Stephen Powell

Extended profile

About

Stephen Powell Biography

Professional Autobiography - who am I?

For the past 6 years I have worked for Ultralab , an Information Communication Technology (ICT) research outfit based at Anglia Polytechnic University (APU) in Chelmsford, Essex. In this role, I have worked on a number of online projects that utilise the web and online communities to research learning and technology.

Currently, I am project leader for the Ultraversity project; an online, workplace, research degree for Undergraduate students. This project currently has over 300 full-time students and is supported by a staff of 15 academics, 3 technical support staff/software developers, and two finance and student liaison officers.

I have spent the best part of 2004 on secondment to Ultralab South
where I have contributed to the team setting up the organisation and worked on many projects including the Wananga Maori Tertiary institution development and validation of an undergraduate mixed mode delivery online degree. This should have its first cohort underway in May 2005.

I completed my Masters in Education in 2004 and have just stated my PhD studies with Bob Fryer at Southampton University. This will be an enquiry into the nature of online communities and the process of dissertating utilising new technologies such as Blogs.

Prior to Ultralab, I taught in state secondary schools for 6 years as a Geography specialist, Humanities generalist, ICT enthusiast, and Special Educational Needs Coordinator and for 5 of these years was at Brooke Weston City Technology College.

I started my professional working life as Geologist working briefly in the oil exploration industry and then for three years as a geotechnical engineer for a Allott and Lomax consulting engineers.