The Project Team
University of Oxford:
David White: Principal Investigator/Project Manager (Co-Manager, Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning)
David has over 10 years experience in the hybrid area between online educational media and academia. He was the principle investigator for the JISC-funded SPIRE project, and has recently been studying 'guild' culture in the massively multi-player game 'World of Warcraft'. He intends to draw on the findings of this research to inform the Habitat project and to use his proven project management experience to lead the project.
Contact: david.white at conted.ox.ac.uk
David Balch: Web 2.0/MUVE Developer (Senior Web Developer, Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning)
David has over eight years’ professional experience in web development and has a successful track record as a software developer developing tools for the JISC-funded WCKER and Phoebe Pedagogic Planner projects. David will oversee the 2D online developments (project website, Web 2.0, MUVE support etc.). He will also act as the day-to-day manager of MUVE-related software developments.
Marion Manton: Learning technologist/Online Pedagogy Expert (Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning)
Marion has over nine years’ experience as a learning technologist, acting as a bridge between pedagogy and technology. She has led several research projects including the JISC-funded Phoebe Pedagogic Planner and Isthmus projects. Marion will assess and model Habitat’s pedagogical activities.
Marianne Talbot: Philosopher and Online tutor.
Marianne Talbot has 22 year’s experience of teaching philosophy at Oxford University and is currently the part-time Director of Studies in Philosophy at the Department for Continuing Education. Marianne will be run the MUVE-based philosophy seminars and consult on the philosophy aspects of the art and design competition.
Leeds Metropolitan University:
Ian Truelove and Graham Hibbert: Art and Design Specialists and Second Life developers (Senior Lecturers, Undergraduate Art and Design Programme)
Ian Truelove and Graham Hibbert will draw on their experience of writing and delivering project briefs as part of their usual academic role to manage and support Area 1 of the Habitat project (art & design competitions). Ian and Graham will launch, manage and assess the art and design pilots, providing inductions and support as necessary. Building on the success of their developments on the LeedsMet, LeedsMet FAS and Emerge sims, Ian and Graham will develop the learning space to facilitate the competition, creating and adapting the MUVE environment and its integration with web technologies in response to user engagement.
Kings College London:
Dr Steven Warburton: Evaluator Lead and Workshop Coordinator (ICT and e-Learning Manager, Associate Learning and Teaching Coordinator, School of Law)
Steven is involved in developing, evaluating and monitoring the deployment of a range of tools that support elearning. Steven has considerable experience of using qualitative (case study, survey, interview, focus group) and quantitative data handling and analysis techniques and will lead the evaluation activities of the Habitat project.
Margarita Pérez-García: Evaluation Specialist
Margarita Pérez-García is a researcher in education science. She is currently coordinating several European projects on digital identity and reputation, online job search user behaviour, social directories, social sectoral libraries, social technologies in education and ePortfolios. Margarita will coordinate the Habitat project’s evaluation activities.
Mark Alexander MUVE developer
Mark, currently studying Law at KCL, has previously worked as a Software Engineer, for IBM and has completed two major projects in Second Life. Mark with contribute to project’s MUVE development activities.
Essex University:
Dr Michael Gardner: Darkstar consultant (Deputy Director of Chimera and Director of the Digital Lifestyles Centre)
Michael is currently working with Sun Microsystems on developing a mixed reality lecture room based on the Darkstar platform. He will provide this platform for the project and contribute to the evaluation activities.
Consultant:
Dave Cormier: OpenSim expert/Evaluator
Dave has spent the last few years immersed in the various ways of blending community values and educational models online. He is the manager/contributor to several online communities of educators and has presented on topics as various as rhizomatic educational models and the technical specifications of a distributed virtual research environment. His current focus is on using MUVEs to support meaningful user experiences in collaboration with a cocktail of other Web 2.0 tools. Dave will lead on OpenSim development for the project.
