Mathematics
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Dr Barrie Cooper

Co-Director of Education (Mathematics & Comput

Email:

Telephone: 01392 723936

Extension: (Streatham) 3936

I am Co-Director of Education for Mathematics and Computer Science and Academic Lead for the Education & Scholarship team in Computer Science, Engineering, Maths and Physics. I also teach on the PCAP programme for staff new to teaching in Higher Education.

My research interests include representation theory and the various guises in which it appears in theoretical physics (particularly quantum field theory and string theory).  In particular, I enjoy building bridges between disparate areas of mathematics and physics and trying to understand much of the mathematics in theoretical physics papers from a rigorous mathematical perspective .  In recent years, I have also become interested in the practical and theoretical aspects concerning pedagogy.

I have led a number of education projects over the last 3 years including:

  • a HEA Teaching Development Grant (2013) aiming to improve the quality of feedback provided by markers; 
  • an internal e-assessment project (2012) with Steve Rose, developing randomised computer-marked quizzes for mathematics in Moodle;
  • four HE STEM projects (2012) focusing on employability, employer engagement and widening participation;
  • the HEA/JISC-managed project "Open STEM" (2011), which produced high quality training resources for mathematics and biosciences teachers in Higher Education.

I am also an academic adviser for the DARO-funded "Mathematics and Statistics Support Service" providing multi-disciplinary mathematics and statistics support across the University.  I am currently the External Examiner for UCL's ARENA scheme and I am a member of the ASPIRE Management Group at the University of Exeter.

Selected conferences, workshops and publications include:

  • HEA STEM Conference (2014), Improving assessment and feedback literacy for students and staff, University of Edinburgh.
  • HEA STEM Conference (2012), Embedding student-led change in the curriculum (URL correct at 12/09/12), Imperial College London;
  • Workshop (2012), Employability in the curriculum, Sheffield;
  •  ALDinHE (2012) with Trevor Day, Generic graduate attributes and writing development: how do they fit together?, Leeds;
  • HE STEM workshop, Addressing the needs of employers: writing development and other
    forms of engagement on undergraduate STEM programmes, Bath (2012) and Manchester (2011);
  • HE STEM workshop (2012), Group work and Asperger syndrome, Bath;
  • MSOR Conference (2011), Summer internships in sigma-sw (URL correct at 12/09/12), Coventry;
  • ALT Conference (2011), Open STEM: open educational discipline-specific
    resources for professional development in HE, Leeds;
  • HEA Conference (2011), Open STEM: discipline-specific resources for CPD in mathematics and biosciences, Nottingham;
  • OER11 (2011) with Tom Browne, Promoting effective engagement with UK PSF for STEM, Manchester.