Understanding new forms of knowledge
School, college and university curricula were developed for the industrial age of the twentieth century. Now we need to understand what the children and adults of the twenty-first century need to know, as well as how they can learn in new and more effective ways. Many assumptions about how people communicate and learn in their social and working lives are no longer adequate. We are examining the kinds of knowledge that are emerging in the knowledge economy, as well as developing approaches to make this knowledge more accessible to more people.

projects in this area

Turning information into knowledge
New digital technologies and media are giving rise to increasing volumes and varieties of information, presenting new opportunities for learning and knowledge. However, this information may be complex, incomplete, inconsistent or irrelevant. We seek to make this information more useful for people in their social and working lives by developing new techniques for managing, integrating and personalising it. We are designing, building and critically evaluating tools that help people to understand the mass of information that surrounds them, and to generate knowledge from this information.

projects in this area

Exploring the changing cultures of new media
Digital media pervade popular culture. We are exploring the differences and continuities between these 'new' media (the internet, computer games and mobile phones) and 'older' media (books, film and television). We are analysing how children and adults use these media in different contexts as consumers and producers and how they learn in and from these new environments. We are exploring the new cultural and textual forms that are emerging and the implications of these developments for formal and informal learning.

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Creating empowering technologies for formal and informal learning
The pedagogies designed for pencil, paper and chalk still dominate formal education. We take a critical view of accepted educational theory and practice and seek to illuminate fundamental issues of equity, participation, learner autonomy, and the structuring of schools, colleges and universities as well as informal and workplace learning. We are building systems to use the internet for distance learning and problem solving and designing media-enhanced approaches to learning, including innovative uses of ambient and mobile technologies.

projects in this area