Ahmed Kharrufa

Ahmed Kharrufa

Senior Lecturer

I am a senior lecturer in human-computer interaction at Open Lab, Newcastle University. I lead the educational technology research at Open Lab and my research in this area focuses on the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of processes and technologies in support of learning, school-community engagement, and cultural and language learning. My research and interest in the area of interaction design ranges from improving people’s experiences of interacting with digital surfaces, spaces and the IoTs to rethinking the design, and the appropriation, of online platforms and services.

Teaching wise, I am the Degree Programme Director for the Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeship, and the module leader for three human-computer interaction related modules for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. I am also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

My background is in Electronics and Communication Engineering (BSc and MSc) with a PhD in Computing Science. Before joining academia full time in 2016, I worked in the software industry for almost two decades as a developer, a development manager, a director and an entrepreneur starting my own educational technology software company (Reflective Thinking) in 2011.

I founded Reflective Thinking to realize the impact of my PhD by commercializing ‘Digital Mysteries’ (an app platform for collaborative learning and thinking skills development) releasing 30 iPad apps covering different educational topics and different age groups with more than 500,000 downloads from over 60 countries. Under the theme of education, I have done work on computer-supported collaborative learning, reflective and metacognitive thinking, school-community engagement, coding education, mobile and place-based learning, and the evaluation of educational technologies.

PhD supervision and examination experience

As a main supervisor, I have supervised four PhD students to completion (up to 2020), and I have five other PhD students researching topics in educational technology and interaction design.

I have acted as an external examiner for Sydney University, and internal examiner at Newcastle University.

My Google Scholar.

2020

We are the Greatest Showmen: Configuring a Framework for Project-Based Mobile Learning

  1. Richardson D
  2. Kharrufa A

2020 – CHI '20: Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Open 10.1145/3313831.3376650

PIP Kit: An Exploratory Investigation into using Lifelogging to support Disability Benefit Claimants

  1. Watson C
  2. Kirkham R
  3. Kharrufa A

2020 – CHI '20: Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Open 10.1145/3313831.3376215

Unplatformed Design: A Model for Appropriating Social Media Technologies for Coordinated Participation

  1. Lambton-Howard D
  2. Olivier P
  3. Vlachokyriakos V
  4. Celina H
  5. Kharrufa A

2020 – CHI '20: Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Open 10.1145/3313831.3376179

Design Studios for K-12 Computing Education

  1. Venn-Wycherley M
  2. Bennett C
  3. Kharrufa A

2020 – 51st ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science

Open 10.1145/3328778.3366923

Cooking as a Language Learning task.

  1. Seedhouse P
  2. Heslop P
  3. Kharrufa A

2020 – TESL-EJ

Open

‘Social media is their space’: student and teacher use and perception of features of social media in language education

  1. Lambton-Howard D
  2. Kiaer Jieun
  3. Kharrufa A

2020 – Behaviour & Information Technology

Open 10.1080/0144929X.2020.1774653

2019

Group tagging: Using video tagging to facilitate reflection on small group activities

  1. Qarabash H
  2. Heslop P
  3. Kharrufa A
  4. Balaam M
  5. Devlin M

2019 – British Journal of Educational Technology

Open 10.1111/bjet.12691

Exploring e-mentoring: co-designing & un-platforming

  1. Alhadlaq A
  2. Kharrufa A
  3. Olivier P

2019 – Behaviour & Information Technology

Open 10.1080/0144929X.2019.1571110

HOPE for Computing Education: Towards the Infrastructuring of Support for University-School Partnerships

  1. Venn-Wycherley M
  2. Kharrufa A

2019 – CHI '19 Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Open 10.1145/3290605.3300729

WhatFutures: Designing Large-Scale Engagements on WhatsApp

  1. Lambton-Howard D
  2. Anderson R
  3. Montague K
  4. Garbett A
  5. Hazeldine S
  6. Alvarez C
  7. Sweeney J
  8. Olivier P
  9. Kharrufa A
  10. Nappey T

2019 – 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Open 10.1145/3290605.3300389

The Linguacuisine Project: A Cooking-based Language Learning Application

  1. Seedhouse P
  2. Heslop P
  3. Kharrufa A
  4. Ren S
  5. Trang N

2019 – The Eurocall Review

Open

2018

A Unified Model for User Identification on Multi-Touch Surfaces: A Survey and Meta-Analysis

  1. Kharrufa A
  2. Ploetz T
  3. Olivier P

2018 – ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction

Open 10.1145/3144569

ThinkActive: Designing for pseudonymous activity tracking in the classroom

  1. Garbett A
  2. Chatting D
  3. Wilkinson G
  4. Lee C
  5. Kharrufa A

2018 – CHI '18 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Open 10.1145/3173574.3173581

ParkLearn: Creating, sharing and engaging with place-based activities for seamless mobile learning

  1. Richardson D
  2. Jarusriboonchai P
  3. Montague K
  4. Kharrufa A

2018 – Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services Adjunct (MobileHCI '18)

Open 10.1145/3229434.3229462

Supporting the smart teacher: an agenda for the use of embedded sensing in novel learning spaces

  1. Preston A
  2. Lazem S
  3. Kharrufa A
  4. Pursglove B
  5. Olivier P

2018 – Smart Learning Environments

Open 10.1186/s40561-018-0068-8

2017

Group Spinner: Recognizing & Visualizing Learning in the Classroom for Reflection, Communication & Planning

  1. Kharrufa A
  2. Rix S
  3. Osadchiy T
  4. Preston A
  5. Olivier P

2017 – Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Open 10.1145/3025453.3025679

Students’ Perceptions of Learning Processes as Co-Authors of Digital Tabletop Activities

  1. Heslop P
  2. Preston A
  3. Reid A
  4. Kharrufa A

2017 – 31st International BCS Human Computer Interaction Conference (HCI 2017)

Open

Exploring Public Places as Infrastructures for Civic M-Learning

  1. Richardson D
  2. Crivellaro C
  3. Kharrufa A
  4. Montague K
  5. Olivier P

2017 – 8th International Conference on Communities and Technologies

Open 10.1145/3083671.3083678

Remix Portal: Connecting Classrooms with Local Music Communities

  1. Dodds C
  2. Kharrufa A
  3. Preston A
  4. Preston C
  5. Olivier P

2017 – 8th International Conference on Communities and Technologies (C&T '17)

Open 10.1145/3083671.3083679

2016

Expressy: Using a Wrist-Worn Inertial Measurement Unit to Add Expressiveness to Touch-Based Interactions

  1. Wilkinson G
  2. Kharrufa A
  3. Hook J
  4. Pursglove B
  5. Haeuser H
  6. Hammerla N
  7. Wood G
  8. Hodges S
  9. Olivier P

2016 – ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 2016

Open 10.1145/2858036.2858223

SOLE meets MOOC: Designing Infrastructure for Online Self-Organised Learning with a Social Mission

  1. Celina H
  2. Kharrufa A
  3. Preston A
  4. Comber R
  5. Olivier P

2016 – 2016 ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS '16)

Open 10.1145/2901790.2901848

Making L2 learners' reasoning skills visible: The potential of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Environments

  1. Lin M
  2. Preston A
  3. Kharrufa A
  4. Kong ZR

2016 – Thinking Skills and Creativity

Open 10.1016/j.tsc.2016.06.004

Virtual.Cultural.Collaboration - Mobile phones, video technology, and cross-cultural learning

  1. Sarangapani V
  2. Kharrufa A
  3. Balaam M
  4. Leat D
  5. Wright P

2016 – Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, MobileHCI 2016

Open 10.1145/2935334.2935354

2015

Evaluating Digital Tabletop Collaborative Writing in the Classroom

  1. Heslop P
  2. Preston A
  3. Kharrufa A
  4. Balaam M
  5. Leat D
  6. Olivier P

2015 – Human-Computer Interaction - INTERACT 2015: 15th IFIP TC 13 International Conference

Open 10.1007/978-3-319-22668-2_41

Using IMUs to identify supervisors on touch devices.

  1. Kharrufa A
  2. Nicholson J
  3. Dunphy P
  4. Hodges S
  5. Briggs P
  6. Olivier P

2015 – Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2015

Open 10.1007/978-3-319-22668-2_44

Comparing Fatigue When Using Large Horizontal and Vertical Multi-touch Interaction Displays.

  1. Al-Megren S
  2. Kharrufa A
  3. Hook J
  4. Holden A
  5. Sutton S
  6. Olivier P

2015 – Human-Computer Interaction–INTERACT 2015

Open 10.1007/978-3-319-22723-8_13

2014

Enhancing language learning around the digital tabletop: do actions speak louder than words?

  1. Preston A
  2. Kharrufa A
  3. Lin M
  4. Kong Z

2014 – Innovative Language Teaching at University: Enhancing student performance

Open

Collaborative enquiry through the tabletop for second/foreign language learners

  1. Lin M
  2. Preston A
  3. Kharrufa A
  4. Kong Z

2014 – EUROCALL 2014: CALL Design: Principles and Practice

Open 10.14705/rpnet.2014.000218

Re-thinking thinking: students’ perceptions of learning processes as co-authors of digital tabletop applications

  1. Reid A
  2. Preston A
  3. Kharrufa A
  4. Heslop P
  5. Mellor C

2014 –

2013

Designing for Reflection: A Case Study with Digital Tabletops and Digital Mysteries

  1. Kharrufa A
  2. Leat D
  3. Olivier P

2013 – Cases on E-Learning Management: Development and Implementation

Brains on the table revisited: Digitising innovative formative assessment

  1. Leat D
  2. Kharrufa A
  3. Olivier P

2013 – Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice

Tables in the Wild: Lessons Learned from a Large-Scale Multi-Tabletop Deployment

  1. Kharrufa A
  2. Balaam M
  3. Heslop P
  4. Leat D
  5. Dolan P
  6. Olivier P

2013 – CHI 2013: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Open 10.1145/2470654.2466130

Learning extended writing: designing for children's collaboration

  1. Heslop P
  2. Kharrufa A
  3. Balaam M
  4. Leat D
  5. Dolan P
  6. Olivier P

2013 – 12th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (IDC)

Open 10.1145/2485760.2485765

Extending tabletop application design to the classroom.

  1. Kharrufa A
  2. Martinez-Maldonado R
  3. Kay J
  4. Olivier P

2013 – ACM international conference on Interactive tabletops and surfaces

Open

2012

Magic Land: the design and evaluation of an interactive tabletop supporting therapeutic play with children

  1. Pykhtina O
  2. Balaam M
  3. Wood G
  4. Pattison S
  5. Kharrufa A
  6. Olivier P

2012 – DIS 2012: Proceedings of the Designing Interactive Systems Conference

Open 10.1145/2317956.2317978

Collaborative Strategic Reading on Multi-Touch and Multi-User Digital Tabletop Displays

  1. Maslamani JA
  2. Windeatt S
  3. Olivier P
  4. Heslop P
  5. Kharrufa A
  6. Shearer J
  7. Balaam M

2012 – EUROCALL

Open

2010

Exploring the Requirements of Tabletop Interfaces for Education

  1. Kharuffa AS
  2. Olivier P
  3. Ahmed Kharrufa

2010 – International Journal of Learning Technology

Learning Through Reflection at the Tabletop: A Case Study with Digital Mysteries

  1. Kharuffa A
  2. Olivier P
  3. Leat D
  4. Ahmed Kharrufa

2010 – World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications

Open

Digital Mysteries: Designing for Learning at the Tabletop

  1. Kharrufa A
  2. Leat D
  3. Olivier P

2010 – ACM International Conference on Interactive Tabletops and Surfaces

Open

Learning Through Reflection at the Tabletop: A Case Study with Digital Mysteries

  1. Kharrufa A
  2. Olivier P
  3. Leat D

2010 – EdMedia: World Conference on Educational Media and Technology

Open

Exploring the requirements of tabletop interfaces for education.

  1. Kharrufa A
  2. Olivier P

2010 – International Journal of Learning Technology

Open

2009

TangiSoft: A Tangible Direct-Touch Tabletop Keyboard

  1. Sulaiman A
  2. Olivier P
  3. Heslop PA
  4. Ahmed Kharrufa

2009 – World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications (EDMEDIA 2009)

Open

Digital Mysteries: Designing for Learning at the Tabletop

  1. Kharrufa AS
  2. Olivier P
  3. Leat D

2009 – School of Computing Science Technical Report Series

Open

TangiSoft: A Tangible Direct-Touch Tabletop Keyboard

  1. Sulaiman-Kharrufa A
  2. Olivier P
  3. Heslop P

2009 – EdMedia: World Conference on Educational Media and Technology

Open

2008

Attribute gates

  1. Sulaiman AN
  2. Olivier P
  3. Ahmed Kharrufa

2008 – 21st Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST)

Open 10.1145/1449715.1449726

Attribute Gates

  1. Sulaiman-Kharrufa A
  2. Olivier P

2008 – ACM symposium on User interface software and technology (UIST '08)

Open