Access to mathematics online and in education more generally
The work currently internal to the OU working with Tim Lowe in Maths, Jonathan Fine in LTS and Mary Taylor in AEM. I be leading a bid for external funding of this work in the near future.
Recent publication:
Cooper, M., Lowe, T., Taylor, M., Access to mathematics in web resources for people with a visual impairment: considerations and developments in an open and distance learning context, Proc. International Conference on Computers Helping People, Linz, Austria, 2008 [In press]
Remote Controlled Teaching Labs
This was the subject of the PEARL project (http://iet.open.ac.uk/pearl/) that run from 2000-2003; a key finding of this project was that simpler low cost approaches were more likely to gain acceptance in education than the ambitious high tech facilities that were developed in the project. So with a small amount of pump priming internal funding I have been investigating the use of Lego Mindstorm Robotics to enable a low cost approach. The intention in the coming year is to apply for funding, possible from EPSRC, to fund a RF to continue this work.
Recent publication:
Cooper, M., Low-cost Remote Controlled Experiments – Cost and Market Issues, Proc. REV 2008, Düsseldorf, Germany [In press]
PEARL project publications:
Cooper M., Remote laboratories in teaching and learning – issues impinging on widespread adoption in science and engineering education, International Journal of Online Engineering Vol. 1, No. 1, 2005
Scanlon E., Morris, E., Di Paolo, T, Cooper, M., Contemporary approaches to learning science: technology mediated practical work, Studies in Science Education, Vol. 38. Pp73-114, 2002
Colwell, C., Scanlon, E., and Cooper, M. Using remote laboratories to extend access to science and engineering. Computers and Education, 38, 65-76. 2002
Scanlon, E., Colwell, C., Cooper, M., Di Paolo, T. (2004) Remote experiments, reversioning and rethinking science learning. Computers and Education. 43, 153-163