Neil Glen

Personal statement

Neil is Academic Developer for Bath Spa University, creating, developing and researching technology-enhanced learning experiences, to which he brings a design-led approach.

Neil works across academic and professional service teams at Bath Spa, encouraging cross-disciplinary thinking. He has experience of developing and leading programmes, and modules, at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Neil has also led several university-wide projects including redesigning the VLE and the design and curation of MediaWall, an architectural scale space for staff and students to collaborate and experiment with large-scale digital media. At the core of Neil's work and research is the relationship between digital and physical learning spaces, and enabling new pedagogies to emerge through co-creativity between students and academics. He co-led an 18-month HEFCE (OfS) £130k-funded research project exploring the affordances of mobile devices in arts practice and performing arts.

Neil led the learning space design for the new university campus at Locksbrook, bringing a mobile-first approach to creating technology-enhanced learning for art and design practice.

For the Commons building at Bath Spa University's Newton Park campus, he designed MediaWall. Since its debut in 2014, MediaWall has been a place for artists, researchers, and students to explore rich media projects. From our staff and students to our global community of partners and alumni, choreography, dance, environment, filmmaking, photography, painting, drawing, coding – and above all, collaboration – come to fore whilst the technology recedes into the fabric of the building.

Neil has previously worked with various academic institutions including leading business development for Northumbria University's outward-facing design research centre and as a Senior Lecturer in Interaction Design at the Royal College of Art in London.

As a design consultant, Neil has experience of working across a range of disciplines, media and industry sectors. Founder and principal of nextdesign, a multi-disciplinary design consultancy established in 1992, Neil has collaborated with leading design groups such as IDEO, completed research for Apple Computers, Nokia, Transport for London, and developed luxurious things for Connolly Leather, Ferrari and Mulberry. Neil's work has been selected for inclusion in the Design Museum Permanent Collection and he received a D&AD Award for his work on the launch collection of luxury goods for Connolly London.

Academic qualifications

• MA (RCA) – Royal College of Art, London
• BA (Hons) – Northumbria University

Professional qualifications

• Senior Fellow Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)

Qualifications, skills and experience

• Blackboard Certified Practitioner in Digital Teaching and Learning

Professional memberships

• Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT)

Recent professional updating

• 2019: Completed Bath Spa Developing Leaders programme

Other external roles

• FASTECH (Feedback and assessment with students using technology) was a JISC funded research project in collaboration with the University of Winchester which pioneered the use of Student Fellows as catalysts in bringing about evidence-informed changes in teaching and learning. Neil was the discipline lead for Art and Design.

Specialisms

Campus development

Project lead for the learning space design for the new university campus at Locksbrook, bringing a mobile-first approach to creating technology-enhanced learning for art and design practice.

Course development

Lead development role, and acting course leader for BA (Hons) Three Dimensional Design: Idea Material Object until August 2011. The course was designed to be material agnostic, existing at the intersection of design practice and craft process, and aimed at inventive, inquisitive people with a passion for making and with an ambition to delight, amuse and intrigue.

Research

Since 2009 I have investigated the relationship between ubiquitous technologies and teaching and learning, questioning how such technologies can be used to explore and develop the learning experience. This has ranged from working with blogging software, using photogrammetry with digital cameras and projectors, new pedagogies emerging through tablet devices, and the creation and curation of an architectural scale digital art space, have augmented traditional methods of working and facilitated discussion about the barriers to the development of new experiences.

Previous scholarship

• 2013: Internal Pedagogical Research award ‘Mind the Gap: Building Online Personal Archives’ to develop critical thinking and learning skills, whilst enhancing subject specific information in Art and Design.
• 2012: Internal Pedagogical Research award to evaluate of the introduction of tablet computing in traditional undergraduate graphic design curriculum.
• 2011-2012: Internal funding award to develop a research facility for the exploration of Idea, Material, and Object and seek out collaborative and research opportunities.
• 2009: Internal Pedagogical Research award to research the opportunities for online peer review within Graphic Communication.