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, HCI Education, and the evaluation of educational technologies.

PhD supervision and examination experience

As a main supervisor, I have supervised three PhD students to completion (up to 2020), and I have six 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.

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Module lead for

1. Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction
2. Advanced Interaction Design

• Kharrufa A, Nicholson J, Dunphy P, Hodges S, Briggs P, Olivier P. Using IMUs to identify supervisors on touch devices. In: Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2015. 2015, Bamberg, Germany: Springer.
• Heslop P, Preston A, Kharrufa A, Balaam M, Leat D, Olivier P. Evaluating Digital Tabletop Collaborative Writing in the Classroom. In: Human-Computer Interaction - INTERACT 2015: 15th IFIP TC 13 International Conference. 2015, Bamberg, Germany: Springer International Publishing.
• Lin M, Preston A, Kharrufa A, Kong Z. Collaborative enquiry through the tabletop for second/foreign language learners. In: EUROCALL 2014: CALL Design: Principles and Practice. 2014, Groningen, Netherlands: Research-publishing.net.
• Preston A, Kharrufa A, Lin M, Kong Z. Enhancing language learning around the digital tabletop: do actions speak louder than words?. In: Innovative Language Teaching at University: Enhancing student performance. 2014, Leeds: University of Leeds.
• Kharrufa A, Martinez-Maldonado R, Kay J, Olivier P. Extending tabletop application design to the classroom. In: ACM international conference on Interactive tabletops and surfaces. 2013, ACM. In Preparation.
• Kharrufa A, Balaam M, Heslop P, Leat D, Dolan P, Olivier P. Tables in the Wild: Lessons Learned from a Large-Scale Multi-Tabletop Deployment. In: CHI 2013: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2013, Paris: ACM.
• Kharrufa A, Leat D, Olivier P. Designing for Reflection: A Case Study with Digital Tabletops and Digital Mysteries. In: Yang, H., Wang, S, ed. Cases on E-Learning Management: Development and Implementation. Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA: Information Science Reference, 2013, pp.268-292.
• Leat D, Kharrufa A, Olivier P. Brains on the table revisited: Digitising innovative formative assessment. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice 2013. Submitted.
• Heslop P, Kharrufa A, Balaam M, Leat D, Dolan P, Olivier P. Learning extended writing: designing for children's collaboration. In: 12th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (IDC). 2013, New York: ACM Press.
• Pykhtina O, Balaam M, Wood G, Pattison S, Kharrufa A, Olivier P. Magic Land: the design and evaluation of an interactive tabletop supporting therapeutic play with children. In: DIS 2012: Proceedings of the Designing Interactive Systems Conference. 2012, Newcastle, UK: ACM Press.
• Maslamani JA, Windeatt S, Olivier P, Heslop P, Kharrufa A, Shearer J, Balaam M. Collaborative Strategic Reading on Multi-Touch and Multi-User Digital Tabletop Displays. In: EUROCALL. 2012, Gothenburg, Sweden: Research-publishing.net.
• Kharrufa A, Leat D, Olivier P. Digital Mysteries: Designing for Learning at the Tabletop. In: ACM International Conference on Interactive Tabletops and Surfaces. 2010, Saarbruecken, Germany: ACM Press.
• Kharrufa A, Olivier P. Exploring the requirements of tabletop interfaces for education. International Journal of Learning Technology 2010, 5 (1), 42-62. In Preparation.
• Kharrufa A, Olivier P, Leat D. Learning Through Reflection at the Tabletop: A Case Study with Digital Mysteries. In: EdMedia: World Conference on Educational Media and Technology. 2010. In Preparation.
• Wilkinson G, Kharrufa A, Hook J, Pursglove B, Haeuser H, Hammerla N, Wood G, Hodges S, Olivier P. Expressy: Using a Wrist-Worn Inertial Measurement Unit to Add Expressiveness to Touch-Based Interactions. In: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 2016. 2016, San Jose, California: ACM.
• Celina H, Kharrufa A, Preston A, Comber R, Olivier P. SOLE meets MOOC: Designing Infrastructure for Online Self-Organised Learning with a Social Mission. In: 2016 ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS '16). 2016, Brisbane, Australia: ACM.
• Al-Megren S, Kharrufa A, Hook J, Holden A, Sutton S, Olivier P. Comparing Fatigue When Using Large Horizontal and Vertical Multi-touch Interaction Displays. In: Human-Computer Interaction–INTERACT 2015. 2015, Springer International Publishing.
• Reid A, Preston A, Kharrufa A, Heslop P, Mellor C. Re-thinking thinking: students’ perceptions of learning processes as co-authors of digital tabletop applications. 2014. In Preparation.
• Kharrufa AS, Olivier P, Leat D. Digital Mysteries: Designing for Learning at the Tabletop. Newcastle upon Tyne: School of Computing Science, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2009. School of Computing Science Technical Report Series 1171.
• Sulaiman A, Olivier P, Heslop PA. TangiSoft: A Tangible Direct-Touch Tabletop Keyboard. In: World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications (EDMEDIA 2009). 2009, Honolulu, Hawaii: AACE.
• Sulaiman AN, Olivier P. Attribute gates. In: 21st Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST). 2008, Monterey, California, USA: ACM Press.
• Richardson D, Crivellaro C, Kharrufa A, Montague K, Olivier P. Exploring Public Places as Infrastructures for Civic M-Learning. In: 8th International Conference on Communities and Technologies. 2017, Troyes, France: Association for Computing Machinery.
• Kharrufa A, Rix S, Osadchiy T, Preston A, Olivier P. Group Spinner: Recognizing & Visualizing Learning in the Classroom for Reflection, Communication & Planning. In: Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2017, Denver, Colorado, USA: ACM.
• Dodds C, Kharrufa A, Preston A, Preston C, Olivier P. Remix Portal: Connecting Classrooms with Local Music Communities. In: 8th International Conference on Communities and Technologies (C&T '17). 2017, Troyes, France: ACM.
• Lin M, Preston A, Kharrufa A, Kong ZR. Making L2 learners' reasoning skills visible: The potential of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Environments. Thinking Skills and Creativity 2016, 22, 303-322.
• Sarangapani V, Kharrufa A, Balaam M, Leat D, Wright P. Virtual.Cultural.Collaboration - Mobile phones, video technology, and cross-cultural learning. In: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, MobileHCI 2016. 2016, Florence, Italy: Association for Computing Machinery, Inc.
• Heslop P, Preston A, Reid A, Kharrufa A. Students’ Perceptions of Learning Processes as Co-Authors of Digital Tabletop Activities. In: 31st International BCS Human Computer Interaction Conference (HCI 2017). 2017, Sunderland, UK: BCS.
• Kharrufa A, Ploetz T, Olivier P. A Unified Model for User Identification on Multi-Touch Surfaces: A Survey and Meta-Analysis. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction 2018, 24(6), 39.
• Garbett A, Chatting D, Wilkinson G, Lee C, Kharrufa A. ThinkActive: Designing for pseudonymous activity tracking in the classroom. In: CHI '18: Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2018, Montreal, Canada: Association for Computing Machinery.
• Lambton-Howard D, Kiaer Jieun, Kharrufa A. ‘Social media is their space’: student and teacher use and perception of features of social media in language education. Behaviour & Information Technology 2020, epub ahead of print.
• Seedhouse P, Heslop P, Kharrufa A. Cooking as a Language Learning task. TESL-EJ 2020, 24(1), 1-13.
• Venn-Wycherley M, Bennett C, Kharrufa A. Design Studios for K-12 Computing Education. In: 51st ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science. 2020, Portland Oregon, USA: Association for Computing Machinery.
• Watson C, Kirkham R, Kharrufa A. PIP Kit: An Exploratory Investigation into using Lifelogging to support Disability Benefit Claimants. In: CHI '20: Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2020, Hawaii, USA: ACM.
• Lambton-Howard D, Olivier P, Vlachokyriakos V, Celina H, Kharrufa A. Unplatformed Design: A Model for Appropriating Social Media Technologies for Coordinated Participation. In: CHI '20: Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2020, Hawaii, USA: ACM.
• Richardson D, Kharrufa A. We are the Greatest Showmen: Configuring a Framework for Project-Based Mobile Learning. In: CHI '20: Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2020, Honolulu, HI, USA: ACM.
• Alhadlaq A, Kharrufa A, Olivier P. Exploring e-mentoring: co-designing & un-platforming. Behaviour & Information Technology 2019, ePub ahead of print.
• Qarabash H, Heslop P, Kharrufa A, Balaam M, Devlin M. Group tagging: Using video tagging to facilitate reflection on small group activities. British Journal of Educational Technology 2019, 50(4), 1913-1928.
• Venn-Wycherley M, Kharrufa A. HOPE for Computing Education: Towards the Infrastructuring of Support for University-School Partnerships. In: CHI '19: Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2019, Glasgow, UK: ACM.
• Seedhouse P, Heslop P, Kharrufa A, Ren S, Trang N. The Linguacuisine Project: A Cooking-based Language Learning Application. The Eurocall Review 2019, 27(2).
• Lambton-Howard D, Anderson R, Montague K, Garbett A, Hazeldine S, Alvarez C, Sweeney J, Olivier P, Kharrufa A, Nappey T. WhatFutures: Designing Large-Scale Engagements on WhatsApp. In: 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2019, Glasgow, UK: ACM.
• Richardson D, Jarusriboonchai P, Montague K, Kharrufa A. ParkLearn: Creating, sharing and engaging with place-based activities for seamless mobile learning. In: Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services Adjunct (MobileHCI '18). 2018, Barcelona, Spain: ACM.
• Preston A, Lazem S, Kharrufa A, Pursglove B, Olivier P. Supporting the smart teacher: an agenda for the use of embedded sensing in novel learning spaces. Smart Learning Environments 2018, 5, 19.