Tim Goddard

Background; After completing my BSc(Hons) Internet Communications and Networks degree at the University of Bolton I went on to gain a wide range of industrial experience in computing and computer networking, with a particular emphasis on facilitating the use of ICT in educational settings. I returned to the University in December 2010 to take up a PhD studentship with the Institute for Educational Cybernetics, investigating the lack of uptake of the IMS Learning Design specification amongst teachers. It was one element of this research, based in a school at which I had previously worked, that provided some key insights and shifted my research focus away from technological concerns and towards the impact of technology on the people who use it. In the process, I gained a keen interest in Realistic Evaluation (Pawson and Tilley), Multi-Methodology (especially the work of John Mingers) and Action Research Teaching.

During the studentship, I obtained my Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (PGCTLHE) and, towards the end of my PhD funding in 2013, began teaching at the university on a casual basis. I subsequently became a permanent member of staff in January 2015 and continue to teach in the School of Creative Technologies. Along with final year project supervision and personal tutoring, my teaching activities currently focus on computer networking, including wireless networking, along with computer programming using the Arduino. The application of small, low-cost devices such as the Arduino and Raspberry Pi is a significant source of interest and especially when combined with low power networking technologies such as Sigfox and LoRaWAN.