I’m a Senior Research Fellow in the Institute of Educational Technology at The Open University (OU).

I joined the OU in 2009 in the final stages of my Ph.D. By training I am a philosopher (analytic & continental) and educational technologist. My main research focus is open education.  I lead several research strands with the Open Education Research Hub where since 2012 we have focused on providing an evidence base for the impact of OER and building research capacity globally. I currently lead the research outputs for the Global OER Graduate Network and the innovation strand for the European Network for Catalysing Open Resources in Education (ENCORE+).

My research focuses on technology enhanced learning and the design, implementation and evaluation of socio-technical learning systems. My work critically analyses openness as a practice and philosophy, exploring cultures of openness, promoting open values, and developing tools and free learning materials for the commons. As a mixed methods researcher I work across disciplinary boundaries, typically in collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders.

Current interests are in open educational practices; innovation; automated systems for learning and behavioural change; theoretical frameworks for learning; ethics; technology as a route to social justice; using openness to improve pedagogical practice or enhance access to education; and more generally in understanding how to empower stakeholders in learning contexts through technologies, tools and values.

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy who is working towards Senior Fellowship.  I act as reviewer for dozens of academic journals (not Reviewer 2) and international conferences. I also act as an expert consultant for many high-profile organisations.

My research focuses on technology enhanced learning and the design, implementation and evaluation of socio-technical learning systems. My work critically analyses openness as a practice and philosophy, exploring cultures of openness, promoting open values, and developing tools and free learning materials for the commons. As a mixed methods researcher I work across disciplinary boundaries, typically in collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders.

Current interests are in open educational practices; innovation; automated systems for learning and behavioural change; theoretical frameworks for learning; ethics; technology as a route to social justice; using openness to improve pedagogical practice or enhance access to education; and more generally in understanding how to empower stakeholders in learning contexts through technologies, tools and values.

In addition to PhD supervision, I support doctoral students worldwide who are working in the field of open education through the Global OER Graduate Network. I also mentor for the Open Education Leadership Program (SPARC); Open Education for a Better World (UNESCO); the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships and the Fellowship Academy at The Open University (UK).

Publication keywords: accessibility; action research; artificial intelligence (AI); artificial intelligence in education (AIED); automation; collaborative research; critical pedagogy; critical theory; data visualisation; ethics; evaluation; evidence hubs; explainable/explicable artificial intelligence (XAI); future educational perspectives; generative pre-trained transformer (GPT); impact; innovation; lifelong learning; methodology; mobile learning; MOOCs; natural language processing; open educational practices (OEP); open educational resources (OER); open textbooks; pedagogy; phenomenology; policy; speculative methodology; theory.

This site is a professional portfolio and (neglected) blog.

Contact me you want to get in touch about:

  • a research project or funding proposal
  • research supervision
  • a writing project
  • journal reviews
  • consultancy
  • need an examiner for Ph.D or Ed.D
  • need an editor for a manuscript
  • wanna be friends

rob.farrow@open.ac.uk

Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University UK

+44 (0) 7876 226348

Twitter: @philosopher1978 

You can also find out more about my work using the menu links or on Google Scholar and SlideShare.