Kathryn is an Associate Professor and Programme Coordinator of the Postgraduate Programme within the School of Computing. Kathryn’s research has focused on integrating a range of innovative technologies to enhance the learning experience. She has been working with Pakuranga College in Auckland as its programming students develop virtual reality games. Her research looks at how to take these newer types of “emerging innovative approaches” to be able to better engage and teach students.

A new project Kathryn is hoping to undertake this year is around augmented reality (AR).

“Some of my research has been looking at how we apply augmented reality into education, to support cross curriculum learning goals. I have been working with my colleagues … to see how we can utilise AR as a way for students to explore their own environments and create their own learning objects,” says Kathryn.

The focus is not on the tool, but how it can enhance the learning of the subject, 

exploring how technologies like AR could create an environment where learning can be drawn from different subjects to help support the integration of the new digital curriculum (Hangarau Matihiko).

Another project Kathryn is working on is redeveloping a few of the classrooms as innovative learning spaces. This year EIT will be rolling out four new classrooms, where technology will play a central role in helping facilitate better collaboration of students.

(Option to link to Agile and Lean Concepts for Teaching and Learning: Bringing Methodologies from the Industry to the Classroom co-edited by Dr Kathryn McCallum and Dr David Parsons)