Thomas Connolly

Thomas Connolly is a Professor and Head of Creative Technologies at the University of the West of Scotland, Director of the research Institute for Creative Technologies and Applied Computing (ICTAC) and Chair of the Centre for ICT in Education (ICTE). He has published over 150 papers in online learning, games-based learning, Web2.0 technologies and database systems. He is also Director of the Scottish Centre for Enabling Technologies (SCET), whose mission is to support large and small companies in the adoption of emerging technologies, particularly with the Creative Industries sector. In the past 5 years, he has managed over 150 projects with Scottish companies, increasing company turnover by over 65 million and creating 500 jobs and safeguarding a further 900 jobs.

Publications

Integrating Assessment, Feedback, and Learning Analytics in Educational Games: Literature Review and Design of an Assessment Engine
Integrating Assessment, Feedback, and Learning Analytics in Educational Games: Literature Review and Design of an Assessment Engine
Yaëlle Chaudy, Thomas M. Connolly. © 2019. 43 pages.
Assessment is a crucial aspect of any teaching and learning process. New tools such as educational games offer promising advantages: they can personalize feedback to students and...
Assessment Integration in Serious Games
Assessment Integration in Serious Games
Thomas Hainey, Thomas M. Connolly, Yaëlle Chaudy, Elizabeth Boyle, Richard Beeby, Mario Soflano. © 2015. 26 pages.
Serious Games (SG) are developing a reputation with some educationalists as a useful supplementary approach for teaching and learning. Two important issues for SG application...
A Randomised Controlled Trial to Evaluate Learning Effectiveness Using an Adaptive Serious Game to Teach SQL at Higher Education Level
A Randomised Controlled Trial to Evaluate Learning Effectiveness Using an Adaptive Serious Game to Teach SQL at Higher Education Level
Thomas Hainey, Mario Soflano, Thomas M. Connolly. © 2015. 22 pages.
The literature suggests that every learner has a particular Learning Style (LS) and it is beneficial for the teacher and the learning approach to adapt to and accommodate these...
Psychology, Pedagogy, and Assessment in Serious Games
Psychology, Pedagogy, and Assessment in Serious Games
Thomas M. Connolly, Thomas Hainey, Elizabeth Boyle, Gavin Baxter, Pablo Moreno-Ger. © 2014. 522 pages.
As the widespread use of digital entertainment has changed not only the ways in which we spend our leisure time but also how we learn and communicate, Serious Games have emerged...
A Randomised Controlled Trial to Evaluate Learning Effectiveness Using an Adaptive Serious Game to Teach SQL at Higher Education Level
A Randomised Controlled Trial to Evaluate Learning Effectiveness Using an Adaptive Serious Game to Teach SQL at Higher Education Level
Thomas Hainey, Mario Soflano, Thomas M. Connolly. © 2014. 22 pages.
The literature suggests that every learner has a particular Learning Style (LS) and it is beneficial for the teacher and the learning approach to adapt to and accommodate these...
Assessment Integration in Serious Games
Assessment Integration in Serious Games
Thomas Hainey, Thomas M. Connolly, Yaëlle Chaudy, Elizabeth Boyle, Richard Beeby, Mario Soflano. © 2014. 25 pages.
Serious Games (SG) are developing a reputation with some educationalists as a useful supplementary approach for teaching and learning. Two important issues for SG application...
Organisational Blogging: The Problem of Engagement
Organisational Blogging: The Problem of Engagement
Gavin J. Baxter, Thomas Connolly, Mark Stansfield. © 2013. 17 pages.
This paper investigates the implementation and use of an internal organisational blog by several departments in the HR division in a large public sector financial organisation in...
Using Scratch with Primary School Children: An Evaluation of Games Constructed to Gauge Understanding of Programming Concepts
Using Scratch with Primary School Children: An Evaluation of Games Constructed to Gauge Understanding of Programming Concepts
Amanda Wilson, Thomas Hainey, Thomas M. Connolly. © 2013. 17 pages.
Newer approaches such as games-based learning (GBL) and games based-construction are being adopted to motivate and engage students within the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) in...
Learning 2.0: Using Web 2.0 Technologies for Learning in an Engineering Course
Learning 2.0: Using Web 2.0 Technologies for Learning in an Engineering Course
Thomas Connolly, Carole Gould, Gavin J. Baxter, Tom Hainey. © 2012. 24 pages.
Technology, and in particular the Web, have had a significant impact in all aspects of society including education and training with institutions investing heavily in...
Teachers’ Views on the Approach of Digital Games-Based Learning within the Curriculum for Excellence
Teachers’ Views on the Approach of Digital Games-Based Learning within the Curriculum for Excellence
Aishah Abdul Razak, Thomas Connolly, Thomas Hainey. © 2012. 19 pages.
A radical reform in education has happened in Scotland by introducing a new curriculum known as the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE). This new curriculum promotes active learning...
Evaluating Games-Based Learning
Evaluating Games-Based Learning
Thomas Hainey, Thomas Connolly. © 2012. 15 pages.
A highly important part of software engineering education is requirements collection and analysis, one of the initial stages of the Software Development Lifecycle. No other...
International Journal of Game-Based Learning (IJGBL)
International Journal of Game-Based Learning (IJGBL)
Patrick Felicia. Est. 2011.
The International Journal of Game-Based Learning (IJGBL) is devoted to the theoretical and empirical understanding of game-based learning. To achieve this aim, the journal...
From E-Learning to Games-Based E-Learning
From E-Learning to Games-Based E-Learning
Thomas Connolly, Mark Stansfield. © 2011. 11 pages.
The emergence of the Internet has had a significant impact on higher education where we have seen elearning evolve from a marginal form of education to a commonly accepted and...
The Use of Computer Games in Education: A Review of the Literature
The Use of Computer Games in Education: A Review of the Literature
Thomas Hainey, Thomas Connolly, Mark Stansfield, Liz Boyle. © 2011. 22 pages.
Games-based learning has captured the interest of educationalists as it is perceived as a potentially highly motivating approach for learning in a diverse number of areas....
ARGuing for Multilingual Motivation in Web 2.0: An Evaluation of a Large-Scale European Pilot
ARGuing for Multilingual Motivation in Web 2.0: An Evaluation of a Large-Scale European Pilot
Thomas Hainey, Thomas Connolly, Mark Stansfield, Liz Boyle. © 2011. 21 pages.
While there are some teachers who are dubious about the benefits of gaming in education, language teachers make great use of simulation/gaming methodologies, and there are many...
Organisational Blogging: The Problem of Engagement
Organisational Blogging: The Problem of Engagement
Gavin J. Baxter, Thomas Connolly, Mark Stansfield. © 2011. 17 pages.
This paper investigates the implementation and use of an internal organisational blog by several departments in the HR division in a large public sector financial organisation in...
International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments (IJVPLE)
International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments (IJVPLE)
Thomas Connolly. Est. 2010.
The International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments (IJVPLE) provides readers with comprehensive coverage of developments in learning technologies for an...
Evaluating Games-Based Learning
Evaluating Games-Based Learning
Thomas Hainey, Thomas Connolly. © 2010. 15 pages.
A highly important part of software engineering education is requirements collection and analysis, one of the initial stages of the Software Development Lifecycle. No other...
Games-Based Learning Advancements for Multi-Sensory Human Computer Interfaces: Techniques and Effective Practices
Games-Based Learning Advancements for Multi-Sensory Human Computer Interfaces: Techniques and Effective Practices
Thomas Connolly, Mark Stansfield, Liz Boyle. © 2009. 394 pages.
Games-based learning focuses on the exploration of high-quality computer games and associated software tools for education and training. Games-Based Learning Advancements for...
Institutional Transformation through Best Practices in Virtual Campus Development: Advancing E-Learning Policies
Institutional Transformation through Best Practices in Virtual Campus Development: Advancing E-Learning Policies
Mark Stansfield, Thomas Connolly. © 2009. 354 pages.
The Internet has had a monumental impact upon higher education with the development of e-learning and virtual campus initiatives. This has provided significant opportunities in...
Games-Based E-Learning: Implications and Challenges for Higher Education and Training
Games-Based E-Learning: Implications and Challenges for Higher Education and Training
Thomas Connolly, Mark Stansfield. © 2009. 15 pages.
This chapter introduces games-based e-learning as a means of providing enriching and stimulating learning experiences within higher education and training. It highlights how...
From E-Learning to Games-Based E-Learning
From E-Learning to Games-Based E-Learning
Thomas M. Connolly, Mark Stansfield. © 2009. 8 pages.
The emergence of the Internet has had a significant impact on higher education where we have seen elearning evolve from a marginal form of education to a commonly accepted and...
Towards the Development of a Games-Based Learning Evaluation Framework
Towards the Development of a Games-Based Learning Evaluation Framework
Thomas Connolly, Mark Stansfield, Thomas Hainey. © 2009. 23 pages.
The field of games-based learning (GBL) has a dearth of empirical evidence supporting the validity of the approach (Connolly, Stansfield, & Hainey, 2007a; de Freitas, 2006). One...
Games for Learning: Does Gender Make a Difference?
Games for Learning: Does Gender Make a Difference?
Elizabeth A. Boyle, Thomas Connolly. © 2009. 16 pages.
Developing educational computer games that will appeal to both males and females adds an additional level of complexity to an already complicated process. Schools and...
Guiding Principles for Identifying and Promoting Best Practice in Virtual Campuses
Guiding Principles for Identifying and Promoting Best Practice in Virtual Campuses
Mark Stansfield, Thomas Connolly. © 2009. 16 pages.
This chapter will outline a set of guiding principles underpinning key issues in the promotion of best practice in virtual campuses. The work was conducted as part of the...