Experience

DIRECTOR, Learning Technology Unit, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand. 2004 - Present

Current duties and responsibilities include:

eLearning and Faculty development

• Expand, integrate, and lead comprehensive initiatives and services for faculty development in the effective use of technologies for teaching including technology workshops, technology seminars and one-on-one support for staff
• Design and deliver ongoing professional development opportunities. Developments include: ‘Elearning in Clinical Educational’, a course developed for the Masters in Clinical Education; ‘Teaching with Web 2.0 Tools’. a workshop series to teach educators how to use Web 2.0 tools in their teaching; a suite of online professional development modules and an ePortfolio for the Faculty; and a seminar series addressing opportunities for teaching with technologies
• Organize and facilitate seminars, talks, and showcases within the faculty and across the university. Events include the Annual Teaching and Learning Showcase, special seminar on “Engaging in Teaching and Learning”, and the “Perspectives on eLearning in the Medical and Health Sciences” Showcase
• Advise and work with senior academic staff within Pharmacy, Nursing and School of Population Health eLearning on developing academic programs for flexible / distance delivery. Examples at a postgraduate level program level include Health Informatics, Community and Emergency Medicine, Sports Medicine and Pharmacy
• Work with Faculty to develop pedagogically sound distance learning content, learning objects and multimedia components. Developments include” ‘Child and Adolescent Mental Health: An Overview’, published by Pearson Educational
• In charge of ongoing evaluation and assessment of faculty courses and student learning that use flexible and distance learning approaches

Research

• Conduct research into best practices in eLearning in health professional education. Research areas include continuing professional development, scholarship of teaching and learning, and distance education
  
• Collaborate on funding proposals and provide support for funded research projects. Funded projects include: named investigator on Health Research Council funded project to deliver a mobile phone based depression prevention program to adolescents; named contributor on Faculty Research Development Fund project to deliver a mobile phone depression prevention program; and named contributor on a government funded project to deliver a game based depression prevention program
  
• Maintain close linkages with national and international eLearning developments at higher education level. Current partnerships/collaborations include Athabasca University (Canada), Acadia University (Canada), Kwantlen University (Canada) and Université de Liège (Belgium)
  
• Supervise postgraduate research students. Adviser to one PhD student who has successfully completed and one PhD student who has recently commenced PhD study

Strategic planning

• Envision, establish and maintain strategic direction for eLearning within a Faculty of 3000 equivalent full time students and over 630 full time equivalent staff in consultation with the Dean, Associate Dean Education and Heads of the Schools
  
• Develop strategic and operational relationships with Faculty and University centers that have elearning responsibilities
  
• Supervise and manage four staff on design, development, and implementation of flexible and distance learning content, learning objects, and multimedia components including developments at a postgraduate and undergraduate level in Nursing, Pharmacy, Medicine and the School of Population Health
  
• Raise the profile of the the Learning Technology Unit within the Faculty through seizing opportunities to engage with strategically significant Faculty projects
  
• Negotiate and evangelize at Faulty level the need to advance an eLearning strategic vision and grow the Learning Technology Unit
  
• Contribute to curriculum development through membership of curriculum boards, boards of study and examination boards

Project management

• Establish eLearning project round and associated project management and budgetary processes
  Manage the development of a set of online professional development resources and an ePortfolio for faculty development
• Lead a project to provide online continuing professional development resources and an ePortfolio for teaching staff within the Faculty
  
• Lead and manage a project from the Equal Opportunity Development Funding award for the development of an equal opportunity teaching module to provide online modules to support faculty members with their teaching
  
• Develop and coordinate web based pre-planning templates and appropriate planning tools for knowledge sharing within the faculty
  
• Lead a project to provide training in teaching video-conferencing for faculty and staff members

Relationship building

• Lead and work with Learning Technology Unit staff to develop a productive and professional technology unit with a strong reputation for exemplary service throughout the Faculty
  
• Establish strong and productive working relationships with the Heads of the five schools in the Faculty
  Chair, set agenda and consolidate relationships across the faculty with the Elearning Reference Group to inform strategic direction of eLearning within the Faculty
  
• Develop relationships with individual teaching staff through hands on project work and research collaborations
  Advocate the advancement of eLearning by serving on various faculty and University committees: Teaching and Learning Technology, Information Technology, Education, Clinical Education Board of Studies, and Postgraduate Board of Studies
  
• Engage with external stakeholders to provide support for the use of technology enhanced teaching. Service roles include providing advice to District Health Boards on teaching spaces and teaching with technologies, providing advice on content development to Health Navigator New Zealand and Executive membership of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education

LEARNING TECHNOLOGIST, Werry Centre and Learning Technology Unit, University of Auckland, New Zealand. 2004

• Designed and developed CD-ROM based multimedia educational resource for child and adolescent mental health workers published by Pearson Educational
  
• Conducted needs assessment and client interviews in identifying learning needs, design guidelines, and technical requirements
  
• Collaborated with subject matter experts (SMEs) on content selection and creation for online resource development
  
• Developed storyboards, prototypes, and documentation for the CD and related projects
  
• Advised, researched, and authorized the purchase of a content management system (NZ Developed) for the Werry Centre
  
• Built and maintained a relationship with the Faculty’s Learning Technology Unit through cooperative working activities

INTERNET ANALYST, Manukau City Council, Manukau City, New Zealand. 2003 - 2004

• Redesigned, developed and managed the website for the Manukau City Council
  
• Advised, researched, and authorized the purchase of a content management system for the Council
  
• Devised and implemented maintenance plan and ongoing feedback reports for the Council website
  
• Was responsible for Council identity, website content and search engine optimization
  
• Worked with the PeopleSoft development team to develop an information management strategy for the Council
  
• Worked with Manukau Water to design, develop, build test and release a new website based on the organization's new corporate identity

HEAD OF COMPUTING AND MULTIMEDIA, TAFE College (NZ) Ltd., New Zealand. 2000 - 20002

• Taught third and fourth level New Zealand Qualification Authority (NZQA) computing and multimedia courses with classes of 15-20 students. Course content included Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, Photoshop, Premiere, InDesign and Microsoft Office suite
  
• Authored and maintained training materials for Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, Photoshop, Premiere, InDesign and Microsoft Office suite
  
• Managed assessment processes including internal moderation and reporting to NZQA
  
• Managed staff of 5 tutors responsible for teaching New Zealand Qualification Authority (NZQA) level 3 and level 4 courses in computing and multimedia