research

How can we design learning experiences that enable people and societies to flourish in an age of rapid technological change?

This question has guided my work across interaction design, teacher education, curriculum innovation, digital humanities and generative AI.

Rather than viewing these as separate disciplines, I see them as interconnected ways of understanding how people learn, create and participate in an increasingly digital society.

My research is grounded in a simple belief:

Meaningful educational innovation begins not with technology, but with PEOPLE.

Technology may transform education, but meaningful learning is ultimately shaped by human needs, relationships, creativity and participation. My work, therefore, explores how design can create learning experiences that empower people, rather than simply introducing new technologies into education.

This philosophy underpins my emerging interdisciplinary research programme in Human-Centred Learning Experience Design (HCLXD), which brings together perspectives from Design, Education and Society to develop inclusive, meaningful and future-oriented learning experiences.

Research Programme

Human-Centred Learning Experience Design

Human-Centred Learning Experience Design (HCLXD) represents the central focus of my research.

Drawing upon Human-Centred Design, Learning Sciences, Interaction Design and Educational Research, HCLXD investigates how meaningful learning experiences can be designed around learners' needs, motivations, identities and aspirations.

Rather than asking,

How can technology improve education?

I am interested in a different question:

How can we design educational experiences that help people learn, flourish and contribute meaningfully to society?

This perspective recognises that technology should support educational goals, rather than determine them.

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape education, I believe the future of educational innovation depends upon maintaining a strong human-centred perspective that values empathy, inclusion, creativity and ethical responsibility alongside technological advancement.

Research Programme → Philosophy → Evidence → Impact

Research areas

Digital Education & Technology-Enhanced Learning

My research explores how digital technologies can enrich teaching and learning across schools, universities and lifelong learning.

I am particularly interested in designing technology-enhanced learning environments that support active participation, personalised learning, self-regulated learning and inclusive educational experiences.

Recent work includes curriculum innovation, online and blended learning, learning experience design, teacher professional development and educational uses of generative AI.

Selected topics include:

Learning Experience Design
Blended & Online Learning
Personalised Learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Digital Literacy
Learning Technologies

Teacher Education & Curriculum Innovation

Preparing educators for rapidly changing educational environments has been a central theme throughout my career.

My research investigates how teachers can be supported in designing engaging, inclusive and future-oriented learning experiences through curriculum innovation, digital pedagogy and evidence-informed practice.

Working across undergraduate, postgraduate and professional development programmes, I explore how curriculum design can prepare educators to respond confidently to emerging technologies while maintaining strong pedagogical foundations.

Current interests include:

Teacher Professional Learning
Curriculum Design
Constructive Alignment
Assessment Innovation
Future Competencies
Educational Leadership

AI, Digital Humanities & Inclusive Education

The rapid development of Generative AI presents both opportunities and challenges for education.

My recent research examines how AI can be responsibly integrated into teaching, learning, and curriculum design while promoting human agency, creativity, and ethical decision-making.

Alongside AI, my work in Digital Humanities investigates how digital technologies transform knowledge production, communication and participation within educational and cultural contexts.

A further strand of my research focuses on inclusive education, ensuring that educational technologies remain accessible, equitable and supportive for diverse learners.

Research topics include:

Generative AI in Education
AI Literacy
Digital Humanities
Digital Ethics
Inclusive Assessment
Accessibility & Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Digital Participation, Identity & Learning Communities

My earlier research explored participatory culture, online communities and digital identity through qualitative and digital ethnographic approaches.

These experiences continue to influence my current work by highlighting how learning extends beyond formal educational settings into digital communities where people create knowledge, collaborate and construct identities.

This perspective informs my continuing interest in learner agency, participation and community-centred learning in both online and offline environments.

Research interests include:

Participatory Culture
Digital Communities
Online Identity
Fan Studies
Digital Ethnography
Informal Learning

Research Philosophy

Although my research spans multiple disciplines, it is connected by a single guiding principle:

Education should empower people to realise their own potential.

I believe that excellent educational design is not simply about improving efficiency or adopting new technologies. Rather, it is about creating learning experiences that enable people to think critically, act creatively, participate confidently and flourish throughout their lives.

For me, research is therefore not only about understanding education—it is about designing better educational futures.

Looking Forward

My current work seeks to further develop Human-Centred Learning Experience Design as an interdisciplinary research framework that bridges Design, Education and Society.

Looking ahead, I hope to collaborate with researchers, educators, designers and policymakers to explore how emerging technologies (including Generative AI) can support more inclusive, meaningful and human-centred approaches to learning.

Ultimately, my aspiration is to contribute to educational innovation that not only responds to technological change, but also strengthens human capability, creativity and wellbeing.