Studentship Vacancies

Intelligent support for exploratory learning from web content

The aim of this studentship is to design, develop and test an approach to supporting exploratory learning from web content. Building on current research, you would need to devise an approach that gives the student enough freedom and choice over their learning whilst still providing sufficient guidance to ensure a successful outcome. This will draw on our current projects such as the EPSRC funded SILVER project that is researching how new technology can enable school students to learn by carrying out investigations using an archive of images (see: http://www.silvereducation.co.uk/). Our current work on this project is investigating how students can learn about sustainability by analysing images of buildings from different times and locations, building visualisations of their findings and comparing their work on a group or class level. Our other related projects would provide you with opportunities to carry out this research in either a school or Higher Education context. Related projects and publications can be found at http://people.kmi.open.ac.uk/paulm.

Applicants should have a first or upper second class honours degree or masters degree in computer science, information systems or related discipline. The successful applicant should have the following skills:

• Strong interest in understanding how technology can support learning.
• Good technical skills in web and/or Artificial Intelligence programming
• Knowledge of human computer interaction and interface design
• Ability to work with others and teach and learn new skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to prioritise own work and meet deadlines
• Skills and experience in the design and running of user studies would be an advantage.
• A plus: Research experience in multimedia information retrieval

Bibliography

The following papers describe some of our previous and current research related to exploratory learning from digital content.

Mulholland, P., Zdrahal, Z., Abrahamcik, J. and Wolff, A. (to appear). Intelligent support for inquiry learning from images: a learning scenario and tool. Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2009), Brighton, UK.

Mulholland, P., Zdrahal, Z. and Collins T. (2008). Investigating the effects of exploratory semantic search on the use of a museum archive. IEEE 2008 International Conference on Distributed Human-Machine Systems, Athens, Greece.

Zdrahal, Z., Mulholland, P. and Collins T. (2008). Exploring pathways across stories. IEEE 2008 International Conference on Distributed Human-Machine Systems, Athens, Greece.

Wolff, A., Mulholland, P., Zdrahal , Z. and Joiner, R. (2007). Re-using digital narrative content in interactive games. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 65 (3), 244-272.

Mulholland, P., Collins, T. and Zdrahal, Z. (2005). Bletchley Park Text: Using mobile and semantic web technologies to support the post-visit use of online museum resources. Journal of Interactive Media in Education (Portable Learning: Experiences with Mobile Devices. Special Issue, eds. A. Jones, A. Kukulska-Hulme and D. Mwanza), http://jime.open.ac.uk/2005/24

For further information on this PhD project please contact:

Dr Paul Mulholland
Research Fellow

+44 (0)1908 654506

Additional Information:

The Knowledge Media Institute (http://kmi.open.ac.uk) is home to internationally recognised researchers in semantic web, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, human-computer interaction, information retrieval and multimedia processing. KMi offers students an intellectually challenging environment with exceptional research and computer facilities. You will be joining a dynamic PhD programme with about 15 other students in KMi, plus peers in the Computing department and Institute of Educational Technology who together make up the OU's Centre for Research in Computing (http://crc.open.ac.uk/).

KMi sees PhD students as critical to its mission, and awards Studentships (£12,978/year tax free for 2008/09), with no additional fees, compulsory examinations or teaching required. Participation is required in CRC PhD events and thesis milestones, as specified in the KMI Research Degrees policy (http://kmi.open.ac.uk/studentships/policy.php). Additional training courses to develop your generic research skills are run across the OU, attendance at which is agreed with your supervisor.

The Open University (http://www.open.ac.uk) is UK's only distance learning university with a dedicated mission for excellence in teaching and research. PhD programmes are residential, however, and the student would carry out their research at the KMi in the Open University's central Milton Keynes campus.

Milton Keynes (http://www.mkweb.co.uk/), located in the triangle Cambridge, Oxford and London, is an exciting and vibrant place to be. It is one of the fastest growing cities in the country with fantastic shopping facilities, Xscape Snow slope, new skydiving centre and much more. Milton Keynes is also home to some major employers with Abbey National, Argos and The Open University having headquarters in the city. With more businesses continuing to locate here, unemployment levels are among the lowest in the country. Milton Keynes has excellent transport links with the M1 motorway and A5 running alongside the city and a fast train link into London Euston (35 minutes).

Applications

This studentship is available for immediate start. Applications should comprise an application form, C.V. and a proposal outlining how you would tackle this project. They should be submitted to:

Research School
The Open University
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA
UK