I’ve been involved in educational technology, latterly known as e-learning, in the UK Higher Education sector since 1992, in the fields of modern languages and of healthcare. As a Learning Technologist, I’ve worked directly with academic and teaching colleagues to develop e-learning products, including e-learning software, Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) and Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) courses. I have a strong practical understanding of e-learning pedagogy, which is applied in all of the products and courses I’ve developed. Without sound pedagogy and content, e-learning is of little use. A good reference for e-learning pedagogy is the almost legendary OTiS Online Tutoring E-book which I’ve consulted regularly over the years.
I’ve 2 years experience with the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Moodle 2, designing, developing and constructing courses and resources. I’ve similar experience with the execrable WebCT.
CALL (1992-2002)
Between 1992 and 2002 I worked at the Language Institute at the University of Hull, where I developed Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) applications for an alphabetti-spaghetti mix of fixed-term projects (ITTI, CTI, TLTP, FDTL, TELL), using mostly proprietary technologies of the time (Toolbook, Hypercard, Guide, Authorware) as well as standards-compliant HTML and CSS. These project outputs, developed for 16-bit Windows 3.x and Macs have disappeared into dusty archives never to be seen again, and would likely not run on modern operating systems. Surviving online outputs are the ICT4LT website (currently maintained by the family of Graham Davies) and the EUROCALL website, which I continue to administer and develop.
Healthcare (2003-2012)
At the School of Nursing at the University of Nottingham, I developed, and project managed the development of, Reusable Learning Objects (aka “bite-sized e-learning”) for teachers and students of healthcare both within and outwith the School. These were produced in close collaboration with teachers and academics, using iterative development principles following a software lifecycle, and were and are available for public use as Open Educational Resources (OER) under Creative Commons licences.
Metadata
All RLOs developed by the School are available in a cust0m-built RLO repository, which I developed over many years using PHP and MySQL. The repository is compliant with metadata standards, exposes its data via Dublin Core-enriched RSS feeds, and has a basic API. It’s been harvested by many Open Educational Resources (OER) repositories, including Jorum and the NDLR (University of Ireland). Many RLOs have been compiled into IMS Content Packages for download and importation into Learning Management Systems and Virtual Learning Environments.
