[C7] Senior Lecturer in Ultralab at Anglia Polytechnic University

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

I was employed primarily to carry out project duties to develop multimedia CD-ROM materials in the first instance, and over the next eight years the work developed into designing and developing software for primary children, for language learners and increasingly, young people developing multimedia for themselves.

Reflection: The real value of this job for my development was an increasing level of responsibility and a powerful combination of design, development, team leadership and teaching at a high level.

In addition to my software development and project duties, I was employed in the School of Education to teach Primary and Secondary B.Ed. student teachers about computers in education and some part-time Diploma work which grew into a set of Masters modules developed and delivered with Stephen Heppell in the evenings.

As our project scope and team expanded, I found myself more and more in a mentoring / leadership role with both internal colleagues and with external collaborators, and the internet and online community became central to our work.

Contribution: 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)

Originality, impact and importance: The Ultralab team was distinctive in its structure, ethos and practice, developed on values and principles of inclusion and participation. Its 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.