The Project Team
Imran ALI has led the pilot installation and deployment of Echo360 in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences with the support of the e-Learning Unit. Since it has been installed he has been engaging staff in using this technology for a number of on and off campus courses, for all levels from foundation through to postgraduate level. He has provided guidance for staff on IPR issues, effective use of lecture capture and integration with CUOnline. Imran is a Learning Technologist who holds a Masters degree form Coventry University and a PGCE from Warwick University. His first degree is in media and cultural studies.
Kathy COURTNEY is a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at Coventry and active in the iPED Pedagogic Research Network. Her role is to support academic staff in the use of online teaching and learning and in developing innovative teaching practices. She has a particular expertise in the design of online briefing and training materials to help staff use e-learning systems.
Gita DEVI will be the Project Manager. She joined Coventry University in 2003 from Barclays Bank. Part of her responsibility was to manage project budgets and maintain project records as well as submitting monthly reports and claims. This also involved over seeing the audit process and completing project forecasts. Over the last 18 months she has worked across several projects, ensuring the contractual obligations were met and all claims and reports were submitted within agreed time scales. This involved setting up all the appropriate systems and processes to monitor financial and output information, as well as ensuring a audit trail is kept. As part of this Gita has also been responsible for the development of a new web based project monitoring and tracking system, to help track project progress for a £8 million project over 2 years. Gita is a fully qualified Prince2 project manager.
Don FINLAY is Associate Dean for Postgraduate and Professional Programmes within the Faculty of Business, Environment and Society. Prior to his appointment in January 2005, Don had been Head of the Economics Subject Group since 1997. He joined the University in 1990. He was awarded his PhD from the University of Nottingham in December 1997. His thesis was on educational entrepreneurship, focusing on the emerging entrepreneurial behaviour explicit in a number of UK schools. Don will lead the BES contribution to the project.
Amanda HARDY came to Coventry from Boise State University’s Academic Technologies department. For over three years there she advised instructors on online lesson design and implementation of e-learning. She also extensively supported and trained staff members and students with the use of the Blackboard virtual learning environment. Amanda holds an undergraduate degree in Sociology and Social Sciences Education and a Master’s in Educational Technology.
Julie HARROWER is Associate Dean in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. She will lead the HLS part of the project. She is Course Director of MSc Forensic Psychology and Crime, the only British Psychological Society-accredited online course in forensic psychology in the UK. All the modules on this course are delivered online using CUOnline and a variety of pedagogical approaches, all designed to engage students and enable them to progress on the course. She is also Module Leader of one of the modules on this course, which involves constructing the material and converting it into accessible online mode, and then interacting with students online during their three month period of study on this module. Julie has an EdD degree from Keele University.
Juliet HINRICHSEN is an Instructional Designer within the e-Learning Unit. Juliet has been working on collaborative course development projects with CIPeL (Centre for Inter-professional e-Learning) and HDTI (Health Design Technology Institute), two of the major pilot users of Echo360. This work has resulted in a number of innovative new courses being successfully approved which are now being delivered. As a workpackage leader Juliet will call on the learning technologists within the eLU, HLS and BES.
Susan MORON-GARCIA is Senior Lecturer in Higher Education Research and Development within CSHE. Her specialist area of expertise is in pedagogic research and evaluation and the use of learning technology to facilitate teaching and learning. She will lead the evaluation part of the project.
David MORRIS is Director of Higher Education Development at Coventry University. Until December 2004 he was the Founding Dean of Coventry Business School. His responsibilities cover the development of e-learning, CPD programmes for academic staff, the university’s doctoral programme in higher education, the initial qualifications programmes for academic staff new to HE teaching, the Centre for Academic Writing and the centre in higher educational research. He was one of the pioneers of online learning in the UK and successfully introduced Web-CT into Coventry University in 1998. Coventry Business School, under his leadership, became one of the very largest users of online learning in the UK and abroad and developed an early MLE known as STiLE (Student Teacher integrated Learning Environment). He also developed the Cable and Wireless Virtual Academy concept which, among other activities, delivers a 100% online Masters course in Communications Management to over 250 students around the world. He retains a major interest in business and management education developments as Professor of Business Education at the University.
Denise SKINNER will be the Project Director. Denise is currently Associate Dean (Applied Research) and Professor of Human Resource Management (HRM) in the Faculty of Business, Environment and Society at Coventry University. Denise is an experienced manager and senior researcher in the fields of Change Management and HRM (Human Resource Management). Denise became an academic after a successful career as a manager in the public sector. Denise specialises in the areas of change management, diversity, work-life balance, trust in the context of the employment relationship, the evaluation of HRM and change initiatives. She has published articles in a variety of refereed academic journals (e.g. International Journal of Human Resource Management, British Journal of Management, Women in Management Review, Human Resource Management Journal, Personnel Review, International Journal of Public Sector Management, Management Learning) in addition to publishing book chapters, three special editions of journals and a co-edited book. Denise has undertaken funded research and consultancy work with a range of public and private sector organisations including the Centre for Excellence in Leadership, CIPD, NHS, Coventry and Solihull Waste, Birmingham and Solihull Learning & Skills Council, Springboard Training, J.P. Morgan (investment bank), Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce, Benefits Agency, Coventry University. She is currently a member of the Project Board for the JISC LIW for Academics project and is overseeing its implementation within the Faculty of Business, Environment and Society.
Andy SYSON is Director of the e-Learning Unit. Andy has long experience in the development and management of e-learning and is nationally and internationally known for his pioneering work on taking WebCT to institution-wide application at Coventry. Andy’s role in the project will be to help test content within the CUOnline environment and advise on implementation issues.
Malcolm TAYLOR is Technical Services Manager in BES. Before joining BES he had a similar role of the Faculty of Engineering and Computing. He is responsible for the installation, maintenance and delivery of hardware infrastructure within BES and software maintenance. He has long experience of managing the introduction of new systems within the university and brings a vital faculty perspective to the project’s work.
John TUTCHINGS. After graduating from Coventry University with an Honours Degree in Computer Science John started working in the university’s Computing Services Department. Within CSV he has worked in most sections, from systems administration to software development. Eventually he settled in the Applications Section where he was responsible for the configuration of various web sites including caring for the University’s installation of WebCT. John is now the Technical Specialist in e-learning systems within the e-Learning Unit and he will be responsible for integrating Echo360 with CUOnline and other university systems. He will also lead the development of the prototype IPTV system.
