Research through the Generations: Reflecting on the Past, Present and Future
Conole soton final
1. The career trajectory for PhD – making the
most of opportunities and changes
Gráinne Conole, University of Leicester
23rd May 2014
PGR Student conference, Southampton University
National
Teaching
Fellow 2012 Ascilite fellow 2012EDEN fellow 2013
2. Outline
• Career history
• Turning points and
reflections
• Current role and research
interests
• Harnessing the power of
social media
3. Early years…
• Born in Cork, Ireland
• Moved to London when
five years old
• One sister, Moya
• Dog named James Joyce!
• Schools
– Holy Mary, Kingston
– St Philomenas, Carshalton
4. Academic performance
• Secondary School 74-
82
– A late developer!
– 10 O’ levels
– 4 A levels (Chem, Biol,
Maths, Art)
• University 82-85
– Chemistry, 2.1. Sheffield
University
5. The Thatcher influence…
• …..or life in the ‘real’ world
• 85-86
– Graduate training programme
– Allied bakeries
– Area retail manager
– 150 staff in 10 outfits across
London!
6. Life as a Chemist
• 86-90
– PhD X-Ray
Crystallography
– P/T demonstrating and
lecturing
• 90-91
– Lecturer on newly
established Foundation
Science course – HITECC
• 91-96
– Lecturer (Inorganic
Chemistry)
7. Changing roles
• UNL June 96 - Sept 99
– Project Director Learning
and Teaching Innovation
– Director of Teaching and
Learning Technology
Centre
– Head of Technology-
based Learning
• Bristol Sept 99 –April 02
– Director of Institute for
Learning and Research
Technology
8. Changing roles….
• Southampton 2002 – 2006
– Chair in educational
innovation in post-
compulsory education
• OU 2006 - 2011
– Professor of e-learning
• Leicester 2011 - now
– Professor of Learning
Innovation
9. Early turning points
• Moving to England
– Identity crisis – Irish or English?
Integrating into a new society
• O’ and A’ level choices
– Switch from Sociology to
Chemistry O’ level
– Switch from Geography to
Maths A’ level
– Lack of career advice or choice
of university
10. Turning points
• Retail manager! and switch to PhD
(phew)
• Securing lectureship
• Promotion to Principle Lecturer (96)
• Birth of Eleanor (94) & Tabby (98)
• Taking the Bristol post, Tabby 6
months
• Nannies and au pairs!
• Chair at Southampton, then OU &
now Leicester
• JISC & EU funded projects
• Increasing involvement in national
and international activities
11. Focus of research
• Enhancing the learner
experience
• Effective & innovative
use of technologies
• New approaches to
design
• Open practices in
learning, teaching and
research
16. Blogs
• Of the moment
reflections
• Digital archive
• The power of peer review
• Record of events, reviews
and resources
• Wider audience reach
and hence profile
• Link into facebook and
Twitter
• Complements traditional
publication routes
e4innovation.com
gconole.wordpress,com
20. Conferences
• Purpose: presentation & feedback
• Network, network, network!
• Potential collaborators & bid partners
• Put in a symposium of experts
• Expert validation workshops
• Put papers/presentations online
• Follow up contacts afterwards: email,
fb, Twitter, blogs, etc.
• Work up into a research paper
• Work the hashtag
• Live blog or follow conference-related
blogs
A personal example
21. Publishing
•Write books and chapters
•Become an editor ofa special issue of a journal
•Keep publication list up to date in your research
repository
•Set up a writing group or workshop (real/virtual)
•Co-write with lots of different people
•Disseminate publications via Tweet, fb etc
•Set up a blog
•See Twitter, blogs, journals, books as
complementary
GO OPEN!!!!
23. Reflections
• Difficulty of balancing home
and work
• Significance of turning points
• Importance of support –
partners, friends and childcare
support
• Clash of having children and
career breaks
• Politics!