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Research

Technology enhanced learning

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An image to illustrate studying technology enhanced learning with The Open University.

The Technology Enhanced Learning Cluster is located within the Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology. It focuses on technology use in a range of pedagogical contexts and includes research on networked and online environments, innovative technologies, emergent pedagogies and online learner experiences and a growing body of research into how pedagogy and scholarship is changed by social networking and Web 2.0. We also research the potential and challenges of web-technologies for disabled students. Whilst most of our research is empirical there is a strong strand of conceptual analysis, theory and method development, and literature review.

Pedagogical contexts include:
  • Tertiary education
  • Primary and secondary education (K-12)
  • Professional and workplace education
  • Informal learning.
Qualifications available:
PhD. See also our Master of Research (MRes) in Education Technology and our Doctorate in Education (EdD).
Fees:
For detailed information on current fees visit Fees and funding.
Entry requirements:
Minimum 2:1 (or equivalent) See also our Master of Research (MRes) in Educational Technology.

Potential research projects

  • Networked and collaborative learning.
  • Learners’ interactions and experiences.
  • Effective design for learning.
  • Openness in education.
  • New forms of digital scholarship and discourse.
  • Evaluating the impact of technologies on teachers and organisations.
  • Mobile learning enabled by portable and handheld devices.
  • Technology adoption and emergent innovative practice among teachers and learners.
  • The student experience: approaches to learning, personal development, identity and autonomy.
  • Higher education practice: student retention, student support, quality enhancement and academic development.
  • Disciplinary teaching, learning, writing and assessment.
  • Scholarship of teaching and learning.

Current / recent research projects

  • Digital games: motivation, engagement and informal learning.
  • The Role of Open Educational Resources in academic networks.
  • Students’ approaches to mathematical tasks using software as a black-box, glass-box or open-box.
  • Collaborative Design Process for Educational Digital Resources in African Higher Education.
  • Self- and Co-Regulation in a Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Environment.
  • The use of social software for enhancing the museum learning experience.
  • University students’ use of technologies in China.
  • The Construction of Shared Knowledge through Asynchronous Dialogue.
  • Inmates’ conceptions of reflection in higher education.
  • Explorations of student academic literacy practices in digital multimodal disciplinary contexts in South African vocational higher education.

Further information

If you have an enquiry specific to this research area please contact:

Name:
Mrs Anne Foward
Email:
creet-student-enquiries@open.ac.uk
Phone:
+44 (0)1908 655364

For general enquiries please contact the Research Degrees Team via the link under 'Your questions' further down the page.