Dr. Matthew Stevens
Programme Coordinator - Digital Transformation
Matt has over 13 years teaching experience in interactive design and development across a range of programmes. His research interests include agile forms of learning – across the boundaries of educational institutions and the world of work – and 21st Century design approaches for ecological and social action. Prior to teaching at Media Design School, Matt worked as web designer and developer and before that ran his own independent art-house cinema and film distribution company. He graduated with a PhD from Auckland University of Technology in 2020.
Research Interests:
Ecological ways of knowing and learning.
Nomadic agile forms of learning.
Integrated, holistic pedagogical practices.
21st Century design approaches for ecological and social activism.
Philosophy and media as cultural criticism and cultural politics.
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Research/Industry Projects:
Matt’s PhD Thesis, ‘Dissolving the Walls’, explores nomadic agile forms of learning across and beyond the boundaries of educational institutions and qualification frameworks, within creative technologies domains. Viewed through an ecological lens, knowing and learning emerge from practice situations that are dynamically co-constituted by the participating learners, teachers, practitioners and workplaces – as shared undertakings. His current research project, ‘Rewilding Learning’, involves prototyping nomadic agile learning situations, in the form of real-world collaborations between teams of media design students and Auckland Council. The most recent of these ‘Design Your Future’ was a multi-media campaign to engage young people in climate action by inviting them to share their ideas for the sustainable future of Auckland.
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Recent Research Outputs:
Stevens, M. (2020). Dissolving the walls: An inquiry into nomadic agile learning (PhD thesis). Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand. https://openrepository.aut.ac.nz/handle/10292/13461
Stevens, M. (2018, August). Dissolving the walls: Nomadic agile learning in creative technologies domains. Paper presented at the Auckland University of Technology Postgraduate Research Symposium, Auckland, New Zealand.
Stevens, M. (2017, November). Dissolving the walls: Learning across the boundaries of tertiary institutions and work. Session presented at the 13th Tertiary Education Research in New Zealand Conference, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Stevens, M. (2013). A proposal for an agile approach to the teaching and learning of creative technologies (Honours dissertation). Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.