Prof Agnes Kukulska Hulm
Prof Agnes Kukulska Hulme (PhD) Is a Professor of Learning Technology & Communication at the Institute of Educational Technology where she leads on research and innovation, focusing on pedagogical transformations and future learning scenarios across informal and formal settings.
Prof Kukulska Hulme joined the Open University in 1996, after 10 years with the Languages and European Studies Department as a Research Fellow and then a Lecturer in Computational Linguistics and French at Aston University in Birmingham. For her PhD awarded at Aston University, she mapped the authentic knowledge needs and questions posed by individuals responsible for computer security in their organisations against the information they could (or could not) obtain from technical documentation. This was the beginning of her lifelong pursuit to discover how people learn informally about emerging topics and technologies, and how this informal activity can transform more established teaching practices and the design of teaching materials and user interfaces across a variety of media.
Prof Kukulska Hulme has 35 years of experience doing research, conceptualising and evaluating learning technologies in distance education, language learning and informal learning, twenty of which were spent developing the field of mobile learning. Her current focus is to extend education to marginalised populations as well as the use of mobile technologies and intelligent personal assistants to increase participation. She has led major research projects as well as cross-university projects on mobile learning, e-book adoption, video reuse, and pedagogical aspects of synchronous group tuition, often collaborating with colleagues in Sweden, Canada, Italy, Spain, China, Singapore, Hong Kong and India.
Apart from PhD and EdD supervision, she has supported and mentored many early career colleagues and is an active member of promotions committees. Prof Kukulska Hulme has also chaired the production and presentation of modules in the Masters in Online and Distance Education, and has worked with many module teams across the OU on learning design and professional development for academic and academic-related staff. In addition, she has authored guides for English language teachers on mobile learning and personalisation (published by British Council and Cambridge University Press), developed teachers in leadership programmes, and informed policy makers on mobile learning adoption.
What’s new in mobile assisted language learning?
Learning with mobile devices already has a 20-year history in terms of learning designs and evaluations encompassing formal and informal learning contexts. Mobile assisted language learning (MALL) continues to evolve in response to a continuous stream of new technologies but also a stronger focus on individuals’ unique needs and interests within an emerging paradigm that combines the features of mobile, open and social learning. There is also growing awareness that teachers should be enabled to learn about MALL across different levels of education. Expanding upon innovations explored in the speaker’s recent co-edited book, “Mobile Assisted Language Learning Across Educational Contexts” (Routledge, 2021), the talk will present five major themes that characterise some inspirational MALL designs: (1) breaking down barriers; (2) unfettered flow of information; (3) frequent interaction and reflection; (4) enjoyment and perception of personal gains; (5) multiplicity of technologies, methods and modalities. In a fast-changing world of education, mobile technology can be an enabler, yet not all language learners have the same opportunities. Several current projects at The Open University are focused on the experiences of marginalised learners and these are shaping our understanding of what to consider in future MALL designs.
