I was a research fellow working on the university's SocialLearn project, developing a social media platform that is tuned for learning. You can visit my blog on analytics for teaching and learning http://diving-4-pearls.blogspot.com/

The SocialLearn team is working to align current thinking on good pedagogy with the use of Web 2.0 technologies. We aim to support and encourage users to clarify their intention, ground their learning and engage in focused conversations.

My other...

Keys: online learning, social media, social learning, asynchronous dialogue, asynchronous communication, blogging, virtual worlds, Second Life, virtual heritage, learning analytics, teaching analytics

Simsek, D., Sandor, A., Buckingham Shum, S., Ferguson, R., De Liddo, A. and Whitelock, D. (2015) Correlations between automated rhetorical analysis and tutors' grades on student essays, 5th International Learning Analytics & Knowledge Conference (LAK15): Scaling Up: Big Data to Big Impact, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA

Bektik, D., (2014) Visual Analytics of Academic Writing, Demo at The 4th International Learning Analytics and Knowledge, Indianapolis, IN, USA, pp. 265-266, ACM New York, NY, USA ©2014

Ferguson, R., De Liddo, A., Whitelock, D., Laat, M. and Buckingham Shum, S. (2014) DCLA14: second international workshop on discourse-centric learning analytics, Learning Analytics and Knowledge, Indianapolis, IN, USA LAK '14, eds. Matthew D. Pistilli, James Willis, Drew Koch, Kimberly E. Arnold, Stephanie D. Teasley, Abelardo Pardo (Eds.), pp. 283-284, ACM

Bektik, D., (2013) XIP Dashboard: Visual Analytics from Automated Rhetorical Parsing of Scientific Metadiscourse, Workshop: 1st International Workshop on Discourse-Centric Learning Analytics at Learning Analytics and Knowledge (LAK '13), Leuven, Belgium

Taibi, D., (2013) Visualizing the LAK/EDM Literature Using Combined Concept and Rhetorical Sentence Extraction, Demo at Learning Analytics and Knowledge (LAK '13), Leuven, Belgium

Liu, H., Macintyre, R. and Ferguson, R. (2012) Exploring Qualitative Analytics for E-Mentoring Relationships Building in an Online Social Learning Environment, The Second International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge (LAK12), Vancouver, Canada, ACM

Ferguson, R. and Buckingham Shum, S. (2012) Social Learning Analytics: Five Approaches, Proc. 2nd International Conference on Learning Analytics & Knowledge, 29 Apr-2 May, Vancouver, BC

Buckingham Shum, S. and Ferguson, R. (2012) Social Learning Analytics, Journal of Educational Technology and Society, 15, 3, ACM Press: New York

Little, S., Ferguson, R. and Rüger, S. (2012) Finding and reusing learning materials with multimedia similarity search and social networks Finding and reusing learning materials with multimedia similarity search and social networks, 21, pp. 255-271

Little, S., Ferguson, R. and Rueger, S. (2011) Navigating and Discovering Educational Materials through Visual Similarity Search, EdMedia - World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications, Lisbon, Portugal

Mwanza-Simwami, D., Kukulska-Hulme, A., Clough, G., Whitelock, D., Ferguson, R. and Sharples, M. (2011) Alpine Rendez-Vous STELLAR White Paper: Methods and Models of Next Generation Technology Enhanced Learning, Workshop: Methods and models of next generation technology enhanced learning at Alpine Rendezvous 2011, La Clusaz, France

Ferguson, R. and Buckingham Shum, S. (2011) Learning Analytics To Identify Exploratory Dialogue within Synchronous Text Chat, Learning Analytics and Knowledge 2011, Banff, Canada

Ferguson, R. (2011) Use of questions to facilitate social learning in a Web 2.0 environment, Revista de Universidad y Sociedad del Conocimiento, 8, 1

Ullmann, T., Ferguson, R., Buckingham Shum, S. and Crick, R. (2011) Designing an Online Mentoring System for Self-Awareness and Reflection on Lifelong Learning Skills, Workshop: 1st Workshop on Awareness and Reflection in Personal Learning Environments at The PLE Conference, Southampon, United Kingdom

Ullmann, T., Ferguson, R., Buckingham Shum, S. and Deakin-Crick, R. (2011) Designing an Online Mentoring System for Self-Awareness and Reflection on Lifelong Learning Skills, Workshop: 1st Workshop on Awareness and Reflection in Personal Learning Environments at The PLE Conference, Southampon, United Kingdom

Ferguson, R. (2010) Peer Interaction: the experience of distance students at university level, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 26, pp. 574-584

Buckingham Shum, S. and Ferguson, R. (2010) Towards a social learning space for open educational resources, OpenED2010: Seventh Annual Open Education Conference, Barcelona, Spain

Sheehy, K., Ferguson, R. and Clough, G. (2010) Virtual Worlds: Controversies at the Frontier of Education, Nova Science Publishers, New York

Ferguson, R., Harrison, R. and Weinbren, D. (2010) Heritage and the recent and contemporary past, in eds. Tim Benton, Understanding Heritage and Memory, pp. 277-317, Manchester University Press, Manchester

Ferguson, R. and Clough, K. (2010) Challenging education in virtual worlds, in eds. Kieron Sheehy Rebecca Ferguson Gill Clough, Virtual Worlds: Controversies at the Frontier of Education, Nova Science Publishers, New York

Ferguson, R. and Sheehy, K. (2010) Breaking down the barriers between teachers and learners, in eds. Kieron Sheehy Rebecca Ferguson Gill Clough, Virtual Worlds: Controversies at the Frontier of Education., Nova Science Publishers, New York

Clough, G. and Ferguson, R. (2010) Virtual worlds are authentic sites for learning, in eds. Kieron Sheehy Rebecca Ferguson Gill Clough, Virtual Worlds: Controversies at the Frontier of Education, Nova Science Publishers, New York

Ferguson, R., Whitelock, D. and Littleton, K. (2010) Improvable objects and attached dialogue: new literacy practices employed by learners to build knowledge together in asynchronous settings, Digital Culture and Education, 2, 1, pp. 116-136

Ferguson, R., Clough, G. and Hosein, A. (2010) Shifting themes, shifting roles: The development of research blogs, Proceedings of the 17th Association for Learning Technology Conference (ALT-C 2010) 'Into Something Rich and Strange', Nottingham

Sheehy, K., Ferguson, R. and Clough, G. (eds.) (2010) Virtual Worlds: Controversies at the Frontier of Education, New York: Nova Science.

Ferguson, R. (2010) A World of Possibilities, Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds, 2, 2, pp. 194-198

Gillen, J., Ferguson, R. and Peachey, A. (2009) Regattas in Schome Park: fostering a community of learners in a virtual world project with teenagers, EARLI: 13th Biennial Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Gillen, J., Twining, P., Ferguson, R., Butters, O., Clough, G., Gaved, M., Peachey, A. and Seamans, D. (2009) A learning community for teens on a virtual island - The Schome Park Teen Second Life Pilot project, eLearning Papers, 15

Thorpe, M., Godwin, S. and Ferguson, R. (2009) Technologies in Use: How Context and Design Drive their Effects, in eds. U. Bernath A. Szücs A. Tait M. Vidal, Distance and E-learning in Transition, pp. 595-606, ISTE, London

Peachey, A., Gillen, J. and Ferguson, R. (2008) Fluid leadership in a multi-user virtual environment educational project with teenagers: Schome Park, International Society for Cultural and Activity Research, San Diego, USA

Sheehy, K. and Ferguson, R. (2008) Educational inclusion and new technologies Leading Edge Educational Technology, eds. T B Scott, J I Livingstone

Ferguson, R., Clough, G. and Hosein, A. (2007) Postgraduate blogs: beyond the ordinary research journal, 14th Association for Learning Technology Conference (ALT-C 2007) Beyond Control: Learning Technology for the Social Network Generation, Nottingham, UK, eds. S Wheeler, N Whitton

Sheehy, K., Ferguson, R. and Clough, G. (2007) Learning and teaching in the panopticon: ethical and social issues in creating a virtual educational environment, International Journal of Social Sciences, 2, 2, pp. 89-96