UNESCO Chair Team

Prof John Traxler, UNESCO Chair

John Traxler, FRSA, is Professor of Digital Learning in the Institute of Education at the University of Wolverhampton. As well as the UNESCO Chair, he also holds a Chair from the Commonwealth of Learning, a unique and unprecedented combination.

He is a Founding Director of the International Association for Mobile Learning. He is co-editor of the definitive, Mobile Learning: A Handbook for Educators and Trainers, and of Mobile Learning: the Next Generation, available in Arabic, of Mobile Learning and Mathematics, Mobile Learning and STEM: Case Studies in Practice, Mobile Learning in Higher Education: Challenges in Context, and Critical Mobile Pedagogy, and many keynotes, panels, papers, articles and chapters on all aspects of learning with mobiles. His journal papers have been cited over 10000 times and is in the top 2% in his discipline. He has worked on many digital learning projects and missions. 

He has been responsible for large-scale mobile learning implementations, small-scale mobile learning research interventions, capacity building, major evaluations, landscape reviews, and curriculum development.

He has extensive experience developing e-learning and mobile learning capacity amongst university teachers. Over the last five years, he has become involved in policy and strategy. He is a frequent international keynote speaker, and has worked with a number of international agencies and international corporates.

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Dr Matt Smith, UNESCO Chair Coordinator

Matt is Reader in Digital Learning Contexts and the Research Hub Lead for Digital and Lifelong Learning Contexts at the Centre for Research in Education and Social Transformation (CREST).

Matt is a Senior Lecturer in Primary Teacher Education and the Lead Tutor for BA(Hons) Year 3 Primary ITE students at the University of Wolverhampton, having relinquished the role of Pathway Leader for Primary English in 2021. He leads on undergraduate English and Research modules on the primary teaching course leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), and also teaches on the Masters in Education and doctoral programmes. He has been nominated by students for a Vice Chancellor's Award for Staff Excellence in the 'Enriching the Learning Experience' and 'Student Engagement' categories eight times in the past four years.

A Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Matt’s doctoral thesis focused on the epistemological and pedagogical trajectories of PGCE trainees within the field of Primary English. Matt’s research interests have previously focused on personalising the learning journey for children and students, but he is now predominantly working on mobile and digital learning, particularly in the Globalised South; digital literacy; the use of social media for public health benefits; and school children as leaders of public health movements. He recently co-authored a report for the Department for International Development's EdTech Hub on lessons learned to support governments' digital responses to the educational crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. With John Traxler, Matt has co-edited "Digital Learning in Higher Education - COVID-19 and Beyond", charting the effects of the pandemic on digital learning across the Higher Education sector.

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• Prof Diana Bannister, Director of the School of Education
• Dr Opinderjit Takhar, Associate Dean Research and Knowledge Exchange
• Prof Megan Lawton, Senior Adviser, Academic Practice in the College of Learning and Teaching
• Adam Vasco, Director of Diversity & Inclusion in Professional Practice
• Dr Chris Wyatt, Research Impact & Policy Manager

Dr. Nderu earned a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Paris VIII, France, a Master’s degree in Software Engineering, and a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science, both from JKUAT. His research focuses on Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Data Science, and Software Engineering. He has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed journals and has presented his work at various international conferences. He founded JHUB Africa, an innovation hub within JKUAT, and is the co-founder of gDIH in Konza City, Nairobi. At JHUB Africa, we are more than just a company - a community of passionate individuals dedicated to driving positive change. Founded on the belief that sustainable impact is achievable through innovation and collaboration, we strive to make a difference in Africa. Our journey began fuelled by a mission of driving sustainable digital transformation, providing accessible and impactful solutions for small and medium-scale farmers, traders, and enterprises. View Hub Africa.

Indigenous civilizations, their methods of life, and their modes of communication and education all pique my curiosity. Since I'm an Amazigh living in North Africa, I've done some research on Kabyle society, particularly in relation to language and education, as well as digital anthropology and the anthropology of communication, which was the subject of my doctoral thesis. This is a significant endeavour to explore the depths of Kabyle society and to comprehend some of the nuances of folktale telling as form of both educating and communication. My goal is to convert my thesis into English in the future so that everyone may comprehend the peculiarities of Kabyle society. In the heart of the Algerian desert, there is another distinct Amazigh community called the Tuareg, which I also hope to study.

Associate Professor of TEFL and Former Dean at Al-Istiqlal University. BA in English Language and Literature, M.A. in TEFL, and Ph.D. in TEFL. He has taught for 21 years. He is currently an Associate Professor of ELT. He worked on international projects. His main research interests are language learning and language acquisition, language learning anxiety, language learning motivation, and attitudes, teaching English as a foreign Language, and technology in language education.

Researcher on identity formation in digital, networked, and mobile learning environments. Philosophically social constructionist. Twelve years of experience developing websites, portals, multimedia learning materials, and online courses. Face-to-face and online teaching experience in educational technology and English for Academic purposes/ESL, in Canada and abroad. Interested in continuing research, theoretical work, and teaching in the field of technology-enhanced learning.

Founder and Project Director - Educational Technology Inquiry Lab (ETILAB) and Principal Investigator of the OERiGA - Open Educational Resources of indigenous Games in Africa project.

Research interests: Mobile learning; Emerging technologies in education; Emerging digital practices; Digital cultures; Social learning; Online learning; Transformative pedagogies; Knowledge production; Open Education Resources (OER), Design Based Research (DBR), Play, Gamification, Game-based learning, Indigenous Games, and Generative Artificial Intelligence in Education.

My published work includes critical perspectives on educational technologies, the mobilities of digital education particularly for marginalised groups, and futures educational research. I am a member of the Education Beyond Borders Operational & Advisory Group. I work with the Connected Learning in Crisis Consortium and UNHCR on forced displacement research throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, and am also Co-Founder and Chief Digital Education Officer of Panoply Digital, a consultancy dedicated to appropriate use of educational technologies in developing contexts. Current and recently completed projects include:

• Practitioner Networks and Digital Inclusion for Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (a large project working with universities in SSA on digital education);
• the Connected Policy, Practice and Accreditation: Connected Refugee Education in Ugandan Higher Education project (working with universities and civil society organisations to make pathways into HE for refugees more coherent);
• Digital Education Africa cluster (network of SSA universities working with blended and online education);
• the Digital Education for change makers in sub-Saharan Africa project (working with MoE officials on their edtech policy);
• the Foundations for All project (blended refugee education in Uganda).

Dr Luca Morini is Assistant Professor at the Centre for Global Learning (GLEA) of Coventry University. He holds a Master's Degree in Psychology and a Doctorate in Education and Communication, obtained researching into the social, cultural and pedagogical dynamics which occur in Do-It-Yourself amateur game design communities.

His main areas of interest are co-creation (particularly through playful means), philosophy of research, critical pedagogy, doctoral education and systems thinking. He has experience in qualitative research methodologies, particularly in participatory research and ethnography, seamlessly transversing online and offline spaces.