About Jon Pearce
PhD, MSc, DipEd, DipDigCon
Senior Fellow
Department of Computing and Information Systems
The University of Melbourne
Victoria, AustraliaRoom 10.02, Doug McDonell Building, Parkville campus (how to get there)
Member of the Interaction Design Laband Social Natural User Interfaces lab.
I am retired now and enjoying the good life. But still with some fingers in some pies at the Uni ;)
Jump down this page to: Research Interests : Teaching Interests : Background :
Research Interests
My current research interests focus on the uses of highly engaging and interactive environments in a variety of contexts such as: online learning, exploring information spaces, and user interaction. I am particularly interested in systems that support exploration (in contrast to searching). In recent years my work has taken on a more specific focus on engagement, affective computing, interactivity and exploration.
Spinning out from these research interests are several development projects: giving advice on how to water gardens efficiently (SmartGardenWatering); supporting anonymous student peer review (PRAZE); and an exploration engine (iFISH).
I have been involved in computers in education since 1979 (Exidy Sorcerer days, for those who remember!) and have subsequently developed a strong interest in how we can use computers effectively to enhance students' learning of tertiary physics.
Apart from using a variety of strategies in my own teaching, I have been instrumental in initiating and managing numerous projects on multimedia development and teaching via the Web. See my Projects page.
Teaching Interests
Currently not teaching, but in the past have taught in areas of:
communicating science, visualisation, e-science, multimedia, web design, physics.
Background (March 2013)
I am currently a Senior Fellow in the Department of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne (a newly formed department in Jan 2012 comprising a merger between the departments of Computer Science and Software Engineering with Information Systems). I retired from a lecturing position at the end of 2012. That position I took up mid-year, 1998, after the Science Multimedia Teaching Unit was moved into this department.
For the six years from 1993 to 1998 I was 0.5 Deputy Director of the Science Multimedia Teaching Unit and 0.5 senior lecturer in the School of Physics.
Earlier in my career I taught physics and mathematics in a high school for six years (1975 to 1980) after which I took up a position at Melbourne College of Advanced Education (1981) as lecturer in physics and computer education. I co-ordinated a course on Computer Education there for 8 years. My interests developed in physics education, the application of computing to the learning of physics, and computer education generally. In 1991 the College (later the Institute of Education, now the Faculty of Education) amalgamated with the University of Melbourne (they shared adjoining campuses) and in 1993 I took up positions in Physics and Multimedia.
The Science Multimedia Teaching Unit was established in 1993 to encourage and support the development and application of multimedia to the teaching of Science within the University. It ceased to exist formally in mid 1998.
A little history
I have been involved in computers in education since 1979 (Exidy Sorcerer days, for those who remember!) and have subsequently developed a strong interest in how we can use computers effectively to enhance students' learning of tertiary physics and to promote a strong sense of engagement while online.
Apart from using a variety of strategies in my own teaching, I have been instrumental in initiating and managing the numerous projects on multimedia development and teaching via the Web. See my Projects page.