Dr David Parsons
David, or Dr Dave as we call him, is a leader of educational change here in Aotearoa. At The Mind Lab he acts on this by being responsible for our longest standing programme, the Postgraduate Certificate in Digital and Collaborative Learning.
His passion for innovation and digital transformation helps him shape the curriculum and deliver new and emerging research and digital tools to teachers across Aotearoa.
Dave’s long and varied career across education and industry in Europe and Australasia has given him a wealth of knowledge and experience. He’s a leading international researcher in technology-enhanced learning, with one of his major roles being the founding editor in chief of the International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning. Dave is also the President of the International Association for Mobile Learning (IAmLearn), which runs the annual mLearn conference series, now in its 20th year. In order to continually stay ahead of the curve, he also maintains his expertise in software development in both research and external training and consultancy, and is a Certified Member of the Association for Learning Technologies.
With a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sussex, a Certificate in Education from the University of Greenwich, a Master of Philosophy from the University of Southampton, and a PhD from Nottingham Trent University – Dave certainly exemplifies a love and passion for education.
Dave has a keen interest in incorporating indigenous values into teaching and learning, and breaking down barriers for Māori and pacific learners. Although he’s very future focused if he could go back in time Dave would love to meet Helen of Troy, and rather ironically sums up his life as the song “Road to Nowhere” by Talking Heads.
At The Mind Lab Dave often brings his immense musical talents into the office. Whether it’s gaining an unfair advantage in our work karaoke competition, performing at staff parties, or leading our staff in a waiata – his singing and guitar playing never fails to entertain and impress. He considers this his superpower, we believe it’s just one of many.
Academic achievements
Bachelor of Arts (University of Sussex)
Certificate in Education (University of Greenwich)
Master of Philosophy (University of Southampton)
PhD Information Technology (Nottingham Trent University)