Stephen Molyneux

Infobox Person
name = Stephen Molyneux


caption =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1955|2|24|mf=y
birth_place = Liverpool, England
dead =
death_date =
death_place =

Steve Molyneux, (born Walton, Liverpool, 24 February, 1955): Apple Distinguished Educator and a leading expert in the use of information and communication technology to support education and training in the UK. He is an advocate of technology in the support of learning, but also challenges some government and industry thinking on how technologies should be deployed in education and training. Whilst a pioneer in the development of Virtual Learning Environments (LMSs), Molyneux now believes that the changes in the way that society interacts with technology and the Web should lead us to review transforming education and training systems from late 20th century 'pull' model of e-learning to a newer 'push' model based on personalisation.

His career spans a wide rage of sectors. He started as a radar operator in the Royal Air Force, and after moving to Germany in the early 1980s held a number of posts including head of software development at ATARI International in Hamburg and ARIOLASOFT in Munich. Before returning to the UK in 1991, Molyneux had held advisory posts with the German Ministry of Education & Science and the European Commission in the use of technology to support education and training. Since his return to the UK, Molyneux is seen as a key player in e-learning and is one of the UK's leading movers and shakers in the transformation of the UK towards the knowledge economy. In the past he has held a number of professorial chairs including: Microsoft Chair of Advanced Learning Technologies, IBM Chair of Information & Communication Technologies and Asymetrix Chair of Multimedia. In 1995 whilst a professor of learning technologies at the University of Wolverhampton he developed one of the first Virtual Learning Environments (VLE/LMS) in the UK, which was licensed from the university by Granada Learning under the brand ‘learnwise’. This learning platform was developed as part of 'Broadnet', a project run by the University of Wolverhampton and funded by the Government Office of the West Midlands to deliver modular training packages to small businesses using the Internet. The 'Broadnet' project was successfully used as a case study in 1996 by the UK Institute for Public Policy Research in the formulation of their 'University for Industry' proposal to government, later re-branded as UfI/learndirect.

In 1996 together with one of his students he founded MediaLab UK, subsequently renamed Netmedia Education and sold in 2006 to Espresso Education Ltd.

Between 1997 and 1999 he worked with government and industry in evangelising the concept of a National Grid for Learning through initiatives such as UK NetYear and in 1998 developed an infrastructure strategy for Telford and Wrekin Council which when implemented linked 87 Schools on a high-speed ATM network allowing for shared resources and support to be offered to all schools irrespective of size. In 2000 he assisted the council in being awarded a £750,000 grant to build two Classrooms of the Future at Lord Silkin and Wrockardine Wood Schools respectively.

In 1999 he, together with Microsoft and ICL, founded Learning Lab, a not-for-profit membership-led organisation, supporting all those involved in the development, delivery and implementation of learning technologies in the UK.

In 2001, he worked successfully worked with the United States Department of Defense in founding the ADL Partnership Lab (UK). The aim of this collaboration was to assist in promoting the adoption of SCORM as a learning technology standard across the UK.

In 2002 he proposed to the university and to Advantage West Midlands to build a state-of-the-art [http://www.e-innovationcentre.co.uk/ e-Innovation Centre] in Telford. The Centre, which opened in 2006, aims to help people with a business idea or a fledgling business by offering comprehensive consultancy service from a team of specialists. In November 2007, the Centre scooped two awards at the coveted West Midlands ICT Excellence Awards.

In 2003, he left the university to become an independent consultant in the use of ICT to support education and training.

Between 2005 and 2006, as part of the Defence Training Review, Molyneux was Special Adviser to the Ministry of Defence on Training & Education, where he was responsible to the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel) in assisting the Directorate General Training & Education (DGT&E) in evaluating private sector bids to run a large government defence training transformation initiative.

Molyneux has contributed to UK national and international strategic policy papers as a member of the UK Distributed Electronic Learning Group (DELG) of the Learning and Skills Council, a member of the Digital Content group of the UK Department of Trade and Industry and a member of the UK Department for Education and Skills Post-16 e-Learning strategy task force. He has also assisted a number of other UK government departments including the Cabinet Office, the Department of Health and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs in developing their e-learning strategies. He was a member of the Institute of IT Training e-Learning Standards Committee and continues to play an important role in shaping the future of e-learning on a global scale. As a founding member of the Broadband Stakeholder Group Executive with responsibility for the education and training sector he advised the UK Government on broadband deployment strategies across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. He has also worked closely with the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive in meeting the needs of the Scottish digital economy.

Molyneux is currently using his expertise to assist [http://www.hastings.ac.uk/ Hastings College] in Hastings, East Sussex in its [http://www.hastings.ac.uk/SussexCoast/countdown.htm multi-million pound new build] as well at that from [http://www.oaklands.ac.uk/ Oaklands College] in St. Albans.

Internationally, Molyneux has contributed to the use of technology to support education and training in a number of countries including the United States, Germany and Singapore. He works closely with the United States Department of Labor and the Department of Defense on training technology strategies.

Molyneux is often asked to provide advice on the strategic use of ICT and broadband infrastructure to national, European and international clients from both the public and private sector, and he performs numerous speaking engagements.

On August 28th 2007, to celebrate its 800th birthday as a city, Molyneux was formally listed as one of 800 people who had put Liverpool on the map.

In 2008, Molyneux was appointed advisor to the New Directions Group of Cambridge University Press to assist in visioning their new digital publishing strategy. As an independent consultant, Molyneux works closely with leading vendors such as Apple and Microsoft and currently holds a number of non-executive positions.

Outside of work, Molyneux is a Justice of the Peace, patron of Shropshire Young Enterprise and from 2003-2006 was Chairman/Mayor of Oakengates Town Council where he currently resides. He also broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio Shropshire Morning Show on issues relating to technology.

Awards and Accolades

* 1978 Air Officer Commander in Chief commendation for meritorious service to Strike Command
* 1997 First non-employee ICL Fellow
* 2000 First recipient of WOLCE Award for outstanding personal contribution to e-Learning Industry
* 2002 Named one of the top 10 UK movers & shakers in Education & Training
* 2003 State of Minnesota Adj. Generals Personal Coin for contribution in the field
* 2004 State of Massachusetts Adj. Generals Personal Coin for contribution in the field
* 2004 United States National Guard Coin for Distributed Training Technology Programme
* 2007 Named as one of 800 people who has put Liverpool on the Map.
* 2008 Apple Distinguished Educator for Central Europe, Middle East and Africa

References and Citations

* [http://www.adlnet.gov/colabs/unitedkingdom/Molyneux.cfm "Prof. Molyneux to run ADL Partnership lab in UK"] US Government ADL Lab Announcement, 2001
* [http://www.learninglab.org.uk/asp/pressview.asp?ses=&id=42 "Prof. Steve Molyneux to advise Singapore Government"] Press Release, "The Learning Lab", November 2001
* [http://asp.wlv.ac.uk/Level5.asp?UserType=8&Level5=1448 "Top Professor appointed to Education Taskforce"] University of Wolverhampton, 2002
* [http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2119717/academic-calls-uk-learning-standard "Senior academic calls for UK e-Learning standard"] , Computing, August 2002
* [http://www.broadbanduk.org/reports/visions2010/docs/LEARNING_LAB_SteveMolyneux_BSG_Visions.pdf "Broadband Visions in Education and Training"] , Broadband Stakeholders Group, 2004
* [http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/features/2072384/learning-scheme-ready-change "Leading UK Academic speaks out on UKeU"] Computing Magazine, March 2004
* [http://www.uol.ohecampus.com/presscoverage/2004/040804.phtml "Public sector e-Learning back in the limelight"] Computing Press, Aug 2004
* [http://www.caspianlearning.co.uk/MOLwhite_paper.pdf "Implementing 3D Based Games in UK Secondary Schools"] , White Paper, 2005
* [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmwelaf/1129/112906.htm "Prof. Molyneux as Ministry of Defence Advisor"] UK Parliament Select Committee on Welsh Affairs, 2006
* [http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/analysis/2214495/better-45bn-schools-plan-fails "£45 Billion Schools IT Plan Fails to impress"] Computing Magazine, April 2008
* [http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2215799/offer-jobs-girls "Renowned society reporter and international blogger Janie Davies reveals her Top 10 Cool IT People"] May 2008

Persondata
NAME=Molyneux, Stephen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Molyneux, Steve
SHORT DESCRIPTION=English e-Learning Expert
DATE OF BIRTH=24 February, 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH=Liverpool, England
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=