Talk at Bournemouth University reflecting on my career trajectory: challenges and opportunities

1. From Chemistry to E-learning:
an interdisciplinary journey
Gráinne Conole, 8th March 2018
International Women’s Day, Bournemouth University
National
Teaching
Fellow 2012
Ascilite fellow 2012EDEN fellow 2013

3. Outline
• Career history
• Turning points and
reflections
• Current role and research
interests
• Harnessing the power of
social media

4. 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 Philomena’s, Carshalton

5. 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

6. 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!

7. 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)

8. 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

9. Changing roles….
• Southampton 2002 – 2006
– Chair in educational innovation in
post-compulsory education
• OU 2006 - 2011
– Professor of e-learning
• Leicester 2011 - 2014
– Professor of Learning Innovation
• Bath Spa University Feb 2015 -
2016
– Chair in Education
• A new direction…
– Visiting Professor Dublin City
University
– Independent Consultant

10. 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
help choosing a university

11. 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, OU,
Leicester and Bath Spa
• JISC & EU funded projects
• Increasing involvement in national
and international activities
• Move to consultancy

12. Focus of research
• Enhancing the learner
experience
• Effective & innovative
use of technologies
• New approaches to
design
• Open practices in
learning, teaching and
research

13. Four phases
• Multimedia
• The Internet
• Learning Design
• Social and Participatory
Media

14. Find your niche…
Conceptualise
Vision
CommunicateCreate ConsiderCollaborate
Activities
Combine
Synthesis
Consolidate
Implementation
http://e4innovation.com/?p=831

15. Building international capacity
• Build your professional
network
• Work social media
– Blogs, Twitter, facebook,
LinkedIn
• Put research online
– Slideshare, webinars,
dropbox
• Participate in events
• Link research and teaching
• Support students and
early career researchers

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

17. Push against closed publications
• Learning design
– Springer book
– Live blogging
– ‘Near final’ pdf on dropbox
• For the craic…
– New book proposal sent
– Live blogging
– Some open access chapters
– Call out boxes by international
researchers

18. Twitter

19. facebook

20. A flair up on facebook

21. 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

22. Publishing
• Write books and chapters
• Become a reviewer or an
editor of a special issue of a
journal
• Keep publication list up to
date!
• 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 and read and
comment on other blogs
• See Twitter, blogs, journals,
books as complementary

23. Networking
• Build international
links
• Join professional
bodies
• Become a reviewer
• Do a special issue
• Sit on committees
• Do a study visit

24. Reflections
• Difficulty of balancing home
and work
– Clash of having children against
career opportunities
• Significance of turning points
– Planned and serendipitous
• Importance of support
– Partner, family, friends and
childcare support
• Politics of e-learning!

25. Importance of a work/life balance!

26. Email: g.conole@gmail.com
Website: e4innovation.co.uk
Blog: e4innovation.com
Twitter: @gconole