Dr Rory Ewins

Lecturer in Digital Education

Biography

Background

My background is in political science and computer science. I have studied and worked in various universities in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. My previous roles include Research Fellow in ICT Policy and Strategy at the Scottish Centre for Research into On-line Learning and Assessment (SCROLLA), Advisor on IT Policy to the Australian Vice Chancellor’s Committee, and support officer for the Australian government’s Higher Education IT Consultative Forum.

Postgraduate teaching

In  2015-16 I am coordinating and teaching on the following masters courses:

  • An Introduction to Digital Environments for Learning
  • Digital Education in Global Context
  • The Sources of Knowledge: Understanding & Analysing Research Literature

and also teaching on:

  • Digital Education Strategy and Policy

Areas of interest for supervision

I supervise masters and PhD students within the school.

Research summary

My research interests include IT and its political, social, cultural and educational impact, intellectual property, online identity, and digital education in developing countries.

Project activity

I am currently working on issues around digital divides and digital "natives". I am also part of a project evaluating the use of blended learning in my school's suite of masters-level research courses. In recent years I evaluated the potential of e-learning in the training of trainers in ethics education for the Arigatou Foundation, Geneva.

Books and monographs

  • Ewins, R., 1998Changing Their Minds: Tradition and Politics in Contemporary Fiji and Tonga, Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
  • Ewins, R., 1992Colour, Class and Custom: The Literature of the 1987 Fiji Coup, Regime Change & Regime Maintenance in Asia & the Pacific Paper No. 9, Department of Political and Social Change, ANU, Canberra, Australia.

Chapters in books

  • Morse, S., Littleton, F., MacLeod, H. and Ewins, R., 2009The Theatre of Performance Appraisal: potential for role play training in Second Lifein Higher Education in Virtual Worlds: Teaching and Learning in Second Life, Ed. Wankel, C, and Kingsley, J., Charlotte: Information Age Publishing.

Journal articles

  • Ewins, R., 2005Who are You? Weblogs and Academic IdentityE-Learning (1741-8887), Vol. 2, pp. 368-377, Ed. Bayne, Land & Oliver.

Reports

  • Ewins, R., 2012E-learning in Egypt and Edinburgh: A report on a visit by members of the National e-Learning Center to the University of Edinburgh, 19-22 March 2012.
  • Ewins, R., Da Costa, M., and Pacia, M., 2011International Train the Trainers Course on Learning to Live Together: An Intercultural and Interfaith Programme for Ethics Education, Caux, Switzerland, 2–9 December 2010: Final Report.
  • Ewins, R., ed., 2004Leuven ICT & Student Mobility Workshop Report, EPET & E-Learning Task Forces, Coimbra Group of Universities, Brussels.
  • Ewins, R., 2003Barcelona E-Learning Workshop Report, E-Learning Task Force, Coimbra Group of Universities, Brussels.
  • Haywood, J., Haywood, D. and Ewins, R., eds., 2003SEUSISS Project Final Report, funded under the SOCRATES-MINERVA Programme of the Directorate for Education and Culture, European Commission.

Electronic publications

  • Ewins, R., 2009Website design and development for the University of Edinburgh Digital Cultures and Education research group
  • Ewins, R., 2007Website development for the MSc in E-learning, University of Edinburgh
  • Ewins, R., 2006Website design and development for Outdoor Education, University of Edinburgh
  • Ewins, R., 2006Website development for The University of Edinburgh E-Gallery
  • Ewins, R., 2005Website development for The Applied Educational Research Scheme Virtual Research Environment
  • Ewins, R., 2005Website development for The Centre for Teaching, Learning and Assessment, University of Edinburgh
  • Ewins, R., 2001Website design and development for The Scottish Centre for Research into On-Line Learning and Assessment
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