Applied Research at Coventry University

ISSUE 4 autumn 2008

Do you need to find an innovative solution to

a difficult problem?

At Coventry University, our applied research teams

work closely with your organisation, applying their
knowledge and expertise to devise inventive and
original solutions for real-world problems.

At a local, national and international level, we work

with clients across the public, private and voluntary
sectors. From art to design, health to sports,
regeneration to human security, mathematics to
engineering, computing to communications –
we can find a solution that’s right for you.

Applied Research at Coventry University

www.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet

Printed on Revive 75 Matt from the Robert Horne Group, which contains at least
75% recovered fibre and is produced at a mill that holds the ISO 14001 certificate
for environmental management. The pulp is bleached using a combination of
Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) and Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) methods.

World of enterprise
How work in Shanghai and support for
UK businesses made Coventry one of
the most entrepreneurial universities

Lights out
Helping householders to conserve more
energy in the fight against climate change

Life saving detection

How a new diagnostic device for malaria
could save thousands of lives
 Contents
Applied Research at Coventry University : Issue 4 4 News
The latest research news from across the campus
SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
Welcome to the autumn 2008 issue of
Innovate, the applied research magazine 8 Time for a SEE change
19 Bringing humanity back into the economy
from Coventry University.
In this issue we have cause to celebrate 10 Muslim diversity
as our enterprising commitments have Why we need to understand different Muslim communities
recently been recognised in the 2008 Times 12 Energy saving begins at home
Higher Education awards. These national How Coventry is helping the fight against climate change
awards attract entries from the great and ENTERPRISE
good in UK higher education and Coventry 14 Virtual learning
was proud to be nominated in three Understanding the effects of moving the classroom online
categories and win an award in two of them.
16 26 16 World of enterprise
Our Leadership Development programme won in the Revealing Coventry’s entrepreneurial attitude
Outstanding Contribution to Leadership Development category –
18 Sharing reaps rewards
seeing off fierce competition from five other institutions including
How HEFCE funding is supporting entrepreneurial partnerships
the London School of Economics and Newcastle University.
Getting the structure at the top right can only ensure success all 19 Breaking free of the office
A new scheme is helping academics work remotely
the way through an institution. This certainly rang true when we were
highly commended for our dedication to enterprise. 22 Lecture download
How new technology is changing interaction between students and
Management, academics and students at Coventry all exercise
lecturers
an entrepreneurial attitude throughout this University and we were
highly commended for the impact that is having internally and 24 In Focus: Durabuild
Specialist computing skills help a business through a Knowledge
throughout the UK.
Transfer Partnership
In this issue of Innovate we’ve aimed to give you a flavour of 14 28
our enterprising nature and the part we are playing in supporting HEALTH
businesses both locally and globally. 26 Migrating disease
Our new Institute of Applied Entrepreneurship is now at the heart Why there are growing numbers of HIV/AIDS cases in regions across
of our activities, creating a coordinated approach to our work and the UK
leading Coventry into future development. 28 Life saving detection
Funding councils such as HEFCE are heavily supporting future A new diagnostic device for malaria could save lives
initiatives and we continue to attract more businesses interested in 30 Fighting the superbug
working with us on research projects and business development. How lab testing helped Bostik launch a new germ-killing adhesive
I hope this issue gives you an insight into some of the 10
groundbreaking projects we are currently involved with and that you
Contact us
enjoy reading about this award-winning institution. If you would like to find out more about any of the articles within this issue,
If you have any comments please do not hesitate to get in touch. if you have a general enquiry about applied research, or to subscribe to
I look forward to hearing from you. future issues of Innovate, contact us at the following:
Telephone 024 7623 6364
Email innovate@coventry.ac.uk
Professor Ian M Marshall
Website www.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet
Pro Vice Chancellor (Research)
innovate@coventry.ac.uk Credits
Managing Editor Karen Smith
Written and edited by Cheryl Liddle
Designed by Kraken Creative
Printed by Emmersons

This publication is available in other formats on request.

Please contact Marketing and Communications on 024 7688 8352
Innovate news 04

NEWS IN BRIEF

Innovate news 05
Building future for construction training Business boost for SMEs
The next generation of engineers and The Design Hub has joined forces with other regional bodies to offer a package of support
builders will hone their leadership skills at a to help SMEs maximise their potential thanks to funding from the European Regional
new multi-million pound venue in Coventry Development Fund.
from autumn 2009. The Design Hub, the West Midlands Technology Network (WMTN), Innovation Challenge
Work began on the ACT-UK Simulation and the Institute for Creative Enterprises (ICE) will collectively offer fully funded website
Centre in September, which is being designs or refurbishments and/or a five day package of business advice and mentoring.
constructed in Coventry University’s The businesses eligible for assistance are SMEs (small to medium sized enterprises) from a
Technology Park. number of sectors to help develop all areas of their business through innovation.
The ground-breaking centre introduces So far, the WMTN has assisted over 1,000 companies, helping them create over 2,600 jobs
a pioneering form of simulation training and over £86 million in sales. The WMTN works with both start-up and established SMEs
using highly-skilled actors and a virtual reality to deliver practical help in product design and development and provide free access to
auditorium, which has a 16-metre, curved specialist skills and technologies from the region’s universities.
widescreen. Trainees will be able to navigate
every aspect of a building project recorded
established to operate the centre – ACT-UK
Ltd. Industry leaders are currently working
offers instant feedback and develops every
aspect of their construction personality.”
Working together with these partners, the Design Hub is offering a support package to
businesses to help them become more creative when it comes to developing new products
Refurbished
from real life by watching a 4-D simulation in partnership with ACT-UK Ltd to develop The centre facilities will offer business and and finding the right market to maximise their potential. Technocentre opens
on the screen. courses and scenarios. training facilities to construction students, A five day “pick and mix” package of business support, advice and mentoring will be
Regional development agency Advantage Michiel Schrijver, Managing Director of professionals and managers. It will also reflect tailor-made for companies wishing to take advantage of free design and assistance. Coventry University’s award-winning
West Midlands is contributing £6.6 million ACT-UK Ltd, said: “For the first time in the a lifelong-learning approach to training and Both the website and the support package are offered on a first come, first served basis conference centre is back in business after
towards the simulation centre in partnership UK we are able to offer training in both hard professional development including liaison and are open to SMEs from a number of sectors including: creative industries, manufacturing, a £1m extensive refurbishment programme.
with Coventry University and ACT-UK. and soft skills within a complex simulated with schools, colleges and universities as well engineering and design, food and drink, medical technologies and education and The new facilities can now cater for all
Agency funding has levered in a further construction environment. What sets this as construction companies. entertainment media. forms of corporate hospitality, conferences
£2.1m to the project, from Coventry training apart from any other is that it For more information: Lorna O'Neill from the Design Hub said: “This is a must for companies wishing to take and training days, with WiFi internet
University Enterprises Ltd, Learning and Skills simultaneously supplies trainees with key www.act-uk.co.uk or call 024 76 236 646 advantage of the range of skills we can provide. Coventry University’s Design Hub and connectivity throughout.
Council Coventry and Warwickshire leadership qualities of perspective and or e-mail: imagine@act-uk.co.uk partners work together to assist businesses by providing resources that would normally only The high-spec, custom-designed
and private sector investors in the company foresight, speeds up the learning process, be available to larger organisations. Both offers end in December and we only have limited rooms all have plasma screens and benefit
places left so I would advise companies to get in touch as soon as possible.” from natural daylight and balanced
For further information about the offers contact Lorna O'Neill on 024 7679 2230 or email air-conditioning.
Getting children reading LONeill@cad.coventry.ac.uk The largest conference room offers
flexible layouts and is equipped with a
Coventry schools were invited to the first research event of the stores. The club is open to children of all ages and they can sign up full stage set, advanced integrated PA
Reading and Child Development Applied Research Group (RCD for membership on the Coventry University website. Schools can system and an essential range of audio
ARG) in June as part of the National Year of Reading. arrange for Waterstone’s to run themed events on their premises. visual equipment.
Local teachers from a mixture of primary and secondary schools as The RCD ARG is concerned with all areas of reading development As well as the latest in conferencing aids,
well as parents, researchers and Coventry City Council attended the and reading difficulties, particularly the development of assessments the centre can also stream conferences
‘Getting Coventry Children Reading’ event.  of reading-related skills, the early identification of reading difficulties to the internet and between rooms to
Presentations included information on speech rhythm and and the evaluation and implementation of tuition methods and enable real and virtual conferences to run
reading development. Children’s poet and primary school teacher, therapies, including the use of new technology and computer-based simultaneously.
Neil Stevens gave teachers ideas on how to get children interested support for literacy. Francesca Elford, the sales and marketing
in writing and reciting poetry in ways that can enhance their For more information: officer at the TechnoCentre said:
appreciation of speech rhythm.  www.coventry.ac.uk/ “During the summer, we have invested
Delegates were also told about opportunities to get involved in researchnet/d/764 over £1m to refurbish the centre. The
research and collaborate with the ARG on forthcoming projects. improvements will enable us to offer a more
The much-publicised research into children’s text messaging and extensive service tailored to meet the needs
literacy development was also discussed and details of ongoing of individual clients and corporations.”
projects in the area were revealed. For more information call Francesca
Coventry Children’s Book Club also launched in September, which Elford on 024 7623 6016 or email the team
is a collaboration between the research group and Waterstone’s book conference.cad@coventry.ac.uk
Innovate news 06

NEWS IN BRIEF

Walking for life
Research into ways of promoting walking as
exercise is underway thanks to funding from
The Medical Research Council.
Researchers at Coventry University, the
University of Warwick and University College
London received £315,584 for a project
to develop and evaluate interventions to
promote walking, for delivery in primary care.  intervention previously developed by
Dr David French and Dr Jemma Edmunds
from Coventry and Professor Jeremy Dale
of the University of Warwick were also
awarded £53,000 by WC-PCR to fund a PhD
studentship on the same topic.
This research aims to promote “brisk”
walking, i.e. walking that results in being
slightly out of breath. Brisk walking counts
as “moderate” physical activity as described
in Government recommendations, which
are that people should engage in at least 30
minutes of “moderate or vigorous” exercise,
for at least five days each week, to gain health
protective benefits. However, over 60% of men
and 70% of women in England and Wales do
not meet these requirements, with activity
decreasing with age.  For further information please contact
Innovate news 07
Sonic treatment
Health problems due to physical inactivity, A revolutionary new ultrasonic treatment for
such as diabetes, are expected to increase liver and kidney cancer offers a surgery-free
dramatically in the future as a consequence, procedure for patients in the UK.
and may soon overtake smoking as the Research by Professor Tim Mason, Head of
behaviour that causes most ill-health and Sonochemistry alongside Chinese researchers
premature death.  at the Chongqing Medical University ran trials
The funded research builds on an at Churchill Hospital in Oxford and discovered
a type of focused ultrasound that could treat
Dr French and colleagues that helped 130 specific tumours.
volunteers increase their walking by 60%, Ultrasound is high frequency sound beyond
from an average of 20 mins/day to 32 mins/ the range of human hearing and has been
day, for at least six weeks. The new research used for a number of medical practices such as
aims to adapt this intervention so that it can looking inside the body to observe a growing
be delivered in primary care by practice foetus or to aid the rejuvenation of muscles
nurses and health trainers, targeted at and pain control.
patients for whom increasing physical activity Tim, who has been involved in
is a health priority.  sonochemistry research for the past 25 years,
It will be developed to be acceptable to explains that the key to this new type of
those delivering it, easy to deliver as intended ultrasonic cancer treatment is the ability to
and acceptable to patients attending primary focus low energy ultrasound beams to a small,
care. The research will also evaluate its high energy target in a tumour inside the body.
success in increasing walking amongst primary Professor Mason said: “It works because
care patients who receive the intervention, in Congratulations: Students graduated at a the individual beams are harmless but the
the short-term and longer-term. special ceremony at the Motorcycle Museum focus heats up and kills the cancerous cells in
in Birmingham a procedure known as High Intensity Focused
Stefanie Ashford at aa3117@coventry.ac.uk Ultrasound (HIFU). Patients lay over a small
Graduation for workplace students bath of water in which there are two concentric

Talking up new research group
Coventry University played host to internationally-renowned health
experts at a workshop held to mark the launch of the Applied Research
Group in Pre-hospital, Emergency and Cardiovascular Care (PHECC)
earlier this year.
Reflecting the scope of the new research group, talks were given by
some of the most eminent practitioners in their field.
The keynote speaker Professor Sir Muir Gray CBE, from the University
of Oxford, Chief Knowledge Officer to the NHS and Director of the
National Library for Health spoke about his vision for how modern
advances in communication technology could help to combat ill health
and improve outcomes for patients, now and in the future.
Professor Douglas Chamberlain CBE, from Brighton, spoke about
the development of ambulance services from their basic ‘first aid and
transport’ function in the 1960s through to the highly trained and
professional paramedics and emergency technicians of today.
Professor David Thompson, from the University of Leicester, and a former
director of the Nethersole School of Nursing at the Chinese University of
Hong Kong, gave an international perspective on cardiac rehabilitation
and Lt Col Rob Cole RAMC provided an expert overview of pre-hospital
and emergency care in the British Armed Forces, including how the latest
advances in treatment are made rapidly available to personnel injured
in Iraq and Afghanistan. Professor Peter Ellwood, from Cardiff, gave an
overview of the lifesaving role of aspirin.
Professor Tom Quinn and Professor Malcolm Woollard
are Co-directors of the PHECC group and Tom
said: “This event proved an ideal way to
‘showcase’ the work of our research team
to colleagues and future collaborators.”
For more information:
www.coventry.ac.uk/phecc
More than 50 middle manager employees from the AA and Caterpillar, who have been on a
year-long scheme to study in the workplace, graduated in September at a special ceremony.
Each employee received a Certificate in Lifelong Learning at the event that was hosted
by organisational development consultancy Acua Limited (formerly CU Training Services)
and marked the completion of a capability improvement programme devised to improve
performance at work. The qualification attracts 60 credits, which can count towards a degree,
enabling the employees to continue their education should they wish.
Acua Limited was set up by Coventry University to provide bespoke learning solutions ultrasound transducers. One transmits a low-
and consultancy services in the workplace. Over the past 18 months, a team of Learning and power diagnostic beam, allowing the doctor to
Development Consultants from the University have been working with the leaders from the visualise the tumour and guide the treatment;
AA and Caterpillar to research skills gaps and then design and implement a bespoke learning the other produces the focussed beam.”
package that puts employees’ work at the centre of the curriculum. HIFU is useful to treat a single tumour or
Larraine Boorman, Managing Director of Acua Limited, said: “The need to develop talent part of a large tumour but cannot be used to
at work is greater than ever, with 70 per cent of the expected 2020 workforce already beyond treat widespread cancers that have affected
compulsory education age. more than one part of the body. However,
“The AA and Caterpillar recognised the importance of developing the talent of their research shows unlike many treatments for
employees to bring about improved business performance. CU Training Services are cancerous tumours, HIFU has been proven
delighted to be able to publicly recognise the achievements of the students in completing to leave the patient practically unscathed.
the programme.”
 Time for a SEE change
Innovate society and environment 8
As the credit crunch bites and global markets feel the
strain, Professor Malcolm McIntosh believes we need
to bring a bit of humanity back into the economy
If the new emerging economy is to succeed
it has to break many of its old rules. The last
few months have highlighted the need for
greater transparency and accountability in
financial markets. If nothing else, the year
2008 has brought home the need for an
economy that values the delicate, beautiful
planet on whose survival we depend.
In management and business there
is a need for people who can manage
figures and for people who are social and
financial capitalisers. In a 24/7 world we
also need people in all sectors – including
in universities – who know how to switch
off (and be cool, calm and reflective) and
can switch on again (and love surprises and
engage with ambiguity).
If complexity science has taught us
anything about the planet, about ourselves
and about organisations, it is that we can
spot trends but not be specific about events
– until they have happened. At this time
we need to understand the relationship
between the series of nested networks that
are social and natural systems.
This year’s Applied Research Centre in
Human Security (ARCHS) conference is all
about the new world economy – the new
low carbon Sustainable Enterprise Economy,
hence the title of this project SEE Change.
It builds on last year’s great event at
the Eden Project and this year delegates
were able to attend for free because of the
generous sponsorship support from Wessex
Water and Shell and support from a whole
host of organisations that believe in the work
we are doing.
The conference attracted reflective
practitioners in business, government and
civil society and those who wanted to mix
corporate responsibility, human security,
globalisation, sustainability, rural and urban
livelihoods, food, water, and developed
and developing country perspectives. It
appealed to those who know that we need
to talk across sectoral and professional
boundaries, to break the rules and to find
solutions on the journey towards the new
low carbon Sustainable Enterprise Economy.
Seminars and key note speeches aimed
to answer key issues like how we make
the transition to a low carbon Sustainable
Enterprise Economy? How can the new
economy help deliver freedom from fear
and freedom from want – the two issues at
the heart of the human security debate? It
challenged individuals and organisations
how to think, breathe and practice in the
new economy, while exploring how we
can harness the best of what it means to
be human – sharing, caring, enterprise,
innovation, creativity and problem solving
– to create peaceful, socially just and
environmentally sound enterprises and a
sustainable enterprise economy.
Speakers included Annie Chikwanha
from the African Human Security Initiative;
Jan Aart Scholte from Warwick University
on globalisation; Ted Cantle form Coventry
on the environmental imperative; Daniel
K. Irurah, an energy expert from Wits
University in South Africa; David Vidal from
the world’s largest business organisation on
the new capitalism; plus contributions from
WaterAid, Wessex Water, CISCO, Ashoka,
UNEP, UN Global Compact, Eden Project,
EABIS, Nepal Wireless, and Dharamitra.
ARCHS’ conferences, teaching
programmes and research aim to develop
ways of breaking the rules by developing
new ways of seeing the world so that we
can tackle some of the biggest challenges
we all face in today’s society. This means
harmonising the world economy so that we
can pay more attention to the delivery of
peace and social justice and the equitable
distribution of resources.
Our main research projects in ARCHS
exemplify this approach to work. We have
been running roundtables on sustainable
A jewellery teacher from
Plymouth won the Guardian
Sustainable Enterprise Essay
Competition and a free place on
ARCHS MA programme.
Jane Hope, a Programme Leader
at Plymouth College of Art &
Design, beat off fierce competition
to win the free place on ARCHS new
MA programme.
Her winning essay explored the
transition to a Sustainable Enterprise
Economy through her quest for
ethically mined silver, taking her
on a journey through Bolivia to
what may soon be the world’s first
enterprise around the world using Fairtrade accredited gold mine. The
appreciative inquiry and conversational jeweller and jewellery teacher said
learning methodologies to find out how a “I am so happy to be taking this
range of reflective practitioners envision the MA; I feel incredibly privileged to be
emerging Sustainable Enterprise Economy. given this place and I just can’t wait
This work has led to a project with the UN to start.”
Secretary-General’s Office on a reflective ARCHS innovative transdisciplinary
analytical history of the first 10 years of the MA programmes in Sustainable
UN Global Compact, which will be published Professor Enterprise and in Human Security
in time for the 10th anniversary birthday Malcolm McIntosh are delivered in partnership with the
meeting in New York in July 2010. A former BBC Eden Project in Cornwall, UK and the
ARCHS is also just beginning another documentary Sustainability Institute, Stellenbosch,
project comparing worldwide Truth and film-maker Malcolm South Africa. The courses focus on
Reconciliation Commissions. This work McIntosh has been a what works, linking leading practice
will examine their origins, the effects and pioneer of teaching and to theory.
their applicability for future situations with research in ‘corporate For more information please go to
specific reference to the role of business citizenship’ in the UK www.coventry.ac.uk/archs
in promoting or destroying peace in all and internationally. or email mervi.alho@coventry.ac.uk.
societies. We have a team of doctoral In addition to his role
as Director of the
candidates from around the world working in
Applied Research
these areas.
Centre for Human
There is much work to be done on
Security (ARCHS),
humanising the globalisation project and
he acts as a special
“I am so happy to be
the human security agenda is at the heart advisor to the UN’s taking this MA; I feel
of it. You can join us by taking part in our
conferences and seminars and by joining our
Global Compact and incredibly privileged to
DEFRA’s UK Sustainable
teaching programmes. Come and be part Development be given this place and
of the future in the Futures Institute at Commission. I just can’t wait to start.”
Coventry University.
Muslim
diversity
Interest in British Muslim communities has grown in recent years in light of national
and international events. Often, these communities are presented homogenously
when the reality is a much more complex, diverse group of communities. Nadeem
Baksh explains how innovative research has highlighted why organisations would
benefit from a better understanding of Muslim communities
In April 2008, iCoCo launched a publication “Understanding
and Appreciating Muslim Diversity: Towards better engagement
and participation”, setting out a baseline model illustrating
the theological and ethno national diversity of British Muslim
communities. It also described the ways in which communities were
organised around traditional leadership patterns, which created a
further set of affiliations.
The publication is a summary compilation of information gathered
(both as part of wider community cohesion reviews and specifically
focused work) over a period of 15 months. It involved more than
1000 one to one stakeholder interviews, 3000 people surveyed in
focus groups across 10 cities involving respondents from a range
of backgrounds (ages, economic status, ethno national heritages,
political affiliations and religious denominations) including Muslims
and other faiths.
It was clear, almost from the very outset, that iCoCo was breaking
new ground and that the ‘one size fits all’ model which had been
used to characterise – and stereotype – Muslim communities
completely failed to do justice to the complexity within British Muslim
communities. There is as much diversity within Muslim communities,
as between them and other communities and a more fine-grained
analysis was overdue. However, many Muslim communities were
inevitably concerned about any further reviews or analysis and felt
that most such work to date had resulted in more negative reporting
and a continued association with ‘terror’ and other problematic
views.
Initial research therefore involved establishing a peer review group
and consultative body of Muslim academics, scholars, community
leaders, representatives and frontline practitioners from across
the full spectrum of Muslim diversity including women and young
people. Over time an appreciative inquiry approach developed
and was combined with an objective understanding in recognition
of theological, cultural and political variations. In addition, wide
disparities of differences between the places reviewed and the
constant flux of change affected by several factors including the
ethno national or regional heritage composition of local Muslim
communities, and the impact of overseas and contemporary events,
led to the development of a flexible and adaptable methodology,
tailored to suit the local conditions and the current social climate
dependant on the time and place reviewed.
The Review began in summer 2006 as part of a
study looking at the relationship between youth
disengagement and the growth of support for
extremist groups in a West London Borough.
The commissioning Local Authority, despite
the highly charged anti-Muslim climate, had
the foresight to recognise an unfortunate
and largely undue focus linking extremism
and Muslims resident in the Borough
which in turn was being exploited by
Far Right and other religious extremist
groups. Understandably, local Muslim
residents felt victimised and many had
either withdrawn from, or were resistant to
and/or completely disengaged from civic
level engagement. In response, the Local
Authority was keen to build trust and develop
channels of engagement with its Muslim residents.
However, it became evident that little was
known about the diverse make-up of Muslim communities
resident in the Borough. So, it was decided to develop a basic
model highlighting the principal theological components and
corresponding ethno national affiliation of the majority Sunni
Muslim community. A good illustration of local Muslim diversity was
provided by the Mosques (the correct term is Masjid, plural Masaajid)
established in the Borough with reference to the respective Muslim
practices and specific ethno national adoption. This proved helpful
to local agencies in identifying a wider range of potential Muslim
community contacts, thereby reducing dependence on traditional
community elders who in the past had represented only a section of
Muslims in the Borough.
At the same time, iCoCo was commissioned to carry out reviews
in very different areas across West Yorkshire and the East Midlands,
necessitating the need to use methods involving comparative
analysis and expanding the scope of research to include traditional
Muslim structures, groups and organisations. This process revealed
an array of new complex variations and effectively increased the
range of Muslim community diversity identified. As the work
progressed certain patterns emerged – for example, with respect to
commonly established forms of majority Muslim practices and the
predominance of certain ethno national heritage communities both
in terms of political (elected councillors) and community leadership,
often sponsored and/or appointed through traditional extended
family and clan based networks.
Subsequent reviews have taken our research across the length
Innovate society and environment 11
and breadth of the country and more recently overseas.
Documenting the variations of British Muslim community diversity
has been a wholly fascinating experience for all involved and by its
very nature is a continuous work in progress. With each successive
review adding more detail to the breadth of issues addressed.
Underlying the overall aim of this work is that better
understanding and appreciation of British Muslim diversity will help
improve engagement and participation ultimately making it easier
to build bridges between various Muslim communities and all other
communities and to build mutual trust and respect.
There are some wider implications too for the way in which we
understand and relate to all communities. The private sector has
been developing very sophisticated analyses of communities largely
for marketing purposes, with a particular focus on income
and purchasing potential. These are gradually being
adapted and extended, especially to minority
communities and can now serve a number of
purposes, with broader attitudinal research
and, from a public sector perspective,
to try to ensure wider engagement and
representation.
With around two million Muslims now
living in the UK and the various minority
communities making up some 10% of the
population, there is now considerable
scope to improve our knowledge of all
communities and to address them with
more sophisticated levels of understanding.
And iCoCo is now starting to address the
majority community in much the same way, using
fieldwork to get behind some of the assumptions
made about the broad categories, such as the ‘white
working class’ that can only ever provide a very superficial
view of any community.
To find out more about iCoCo and to download a copy of the
publication visit: www.cohesioninstitute.org.uk
Nadeem Baksh is a Principal Associate
with iCoCo, working across a range of
projects and was also the lead specialist
in compiling iCoCo’s publication
Understanding and Appreciating Muslim
Diversity: Towards better engagement
and participation. The Institute of
Community Cohesion (iCoCo) provides
a new approach to race, diversity and
multiculturalism and represents a unique
partnership of academic, statutory and non-
governmental bodies. Based at Coventry University, it also combines
the experience and expertise of DeMontfort University , Leicester
University and Warwick University with practitioners from a range of
diverse backgrounds and professions.
 Energy saving
Innovate society and environment 12
begins at home
Home is where the energy is and in the fight against climate change, Coventry is
helping European households to save more of it. Reader in Applied Computing
Dr Kuo-Ming Chao explains how new digital devices will reduce carbon emissions
Simple every day tasks like switching lights
off and not putting the central heating
on too high may not feel like planet
saving actions. But statistics show that our
households account for 25-30% of European
carbon emissions, with more than 80% of
household energy being used on heating.
By 2020 Europe has a commitment to
reduce its CO2 emissions by 20% – with
an option of increasing this target to
30% if the US, India and China agree to
emissions targets.
It’s a relatively short time frame to achieve
such sweeping changes as the renovation
of buildings and houses and moving
wholesale to electrically powered vehicles
to cut emissions. In fact recent analysis
by Capgemini, revealed that most of the
population will not have embraced the
changes in time. It predicts more
than 80% of the refrigerators
bought in 2007 will still be in
operation in 2020; less than a
third of the industrial and utility
infrastructure in place
today will be renewed
by 2020;
and more than 20% of the cars bought in
2007 will still be on the road in 2020. In
summary, the report concluded that the key
to reaching the emissions target would have
to be met by simply conserving more energy.
Easier said than done – especially when
it means convincing households throughout
the whole of Europe to change behaviour
and be more accountable for their energy
consumption.
One of the issues stopping householders
from being ‘green’ is the fact there is no way
of measuring the impact their activities in
the home are making on the environment.
To help
tackle this
problem, an
East-West European
partnership has now
emerged from the UK
Government’s Digital Challenge
initiative to pioneer a programme called
The Digital Environment Home Energy
Management System (DEHEMS). The
2.9 million programme is funded by the
European Union Seventh Framework
Programme theme: co-operation under
ICT for the environmental management and
energy efficiency with the aim of changing
attitudes.
The programme, which started in June
this year, aims to be completed in November
2010 and involves city councils, academics
and industry.
Councils such as Birmingham, Manchester
and Bristol and municipality Ivanovo have
been tasked with establishing a series of
‘Living Labs’ across Europe – the first time that
Living Labs have ever been used in this way.
Over 200 households (Living Labs) will
take part in the experiment to use the Digital
Environment Energy Management System
that is being developed by academics and
industry bodies.
Research has begun into the appropriate
technologies and methodologies that will
determine the software needed to create a
system that monitors and controls energy
consumption in the home.
At present it is difficult to do this because
appliances and systems that use energy are
rarely networked or automated intelligently.
The energy requirements for different
appliances and devices are varied and
adjusting settings to optimise environmental
performance requires a major effort e.g.
thermostat settings for heating, standby
settings for appliances, temperature settings
for washing machines and dryers and so on.
Where home automation has been installed,
it is frequently at a high cost. A recent
Deutsche Bank survey cited a typical cost of
more than 75,000.
But the internet has opened up a new
opportunity to develop IP enabled solutions
that are more user friendly and flexible
than past electro-mechanical automation
approaches.
UK Carbon Facts
• The average household could save around 1.5 tonnes • If every home that could, had 270mm loft insulation
of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year by making their home we’d save 3.8 million tonnes of CO2, the same as the
energy efficient. annual emissions of around 650,000 homes.
• If everyone with gas central heating installed a new • If everyone put an insulation jacket on their hot water tank,
condensing boiler, we’d cut emissions by 12.5 million we’d cut CO2 emissions by 900,000 tonnes - enough to fill
tonnes. We’d also save around £1.9 billion per year on our around 182,000 hot air balloons.
energy bills and enough energy to heat over 3.3 million • If everyone in the UK installed just one energy saving light
homes for a year. bulb, we’d save enough CO2 to fill the Albert Hall over
• If everyone installed cavity wall insulation, we’d cut CO2 1,900 times.
emissions by 4.6 million tonnes, enough to fill 1 million hot
air balloons. Facts from the www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
Together with other universities, Coventry A Service Orientated Architecture and Project partners: Co-ordinator and Work
is developing a simple and attractive digital loose coupling system is being used, which Package leader Manchester City Council;
model that householders can use to reduce allows different applications to exchange Work Package leader Technical University
their carbon emissions. data with each other and enables each Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Clicks and Links
It will move from just recording how software Work Package to develop at the ltd, UK; Hildebrand Technology ltd, UK;
much energy has been used to a model that same time. Work Package leader Bristol City Council,
also looks at the way the energy was used. Due to the breadth of the technology UK; Corinex Communications AS, Slovakia;
It will bring together sensor data in areas involved in the project, a committee has Energy Agency Plovdiv, Bulgaria; Ivanovo
such as household heat loss and appliance been formed to make general policies on Municipality, Bulgaria; Birmingham City
performance as well as energy usage the use of new technologies and to explore Council, UK; The Centre, Belgium, Work
monitoring to give real-time information on and alleviate any potential problems such as Package leader Salford University, UK; Work
emissions and the energy performance of incompatibility of the technologies. Package leader Rousse University, Bulgaria;
appliances and services. Changes will be A steering committee, involving all Institute e-Austria Timisoara, Romania.
able to be made to those appliances and the Work Package leaders, has also been
services remotely from a mobile phone or established to monitor progress. Due to the
PC and provide specific energy efficiency constraints of time and resources on the
recommendations for the household. project the team have implemented a three-
Coventry is literally working at the heart research cycle approach. This means that the
of the project as it is tasked with delivering learning from each research cycle will feed
the Semantic Services Development Work into the research and system development
Package, which basically allows meaningful activity of the next cycle. These cycles repeat
interactions between the householder and to create a series of experiential-based
the networks to take place. learning episodes through which people can
The work includes building the Service build knowledge.
Demand, Service Provider, Semantic Layers, The use of these innovative applications
the Service broker wrapper for the control will be a breakthrough in Information
system and the User Interface (UI) for the Communication Technology (ICT)
whole system. solutions in environmental monitoring
Building this level of technology to and management – with the opportunity
meet the needs of the user, means initially to use them on a much wider scale. The
monitoring the demands of people in the establishment of a European Research Dr Kuo-Ming
home. Once the householder makes a Area in this field is also a major advantage Chao is a Reader
in Applied
request, the control system will use stored towards not only reaching 2020 targets in
Computing and
data such as environmental and external carbon emission reductions – but also in
he is the leader
conditions to give the user options based on creating world-class technology that can of Distributed
their request. respond to major environmental threats Systems and
The impact will be to personalise action throughout Europe. Modelling
on climate change, influence new policies Applied
such as Personal Carbon Allowance and Research Group,
Department of
support the move towards localised
Computing and the Digital Environment,
generation and distribution of energy. Engineering and Computing Faculty.

LEARNING
As the interest in distance learning grows, how will immersive virtual worlds impact
on the future of higher education? It’s a question Professor Maggi Savin-Baden aims
to solve with the support of a £513,000 research
grant from the Leverhulme Trust
Learning in immersive worlds has become a central learning
approach in many curricula, but the socio political impact of this
approach to learning in higher education remains under-researched.
Immersive virtual worlds are 3D environments, such as Second
Life, where you create your own virtual person (avatar) who you clothe
and manoeuvre as you wish.
Although these worlds have gained media coverage and
popularity in higher education, much of the recent research into
learning in immersive worlds centres on games and gaming. It is
largely underpinned by cognitive learning theories that focus on
linearity, problem-solving and the importance of attaining the ‘right
answer’ or game plan.
Most research to date has looked into students’ experiences of
virtual learning environments, discussion forums and perspectives
about what and how online learning has been implemented. Yet,
virtual world learning seems to offer new perspectives relating to the
study of the socio-political impact of learning in higher education.
This is because virtual spaces such as Second Life are universal – not
bound by time or geographic location – and they adopt different
learning values to other learning spaces. Furthermore, research
would seem to suggest that identity and identity construction in
virtual worlds occurs through dialogic learning rather than gaming.
There are extensive possibilities for using virtual worlds, in
particular for distance learning and simulations, but adopting them as
teaching and learning spaces raises questions. For example, we are
not sure what the impact will be on students’ conceptions of reality,
and the relationship between in-world and real-world behaviour.
Learning in immersive virtual worlds also brings to the fore questions
about the nature of honesty, disclosure and collaboration.
It is these areas that Coventry University is now able to explore
with £513,000 worth of funding from The Leverhulme Trust, one
of the largest non-governmental funding bodies for research that
puts emphasis on the originality of a project, the significance of
the proposed work and the removal of barriers between traditional
disciplines.
To foster a greater understanding of the impact of this style of
learning, we will interview staff and students from a wide range of
disciplines in Higher Education Institutions across the UK, using
participatory research. The study will investigate their conceptions
of and decisions about the way in which they teach and learn at the
socio-political boundaries of reality, focusing on the exploration of
three main themes:
n Students’ experiences of learning in immersive worlds;
n Pedagogical design;
n Learner identity.
A team of researchers will begin by undertaking a comprehensive
literature review that relates to and transcends each research theme.
Research sites will be chosen to reflect a range of uses of
virtual worlds across a variety of disciplines. Examples may include
medicine, performing arts, law, philosophy, health care management
and physics. Data will be acquired through Participatory Action
Research (PAR) as it seeks to engage people as active participants in
the research process; and results in practical outcomes related to the
work and learning of the participants.
This four year project officially started in September this year and
will finally give the world insights into how knowledge is created and
understood in virtual worlds.
Innovate enterprise 15
Online learning: Images from the virtual
world Second Life
Testing, testing…
It will give us the ability to delineate the socio political A £200,000 research grant from the Joint Information Systems
impact of such learning on the higher education community Committee (JISC) has enabled Coventry University, Kingston
and better understand how learning occurs and what it University and St George’s University of London to investigate
means to create learning environments and curricula in Problem-based Learning (PBL) in virtual worlds.
such spaces. This understanding about communication and The PREVIEW project will investigate, implement and evaluate
dialogue will help develop approaches to teaching and a user-focused approach to developing scenarios and materials,
whether disciplinary differences help or hinder learning in linking the emerging technologies of virtual worlds with interactive
immersive worlds. PBL online, to create immersive collaborative tutorials. The project
For more information: team will create specific PBL environments within Second Life, PBL
http://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/grants_awards/ scenarios, strategies, guidance materials and good practice guides,
or http://cuba.coventry.ac.uk/leverhulme/ all of which will be evaluated under the guidance of users, and made
available to the higher education community.
The team were also awarded a further £15,000 from JISC
to research staff and student experiences of PREVIEW and are
supporting the Higher Education Academy Psychology subject
Maggi Savin-Baden network who are adapting and trialing the scenarios developed by
is Professor of Higher PREVIEW for use in psychology.
Education Research and On top of testing the effectiveness of PBL, Coventry was also
heads up the Learning
awarded £15,000 from JISC to organise a National Workshop on
Innovation Research Group.
She is the author of six leaning in immersive environments. The event, which took place
books on Problem-based in October this year at the Technocentre brought together diverse
Learning, and a recent one groups of people involved with developing learning in immersive
on Learning Spaces. worlds. Seminars and networking helped to share ideas for
future development.

World
of
enterprise
Enterprise isn’t just a buzzword at
Coventry; it’s ingrained in the University’s teaching,
research and even in its people. Gideon Maas, Co-director
of the Institute of Applied Entrepreneurship, explains how its
regional, national and international impact has earned Coventry
Highly Commended status for Entrepreneurial University of the
Year in the 2008 Times Higher Education awards
It’s not what you do, but the way that you do
it – and at Coventry our way is enterprising.
We’re one of the leading universities in
the UK for enterprise and entrepreneurial
activity and the establishment of an
Institute for Applied Entrepreneurship has
coordinated all our enterprising activities.
Focusing on four core business areas:
education and training; applied research;
entrepreneurship support and creating an
enterprising culture we offer entrepreneurs
seamless support from business creation
through to supporting their formation and
beyond.
Today’s global economy calls for
a global university – and we need to
produce graduates who understand the
complexities of operating a successful
enterprise on the world’s stage. Coventry’s
new Masters qualification in Global
Entrepreneurship launches in January 2009
and will give participants the knowledge,
tools and strategies required to develop an
internationally competitive entrepreneurial
business or project – and make it profitable.
The two-year course will be presented
in China with the support of the Shanghai
Institute of Foreign Trade in Shanghai.
China is one of the world’s fastest growing
economies, and offers a major development
opportunity for UK entrepreneurs.
Shanghai will support the programme
through a week-long study trip giving
students an understanding of international
entrepreneurship, an insight into the
different culture, and potentially entry for our
entrepreneurs into the local business world.
Ultimately, Coventry’s vision is to become
an internationally recognised Institute of
Excellence promoting an entrepreneurial
lifestyle and mindset within the University
community and to its stakeholders.
It is a culture that the National Council
for Graduate Entrepreneurs (NCGE)
recognised in Coventry when they gave it a
Highly Commended status in the first Times
Higher Education award for Entrepreneurial
University of the Year. Professor Paul
Hannon, Director of Research and Education
for the NGCE, said:
“Coventry’s new Institute for Applied
Entrepreneurship is a flagship development
that will provide new opportunities for
learning for the non-typical student, for
instance entrepreneurs and local businesses.
“It is forging strong links with China
through its MA in Global Entrepreneurship
and, in partnership with the NCGE, the new
MA in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
Education aims to develop future leaders in
education who will shape the entrepreneurial
learning opportunities for generations of
students to come. Already three members
of staff have been pioneer participants
in the first cohort of the International
Entrepreneurship Educators Programme,
developed and run jointly by the NCGE and
Enterprise Educators UK, and supported by
the HEA and the Ewing Marion Kauffman
Foundation. This programme delivers
the latest thinking on entrepreneurship
education – and Coventry’s staff look set to
continue to benefit.
“In addition to the innovative new
courses the University offers, Coventry
is doing much more. Its new Student
Enterprise Centre provides important
incubation support for budding venture
creators. This is leading the university
further along its path towards becoming
an entrepreneurial university within a
global context.”
“Enterprise has been placed
at the strategic heart of the
Institution. It is clearly taking a
completely fresh look at how to
support the enterprise needs of
the world beyond the University”
Ian Robertson, NGCE chief executive
Since July 2007, 14,000 undergraduate
students have had access to the University’s
enterprise courses portfolio and it has
assisted over 200 students in starting
their own business. The University and
its commercial arm Coventry University
Enterprises (CUE) now support more than
6,000 SMEs every year.
The Technology Park and the Business
Enterprise Works programme offer a
range of packages to graduates and local
businesses looking for support in developing
their enterprise. There are currently 60
full time business tenants based at the
Technology Park and a further 175 registered
on the 4front scheme (a postal forwarding
scheme which enables small businesses to
use the Technology Park as their registered
business address).
As well as the 24 staff from across
Innovate enterprise 17
the University and CUE who are part
of the Institute, other academics and
professional staff are also encouraged to
foster an enterprising attitude and we have
embedded enterprise into the appraisal
scheme and reward entrepreneurial activity.
Being acknowledged in the 2008
Times Higher Education awards is further
encouragement that we are on our way and
NGCE Chief Executive Ian Robertson agrees
when he said: “Enterprise has been placed
at the strategic heart of the Institution. It is
clearly taking a completely fresh look at how
to support the enterprise needs of the world
beyond the University.”
The Institute’s new high-powered Think
Tank will be meeting soon as part of an
annual venture to discuss entrepreneurship.
The first topic will be focused on ‘An
Entrepreneurial University.’ I think you’ll
agree that Coventry is worthy of the label.
For more information email
business-enterprise@cad.coventry.ac.uk
or call +44 (0) 24 7623 6001.
Dr Gideon Maas
is the Co-Director
Institute of Applied
Entrepreneurship.
Before joining the
University in 2007,
he managed his
own consulting
company, GEB
Consultants, focusing
on innovation and
growth strategies for entrepreneurs and family
businesses. He has contributed to many
national strategic development initiatives in
South Africa and was the first International
Chair in Entrepreneurship, worked for
Stellenbosch University Business School,
where he obtained his PhD, and was the
Principal researcher and author of the 2006
and 2007 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor
(GEM) Reports.
 Sharing
Innovate enterprise 18
Innovate enterprise 18
r£aps r£wards
Coventry’s commitment to sharing knowledge with businesses and organisations
has been recognised by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)
with funding worth nearly £5 million for future applied research initiatives
Ambitious goal-setting and a clear rationale were just two of the
reasons why Coventry University was awarded nearly £5 million from
the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF).
The national fund is designed to support and develop a broad
range of knowledge transfer activities, which economically and
socially benefit the UK. The fund builds capacity and provides
incentives for higher education institutions to work with business,
public sector bodies and third sector partners, with a view to
transferring knowledge and thereby improving products, goods and
services.
Coventry’s innovative approach to managing and developing its
strategic partnerships was commended as excellent. The University
was awarded £1.33M (2008/09), £1.60M (2009/10), £1.90M (2010/11) to
invest in key areas such as student enterprise and entrepreneurship,
commercialisation of Intellectual Property, industry events, academic
consultancy and the Business Development Team structure
This is the fourth round of HEIF funding and totals £400 million
for universities across the UK to boost the economy and society. The
Government announced HEIF4 following the publication of Lord
Sainsbury’s Review of Science and Innovation and it accepted all of
the Sainsbury recommendations, including those on HEIF.
Coventry was among only eight institutions that were highlighted
by HEFCE for their innovative strategies that involved new initiatives
as well as the continuation of successful projects.
Breaking free
Innovate enterprise 18
of the office
When a group of academics surrendered their
offices for hot desking and a laptop the results
proved a success both personally and professionally.
Anne Marie McTavish explains how a JISC funded
How will the money be spent? project is creating the right work-life balance and
was shortlisted in the 2008 Times Higher Education
2008-2011: awards for Outstanding ICT Initiative
• Funding will enable academic staff and technicians to have time
away from teaching to work with external organisations on short-
term projects through the Knowledge Transfer Enterprise Grant
Fund. It aims to encourage new academics to pick up projects and
help them to break into applied research.
• More money will be put into the Proof of Concept Fund to help
inventors create first stage prototypes to make it easier to approach
businesses with ideas.
• Support for the SPEEd (Student Placements for Entrepreneurs in
Education) programme has been boosted too, which is designed to
give students the opportunity to improve their entrepreneurial skills
through the development of a new business idea.
• Money will be put towards attendance at industry events or hosting
events with external partners.
• New Continual Professional Development products will be invested
in to develop a co-ordinated approach to CPD provision.
2009-2011
• Academy for Industry funding will help build stronger industry
links and longer term partnerships through match funding of
academic applied research secondments in industry, and potentially
reciprocal industry contracts with the University.
• Funding will help secure specialist consultancy bid writing expertise
to enhance proposal quality, so the University can apply for large
collaborative projects.
• Funding for market research/intelligence will support the
development of new business partnerships, opportunities for new
applied research collaboration with industry, cover a percentage of
salary for an Information Officer, and subscription fees for relevant
business and market research databases.
• Lord Stafford Awards recognise innovation in business and a
contribution towards these annual awards has been agreed by
Coventry University until 2011.

Behind the doors of most academics’ offices nestle the familiar piles
of coursework, timetables and resources that provide a sense of
security. Bookshelves stand tall, lining the walls of these womb-like
offices, cradling all the reserves needed to survive the working day.
So, imagine the reaction from academics in the Business,
Environment and Society Faculty when it was suggested they closed
the door on these cosy sanctuaries and stepped out into the world
alone – with only a laptop and a smart phone for a lifeline.
In April 2008, 30 academics were invited to trial Location
Independent Working (LIW) over a three-month period and of that
first cohort, only one person has asked for his office back. All the
others are now permanently LIW, another group went out in July
and a group of people are just about to embark on the trial that is
changing lives – both working and personal.
The University’s technological advances have enabled the project
to be embraced fully. Everyone on the programme is given a laptop
and a smart phone with 3G access that connects them to the
University’s systems and files just as they did in the office but now they
can do it from anywhere in the world. If they want to work in a coffee
shop for the afternoon – which one lecturer does frequently as she
prefers the ambience to a stuffy office – then they can. There are no
restrictions on where or how people work – as long as their teaching
and academic commitments are met.
One colleague, who has really taken to LIW, realised out of the
books stored in her former office, she actually only needed one
shelf of them. The E-library the academics have access to on the
University’s intranet and the ability to engage remotely with students
on CU online means the comfort blanket of the office is no longer
needed.
The first challenge was to get people to think how they could work
differently. There’s an element of an academic’s work that is solitary
– but thinking about how they were going to teach was by far the
biggest challenge. They still had 20 lectures and 17 seminars to deal
with and the need to see students to discuss work. LIW has made
people much more structured about the way they work.
Academics make their students aware of the hours they will be in
the University for meetings and also respond much quicker to emails
when they are not in an office environment. Lecturers are finding this
system more productive too as email conversations are quicker than
office interruptions from students, which can naturally lead to lengthy
discussions. The only negative is that staff are finding they are driven
more by email so courses have been implemented to help with email
management.
On days when teaching staff are using a recorded lecture from an
industry specialist, there’s no need for them – or even the students
– to be in the lecture theatre. They can post the recorded lecture
on CU Online for students to retrieve – with course notes – at their
convenience. This is very beneficial for the growing numbers of
students who support their studies with paid employment. The
flexibility of LIW academics also means that meetings can be
scheduled in the evening or at times to suit students – rather than
sticking to traditional office hours.
This flexibility has brought dramatic improvements in motivation
and satisfaction – especially for staff who are parents of young children.
Previously when someone’s child was ill a day’s work would be lost. Now
they can continue as normal from home and be there for their child at the
same time.
LIW basically enables people to work in a way that best suits them,
which is always going to effect motivation and retention. The old adage
‘a happy worker is a productive worker’ certainly rings true here. We find
most people get more done when they work from home – and if anything
we have to ensure they are taking enough breaks and not working
too late. One colleague would use the time she would have spent
commuting to and from the University to do even more work on her days
at home until it was explained that those extra hours she had recovered
were her time not the University’s.
The reduced commuting time has definitely improved quality of life
for people. Not only because they save petrol money and get to spend
more time with their family but also because they are benefiting the
environment too.
The University is reaping the benefits of a more flexible workforce as
office space is freed up. In BES, new staff can now be employed to cope
with the surge in student numbers because LIW has created more empty
office space. It also means the net can be widened in looking for better
quality teaching staff. Attracting a specialist lecturer from Hastings, for
example, to work in Coventry would have been difficult before – but now
they can work at home for part of the week, the commute is manageable.
It has also improved communication between colleagues – with LIW
staff making more of an effort to talk to people now they are not hiding
behind the doors of an office.
Research is currently underway to formerly examine the effects of
LIW and both quantitative and qualitative data is being gathered and
analysed. Participants have been keeping a log, recording both good and
bad experiences, and we have applied some of that learning to develop
the programme for the next cohort.
The practice of employees working from home is becoming popular
with businesses but investment in the project doesn’t come cheap if you
are to install the most effective technology to support staff. However,
after the initial outlay there is really only cost savings to be made from
then on – in simple terms such as space, accommodation, heating and
lighting and in the bigger benefits such as staff motivation, retention and
productivity. One area the University has seen a massive difference in is
sickness levels, for example.
As technology improves, remote working will continue to rise in
popularity for both business and academia. The traditional image of
an academic sitting in an office surrounded by books is fading fast.
Imagine now, that same academic sitting anywhere in the world, with
3G access working just as effectively. The fact is, we can’t teach students
all they need to know about business practice and how globalisation
and internationalisation are taking over the agenda if academics are not
adopting the same principles themselves.
For more information: http://e-learning.coventry.ac.uk/LIW
Innovate enterprise 21
"I’m not working less but the increased flexibility
that I’m getting means I am spending more time on
projects that I want to be working on and because
of that I would strongly recommend it.”
Case study
Tina Bass is a senior lecturer in Strategy
and Applied Management in BES and
was part of the first cohort to trial LIW.
“I volunteered to be part of the first
group of Coventry academics to become
Location Independent Workers – this
means that some of the time I work on
campus but when I don’t need to be
there I can work just as easily at home, in a coffee shop on a park
bench – just about anywhere.
If wireless access isn’t readily available to me I have a dongle,
which gives me 3G access to the internet. I am very enthusiastic
about working in this way. For me the best things about being
location independent are reduced travel time, lower petrol
costs and up to date technology to take home with me, and this
includes a laptop, camera, a smart phone, which is linked to my
University email account and a photocopier, fax/printer. I’m not
working less but the increased flexibility that I’m getting means I
am spending more time on projects that I want to be working on
and because of that I would strongly recommend it.”
Anne-Marie McTavish spent 18 years
working in management consultancy for
one of the world’s leading companies where
she led a team to successfully implement
remote working into organisations. Since
joining the University five years ago, she
has remained a consultant to a number of
high profile UK organisations, which feeds
directly into her role and research projects
at the University. She is currently the project
manager for the LIW project.
 Lecture
Innovate enterprise 22
Download
The changing face of student life means
universities need to alter the way they
communicate with students if they are to
succeed. Professor Denise Skinner explains
NU
ME how Coventry is using technology
to enhance interaction with its students
The nature and expectations of the student body in higher education
have changed significantly in the last three decades as a result of
societal and technological changes. A significant proportion of
today’s students are likely to be combining study with employment,
to have English as their second language and to use a range of
technological devices for personal communication and to access
information. Universities need to respond to these changes, not least
by seeking new and innovative ways of working with students.
Coventry University has always been at the forefront of
developing ways of using technology to interact with its students
and a new project is helping to continue that trend. Funded by
JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) the project is focused
on developing the use of recorded lectures as a normal part of
teaching within the programmes offered by the faculties of Business,
Environment and Society (BES) and Health and Life Sciences (HLS).
Recording and replaying videos of lectures has long been a part
of further education and higher education teaching practice. In some
cases, such as earlier periods of the Open University’s operations,
lecture material distributed on video cassettes was a natural
extension of the practice of broadcasting educational content.
Innovate enterprise 23
Elsewhere university and college libraries have developed
collections of video materials, which may include recordings of
lectures. However there have always been difficulties in the effective
use of recorded lectures as learning materials because of the
The benefits
Anticipated STUDENT benefits:
n B eing able to replay (parts of or whole) lectures which they are
limitations of the available technology, complexities of distribution
having difficulty understanding (this is of particular importance
and the costs of storage.
The emergence of automated lecture capture systems is putting
where the student’s or lecturer’s first language is not English)
n Having lecture material available for revision purposes
pay to these problems though. The system overcomes the labour
n The opportunity to review lectures and enhance lecture notes
cost issue by automating the key processes of scheduling, recording,
digitising, storing, publicising and distributing lectures. And in
n Accessing lectures at a time to suit them
n Greater accessibility and usability of lectures for students
recent years a number of proprietary systems have been developed
with a disability.
with education in mind. Over the past 18 months the University has
been experimenting with automated lecture capture using Echo360,
Anticipated benefits for staff:
an industry-leading platform that automatically captures lectures
n Greater control over their workloads
and converts them into podcasts, video, rich media and so on. Three
n Increased flexibility
systems have been in use, two in large shared lecture facilities and
n Fewer student queries about the content of lectures
one in a smaller space intended for recording sessions.
n Being able to pre-record lectures to cover times when they
The JISC funding will mean the University can develop the work
are unavailable
it has started in this area and conduct a faculty level trial in BES and
n The possibility of having a fallback position if they are
HLS, which will then be rolled out across the University.
unexpectedly unable to give a lecture
Within BES the trial will be conducted by capturing lectures on
n The possibility of integrating lectures with other learning tools
the MBA programme. Just fewer than 300 students studied the
and technologies such as blogs and virtual, social learning spaces
MBA programme in 2007/08 of whom 50% had a first language other
for example.
than English.
In HLS, the trial will concentrate on courses which have a high
proportion of work-based learners, including the Foundation
Degrees in Health and Social Care Management and Paramedic
Sciences, degree programmes in Occupational Therapy,
Physiotherapy and Social Work and the core Inter-professional
Learning Pathway taken by all students on health profession courses.
In total approximately 1,200 students will be involved.
Captured lectures will be integrated with a range of social
software technologies to create an ‘architecture of participation’
and will be made available in different formats (podcast, enhanced
podcast and videocast). These will be accessible via a variety of
mobile devices (notebook and laptop computers, MP3 players,
video iPods etc) and in different formats thus providing a valuable
means of integrating teaching activities, which occur in physical and Denise Skinner is currently
virtual spaces. Associate Dean (Applied
Research) and Professor
As well as exploring the benefits of the captured lectures, the
of Human Resource
project will also look into related issues such as Intellectual Property, Management (HRM) in
training needs, integration of captured lectures with other teaching the Faculty of Business,
tools and best practice in relation to the lectures. Environment and Society at
There are many anticipated benefits to staff, students and the Coventry University. Denise is
University by introducing the system – including the opportunity for an experienced manager and
students to access lectures at a time that suits them and increased senior researcher in the fields
of Change Management
flexibility for teaching staff.
and HRM (Human Resource Management) and  has
If the project lives up to its anticipated benefits, universities could undertaken funded research and consultancy work
be seeing improvements in student retention and satisfaction from with a range of public and private sector organisations.
today’s student body.
 In focus:
enterprise 24

Innovate enterprise 25
InnovateAutomotive
Innovate

Durabuild
Celebrities and royalty are among
the many who enjoy the quality glass
constructions from Coventry-based
company Durabuild. With an enviable
customer-base, Director Paul Martin
joined forces with the University to find
a better way to keep control of his costs
and track the work they were doing

The company: Durabuild was founded in 1984 and was set up
to manufacture high-end conservatories made from timber and
aluminium. Over the last 24 years the business has expanded into
both retail and commercial divisions and has a turnover of nearly
£4 million.
The retail side of the company, known as Fawsley, sells quality
conservatories, garden rooms and orangeries costing from £20,000
upwards and the commercial side of the business provides everything
from roof lights to major glass constructions for schools.
When Paul Martin was offered a student through the Knowledge
Transfer Partnership scheme he saw an opportunity to finally
rationalise his computer systems to get a better cost control system.
What did you want to get out of the KTP?
I wanted to implement a new system that provided cost back analysis
for the management team. We can do between 200 and 250 projects
a year and they can be from anything up to half a million pounds.
I also needed someone to train my 45 employees on how to use
the new system and integrate it properly into the business.
How did the University support you?
I worked with the KTP partner at the University in the Engineering &
Computing Faculty who advised us on the kind of systems we should
implement. It took 12 months to identify the software we wanted to
use. We had meetings with the University and we all sat together and
decided which system to go with. The benefits of the cost control
system will be phenomenal in the end.
As a company we design, manufacture, install and guarantee our
own products. This is why cost control will be so useful to us because
we can track the items we have bought in. It means we will be able to
improve our estimating and profitability in the mid-term.
How has Durabuild helped the University?
The student who has been working with us has been on lots of
courses, and has been very active in the business. We’ve set lots
of mini-projects to help him get a good understanding of the
production side of the business.
I think it has been beneficial for him to be based in a smaller
company as he has been able to experience all parts of the business.
He’s seen the sales and manufacturing side – right through to
production. It has helped to give the student a level of commercial
awareness, showing him that ultimately a business has to be
profitable and financially viable.
Would you recommend other businesses get
involved with KTPs?
The benefits go two ways. For the company it is a cost effective
way of making change in a business for the better – and for getting
expert help along the way. From the student’s point of view it
provides them with a broad experience of an operating business –
and that’s invaluable. It allows them to experience a wide range
of topics within the business and they can benefit from that.
This Partnership received financial support from the Knowledge
Transfer Partnerships programme (KTP).  KTP aims to help
businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity
through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills that
reside within the UK Knowledge Base.  KTP is funded by the
Technology Strategy Board along with the other government
funding organisations.

Partnership: Coventry University's Director of Future Manufacturing

Applied Research Centre (FMARC) Keith Popplewell with Paul Martin
inside one of Durabuild's constructions on the Coventry campus.
 Migrating disease
Innovate health 26

Innovate health 27
The lack of high profile anti-AIDS public health campaigns in the UK since
the 1980s has led to complacency and increasing rates of HIV infection. After
10 years researching the impact of the deadly infection in Sub-Saharan Africa,
Professor Hazel Barrett is concerned about the changing geography of the infection
in the UK, in particular the growing numbers of new cases emerging in the regions.

In 2007, UNAIDS (2007) estimated that 33.2 million people worldwide The Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), which is the UK’s leading charity
were living with HIV/AIDS. In 2007 alone, 2.5 million people were on HIV and sexual health, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year
newly infected with the disease while just over two million people and is responding to this changing geography by opening services UK reaction: The UK
died as a result of the AIDS infection. appropriate and welcoming to African people. Since the THT merged
The Terence Hi
ggins Trust's region
Closer to home, the figures are also a cause for concern. In the with seven other HIV charities (1998-2000), it has evolved from being
takes a differe
in the UK
nt approach to
promoting HI
Get it On cam
paign Numb
ers of a l facts
V/AIDS awaren
ess outsid new HIV
UK the number of people living with HIV in 2007 was 94,897 with a London-based charity to one which operates around the UK. For e of Lo cases d
ndon: iagnos
essage
: • North ed
7,734 newly diagnosed cases (HPA, 2008). Since 2003 the number of example, THT has two services in Birmingham aimed at the African Clear m eet West S
a m bia a str trategic
annual HIV diagnosis has exceeded 7,000, with 2007 recording the community (African Health Promotion Services and Peer Support – L u s a k a , Z
p e o ple has the Health
In ges highes Authori
encoura • The S t numb ty (SHA
highest annual number of people newly diagnosed. The UK HIV/AIDS French Speaking Africans) and one in Coventry (African Services). poster m s outh E er 584 )
r condo • West a s t Coast c ases or
situation continues to be a public health challenge. Research undertaken at Coventry University by Betselot Mulugeta to wea Midlan SHA 57 8%
ds SHA 7 cases
So, when did the nation stop heeding safe sex warnings and with the Eritrean and Ethiopian community in Birmingham suggest, 536 cas or 7.5%
New c es or 7
believe the problem had gone away? The current generation of however, that there is still much work to be done. The research To truly understand the HIV situation among these migrant ases o %
in 200 f HIV a
young people were not even born when the hard-hitting adverts revealed a lot of misconceptions and incorrect information circulating groups, we need to recognise the cultural and health environment 7: mong
black A
• 63% (1 fricans
featuring ‘tombstones’ were on the television in the late 1980s and so within this community. Many said that they believed HIV/AIDS is not from which they originally came. ,695) liv
• 9% (2 e outsid
many people are still under the misapprehension that HIV/AIDS is a a threat in the UK because unlike their home countries, there is no Many health authorities assume black Africans are all the same, 41) live e Lond
• 9% (2 d in Ea on
homosexual disease or caught by those that inject hard drugs – and national public health campaign and the issue is rarely discussed but campaigns need to acknowledge the differences in culture and 32) live st of En
• 8% (2 d in g la nd SHA
07) livin Yorkshir
that most new infections occur in London. In fact the reverse is true. openly in the media. Some stated that they believed all migrants to sexuality of people from different parts of Africa, something that g in the e and H
• 8% (2 West M umber
HIV/AIDS is now a heterosexual epidemic in the UK with 47% of the UK were screened for HIV and therefore there was little infection charities such as THT are now beginning to address. 07) Sou SHA
th Cen idlands
new cases occurring as a result of heterosexual contact, compared among their migrant community, so they did not need to heed safe It’s not clear what happens when people move to a new country tral SH SHA
A.
to 35% of new cases occurring as a result of homosexual contact. sex messages. Others believed that there were drugs that could cure and change their sense of space and identity. The complexity of
Injecting drugs accounted for only 2% of infections in 2007. the infection so they did not need to use condoms. In addition sexual time, a sense of place and identity that are involved with relocation
The remaining 16% of new cases are the result of mother to infant issues are rarely discussed among this community, are particularly complicated when they are combined with a deadly
infection, infected blood or tissue products and other unknown and women in infection. Therefore a considered approach needs to be taken in the
causes. The majority (79%) of HIV cases in the UK in 2007 occurred particular way information is communicated to migrants. More research needs
amongst people aged between 20 and 44 years of age and of the find the topic to be undertaken in order to inform health policy with respect to HIV
3,614 heterosexual cases, 67% occurred amongst black Africans, with embarrassing prevention amongst migrant groups in the UK. There is a desperate
women accounting for two-thirds of this number. and feel need to understand the social context of the disease both in terms of
With over half of these cases found outside of London the unable to the migrants region of origin as well as in their new UK communities, Professor Hazel Barrett is the Head of the
demography, infection routes and geography of HIV infection in the ask for advice with emphasis being placed on learning more about the Department of Geography, Environment
UK is changing. and help. socio-cultural environments in which it spreads. and Disaster Management. Hazel won the
Since 1998 there have been an increasing number of new HIV The British government is yet to address the steep rise in rates Geographical Association's 2008 Award
cases occurring outside London, with the North East, South Central of the disease among heterosexuals and a new AIDS awareness for Excellence in Leading Geography for
her work on HIV/AIDS. She did her first
and East of England SHAs registering increases in HIV diagnosis campaign targeted at those most at risk of spreading it is imperative.
degree at Sussex University in Geography
of over 500%. This dispersal has accelerated since 2002. New HIV It’s a campaign they are reluctant to undertake because of in the School of African and Asian Studies
diagnoses amongst black Africans has increased five-fold over the the sensitivities around immigration, race and perceptions of graduating in 1976. In 1978 she graduated
last decade. Whilst many were infected in sub-Saharan Africa, an neo-colonialism. from University of Birmingham with
increasing number are being infected heterosexually in the UK. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 60% of global cases of HIV/AIDS an MA in West African Studies and in
Higher rates of new diagnosis outside of London, particularly but it is dangerous to think of the disease as just an African problem 1984 completed a PhD in Geography and African Studies at the
amongst black Africans are likely to reflect current dispersal policies now that we can travel easily between continents. Surely it is time University of Birmingham. She lectured at Derbyshire College of
Higher Education from 1986 until 1992 when she moved to Coventry
affecting these populations. Such geographical patterns are we had another UK national campaign to bring this deadly disease
University to take up a position as a Senior Lecturer. In 2007 Hazel
important for healthcare providers in terms of targeting interventions to everybody’s attention and to correct the misconceptions both the was conferred a Chair in Development Geography.
Call to parent
and health promotion messages. s: A poster as host and migrant communities have of the UK HIV/AIDS epidemic.
about HIV/AI king parents to
DS on the str tell their child
eets of Kigali, ren
capital of Rwan
da
 Life-saving detection
Innovate health 28
A new technique for diagnosing malaria could significantly reduce the number of deaths
from the disease that affects about 40% of the world’s population. Dr John Heptinstall
reveals how the life-saving device has been developed
Fifty percent of the world’s population
lives at risk of exposure to mosquito borne
malarial infection. Of the minimum 500
million cases occurring annually some three
million are fatal with more than a third of
these accounted for in Africa alone by
infants under five years old.
The scale of the malarial problem and
the necessity for the development of rapid,
cheap malarial detectors is highlighted
by various international organisations. In
recognition of these high statistics and the
lack of appropriate diagnostics at a local
level, the World Heath Organisation
recommends automatic treatment
(without diagnostic confirmation) of all
infants who have a fever in areas where
malaria is prevalent. Many of these
treatments are, of course, unnecessary
and the resulting over prescription
is a major contributory factor to the
development of drug resistance.
Early detection of the disease
can significantly reduce the number
of deaths from the disease and
groundbreaking research is nearly
complete on the development of a new
technique that can challenge the rapid
diagnostic tests (RDTs) currently used in the
field, and laboratory-based microscopy.
Research teams from the Universities of
Exeter and Coventry received £1(1.4M Euro)
million of European Union (EU) funding to
run the project from October 2005 until
March 2009.
The EU is not driven to fund malarial
sensor development entirely by altruism
– global warming threatens to spread
the disease into new parts of the world,
including southern Europe.
The idea for the sensor began in
Coventry based on my conversations with
Dr Dave Newman about a multidisciplinary
project in biochemistry and physics.
It was known that when the malaria
parasite, Plasmodium, infects a human via
a mosquito bite, it develops inside red
blood cells where it consumes haemoglobin
and produces insoluble crystals called
haemozoin, a waste product of the malarial
parasite. Dr Newman had published a
method for detecting blood based on
measuring the iron in haem back in 1981
by using a sophisticated laser/magnetic
(magneto-optic) method, which involved
pulsing the input laser light and measuring a
resulting pulsed pressure change.
When Dr Newman moved to Exeter
in 2002, he later made an application for
funding of the magneto-optic test (MOT-
Test). All of the early work on the sensor
was conducted in Coventry (preparing
haem crystals of various types) and Exeter
(applying the magnetic field and laser light),
with other partners keeping a watching
brief until proof of principle and design
parameters were established. This was
achieved within about 18 months, but not in
the way it was originally envisaged.
Our investigations revealed that the
haemozoin crystals are magnetic and will
align in a magnetic field; moreover they
have a distinct rectangular form. They also
exhibit optical dichroism, which means that
they absorb light more strongly along their
length than across their width. When aligned
by a magnetic field they behave like a weak
Polaroid© sheet such as used in sunglasses.
The technology takes advantage of
these properties to give a precise reading
of the presence of haemozoin in a small
blood sample and has been shown to
work with malaria infected blood by
our partners at KIT in Amsterdam.
We have created a device which
gives a positive or negative reading
for malaria in less than a minute, has
no associated consumable cost and
when fully developed will be capable of
being operated by someone with minimal
training.
The early results from our device have
been published in the Biophysical Journal,
and suggest that the technique could be as
effective as RDTs but far faster and cheaper,
making it a potentially viable alternative.
It has a totally different approach to
current RDTs, which use a chemical agent to
detect antigens associated with the malarial
parasite. One of the problems with RDTs
is that they need to be kept within a given
temperature range, which is difficult in hot
climates. These disposable kits cost between
$1.50 and $4.50 each and take around 15
minutes to deliver a reading.
High-power microscopy is still the best
method available for malaria diagnosis and
has been used for more than a century.
Unfortunately it is time-consuming and
Innovate health 29
requires expensive equipment and specialist
medical skills, which are rarely available in
villages in rural areas in malaria endemic
countries. Over the last decade RDTs have
been developed which allow for faster
diagnosis in the field, but these are too
costly to be viable for developing countries.
Furthermore, RDTs are often not stable at
relatively high temperatures and sometimes
remain positive even after successful
treatment.
Ultimately we expect to produce a
sensitive, non-invasive device that will be
able to detect the haemozoin crystals in the
capillary bed under a fingernail. Prototypes
of both instruments, blood-based and
non-invasive, built by Philips and Exeter
respectively, are to be field tested in Kenya
from November 2008, directed by KIT. Both
devices should serve as a cost effective
alternative and be easy to use, making it
suitable for developing countries, where
the need is greatest.
Research Information:
This research was carried out by Coventry
University, the University of Exeter, Uppsala The Coventry team consists of
University, Philips Electronic, Koninklijk Dr John Heptinstall, Reader
in Applied Biochemistry,
Instituut voor de Tropen (KIT, Amsterdam;
Dr Martin Cox, Senior
field trials in Africa), Eurorad SA, Metis Lecturer in Microbiology and
Instruments & Equipment and was funded Dr Jamie Beddow, post-
under the European Commission Framework doctoral researcher. John and
6 Program. Jamie had previously worked
‘A magneto-optic route towards the on biosensors, specifically
in-vivo diagnosis of malaria: preliminary with the startup company
Membrasense at Coventry
results and pre-clinical trial data’ was
University Technocentre. Martin has malaria research
published in Biophysical Journal and is expertise, having done field work in Papua New Guinea.
available at: www.biophysj.org/
 Fighting the superbug Back in business
Innovate health 30

When adhesive company Bostik needed verification for its ground breaking Antigerm sealant,
it called on the University. Researcher Dr Steve Coupe explains how lab testing helped the with innovative
conference facilities
company launch a powerful advertising campaign about the new germ-killing product

Why did Bostik approach the University?

The company had been told about the University’s ability to do
Microlab testing and they were looking for third party verification on
whether their new sealant was as effective as they believed it to be.
They wanted to release the product in January 2008 so needed
a speedy response so they could target the DIY market with a
germ-killing bathroom or kitchen sealant. Bostik wanted a specialist
microbiologist’s point of view that the germ killing property they had
put into the material would work against specific bugs. They also
needed this third party proof so they could market the product and
adhere to the Advertising Standards Authority’s strict guidelines.

How did you confirm that the product worked?

We put different bacteria, such as MRSA, Salmonella typhimirium
and Escherichia coli strain B, and fungus Aspergillus niger onto the
material to industry standards (Japanese Industrial Standard JIS Z
2801: 2000). We grew the microbes on the sealant in an incubator at
35ºC and also tested a piece of material that did not have the same
properties as the Antigerm sealant.
To meet industry standards the material must reach a certain level
Did you know?
of kill rate of bacteria and in this case, the sealant worked over and n Over 1,000 people in the UK died from E.coli infection in 2006

above the requirements. n The underlying cause of 700 deaths was the superbug, MRSA

n More than 300 people died from Salmonella food poisoning

What did Bostik do with the sealant?

They have initially launched it to the DIY market with the slogan –
‘extra protection against infection’ and are looking to promote the
product in other markets. Dr Stephen Coupe and Dr Gracy
The slogan was made possible because of the verification we Sailo-Lebeau both work in the Business
did at Coventry University. Bostik launched a £1.5 million advertising Environment and Society Faculty and are
campaign off the back of this confirmation, which was aired on members of the Sustainable Drainage Enjoy high spec, custom designed rooms with cutting edge technology in revamped conference facilities
mainstream TV channels including ITV, Channel 4 and a range of Applied Research Group (SUDSARG). at Coventry University’s Technology Park.
Sky channels. Stephen teaches MSc in
The range is called Evo-Stik Antigerm and is aimed at kitchens Environmental Monitoring and
and bathrooms as a solution to black mould and bacteria that is often Assessment and has worked extensively A £1 million extensive refurbishment has transformed the unique Midlands conference centre with
found in the gaps and cracks between tiles. in applied research including the upgraded technical equipment in a stylish space. Expect WiFi, plasma screens, PA systems, an essential
The company can also claim that it is the first product of its kind Bostik-Findlay project and a PhD project
range of audio visual equipment, conferencing aids and the ability to host real and virtual conferences.
proven to kill germs, including MRSA, E. Coli, Salmonella. with Hanson Formpave.
Gracy is a Post Doctoral Researcher
What are the future plans? with Bostik-Findlay, a founder member To view our extensive range of products and services visit www.coventrytechnocentre.co.uk
The contract was initially for one year and we are still looking at ways of the University’s Microbiological
we can improve and enhance the knowledge base around this kind Consultancy and supervises eight For more information telephone 024 7623 6015 or email conference.cad@coventry.ac.uk
of material. We are now looking at Anti-germ’s long-term efficacy MSc research students in the area
through a novel model based protocol. As new superbugs develop of Bioremediation and Oil
we’re also working with Bostik to test them on the sealant. contaminated land.

For more information about the sealant: www.anti-germ.co.uk MEETINGS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION