IET leads research into design and evaluation of teaching, learning and assessment with technology. Distinctive features are:
- Open approaches to research
- Co-design of new technology and innovative learning
- International collaboration with world class researchers
- Linking research and practice
We are informing major open learning initiatives including FutureLearn, the OpenScience Laboratory, OpenLearn and OPAL. We are international leaders in new methods of open and distance learning, citizen science, learning analytics, and learning design. Our research directly influences Open University teaching and support, benefitting hundreds of thousands of students.
IET research is organised around three major themes:
IET is involved in a number of projects within these themes. IET Research has a notable impact in open education, influencing professional practice and public policy.
IET has recently led the production of the first in a new series of OU Innovation Reports which explore new forms of teaching, learning and assessment for an interactive world. This first report, called Innovating Pedagogy 2012 proposes ten innovations that are already current but haven't yet had a profound influence on education.
Research in IET has strong links with the Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology (CREET) represented by the Technology Enhanced Learning Cluster and the Centre for Research in Computing (CRC)
IET's research is also prominent in the University's institutional research activity, especially in survey and evaluation work. A number of inter-faculty Research Groups are based in IET. Some IET researchers use the Jennie Lee Research laboratory facilities for empirical work to capture video records of human-computer interaction.