Sanna Rimpiläinen (MA, MSc) is a full-time doctoral research student at the University of Stirling, School of Education. Her PhD studentship is linked to a large, interdisciplinary research and development project Ensemble, part of the Technology Enhanced Learning programme funded jointly by the ESRC and EPSRC.
Her study concerns the research and development practices of educational researchers and computer scientists working together, studying case-based learning in a number of settings in Higher Education and developing semantic web-applications for supporting these activities. She is studying, using an Actor-Network Theory approach and multiple ethnographic methods, how an innovative piece of semantic technology might – or might not - emerge through the heterogeneous research and development practices engaged in the project, especially in relation to one of the research settings, the discipline of Archaeology. The Science and Technology Studies have traditionally focussed on studying the work of scientists. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relatively unproblematised practices of research and technology development undertaken in an interdisciplinary setting between social sciences (Education) and the sciences (Computer Sciences).
Sanna’s supervisors are Professor Richard Edwards at the University of Stirling and Prof. Patrick Carmichael at the Liverpool John Moores University.
Prior to embarking on the PhD, Sanna worked for the Applied Educational Research Scheme of Scotland (2004-2008). Her job as a Research Officer was divided between research, information management and supporting the use of Sakai Virtual Research Environment by educational research teams within or linked to the AERS in Scotland. In 2006-08 Sanna was also involved in piloting an international online-course ‘Networked Learning: Progressive Inquiry and Knowledge Building’ with colleagues from the University of Strathclyde, OPEKO and the Centre for Research on Networked Learning and Knowledge Building at the University of Helsinki, Finland. She completed a part-time MSc in Applied Educational Research in 2008 at the University of Strathclyde. Her first degree (MA) is from the Department of Cultural Studies at the University of Turku, Finland, in 2000.
Recent conference papers:
Rimpiläinen, Sanna (2010). Knowledge in Networks, Knowing in Transactions. Paper presented at the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology, 2nd-4th September, University of Trento, Italy.
Jordan, Katy and Rimpiläinen, Sanna (2010). The many phases and faces of the Semantic Spider. Paper presented at the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology, 2nd-4th September, University of Trento, Italy.
Rimpiläinen, Sanna. (2010). Actor Network Theory, Pragmatism and empirical data. Paper presented at the First International Theorising Education Conference, 24th-26th June 2010, University of Stirling.
Rimpiläinen, Sanna and Edwards, Richard. (2009) The ANTics of Educational Research: Researching Case-based Learning through Objects and Texts. Paper presented at the 5th Annual CRESC conference, 1st – 4th September 2009, University of Manchester.
Rimpiläinen, Sanna. (2009) Multiple Enactments? An Actor Network Theory approach to studying educational research practices. Paper presented at Laboratory for Educational Theory -conference, Stirling 26th – 27th June 2009.
Carmichael, Patrick; Rimpiläinen, Sanna and Procter, Richard (2006). ‘Sakai: A Virtual Research Environment for Education’ Paper presented at BERA Conference, September 2006, Warwick.
Rimpiläinen, Sanna and Carmichael, Patrick (2006) ‘Sakai: A Virtual Research Environment for Education Research’ Paper presented as part of Panel on ‘Collaboration and Engagement: the use of new technologies across the Teaching and Learning Research Programme and the Applied Educational Research Scheme’ at NCeSS Annual Conference, June 2006.
Recent publications
Cassidy, Claire and Rimpiläinen, Sanna (2009) VRE case study. Students’ engagement with a virtual research environment. In: The Official Sakai workbook, Part VI Buying into Open Source Sakai, In Chapter 20: Showcases. Published by Wiley.
Applied Educational Research Scheme (2008): Glow or glimmer? Realising the Potential of Virtual Research Environments in Scottish Education.
Wilson, Alastair; Rimpiläinen, Sanna; Skinner, Don; Cassidy, Claire; Christie, Donald, Coutts, Norman; and Sinclair, Christine (2007). Using a Virtual Research Environment to support new models of collaborative and participative research in Scottish education. In: Technology, Pedagogy and Education, Vol. 16, No. 3. (October 2007), pp. 289-304.
Christie, Donald and Cassidy, Claire and Skinner, Don and Coutts, Norman and Sinclair, Christine M. and Rimpiläinen, Sanna and Wilson, Alastair (2007) Building collaborative communities of enquiry in educational research. Educational Research and Evaluation, 13 (3). pp. 263-278.
Rimpiläinen, Sanna and Carmichael, Patrick (2006) ‘Sakai: An Environment for Virtual Research’ Ennen & Nyt 2006 (2)
Carmichael, Patrick, Procter, Richard, Rimpiläinen, Sanna and Laterza, Vito (2006). SAKAI: A Virtual Research Environment for Education. Research Intelligence 96 (August 2006) pp.18-19.
