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Ben DanielB.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

Publications

Demmans Epp, C., Daniel, B. K., & Muldner, K. (2023). Editorial: Learning analytics for supporting individualization: Data-informed adaptation of learning. Frontiers in Education, 8, 1240377. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2023.1240377
Journal - Research Other
Singh, J. K., Daniel, B. K., & Koh, J. H. L. (2023). Ghost in the machine: AVATAR, a prototype for supporting student authorial voice. In N. Wang, G. Rebolledo-Mendez, V. Dimitrova, N. Matsuda & O. C. Santos (Eds.), Artificial intelligence in education: Communications in computer and information science (Vol. 1831). (pp. 504-509). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-36336-8_78
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper
Friedlander, L., Hunt, G., Chandler, N., & Daniel, B. (2023). Students' experience and perceptions of undergraduate endodontic education in New Zealand. Australian Endodontic Journal. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/aej.12770
Journal - Research Article
Koh, J. H. L., Daniel, B. K., & Greenman, A. C. (2023). Adaptiveness for online learning: Conceptualising ‘online learning dexterity’ from higher education students’ experiences. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s40841-023-00287-2
Journal - Research Article
Wafaie, K., Rizk, M. Z., Basyouni, M. E., Daniel, B., & Mohammed, H. (2023). Tele-orthodontics and sensor-based technologies: A systematic review of interventions that monitor and improve compliance of orthodontic patients. European Journal of Orthodontics. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/ejo/cjad004
Journal - Research Other
Daniel, B. K., & Harland, T. (2018). Higher education research methodology: A step-by-step guide to the research process. London, UK: Routledge, 154p.
Authored Book - Research
Daniel, B. K. (Ed.). (2017). Big data and learning analytics in higher education: Current theory and practice. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 272p.
Edited Book - Research
Psyché, V., Daniel, B. K., & Bourdeau, J. (2020). Learning spaces in context-aware educational networking technologies in the digital age. In A. Peña-Ayala (Ed.), Educational networking: A novel discipline for improved learning based on social networks. (pp. 299-323). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-29973-6_9
Chapter in Book - Research
Alm, A., & Daniel, B. (2019). Student engagement with mobile language apps in blended learning environments: Perspectives from university language students. In A. Palalas (Ed.), Blended language learning: International perspectives on innovative practice. (pp. 182-220). China Central Radio & TV University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Daniel, B. K. (2019). Artificial reality: The practice of analytics and big data in educational research. In J. S. Pedersen & A. Wilkinson (Eds.), Big data: Promise, application and pitfalls. (pp. 287-300). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. doi: 10.4337/9781788112352.00018
Chapter in Book - Research
Psyché, V., Daniel, B., & Bourdeau, J. (2019). Adaptive learning spaces with context-awareness. In A. Coy, Y. Hayashi & M. Chang (Eds.), Intelligent tutoring systems: Proceedings of the 15th International ITS Conference: Lecture notes in computer science (Vol. 11528). (pp. 68-79). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-22244-4_2
Chapter in Book - Research
Daniel, B. K. (2017). Big data in higher education: The big picture. In B. K. Daniel (Ed.), Big data and learning analytics in higher education: Current theory and practice. (pp. 19-28). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Chapter in Book - Research
Daniel, B. K. (2017). Overview of big data and analytics in higher education. In B. K. Daniel (Ed.), Big data and learning analytics in higher education: Current theory and practice. (pp. 1-4). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Chapter in Book - Research
Daniel, B. K., & Butson, R. J. (2017). The rise of big data and analytics in higher education. In E. Rodriguez (Ed.), The analytics process: Strategic and tactical steps. (pp. 113-126). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781315161501-6
Chapter in Book - Research
Perumal, V., Daniel, B., & Butson, R. (2017). Learning analytics of clinical anatomy e-cases. In B. K. Daniel (Ed.), Big data and learning analytics in higher education: Current theory and practice. (pp. 253-263). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Chapter in Book - Research
Daniel, B. K. (2016). The semantic web, open educational resources, and flipped classroom. In C. Wankel & A. Stachowicz-Stanusch (Eds.), Emerging web 3.0/Semantic web applications in higher education: Growing personalization and wider interconnections in learning. (pp. 39-53). Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
Chapter in Book - Research
Daniel, B. K. (2018). Foreword. In B. H. Kahn, J. R. Corbeil & M. E. Corbeil (Eds.), Responsible analytics and data mining in education: Global perspectives on quality, support, and decision making. Routledge.
Chapter in Book - Other
Corre, P. H. C., Alexander, A., Daniel, B. K., & Wibowo, E. (2023). Job prospects and career pathways for human anatomy graduates from the University of Otago: Implications for student support and professional development. Anatomical Sciences Education, 16, 582-599. doi: 10.1002/ase.2243
Journal - Research Article
Friedlander, L., Hunt, G., Chandler, N., & Daniel, B. (2023). Students' experience and perceptions of undergraduate endodontic education in New Zealand. Australian Endodontic Journal. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/aej.12770
Journal - Research Article
Koh, J. H. L., Daniel, B. K., & Greenman, A. C. (2023). Adaptiveness for online learning: Conceptualising ‘online learning dexterity’ from higher education students’ experiences. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s40841-023-00287-2
Journal - Research Article
Park, J. S., Daniel, B. K., Wong, P. Y., Abbott, P. V., & Ngo, H. C. (2023). Dental students' knowledge of and attitudes towards prescribing medication in Western Australia. European Journal of Dental Education, 27, 287-295. doi: 10.1111/eje.12802
Journal - Research Article
Daniel, B. (2022). The role of research methodology in enhancing postgraduate students research experience. Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 20(1), 34-48. doi: 10.34190/ejbrm.20.1.2253
Journal - Research Article
Daniel, B. K. (2022). Common challenges postgraduate students and early-career academics face when engaging with the scholarly literature. Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 20(3), 142-152. doi: 10.34190/ejbrm.20.3.2503
Journal - Research Article
Koh, J. H. L., & Daniel, B. K. (2022). Shifting online during COVID-19: A systematic review of teaching and learning strategies and their outcomes. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 19, 56. doi: 10.1186/s41239-022-00361-7
Journal - Research Article
Lesā, R. P., Daniel, B. K., & Harland, T. (2022). Student nurse experiences of learning from clinical practice and simulations in New Zealand: A descriptive qualitative study. Journal of Professional Nursing, 41, 58-64. doi: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2022.04.009
Journal - Research Article
Wafaie, K., Mohammed, H., Mohamed, A. M., Zhou, J., Daniel, B., & Yiqiang, Q. (2022). A qualitative study of orthodontic patients' experiences in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics, 161(5), e498-e506. doi: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2021.11.010
Journal - Research Article
Lesā, R., Daniel, B., & Harland, T. (2021). Learning with simulation: The experience of nursing students. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 56, 57-65. doi: 10.1016/j.ecns.2021.02.009
Journal - Research Article
Mahroeian, H., & Daniel, B. (2021). Is New Zealand's higher education sector ready to employ analytics initiatives to enhance its decision-making process? International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 31, 940-979. doi: 10.1007/s40593-020-00234-y
Journal - Research Article
Nkomo, L. M., & Daniel, B. K. (2021). Sentiment analysis of student engagement with lecture recording. TechTrends, 65, 213-224. doi: 10.1007/s11528-020-00563-8
Journal - Research Article
Nkomo, L. M., Daniel, B. K., & Butson, R. J. (2021). Synthesis of student engagement with digital technologies: A systematic review of the literature. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 18, 34. doi: 10.1186/s41239-021-00270-1
Journal - Research Article
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