Simon Grant's professional CV

A Simon Grant

photo of me
E-mail: asimong@gmail.com
Web site: https://www.simongrant.org/
Mobile phone: +44 (0) 7710031657 or +32 (0) 485821368
Birth:1956 Cumberland, England
Location:near Kortenaken, Belgium; secondary base in Lancaster, England

Current career profile

Principal transferable skills profile

Computing skills

Educational skills

Main consultancy, projects and related achievements

relevant dateswork done
2023 – now Refocusing on RegenCHOICE
2015 – 2018 External advisor to Erasmus+ "MyLK" project in the area of portfolios, skills and competence.
2014 Conceived and delivered prototype of new approach to collaborative development of ideas and careers, provisionally called SEE-SAW
2011 – 2013 Leader of European Expert team writing an information model and bindings for InLOC: Integrating Learning Outcomes and Competences.
2009 – 2010 Member of 4-person European Expert team writing guidelines and a European Standard (EN 15981) for European Learner Mobility.
2008 – 2010 Information systems lead on HEFCE-funded employer engagment HE5P project with Centre for Recording Achievement (Higher Education, Employee and Employer Engagement through E-Portfolios).
2008 – 2009 Managed two rounds of Portfolio InterOperability Projects for CETIS and JISC, resulting in the LEAP2A specification.
2007 – 2009 Wrote book Electronic Portfolios: Personal information, personal development and personal values, published in 2009 by Chandos, now an imprint of Elsevier. (Full text available here)
2007 – 2008 Worked on ioNW2 project investigating representation of National Occupational Standards and related skills and competencies.
2000 – 2001 Part of team conceiving, formulating, specifying and starting to develop a radically new software product range, based on CHOICE, combining human information and technical insights for start-up company (on a venture equity basis). Lack of support, post 9/11, led to disbanding by 2002.
2001 Delivered e-business strategy advice to 27 small businesses under a contract from Business Link Merseyside, under the scheme which was known as UKOnlineforbusiness.
1997 – 2000 LUSID: a Government-commissioned development project for recording and profiling student employability skills, along with evidence and achievements. Joint author of the ideas; chief information architect and interaction designer, managed IT systems development.
1997 – 1999 E-commerce course authoring and development for Connect, the Internet Centre for Merseyside Business. Researched e-commerce and developed a pioneering course single-handed.
1996 – 1999 Developed prototype of CHOICE, a two-way matching program initially imagined for commercial exploitation.
1991 Worked as part of a team at Loughborough University building an innovative interface for BT Research Labs. Involved generating ideas and implementing them in PostScript.
1974 During "gap" year worked for the Ordnance Survey effectively doing small consultancy jobs for the Deputy Director, Planning and Development.

 

Employment responsibilities

relevant dateswork done
2024 – now retired from paid work, focusing on Knowledge Commons and RegenCHOICE
2015 – 2024 Co-founder and Partner, Cetis LLP, a co-operative Limited Liability Partership taking forward the work of CETIS. Major responsibility for administration and accounting.
2008 – 2015 University of Bolton, (as was) Institute for Educational Cybernetics, majority time post as Senior Researcher and Learning Technology Advisor, e-portfolio, for JISC-CETIS.
1999 – now Self-employed information systems consultant.
1996 – 1999 Connect, University of Liverpool (was part of the Department of Computer Science): lecturer: research; writing and delivering training courses to business and unemployed.
1994 – 1996 European Commission Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy: post-doctoral researcher in cognitive science.
1991 – 1994 City University: Lecturer in Business Computing. Taught human-computer interaction (author of undergraduate module); systems analysis and design principles. Administered admissions for the department's main MSc course.
1978 – 1986 Teaching physics, maths etc.; also self-employed as tutor and hypnotherapist.

Knowledge base and how acquired

Conflict resolution
Experience in jointly leading Restorative Circles as a community member. Helping to reframe governance proposals between members with opposing starting points.
Consensus practice
I have acquired much experience in consensus practice: first from Quaker business, which is close to though not exactly consensus; then from work in the field of learning technology standardization, at national, European and international levels; and latterly from living within a consensus-managed co-housing project.
E-portfolio principles and tools
LUSID had many aspects of an e-portfolio system. Work for the JISC involved much investigation of e-portfolio systems and definitions, and interaction with e-portfolio projects. Attended several ePortfolio conferences, 2003 onwards.
Interoperability specifications and standards
Work on BS 8788 (UKLeaP – core member of team) and IMS ePortfolio. Involvement with relevant teams and committees of IMS; BSI; CEN; ISO; W3C.
E-business principles and techniques
Originating from detailed study of books, articles and Internet resources and extensive discussions with vendors and practitioners at e-commerce shows, developed by research, consultancy and discussion with many small businesses while giving introductory e-commerce course, and then independent paid consultancy. Wide ranging consultations with leading public and private sector figures in Merseyside.
Management principles
From 1987 PGDipIT course, added to from management training courses, and practical experience of managing projects.
Principles of usability, human factors and human-computer interaction
From PhD study, extended through university course teaching and development, and practical project work.
Business information systems analysis and design
From 1987 course at (as was) Bristol Polytechnic, developed through teaching the subject at City University and associated student projects.
Cognitive science
From PhD, and subsequent research work at the JRC in Italy, including collaboration with several European network partners researching in the area.

Education

relevant datesqualifications and institution
1987 – 1991 PhD, University of Strathclyde, "Modelling cognitive aspects of complex control tasks". In Computer Science department, supervised by a psychologist, worked alongside AI researchers.
1987 Post-Graduate Diploma in Information Technology, Bristol Polytechnic: distinction (top in year). Subjects included systems analysis and design, programming, management.
1977 – 1978 Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (for secondary school physics teaching), University of Oxford.
1974 – 1977 BA Physics and Philosophy, University of Oxford
1969 – 1974 Scholar at Winchester College (secondary education)

Other skills, interests and responsibilities

 

page maintained by and © Simon Grant, edition 2016-12-19