Meet the people who make up STEM Faculty.
I am a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Sciences in the School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences (EEES) at the Open University—my research interests centre on environmental science education, particularly technology-enhanced learning, inclusive fieldwork learning and eco-anxiety.
I teach across the Environmental Sciences curriculum and am chair of the level 3 module S397 Terrestrial Ecosystems
I am a Fieldcast team member, awarded an Advance HE Collaborative Award in Teaching Excellence in 2024 for creating an authentic, inclusive and engaging method for teaching environmental science fieldwork and making practical field experiments accessible to students remotely, at scale.
I am researching ecoanxiety and learning: Ecoanxiety and environmental education: stories, conversations, actions | School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences (open.ac.uk)
I am co-developing and researching practical science education resources for improving participation in STEM subjects, particularly among girls, with Open STEM Africa.
I have been involved as a researcher on various technology-enhanced and virtual reality learning projects, particularly involving accessibility, including the Enabling Remote Activity project which won an OU teaching award and a Handheld Learning Award. I have worked on the Out There In Here project (Social inclusion through synchronous distributed team collaboration) and the fieldwork strand of the OU’s Open STEM Laboratory project and on networked resources for STEM learning, particularly on new blends of physical and digital resources in the ‘Hybrid/Digital/Material/Networked learning project.
My teaching in the Environmental Sciences focuses especially on plants, soils and ecosystems. I have taught and developed teaching materials as a member of several module teams at the Open University and have taught Environmental Management and Environmental Law at Masters Level at De Montfort University.
I have also developed teaching materials around water, sanitation, hygiene and environmental health for the HEAT and OpenWASH projects working with academics and practitioners in Ethiopia.
