Dr Troy Cooper

I completed both a first degree in natural sciences (experimental psychology) and a Ph.D. on sex-role conflict and eating disorders at the University of Cambridge. For two years I worked in a post-doctoral post at the Addiction Research Unit of the institute of Psychiatry in London. I began working for the Open University in 1990 as a part-time tutor on psychology courses at Levels 2 and 3, and became a Staff Tutor in East Anglia in1995. In 1998 I decided to extend my learning about distance education and completed an Ma in Open and Distance Education 8 years later. In 2006 I won an Open University Teaching Award for my interest in developing and extending electronic tuition.

My academic interests have been in the broad area of social psychology and women, particularly in eating disorders and addiction to alcohol. I am now interested in social psychological perspectives on CMC and learning environments, particularly those used in distance learning. I have worked on several courses to produce teaching materials and books including the Openings access course for social sciences Understanding Society, Exploring Psychology course at level 2, Social Psychology: Personal Lives, Social Worlds at level 3.