Leonie+Ramondt

Leonie Ramondt Leonie’s interest in participative theatre goes back to the late 70s when she was involved in various forms of improvisational theatre. This led to her using drama to build the self-esteem, social skills and self direction of people with disabilities by enlisting participants in writing and performing in their graduation play. While teaching multimedia design at Edith Cowan University in Perth Australia, Leonie was influenced by to the drama in education work of Dorothy Heathcote and her “Mantle of the Expert” methodology that challenges the learner to step into the shoes of another.

In 1994 Leonie pioneered work in cyber theatre with the Arthur project – an interactive theatre video piece. In 1995 she supported drama students to design the Playbuilding CD Rom to teach their peers improvisational theatre. This work provided the basis of her constructivist M ED thesis entitled “The Experience of Flow and Learning by Designing Multimedia”. Leonie was invited to work at ULTRALAB by Professor Stephen Heppell in 1997 where she researched and developed online learning communities. In 2006, Leonie became impressed by the depth and complexity of learning and the strength of community generated in massively multi-user online role-play games (MMORPGs). She subsequently spent much of her spare time over two years exploring World of Warcraft (WoW) as a player, always reflecting on what it offers as a learning environment. This led her to present at several conferences on this topic. Leonie’s premise is that the finely honed WoW can inform the design of immersive “real world” learning experiences whether online or offline. Leonie Ramondt is currently a Learning Development Consultant at Anglia Ruskin University where she assists colleagues to use technology effectively and to make their curriculum inclusive. She is also the instructional designer for a work based distance-learning programme. leonie.ramondt@anglia.ac.uk [] Selected publications · Ramondt, L.S., Beyond Second Life exploring the use of immersive technologies for learning, Networks, Cambridge, Inspire, 2009 · Ramondt, L.S. (2008) Towards the adoption of Massively Multiplayer Educational Gaming, Relive08, Researching Learning in Virtual Environments International Conference, Milton Keynes, The OU, 258-268 pages · Ramondt, L.S., Imagineering for Foresight 2030 workshop, [|www.lkl.ac.uk/rnoss/foresight/leonieramondt.doc], thinkpiece, London Knowledge Lab, Jan 2008 · Ramondt, L. (2008) Chapter 18: CoPs: the next generation In Kimble, C, Hildreth, P., (eds), Volume 2: Communities of Practice: Creating Learning Environments for Educators, London, Information age publishing, 365-391 pages, ISBN=1593118651 (bookchapter) · Ramondt, L., Watts, L. (2005) Sustainability through engagement: Storytelling strategies as incentives for Participation, GROUP '05- Supporting Group Work, ACM SIGROUP, available at [] Sustaining Community Workgroup, · Chapman C, Ramondt L, Smiley G (2005) Strong Community, Deep Learning: Exploring the Link, Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 42 (3), 217-230 · Heppell S, Ramondt L (01 Jan 1998) Online learning - implications for the University for Industry: a preliminary case study report, Journal of Education through Partnership, 2 (2) · Hancock A, Ramondt L, Drama on CD: The Playbuilding CD Rom project, Media International Australia, 81, 41-48, 01 Aug 1996 · Hancock A, Ramondt L, Computers and drama, Drama- One forum many voices, 4(3), 22-28, 01 Jan 1996 · Ramondt, L, Hancock, A. Can multimedia bridge the divide between computing and the arts ? The Playbuilding CD, a case study. AUC Academic Conference 'From Virtual to Reality' The University of Queensland 1996 available at []