake

I helped design the software methodology for translation and the implementation of it in the 'Work Rooms' software as well as co-authoring the paper. My part: 20% (with Dai Griffiths, Stephen Heppell, Sam Deane and Greta Mladenova)

The practice and paper was novel in education at that time and the conceptual thinking was only just making impact in the software operating systems world. Its importance is seen in the way modern software is now developed and content management systems such as Plone have been developed to manage translation as a matter of course.

[C11] TeacherNet UK

To develop the design proposition for online communities of practice to support the continuing professional development of teachers.

In TeacherNet UK, I co-designed and developed the organisation itself, designed, developed and maintained the the initial website, made many conference presentations and acted as one of six directors of the company. I exercised national and European thought leadership to establish notions of informal professional development online. My part: 25% (with Marilyn Leask, Norbert Pachler, Darren Leafe, Kryss Durling and Keith Byrom)

TeacherNetUK was inspired by the Australian OZTeacherNet, but proposed original think around continuing professional development for teachers and self-profiling of teachers in order to match content to their interests. Although it did not become a mass-movement, it enjoyed a considerable membership for a time and was in demand by UK government and industry for consultancy, culminating in the government creating its own TeacherNet service with the help of members of the team.

[C12] The Online Learning Network

To research the practice of human facilitation and software design to support online communities.

I was mentor to project leader, contributor to the online community design and provided technical support for the service. 10% (with Stephen Heppell, Leonie Ramondt and others)

This project was Ultralab's first to create a community of practice for adults. It informed the design of the emerging UK University for Industry and also many successor projects at Ultralab. (Ramondt & Heppell, 1998)

[C13] Étui

To research & develop a toy for use by early learners to encourage learning about learning.

I acted as co-developer of the project's ideas about meta-level learning, mentor to the project leader and other personnel, researcher in classrooms and disseminator of the progress and outcomes. My part: 20% (with Andy Simpson, Dai Griffiths, Stephen Heppell and Kris Popat)

The project was unique for its design of a mysterious toy which did not represent existing creatures in order stimulate wonder, inquiry and imagination. As part of the i3 research network, it was shared widely to the European research community and generated much debate about early years learning with technology.

In 1990 I joined Professor Stephen Heppell to form a new research centre, ultimately called Ultralab [C7]. Over seventeen years I offered practical, analytical and evaluative guidance to this large and geographically distributed team, offering research leadership and developing collective knowledge, procedures, values and attitudes for the development of delightful learning approaches.

Early in this decade Stephen Heppell and I began collecting materials to form a National Archive of Educational Computing [C8] and we were funded by the National Council for Educational Technology to employ Greta Mladenova to organise the materials

I continued development of new interactive multimedia CD-ROM materials, taking responsibility for production of published learning resources for Teacher Education [C6]. The possibility to distribute globally and the development of new materials using Apple's HyperCard led to a realisation that we could allow for adaptation to local culture and languages by the teacher and this became the subject of a published paper. [C10]

The predominant research approach of Ultralab became applied and action research, creating small and large-scale actions involving education in formal and informal contexts. I helped formulate the conceptual framework, manage development and analyse findings in many projects including the a longitudinal study of online community as a learning tool ‘Learning in the New Millenium’ [C9], the University for Industry pilot ‘Online Learning Network’ [C12], the teachers’ informal continuing professional development online community TeacherNet UK [C11] and the creation of a new toy for pre-school meta-level learning, Étui [C13].

This decade saw a heavy load of conference and workshop presentation, which gave me the opportunity to refine analyses of learning and education and develop them further based on the feedback from audiences and colleagues. [A1, A2, A3, A4]

(Words: 1418 )

Noughties

In 2000, Ultralab undertook the Talking Heads project with over one thousand head teachers joining an online community of practice, thus marking a move towards large-scale action research. Later in this decade I took on the leadership of Ultralab, participating and overseeing the development of Ultraversity - an innovative online work-focussed degree programme - and later moved to the University of Bolton to help create a university framework based on Ultraversity's success.

Table 11: Selected items from the 2000s

Portfolio reference	Aim	Contribution	Originality, Impact and Importance
[C14] Talking Heads / Virtual Heads	To design learning resources to support headteachers in embarking on an online community of practice for their continuing professional development.	I helped set up the project initially, developing the database of participants and continued to act as a mentor to the personnel involved. I also designed and developed the interactive multimedia and carried out the technical production of the CD-ROM, applying my knowledge of multiple text tracks and interactivity in Quicktime. My part: 5% (with Stephen Heppell, Leonie Ramondt, Carole Chapman, Stephen Powell and others)	These projects devised new online facilitation for the busiest of professionals as they led schools. It opened new channels of communication for heads who otherwise were rarely in contact with each other and who were distributed throughout the UK. The learning conversations that resulted lead directly to school improvement and the project laid the foundations for the National College's practice for years to come.
[C15] Summer School	To develop informal learning for digital creativity through student video production.	My role was to prepare the ground for understanding what could be achieved with new digital creativity tools and help articulate this in collaboration with colleagues in Ultralab, and when the Summer School project took off, to observe its results and feed them in to subsequent work. My part: 10% (with Stephen Heppell, Matthew Eaves and others)	This approach had been a hallmark of Ultralab's approach to new digital media since the early nineties, but was refined to include unique and key features of student-led creativity and mutual celebration, including the production of a DVD with all the outputs. This DVD was widely circulated to make impact on the children's creativity community. I am particularly proud of having led the Summer School with youth groups in Belfast. This was held in the week leading up to the 12th July parades which were catalysts for trouble. Our colleagues in Belfast pointed out that we had successfully retained the interest and celebrated the talent amongst teenagers collaborating from both sides who would otherwise be engaged in building bonfires.
[C16] Input CBBC	To design the support web site to explore the potential for students' creativity with video to be broadcast.	I took the role of co-leader at Ultralab developing the key values, participant action research approach and philosophy, working with the CBBC Future TV section at the BBC. I took on the visual and information design challenge of presenting templates and guidance in a child friendly web-site whilst maintaining a connection to the CBBC's visual style. My part: 25% (with Matthew Eaves and others)	The project was quite new for a national broadcaster to take a serious view of children's digital creativity. Its impact was on the BBC itself in determining its future policies and confirming the research outcomes from earlier Ultralab projects.
[C17] QCA - An Investigation Into Pupils' Creativity Across The Curriculum	To clarify criteria that explain how technology enhances creativity in learning.	From my report, the 'Features of ICT' section was adopted by the committee for the final Creativity Framework Taxonomy. 20%	This was a synthesis of my original thinking and other sources including my experience as a designer in discussion with many others. This was newly articulated in print by me for this consultation and adopted by this national advisory body for advice on future curriculum thinking nationally.
[C18] Ultraversity Project	To design and develop a new work focussed online university experience to suit 'those for whom traditional university did not fit'.	Initially, as part of a small team, I developed the documents for validation and designed strategy and materials for recruitment in 2003. I then had oversight of the direction of the Ultraversity Project in my role as Head of Ultralab from 2005 to 2007. I frequently took a practical developmental role, creating and designing resources, infrastructure, marketing, research and team collaboration as well as a refining a theoretical stance to champion the values and philosophy of the project. 20% (with Stephen Heppell, Stephen Powell and many others)	This project combined unique elements into a completely new undergraduate opportunity. Its impact was felt deeply on the student's lives and on the researchers who made it possible. It influenced a wider academic community that drew inspiration from its success, and continues to be the subject of much interest today as well as a current course at Anglia Ruskin University. Its importance was recognised by newspapers, government ministers at the time and by organisations such as the Centre for Recording Achievement, who invited me to keynote at their conference to celebrate 10 years of the patchwork text.
[C19] SCHOOL MATTERS – Happiest Days?	To research and develop the script and present a television programme discussing well-being in school education.	I provided a design practitioner's perspective to the programme maker's research, and articulated the ideas by editing the script and acting as presenter for the programme. My part: 25%	This television program was a new synthesis of ideas about well-being in schools - it was published on Teachers' TV and viewed and reviewed by many teachers. Its importance is in the way it links well-being with effectiveness in learning.
[C20] Inter-Disciplinary Inquiry-Based Learning (IDIBL)	To design and develop a whole university framework for work focussed learning.	My role was of co-developer, working closely to establish aims & values, design the curriculum, seek validation, organise, teach & mark work, operate quality mechanisms. I also designed the web site and fliers for marketing, sought meetings with stakeholders to market the course directly, worked with staff to disseminate ideas within the university, undertook research to establish evidence and co-wrote academic papers and made presentations at conferences. My part: 25% (with Stephen Powell and others)	The project was based on the experience of Ultraversity, but broke new ground by taking a whole university framework approach. It led to wholehearted adoption by some colleagues, whilst others appropriated parts of it for other courses. Its importance was in recognising the conditions under which work-focussed learning could prosper.
[C21] Report on good practice of innovative applications of learning theories in TEL	To clarify the accepted learning theories and explain their connection to theorists, disciplines and paradigms.	I exercised analytical and visual design skills in the construction of the conceptual diagram and contributed the statements about the complex, contested and dynamic nature of learning theory. I also tidied up and commented on the stakeholder analysis for innovation designers. My part: 80%	This work is a new synthesis of key theorists and their ideas. It has been widely reported as part of the Hotel EU project and achieved considerable dissemination and impact as evidenced by the public feedback and continuing debate on my blog. It is intended to address an EU identified problem of educational technology innovators who are actively developing without a full understanding of the scope of learning theory and its problems in relation to technology. (Millwood, 2013)

Portfolio reference

Aim

Contribution

Originality, Impact and Importance

[C14] Talking Heads / Virtual Heads

To design learning resources to support headteachers in embarking on an online community of practice for their continuing professional development.

I helped set up the project initially, developing the database of participants and continued to act as a mentor to the personnel involved. I also designed and developed the interactive multimedia and carried out the technical production of the CD-ROM, applying my knowledge of multiple text tracks and interactivity in Quicktime. My part: 5% (with Stephen Heppell, Leonie Ramondt, Carole Chapman, Stephen Powell and others)

These projects devised new online facilitation for the busiest of professionals as they led schools. It opened new channels of communication for heads who otherwise were rarely in contact with each other and who were distributed throughout the UK. The learning conversations that resulted lead directly to school improvement and the project laid the foundations for the National College's practice for years to come.

[C15] Summer School

To develop informal learning for digital creativity through student video production.

My role was to prepare the ground for understanding what could be achieved with new digital creativity tools and help articulate this in collaboration with colleagues in Ultralab, and when the Summer School project took off, to observe its results and feed them in to subsequent work. My part: 10% (with Stephen Heppell, Matthew Eaves and others)

This approach had been a hallmark of Ultralab's approach to new digital media since the early nineties, but was refined to include unique and key features of student-led creativity and mutual celebration, including the production of a DVD with all the outputs. This DVD was widely circulated to make impact on the children's creativity community. I am particularly proud of having led the Summer School with youth groups in Belfast. This was held in the week leading up to the 12th July parades which were catalysts for trouble. Our colleagues in Belfast pointed out that we had successfully retained the interest and celebrated the talent amongst teenagers collaborating from both sides who would otherwise be engaged in building bonfires.

[C16] Input CBBC

To design the support web site to explore the potential for students' creativity with video to be broadcast.

I took the role of co-leader at Ultralab developing the key values, participant action research approach and philosophy, working with the CBBC Future TV section at the BBC. I took on the visual and information design challenge of presenting templates and guidance in a child friendly web-site whilst maintaining a connection to the CBBC's visual style. My part: 25% (with Matthew Eaves and others)

The project was quite new for a national broadcaster to take a serious view of children's digital creativity. Its impact was on the BBC itself in determining its future policies and confirming the research outcomes from earlier Ultralab projects.

[C17] QCA - An Investigation Into Pupils' Creativity Across The Curriculum

To clarify criteria that explain how technology enhances creativity in learning.

From my report, the 'Features of ICT' section was adopted by the committee for the final Creativity Framework Taxonomy. 20%

This was a synthesis of my original thinking and other sources including my experience as a designer in discussion with many others. This was newly articulated in print by me for this consultation and adopted by this national advisory body for advice on future curriculum thinking nationally.

[C18] Ultraversity Project

To design and develop a new work focussed online university experience to suit 'those for whom traditional university did not fit'.

Initially, as part of a small team, I developed the documents for validation and designed strategy and materials for recruitment in 2003. I then had oversight of the direction of the Ultraversity Project in my role as Head of Ultralab from 2005 to 2007. I frequently took a practical developmental role, creating and designing resources, infrastructure, marketing, research and team collaboration as well as a refining a theoretical stance to champion the values and philosophy of the project. 20% (with Stephen Heppell, Stephen Powell and many others)

This project combined unique elements into a completely new undergraduate opportunity. Its impact was felt deeply on the student's lives and on the researchers who made it possible. It influenced a wider academic community that drew inspiration from its success, and continues to be the subject of much interest today as well as a current course at Anglia Ruskin University. Its importance was recognised by newspapers, government ministers at the time and by organisations such as the Centre for Recording Achievement, who invited me to keynote at their conference to celebrate 10 years of the patchwork text.

[C19] SCHOOL MATTERS – Happiest Days?

To research and develop the script and present a television programme discussing well-being in school education.

I provided a design practitioner's perspective to the programme maker's research, and articulated the ideas by editing the script and acting as presenter for the programme. My part: 25%

This television program was a new synthesis of ideas about well-being in schools - it was published on Teachers' TV and viewed and reviewed by many teachers. Its importance is in the way it links well-being with effectiveness in learning.

[C20] Inter-Disciplinary Inquiry-Based Learning (IDIBL)

To design and develop a whole university framework for work focussed learning.

My role was of co-developer, working closely to establish aims & values, design the curriculum, seek validation, organise, teach & mark work, operate quality mechanisms. I also designed the web site and fliers for marketing, sought meetings with stakeholders to market the course directly, worked with staff to disseminate ideas within the university, undertook research to establish evidence and co-wrote academic papers and made presentations at conferences. My part: 25% (with Stephen Powell and others)

The project was based on the experience of Ultraversity, but broke new ground by taking a whole university framework approach. It led to wholehearted adoption by some colleagues, whilst others appropriated parts of it for other courses. Its importance was in recognising the conditions under which work-focussed learning could prosper.

[C21] Report on good practice of innovative applications of learning theories in TEL

To clarify the accepted learning theories and explain their connection to theorists, disciplines and paradigms.

I exercised analytical and visual design skills in the construction of the conceptual diagram and contributed the statements about the complex, contested and dynamic nature of learning theory. I also tidied up and commented on the stakeholder analysis for innovation designers. My part: 80%

This work is a new synthesis of key theorists and their ideas. It has been widely reported as part of the Hotel EU project and achieved considerable dissemination and impact as evidenced by the public feedback and continuing debate on my blog. It is intended to address an EU identified problem of educational technology innovators who are actively developing without a full understanding of the scope of learning theory and its problems in relation to technology. (Millwood, 2013)

The new millenium saw a change in Ultralab, and my practice, from medium to large scale, national and international projects beginning with the headteachers’ online community ‘Talking Heads’ [C14], the development of learner’s creativity through multimedia technology for Ultralab's ‘Summer School’ [C15] and the Children's BBC ‘Input BBC’ pilot [C16], and many more.

In the middle of this decade I took over as head of Ultralab for two years before joining the University of Bolton in 2007 to further develop Ultralab’s ground-breaking Ultraversity project [C18] as the Inter-Disciplinary Inquiry-Based Learning project [C20].

In this period I was invited as consultant to many organisations, but most significantly, to the Qualification and Curriculum Authority's panel to identify the role of technology in creativity and learning [C17]. This work was founded on a more mature form of my learning model of expressive constructivism [A1] and helped me to clarify the role of technology in learning [A2]. I was also invited to take part in two Teachers' TV programmes the first relating to innovation in assessment and the second to 'delight' in learning related to well-being in school education [C19].

I founded my own consultancy company, Core Education UK, and continued to find national and international organisations willing to employ me for my analytical perspectives.

This most recent period permitted substantial reflection, analysis and articulation of ideas through peer-reviewed publications and enabled the development of this PhD by Practice.

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Next?

This section identifies next steps in my practice and future directions for research and development.

My new post at the time of writing (November 2013) is as Course Director at Trinity College Dublin for their Masters in Technology and Learning. The course provides me with the best opportunity to make use of my background and, in designing and preparing learning experiences for the students, to improve my theoretical analyses in three ways: flesh out the detail; enhance coherence; and provide interpretation with respect to design decisions that educational developers must make.

At the same time, I hope to seek PhD supervision rôles that encourage development of these analyses including correction and extension. This may include seeking empirical evidence to strengthen what I claim is a valid designer's tool-set to have greater scientific reliability.

The other major direction forward is to develop the potential of the National Archive of Educational Computing to become a trusted and rich research resource. This includes continuing to design new software, but based on some of the ideas developed and forgotten over the last four decades which are stored in the archive. The comparison of a modern design with its updated pedagogical thinking against the original material will in itself clarify trends in education, but also provide a basis for critiquing both past and present. This strategy has the added value of providing a relevance, currency and forward direction to the archive which is easy to dismiss as simply backward looking.

In order to achieve this objective, I will need to make new alliances with disciplines I have so far not touched upon and learn about historical interpretation, artefact curation & preservation, cataloguing and knowledge engineering - a challenge I relish!

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