Professor Ben Daniel

B.Sc (Juba); DiplComp. (Khartoum); M.Sc (Twente); M.Phil.ED (Oslo); PhD (Sask.)

Professor

Email ben.daniel@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 3 479 5362

About Ben

I teach Research Methodology (Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods), and Educational Technology. For over a decade, my research focused on studying the development of advanced learning technologies for supporting learning and teaching. Currently, I am exploring the role of emergent technologies (Big Data and Learning Analytics, and Social Media) in enhancing learning, teaching and research. I am also researching into the praxis and theories of teaching Research Methodology, and its development as a distinct discipline. Previously, I worked in the health care sector as a Research Methodologist and Innovation Analyst. I also worked in the software industry as a Knowledge Management Software Architect and Learning Specialist.

Teaching

• Postgraduate and Staff Workshops and Consultations
• Educational Technology
• Statistics
• Quantitative Research
• Qualitative Research
• Mixed Methods Research

Research interests

• Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED)
• Big Data and Learning Analytics
• Data Science in Education
• The Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Learning Environments
• The Pedagogy and Digital Tools for Teaching Research Methodology
• Social Media Technologies/Semantic Web in learning and teaching

Supervision

Currently, I am only interested in taking new PhD students who share my research interests. New Masters students interested in any aspect of Educational Technology in Higher Education are welcome to contact me at:

Email ben.daniel@otago.ac.nz

Current students

• Hurst Charlotte (DClinDent) – Hypomineralised teeth: Perspectives of those with severely affected teeth and New Zealand Orthodontists
• Aiswarya Kovanur Kesava (DClintDent) – Dental avulsion injuries in New Zealand – The experiences of affected children and their families
• Kalika Kastein (PhD) – The role of silence in Peace and Conflict Studies
• Anushika Kariyawasam (PhD) – Application of Content and Language Integrated Learning in Teaching English as a Second language in the Context of Tertiary Education
• Soovendran Varadarajan (PhD) – An exploration of E-Portfolio implementation in the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) institute in Malaysia to improve students' motivation
• Jasbir Singh (PhD) – Visualizing the development of authorial voice and identity in undergraduate students
• Sherry Lee (DClinDent Orthodontics) – Patients' experiences with orthodontic treatment through traditional fixed appliances, clear aligners and direct-to-consumer clear aligners
• Maree Steele (PhD) – The teaching experiences of medical interns in a period of transition
• Matthew Strother (PhD) – Critical Appraisal of Statistical Models Within Healthcare
• Toni-Ann Alsop (MHEd)

Past students

• Hisham Mohammed (PhD) – Impact of malocclusion on smiling features, 2022
• Farah Shawkat (PhD) – Teacherpreneurship: an integrated framework for teaching in the 21st Century University Classroom, 2022
• Joon Soo Park (PDipHE) – Dental students' knowledge of and attitudes toward medication prescribing in Australia - A Western Australian qualitative study, 2022
• Larian Nkomo (PhD) – Students' engagement patterns with digital learning technologies: An empirical case of lecture recordings, 2022
• Gabrielle Hunt (DClinDent) – Students' Perceptions of Undergraduate Endodontic Education and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in New Zealand, (Endodontics), 2021
• Ifeanyi Glory Ndukwe (PhD) – Teaching analytics and teacher dashboards to visualise SET data: Implication to theory and practice, 2021
• Joon Soo Park (PGCertHighE) – Can social media and a dose of aesthetics be the driver to optimal dental health?, 2020
• Daryl Tong (PGCertHighE) – A “Combined ARMS” Approach to Flipped Classroom in Postgraduate Surgical Education for Dentists, 2020
• Finn Gilroy (DClinDent) – Health status of patients receiving root canal treatment in New Zealand general dental practice – A practice-based research study, (Endodontics), 2020
• Payman Hamadani (DClinDent) – Managing elderly patients requiring endodontic treatment – A New Zealand practice-based research study, (Endodontics), 2020
• Rachel Tan (PhD) – The impact of globalisation on an emerging university in Tanzania, East Africa, 2019
• Lucy A Sullivan (DClinDent) – The influence of educational information on understanding and perceptions of root canal treatment, (Endodontics), 2019
• Raewyn Lesa (PhD) – Stimulated learning environments and the development of clinical judgement in undergraduate nursing students, 2019
• Naoko Inoue (PhD) – The experiences of native English speaking teachers who work and live in Japan, 2019
• Russell Butson (PhD) – Changing digital technologies and the impact on everyday experiences of academics: a case study at a research-intensive university, 2019
• Chris Wang (BSc Hons) – RCT study comparing the effectiveness of mixed reality, three-dimensional monoscopy, moreover, textbook style learning tools for anatomical education in pre-clinical medicine, 2018
• Hamidreza Mahroeian (PhD) – Big Data and Analytics in Higher Education, 2018
• Nadine Hoskins (MHEd) – Addressing Space Optimisation in Higher Education, 2018
• Jasbir Singh (MHEd) – Self-expression and self-perception: Fiji ESL tertiary students' performance and perception of authorial identity in academic English writing
• Verena Tilson-Scoble (MA) – Learning Experiences of Fashion Design Graduates in the Workplace, 2018
• Rebecca Bird (MHEd) – Sense of Community and Learning Pathways in Undergraduate Health Science, 2018
• Frank Cook (PGDipHighE) – WelTec Engineering Student's Perceptions of Laboratory Classes, 2016
• Shalendra Kumar (MHEd) – Adoption of Learning Technologies in Teaching in Fiji's Technical Colleges, 2016
• Hien Vu (MHEd) – The value of exchange programmes at the University of Otago: Implications to Internationalisation, 2015
• Verena Tilson-Scoble (PGDipHighE), 2014
• Toni-Ann Alsop (PGCertHighE), 2014