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Overview...

I am an experienced eLearning Consultant, with a passion for the design, implementation and testing of new techniques and technologies, in support of Learning and Development.

As a result, I have enjoyed two decades of award winning and award nominated success within a wide variety of roles. These include:

Educational Technologist and Instructional Designer experienced in UI UX design, and the subsequent implementation and applications development of over twenty, human centred, eLearning solutions.

Cognitive Modeller and Interaction Designer, practised in the practical application of different models of the psychology in the design of face-to-face trainings and eLearning solutions.

Senior University Lecturer and Technical Consultant, specialist in Psychology of Learning and Development and in the UI UX design of new eLearning and Innovation technologies, intended to accelerate learning, stimulate creativity and support collaboration within decision making.

Teacher and Trainer, specialist in rendering complex ideas into an easy-to-understand format.

Meeting Host and Innovation Facilitator, specialist in the selection and use of a variety of visual approaches to information display and knowledge representation in support of collaborative, team-based design sessions.

Project Manager and Organisational Ambassador, responsible for the design, inauguration and running of the first Innovations Laboratory in the South West of the UK, as a space dedicated to strategic business planning.

In terms of a single sentence, I describe my core career as being about the design and development of new ways in which to: accelerate learning, focus decision making, encourage innovation and support collaboration.

Successful projects, to which I have contributed, include the design, planning and implementation of: Accelerated Learning Solutions, Information Rich Websites, Web-Based Presentations, Interactive Educational Technologies, Systems Modelling Tools, Creative Thinking Resources and Collaborative Meeting Environments.

As a result of which, I can offer many excellent references, with regard to the quality of my work.

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Success Strories...

(NB: Timings are indicative of a quantum of effort, as some roles overlapped or were undertaken concurrently).

Management Experience:

Two years as a Lead Innovations Facilitator. In which role: I was the senior member of staff, responsible for the day-to-day running and operation of the first Innovations Laboratory in the South West of the UK, I facilitated management groups in processes associated with strategic planning, for example: Graphic Facilitation, Concept Visualisation, Web-Based Anonymous Brainstorming, Concept Mapping, Mind Mapping, Causal Maps, Flow Charting, Gantt Charting, UML, Soft Systems Analysis, Scenario Planning, Web Based Conferencing and Web-Based Collaborative Authoring; I was the coordinator of three part-time, professional specialists, designated to contribute to the work of the iLab facility; and, I acted as an ambassador to many businesses and organisations, with a remit to popularise the use of innovation technologies within the South West of the UK. A vignette associated with my success being: I was invited to speak at several Business Conferences, including: (i) the 2007 Conference of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, in St Mellion, Cornwall, where I addressed over 110 senior managers from around the South West of the UK; (ii) the 2007 SMART Woman’s Business Conference at Cornwall University, Penzance, Cornwall; and, (iii) the 2008 Management Conference for the international defence corporation, AIS. Additional vignettes associated with my success being:  (i) I was praised by management for my abilities as an Ambassador; (ii) I contributed to the hosting of large Professional Networking Events; (iii) I was praised for my work exploring new approaches to teaching and learning; (iv) I provided support that enabled a group of young entrepreneurs to undertake planning and design activities that led to them win the 2007 Make Your Mark competition, which is a UK award for entrepreneurial creativity; and, (v) I facilitated a two day strategic planning event for the management team responsible for the design and manufacture the Segway Transporter. (See www.innovationspace.co.uk)

Educational Technologist and Instructional Designer:

Ten years of experience as a specialist in Research and Development, focused on the UI UX design and development of new Educational, Instructional and eLearning Technologies.  In which role, I experimented with the design of a variety of software applications, with dual educational and business utility. And, I also experimented with the application of digital technologies within training and coaching physical skills. Examples of the software that I designed and programmed being: a Tablet PC Scribble Pad; a Mind Mapping application; a Flow Charting application; a Gantt Charting application; a Text-to-Speech Reader; a Speed Reader; a Marking Machine for teachers; and, a Case-Based Scenario system to focus group discussion. And, I also produced many digital learning resources for use by degree-level students within Higher Education. Vignettes associated with my success being: (i) I received a Masters degree for my research associated with the design of educational software intended to focus class discussion; (ii) I received a PhD for my research associated with the design of innovative Mind Mapping software; (iii) my Mind Mapping software was endorsed by the UK Dyslexia Society, as a product helpful to those with difficulties in reading; and, (iv) my Mind Mapping software was voted second in the 1994 Business Software Challenge, which is a UK-wide competition sponsored by the Financial Times and the British Computer Society.

Cognitive Modeller and Interaction Designer:

Two years of experience as a Cognitive Modeller and Interaction Designer, working in the newly established field of Neuro Marketing. The field of Neuro Marketing seeks to understand and leverage the power of the subconscious mind, with respect to directing and influencing user perceptions and behaviour. For example, by subliminally influencing the majority of users to click one specific link within a web page. To explain a little more, Neuro Marketing fuses conventional approaches to user experience analysis with advanced forms of psychology, such as Neuro Linguistic Programming and Design Human Engineering, with linguistic studies into the hypnotic power of certain patterns of language, and with the results of psychological studies into the (legal) aspects of subliminal imagery and subliminal aspects of screen layout. For instance, once screen designers realise that the majority of males and females scan a screen differently, they can position gender specific information in specific locations on a web page. As the name suggests, to date, most Neuro Marketing specialists have sought to utilise the field to convert web site visits into sales. In contrast, my interest has been to use the same body of knowledge: to explore ways in which to make work-place applications more attractive and intuitive to use; and, to experiment with ways in which to embed information direct into the user’s subconscious mind, in eLearning packages. Vignettes associated with my success being: (i) I was a mentor to the founder of the Neuro Marketing Company, MYO International, which has since become a leader in the field; and, (ii) I am acting as a user experience consultant in the ongoing design and development of core services offered by MYO. (See www.myointernational.com).

University Lecturer and Technical Consultant:

Twelve years of experience as a Senior University Lecturer, specialist in Learning and Development and the design of new eLearning and Innovation Technologies. In which role: I taught over one thousand undergraduate students; I mentored over sixty undergraduate research projects; I directed two PhD programmes of research; I undertook research into the usability issues associated with new computer users being able to learn unfamiliar software packages;  I had the privilege to work alongside researchers employed on prestigious commercial eLearning projects, such as the control software associated with the LEGO Mindstorms series of products; and, I had the good fortune to be mentored by some of the best teacher trainers in the UK. Vignettes associated with my success being: (i) I was asked to run staff development workshops, related to Learning and Development, at several Colleges, Universities and Business Conferences; (ii) I was awarded more than £100,000 worth of funding to design and experiment with new approaches to the design of eLearning and Innovation Technologies; (iii) I was praised for my work as lead academic and author on the formal documentation for a new degree programme, entitled Interactive Digital Technologies; (iv) I was regularly rated as ‘Excellent’ in numerous 360 degree appraisals; and, (v) I had the pleasure of being part of a teaching team, twice voted as ‘Best in the UK’ in official polls of ex-graduates.

Four years of experience as a Technical Consultant, specialist in the UI UX design of new Educational Technologies. In which role: I provided advice during the planning and rollout of two combined Content Management System/Virtual Learning Environments; I participated in research with end users on new ways in which to employ Virtual Learning Environments within UK Higher Education; I contributed advice to the usability planning a new suite of Computer Labs and associated Digital Performance Studio; I provided consultancy, with regards the use of brain entrainment audio to alter states of consciousness, within an immersive digital experience related to medical treatment; and, I acted as an Educational Author, writing over a million words discussing the interactivity design opportunities associated with ‘next generation’ Educational Technologies. Vignettes associated with my success being: (i) I provided advice to a Medical Think Tank that contributed to them being praised by the UN WHO; and, (ii) I was twice nominated for a national UK award for my work associated with authoring a set of five eBooks on the design of techniques and technologies intended to accelerate learning and enhance creativity.

Two years of experience as a Technical Consultant, specialist in the UI UX design of new Business Technologies. In which role: I wrote: briefing documents on the design opportunities associated with future technologies, such as VoIP, OLED, Virtual Office, Social Networking and 3G Mobile; advisory documents explaining the many ‘human experience’ opportunities associated with applications of AI technologies to enhance the power of the human brain, by making it easier for the mind to comprehend patterns within complex sets of data (e.g. Fuzzy Logic, Fractal Patterns, Neural Nets and Genetic Algorithms);and, planning documents to enable entrepreneurs to leverage web presence, web sales and web-based marketing.Vignettes associated with my success being: (i) I was engaged to provide consultancy to an experienced entrepreneur seeking to bid for venture capital to launch a new web-based service, intended to facilitate in the Learning and Development of staff in large corporations; and (ii) I assisted in the establishment and mentoring of a number of new businesses by former students.

Two years of experience as a Web Designer and Computer Programmer, providing private consultancy to a Nutritional Sales company. In which role, I designed and published an informational web site, with associated web payment facilities. I assisted in the generation of a web marketing, virtual office and outsourcing strategy. I designed and programmed an order processing automation system that logged and double-checked the fulfilment of customer orders. And, I designed and programmed an automated accounts system that generated digital end-of-month statements at the click of a button. Vignettes associated with my success being:(i) the profits of the company rose from £60,000 to £300,000 in a two year time frame; (ii) many customers commented on how my web site design was much easier to navigate than the sites of competitors; and, (iii) the website contributed to the company becoming endorsed as a ‘suggested supplier’ by a major UK charity.

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Some Background Information...

In terms of my education and training, I possess: a Doctorate in Educational Technology (specialising in the UI Design of Mind Mapping software intended to accelerate learning and to focus decision making); a Masters Degree in Artificial Intelligence (specialising in the UI Design of Educational Software designed to focus group discussion, with additional credits related to Knowledge Engineering, Knowledge Representation, Natural Language Processing and the Design of Intelligent Agents); a First Degree in Sport Science (specialising in Performance Psychology with additional credits in Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics); Professional Certifications in many aspects of Applied Psychology and Professional Development; and a grounding in Mathematics, Physics and Economics.

With respect to my computer literacy, the packages and applications, with which I am familiar, include: MS Office, MS Publisher, MS Project, MS Visio, Corel Draw Graphics Suite, Paintshop Pro, Dreamweaver, Director, Flash, Acrobat Professional, Camtasia and Wink. Also, I am familiar with the following development technologies: VB.NET, VB6, VBA, COM objects, ActiveX plug-ins, APIs, ToolBook, PLUS PPL, HyperCard, PROLOG, HTML, CSS, VBscript, SQL, ASP, Jscript, JAVA, MS Agents and SAPI4 (Text-To-Speech). In addition, I am a fast study and I like to continually upgrade my skills. If given access to the web connection and some code snippets, I can normally self learn and master a new coding environment within two to three weeks.

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References...

As a result of my career, to date, I can supply excellent and extensive comments from the following individuals on the quality of my work:

Professor David Baker, former Principal of University College Plymouth, St Mark & St John, and a specialist in Innovation Laboratory technologies;

Professor Sir Timothy O’Shea, Principal of Edinburgh University and a specialist in the design and development of new Educational Technologies;

Professor Richard Ennals, a Senior Manager at Kingston University Business School, a Senior Consultant to international corporations and a Researcher interested in the design and development of Human Centred Systems;

Professor Melvin Morse MD, former Professor of Paediatrics at University of Washington, now Head of an independent think tank, which in 2009 was lauded by the UN WHO;

Dr Paul Gentle, Programme Director for the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, and a specialist in International Education; 

Dr Ian Luke, Dean of Education and Professional Development at University College Plymouth, St Mark & St John;

Dr David Benzie, Head of eLearning at University College Plymouth, St Mark & St John;

Mr Royce Munday, Director of Innersuccess and a Senior Consultant in the fields of Personal Development and Corporate Change;

Mr Ian Hosker, Director of Quasar Research and Consultancy, and a specialist in Personal and Professional Development; and,

Mr Chris Bourne, Director of Legend design consultancy, and a Senior Consultant in the fields of Brand Marketing and Corporate Communication.

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In short...

I hope that you find my background interesting and that we may soon discover ways in which we can work together towards our mutual benefit...

Being based in Basel, in Switzerland, I am only a short plane or train ride from most major UK and European cities...

Click here if you would like to read my full CV.

Click here if you would like to read more about the services that I offer.

Click here if you would like to mail me.

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...Please feel free to call me "Pete"...

...I look forward to working with you in the days, weeks, months and years to come...