Dr Liz Thackray

What is this?

Biography

I spent 20 years working in social and community work and voluntary organisation management before changing direction and retraining in ICT. Since 1999, I have tutored various technology courses at the Open University, held consultancies in e-learning and information, advice and guidance and was an associate teaching fellow in the Centre for the Open Learning of Mathematics, Computing, Science and Technology (COLMSCT) undertaking research relating to the use of virtual worlds in teaching and learning.

Currently I am a DPhil student. My research uses systems perspectives to explore tension and struggle within the special needs system, and in particular the experience of parents and practitioners involved with children and young people with diagnoses of Aspergers or high functioning autism.

Role

Doctoral Researcher based in the School of Law, Politics and Sociology

Qualifications

BA Applied Social Studies (University of Bradford)

MSc Social Policy and Institutions (Cranfield Institute of Technology)

MSc Management Information Systems (University of Brighton)

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Certificate of Qualification in Social Work (CCETSW)

Activities

I was a member of the organising and academic committees for ReLIVE 08, an international conference on reseaching learning in virtual worlds sponsored by the Open University.

During the 2009/10 academic year, I was jointly responsible for organising the HCT Seminar series at the University of Sussex.

During the 2011/12 academic year, I was a Hive Scholar in the University of Sussex Library

Presentations

(copies accessible on my personal website)

2012

EASP/SPA Annual Conference - "Support and Aspiration": the costs and benefits of changing the special needs system

2011

Research in Progress, Postgraduate seminar, University of Sussex - "Exploring the struggle/fight metaphor in the autistic spectrum domain"

School of Education and Social Work Doctoral Student Research Conference, University of Sussex - " The Special Educational Needs System - why is it so adversarial?"

BSA Medical Sociology Group 43rd Annual Conference - "Life is as hard as you want to make it - Exploring conflict in Special Educational Needs"

2010

Webautism Tutors Development Workshop, Birmingham - "Learning journeys of those supporting and caring for young people on the autistic spectrum"

School of Education and Social Work Doctoral Student Research Conference, University of Sussex - "Whose story is it: exploring auto/biographical methods"

2009

Learn, Teach and Play in 3D Virtual Worlds (sponsored by JISC EMERGE), City University - "Supporting Learners into Second Life"

CAL '09 'Learning in Digital Worlds', Brighton - "Supporting learners in creating their own virtual worlds"

4th Open CETL Conference, Open University - "Real life learning and teaching in virtual worlds"

2008

National Workshop, Coventry University - "ILE08 and ILE09 - exploring Second Life"

ReLIVE 08, Open University - "Difficult, Dangerous, Impossible...: Crossing the boundaries into Immersive Virtual Worlds"