Prf Karen Kear
Professor Of Online Education
School of Computing & Communications
Biography
Professional biography
Karen Kear is Professor of Online Education in the School of Computing and Communications, within the STEM Faculty at The Open University (UK).
Karen develops and presents courses in IT and Computing, specialising in the social and communication aspects of these subjects.
Karen's main research area is online learning, in particular on online collaboration, and the benefits and issues related to this educational approach.
Research interests
Karen's research is primarily in online learning, with a particular focus on online communication and collaboration She has researched the use of social technologies such as forums, wikis and web conferencing in educational contexts. A key focus for Karen's research is group projects which students carry out online using communication technologies. She is the author of 'Online and Social Networking Communities: a best practice guide for educators'.
Karen's research projects have included:
- The Open Networking Lab, which developed and evaluated an online approach to the learning of computer networking
- Changing the Pedagogical Landscape, which looked at European policy to support new learning approaches in Higher Education
- E-xcellence Next, which considered quality assessment and enhancement in e-learning.
Publications
Karen's book Online and social networking communities: a best practice guide for educators was published by Routledge in 2010. She was one of three co-editors of Online communication and collaboration: a reader, also published by Routledge in 2010.
Karen's publications are listed in the Open University's Open Research Online (ORO) repository.
Projects
Open Networking Lab accessibility
The job market is challenging for those with restricted vision or dyslexia. However, there are opportunities for skilled network engineers because the professional tools used are text-based and accessible with assistive technology; what is lacking is accessible teaching/training resources. Training in computer networking can be carried out using a graphical network simulator such as ‘PT-Anywhere’, used in the Ufi-funded Open Networking Lab project. However, graphical user interfaces are not easily accessible to those with restricted sight or dyslexia. We will create a user interface for PT-Anywhere that is accessible with keyboard and screen-readers, enabling these individuals to learn computer networking.
Publications
Book
Quality Assessment for E-learning: a Benchmarking Approach (Third edition) (2016)
Quality Assessment for E-learning: a Benchmarking Approach (2nd ed.) (2012)
Online and Social Networking Communities: A Best Practice Guide for Educators (2010)
Book Chapter
Quality Frameworks for MOOCs (2017)
Social negotiations in web usability engineering (2013)
Case study: sharing images, creating communities (2010)
Collaboration via online discussion forums: issues and approaches (2010)
Communities of practice – real and virtual (2010)
Evaluating collaborative technologies: a simple method (2010)
Online participation: Shaping the networks of professional women (2009)
Digital Artefact
Using OpenStudio in STEM learning - final report to eSTEeM, the OU centre for STEM pedagogy (2018)
Journal Article
Web Conferencing: The Technical and Social Challenges (2024)
Students’ experiences of anxiety in an assessed, online, collaborative project (2020)
Creating and collaborating: students’ and tutors’ perceptions of an online group project (2018)
A virtual tutor for children with autism (2017)
Social technologies for online learning: theoretical and contextual issues (2016)
The usage of best practices and procedures in the database community (2015)
Using wikis for online group projects: student and tutor perspectives (2014)
Social presence in online learning communities: the role of personal profiles (2014)
Web conferencing for synchronous online tutorials: perspectives of tutors using a new medium (2012)
From forums to wikis: perspectives on tools for collaboration (2010)
Patterns of online networking for women’s career development (2009)
‘Sorting the wheat from the chaff’: investigating overload in educational discussion systems (2007)
Peer learning using asynchronous discussion systems in distance education (2004)
An overview of ICT-based assessment for engineering education (2004)
Using information and communication technology in a modular distance learning course (2004)
Other
Presentation / Conference
Enhancing Student Learning in OpenSTEM Labs Through Live Support: The Lab Assist Project (2024)
Real-time support in online STEM laboratories: Fostering engagement and inclusivity (2024)
Active Participation in Synchronous Online Learning (2023)
Using a Virtual Computing Lab to Teach Programming at a Distance (2023)
Active participation in synchronous online tutorials (2022)
The role of active participation in online synchronous learning (2022)
Investigating Remote Pair Programming In Part-Time Distance Education (2021)
Remote Pair Programming (2021)
An Open Networking Lab for practical open education (2019)
Open Networking Lab: online practical learning of computer networking (2018)
The Open Networking Lab: Hands-on Vocational Learning in Computer Networking (2018)
E-xcellence methodology: lessons learned over ten years of development and implementation (2017)
Agile practices taught online at a distance (2016)
Assessing online collaborative work (2016)
Evaluating assessment strategies for online group work (2016)
Excellence in e-learning: a quality enhancement approach (2014)
Learning and peer feedback in shared online spaces (2014)
Next steps for excellence in the quality of e-learning (2012)
Social networking for online learning (2011)
Social presence in online learning communities (2010)
Using wikis for collaborative learning of technology (2009)
Exploring Web 2.0 to support online learning communities: where technology meets pedagogy (2009)
The use of synchronous online tutorials to provide numeracy support for technology students (2009)
Design of learning spaces in 3D virtual environments (2008)
Communication aspects of virtual learning environments: perspectives of early adopters (2007)
E-learning for Networked Living (2006)
Networked Living: a new approach to teaching introductory ICT (2006)
Overcoming overload in educational discussion systems (2005)
What do learners want from computer mediated communication systems? (2003)
Using asynchronous discussion tools in engineering education (2002)
'Hope this helps': peer learning via CMC [poster presentation] (2001)
Report
Lab-Assist: Enhancing STEM education through online laboratories with real-time support (2024)
Active participation in synchronous online learning (2022)
Changing pedagogies: The Open Networking Lab (2019)
Excellence in e-learning: the key challenges for universities (2018)
Thesis
Investigating design features of a computer-mediated communication system (2007)
