James Rutherford

He also has over twenty-five years of AV project management and technical experience in support of learning and teaching.

He has a Master’s in Advanced Educational Practice from UCL Institute of Education, where he explored the creation of physical environments in higher education that enable effective learning and teaching.

James works at City St George's, University of London, as a Senior Educational Technologist and project manager of learning space development and for video/multimedia production. He has previously worked in managerial roles for learning environment development at the University of Birmingham and University of the Arts London.

Expertise and areas of interest

• Project management of institutional Learning Spaces change projects
• Learning Spaces design and development consultant
• Organisational structures for developing new learning environments
• Video and multimedia production design for learning and teaching.

Internal committee memberships

• Project lead for ISLA [Inclusive Synchronous Learning Activities] Hybrid Teaching Project and ISLA Steering Group
• Project lead for Designing Active Learning (DALI) initiative, created primarily to evaluate and refine City St George's current teaching and learning spaces.
• Project lead for video and multimedia production

External activities and memberships

• ALT Learning Spaces Special Interest Group
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• SCHOMS member, executive committee member and vice-chair (2012-2016)

Conferences and Publications

• Author of piece for Media and Learning, “A realistic look at EdTech, common misconceptions, and how to prepare for the future”, 2023.
• Wrote article on Hybrid Teaching Environments titled "The Design of Hybrid Teaching Environments: 10 Questions Answered" published by Educause Review, 2023.
• Co-presenter and producer of the podcast series 'Teaching Here and There' focussed on hybrid teaching & learning alongside Dom Pates and Dr. Ivan Sikora, 2021- date
• Guest column author on article about hybrid teaching in higher education, Inavate Magazine, 2021.
• Created a RIBA approved CPD package for a British furniture manufacturer, with an exploration of pedagogically-informed learning spaces, aiming to enhance the experience and output of students. Connection CPD
• Contributor to The UK HE Learning Space Toolkit produced by SCHOMS, AUDE and UCISA to help members from all three professional bodies share best practice and work more effectively when creating learning spaces, 2015
• Rutherford, J. (2019). The effective use of video at City St George's, a literature review, a paper investigating how video production design is making a tangible difference in higher education
• Workshop lead for conference sessions including “The Pedagogy of Space” and “Why Do We Need Classroom Furniture?” (City St George's, University of London, Anglia Ruskin University, Workplace Trends Conference 2017 – present)
• Jointly presented “The Pedagogy of Space “interactive workshop at the Higher Education Conference for Integrated Systems Europe, Amsterdam in February 2019
• Presented at The Design & Management of Learning Environments Conference 2017 and 2014
• Rutherford, J. (2015). Creating Physical Learning Environments that Enable Effective Learning and Teaching. Centre for Learning and Academic Development and Learning Spaces, University of Birmingham. This article considers the types of physical environments that are required to enable effective learning and teaching in respect of a student centred, active and collaborative pedagogy.