Alex Little - CV

Innovative educational technology professional with a strong foundation in software development. Passionate about advancing research in education technology, excited by the possibilities of appropriate machine learning and AI tools to provide personalised learnering pathways.

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Experience

2017-present
Technical Advisor/Consultant
Alex Little Consulting Services, Finland

  • Product owner for the open source OppiaMobile learning platform
  • Supporting implementation of nationally-scaled mobile applications for health workers in Ethiopia, Uganda and Liberia for their Covid-19 response
  • Providing support and advice for user field testing, analytics and to monitoring and evaluation teams
  • User Centered Design workshops for WHO for developing a Global Dementia Observatory platform

2014-2019
Knowledge Management Advisor
Consultancy role with mPowering Frontline Health Workers, USA

  • Leading development of the ORB platform - for sharing openly licensed health worker training content
  • Strategic support to mPowering's partner organisations
  • Supporting ORB users and organisations in how they can submit and use the content on ORB to deliver effective training programs for frontline health workers

2011-2016
Co-founder and Director
Digital Campus, UK

A not-for-profit company promoting research, innovation and development of learning through technology, focusing on primary healthcare.

  • Successfully obtaining UK AID Direct funding for 3-year project in Ethiopia to train rural health workers using mobile technologies
  • Technical development of OppiaMobile learning platform
  • Responsible for company and project budgeting and finances
  • Liaison and collaboration with NGOs and commercial organizations for partnership and project development

2010-2012
IT and eLearning Project Manager
Universidad de Alcalá, Spain

Advising on and managing the implementation and development of new technologies for rural health workers - part of a joint PhD programme between Alcalá, Mekelle and Maastricht Universities

2008-2010
IT and eLearning Advisor
Mekelle University, Ethiopia

Through a Voluntary Services Overseas placement, managing the implementation of elearning in a challenging environment. Advising on the development of IT infrastructure and training local staff to ensure sustainability.

2006-2008
Lead Developer in Social Software
Knowledge Media Institute, Open University, UK

Leading the development of social software tools as part of the OpenLearn project. Integrating instant messaging, video conferencing and knowledge management tools into the Moodle virtual learning environment.

2001-2008
Senior Developer
Institute of Educational Technology, Open University, UK

Technical development for international, externally funded projects in educational technology, developing research project proposals. Included 2 month placement at Macquarie University, Sydney.

Education

Sept 1996 – July 1997
Postgraduate Diploma - Software Development
Leeds Metropolitan University, UK

Oct 1991 – June 1994
BSc Hons Degree - Mathematics
Leeds University, UK

Courses

Sept 2024
HarvardX CS109x - Introduction to Data Science with Python
EdX

Mar 2022
Being an Agile Leader
Savonia

Feb 2022
Big Data and IoT for Digital Health
Savonia

Jan 2022
Introduction to R
UEF

Jan 2022
Big Data 101
Cognitive Class - IBM

Oct 2021
Client-Oriented Social and Health Care Services
Savonia

12-15 August 2008
Training Skills
VSO

2-6 July 2008
Skills for Working in Development (SKWID)
VSO

June 2008
Improving your Negotiating Skills
Open University, UK

March 2008
Effective Leadership Skills
Open University, UK

25 – 29 July 2005
Web Component Development with Java
Sun Educational Services

Feb – Oct 2005
Understanding Law (W200)
Open University, UK

May 2004 – July 2004
Law, the Internet and Society: technology and the future of ideas (T182)
Open University, UK

Nov 2003 – Apr 2004
Software Development for Networked Applications using Java (M874)
Open University, UK

Publications

2017
Quality of routine health data collected by health workers using smartphone at primary health care in Ethiopia
Medhanyie AA, Spigt M, Yebyo H, Little A, Tadesse K, Dinant GJ, Blanco R

Int J Med Inform. 2017 May;101:9-14. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2017.01.016. Epub 2017 Jan 24

2015
Establishing a Global End-to-End Mobile Content Distribution Process for Health Workers
mPowering Frontline Health Workers, sponsored by Qualcomm

This report shares an initial blueprint to create a scalable, locally sustainable, end-to-end content distribution process that uses mobile technology to provide frontline health workers access to relevant health content.

2013
Meeting Community Health Worker Needs for Maternal Health Care Service Delivery Using Appropriate Mobile Technologies in Ethiopia
Little A, Medhanyie A, Yebyo H, Spigt M, Dinant G-J, et al. (2013)

PLoS ONE 8(10): e77563. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.00775

2008
MSG Instant Messenger: Social Presence and Location for the "Ad Hoc Learning Experience"
Alex Little, Chris Denham, and Marc Eisenstadt (2008)

Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2008(1), p. Art. 2. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5334/2008-2.

2008
Using knowledge media tools to foster open learning communities
Okada, A., Tomadaki, E., Little, A. and Bachler, M. (2008)

For the handbook Social Software and developing Community Ontology, by IGI group

2006
Learning Design, generic service descriptions and universal acid
Weller, M, Little, A., McAndrew, P. & Woods, W. (2006)

ISSN 1436-4522. IEEE Educational Technology and Society

2005
Developing an approach for Learning Design Players
McAndrew, P., Nadolski, R. and Little, A. (2005)

Journal of Interactive Media in Education (Advances in Learning Design. Special Issue, eds. Colin Tattersall, Rob Koper), 2005/14. ISSN:1365-893X

2004
Implementing Learning Design to support web-based learning
McAndrew, P., Woods, W.I.S., Little, A., Weller, M.J., Koper, R. & Vogten, H. (2004)

Presented at AusWeb 2004, GoldCoast, Australia 3-7 July 2004