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Staff Profile

Dr John Colquhoun

Lecturer

  • Telephone: +44 191 208 8034
  • Address: School of Computing,
    2.047, Urban Sciences Building,
    Newcastle University,
    1 Science Square,
    Science Central,
    Newcastle upon Tyne,
    NE5 5TG.
Background

I arrived in the School of Computing Science as an undergraduate in 2001 following completion of the Year in Industry Scheme, during which I worked at Lite-On Ltd, Ashington. In Summer 2003, I undertook a STEP summer placement at Hepscott Water Systems Ltd.


On completion of my BSc in 2004, I began my PhD, supervised by Professor Paul Watson. My research project concerned distributed query processing in peer-to-peer database systems. I submitted my Thesis in October 2007 and from then until December 2008, worked as an RA, still in the field of P2P database systems. I was awarded my PhD in December 2008.


In January 2009, I began work on the CVR (Cardiovascular Risk) project. This involved writing a software tool called CV-Decide that could have been used by GPs to evaluate a patient's risk of cardiovascular disease and examine the effect of possible treatment options. CV-Decide was successfully piloted in participating practices within NHS South of Tyne & Wear in April 2011.

I have worked as a Teaching Assistant and later as a Teaching Fellow from mid-2009 onwards. I was promoted to Lecturer in August 2017.

My work in the Teaching Innovation Group has interested me in research involving teaching styles and pedagogy. The "Teaching" tab on this page lists all the modules I'm currently involved in and also some of my additional responsibilities.


In 2014, I was shortlisted for a Teaching Excellence Award in the "Innovative Teaching Methods" category.

I was the Computing Science administrator for the 2014 REF.


I won a Teaching Excellence Award in 2015 in the "Innovative Teaching Methods - SAgE" category.


Google Scholar: Click here.

Area of expertise: Teaching and learning in Computing

Teaching

I expect to be teaching on the following modules during the current academic year:

CSC1033 Information Storage & Retrieval,

CSC2033 Software Engineering Team Project,

CSC8017 Database Systems (MSc CS), 

CSC8019 Software Engineering Group Project (MSc CS)


Theme co-leader for Build Your Own Project strand for dissertations and module lead for CSC8498 Short Postgraduate Project.


Additional Responsibilities: 

I also teach on the Computing strand of the Partners Assessed Summer School Programme and I like to get involved in outreach work if possible too such as undertaking some school visits to promote our degree courses.

I undertake placement visits to some of our students who are working in industry on their placement year and am also the placement module leader.

Deputy Chair of the Undergraduate Board of Examiners (currently acting Chair).

I am the Stage 2 co-ordinator.

I am Chair of the School Academic Misconduct Committee.

I am the School Deputy Admissions Tutor.


Research

My work as a Teaching Fellow has interested me in research surrounding teaching styles & pedagogies.

I was a member of the CV-Decide project team, producing a software tool to communicate risk and assist in shared decision making for patients at a high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Publications