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Why learners, politicians, practitioners and users are not the enemy and how to listen to them!

Dates
Tuesday, June 13, 2023 - 12:00 to 13:00
Location
Berrill Lecture Theatre, Walton Hall, Open University, MK6 7AA

Computerised systems and process designs should effectively reflect peoples’ needs, according to Professor Anne Adams, Professor of Engaged Practice and Research at the OU’s Institute of Educational Technology, who will deliver her inaugural lecture on the subject.

Professor Adams will highlight the fact that, from computer security systems to health informatics, educational processes and policy making there are poor assumptions made about what people’s needs are.  

Professor Adams will present the results of poor design approaches across diverse contexts and identify how they can be rectified by applying appropriate active listening methods. 

This is a hybrid event with networking opportunities afterwards for in person and online attendees.

Abstract

Many system security departments treat users as a security risk to be controlled.

Professor Anne Adams revealed this lack of user-centred design in computer security systems almost 30 years ago. Privacy systems and diversity approaches were also identified as having been designed without truly listening to people’s needs and privacy invaded through systems that try to support inclusion, equality and diversity. 

Healthcare practitioners have similarly been ignored in systems and process design. As one clinician noted: ‘It’s like being given a Rolls Royce and only being able to sound the horn.’  Police forces and prisoners identified similar complex barriers to knowledge exchange and learning; solutions ignored because of a poor understanding of people’s needs and true system risks. Internationally in schools, universities and workplaces there is a lack of student-centred design approaches, resulting in teaching students as parrots not problem-solvers. Even the evidence that supports decision-making needs to equitably hear different voices before we can trust it is relevant for parliamentary scrutiny.

Today, Professor Adams is working with the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology to develop a horizon scanning method. This should help parliamentarians and researchers to identify tomorrow’s questions so we can find answers today. This lecture will discuss these topics and present successful tools, techniques and methods for specific and generic purposes. This is about listening and understanding practitioners, service users and learners’ issues to develop better technologies and processes for the future.

Attendance

Registration

Watch the webinar online

Please take the opportunity to have your questions answered by our speakers LIVE during the event:

Email your questions Use #OUtalks on Twitter

Event Programme

Timings Item
12:00 - 12:45 Inaugural lecture: Why learners, politicians, practitioners and users are not the enemy and how to listen to them!
12:45 - 13:00 Q&A
13:00 - 14:00
  • Refreshments at OU Milton Keynes campus
  • Virtual Networking/Knowledge Exchange