Dr Haider Ali

Professional biography

Following a B.Sc. from the LSE, Haider worked in publishing before freelancing as a small business trainer, during this time he also completed his M.Phil at the Cranfield School of Management and a Ph.D. at Imperial College. Both pieces of research focused on start-up businesses. Haider then taught on the M.Sc. programmes at Cranfield before moving to the Open University in 1999.

Research interests

Since 2002 Haider's research has focused on behaviour modification programmes. He has carried out a series of evaluation projects related to smoking, diet and mental health. Recent work has focused on social marketing programmes for cardiac patients and members of their social networks. His work on social support draws on the literature in health, management and entrepreneurship. Amongst other journals his work has been published in the Journal of Marketing Management and Social Marketing Quarterly. He contributes to OpenLearn. He has successfully bid for funding from organisations such as the British Heart Foundation, QUIT (a national smoking cessation charity) and has also contributed to a research project funded by Communities and Local Government. 

Teaching interests

Haider is currently a co-lead for the university's AI and Assessment team. 

He has authored a microcredential on marketing:

https://www.open.ac.uk/courses/modules/bzvm301

and this short course titled, 'Start your own business'.

https://www.open.ac.uk/courses/short-courses/yg018

Since 1999 Haider has authored several courses for the Open University's undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Between 2020 and 2021, Haider oversaw the production of six undergraduate microcredentials. 

Impact and engagement

Haider's innovative work in the area of online teaching is reported on the Open University's SciLab blog. The following article deals with the design and delivery of an 18 hour synchronous online school.

https://www5.open.ac.uk/scholarship-and-innovation/scilab/blog/i-want-my-weekend-back

This blog post deals with the use of quizzes as a means of teaching rather than assessment:

https://www5.open.ac.uk/scholarship-and-innovation/scilab/blog/experience-theory-part-one

External collaborations

Since 2013 Haider has been a guest lecturer at the London School of Economics for the Dept. of Management and the Dept. of Health Policy. He was previously Chair of the Research Advisory Group at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Currently, he is advisor and author of Young Enterprise's guidance to school staff and pupils on the use of AI.

International links

Haider is an Academic Reviewer for the Arab Open University. Haider has undertaken consulting, training and teaching work in a range of countries including, India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Indonesia. He has undertaken work for Open University Validation Services in the UK, Greece and various countries in the middle east. He has been a guest lecturer at the University of Hong Kong since 1996 and the Singapore Institute of Management since 1997.