Professor Alex Moseley

Alex is Head of Anglia Learning and Teaching. He leads the activities of Anglia Learning and Teaching, which are driven jointly by our Education Strategy and by the changing needs of course teams.

[email protected]

@AlexM11

Background

I have a background in Archaeology, and over the last 25 years have developed a strategic interest in learning and teaching aligned with a growing interdisciplinary research portfolio. I joined Anglia Ruskin University from the University of Leicester, where as Head of Curriculum Enhancement I led the institution through curriculum transformation; a deep review of digital learning support; development of learning communities; and designed the flexible, blended approach to learning and teaching under COVID.

I am actively involved in national and international thinking around pedagogy and quality, both in my own area of playful learning, and in rethinking flexible future HE provision.

I have remained an active teacher and facilitator, with a belief in active learning and the power of play. I am an interdisciplinary researcher, and believe in a research-teaching nexus, where students and staff co-develop as learners and researchers.

As Head of Anglia Learning and Teaching, I aim to use my experience and knowledge of teaching, adult training, research and quality in HE, and bring these together strategically and creatively with my talented team to push active, inclusive and research-led learning and teaching, authentic assessment, and flexible digital/blended learning. Throughout I am committed to making sure everyone is included, by designing inclusively, valuing diversity, and strengthening learning communities.

Research interests

My principal research area is in playful learning: I have written extensively in this field, present my work internationally, chair an international conference (Playful Learning) and special interest group (the Playful Learning Association), and organise events that bring education, industry and media together to debate the role of play in learning. This intersects with an interest in active learning, inter- and cross-disciplinary learning and research, and in the development of inclusive learning communities.

Areas of research supervision

• Connections between games and play, and adult education. Digital and physical games for education; playfulness in teaching and research.
• Active, collaborative and immersive learning; student involvement in learning (students as partners). Learning communities.
• The research-teaching nexus: research influenced teaching; teaching influenced research; student involvement in research.

Teaching

I have previously taught: research skills in history and archaeology; playful design in heritage and museum studies; creative computing; games and play in media and cultural studies.

Qualifications

PhD in “Learning at the Edge of the Magic Circle: A Case for Playful Learning”, University of Leicester
MA in Online and Distance Education, Open University
BSc Archaeology, University of Leicester

Awards

National Teaching Fellow
Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE)
Principal Fellow of Advance HE (PFHEA)

Memberships, editorial boards

Visiting Fellow, Centre for Higher Education Futures, Aarhus University, Denmark.
External Examiner, DCAD, Durham University
Founding and current co-Chair, Research In Digital Learning in Higher Education (RIDL:HE)
Founding co-Chair, Playful Learning Association
Founding co-Chair, Playful Learning Conference
Accredited Lego Serious Play Facilitator; Accredited Co-Navigator Facilitator

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

CO-I, RE:PLAY Project (ESRC funded, £1m, hosted at University of Northumbria; ARU one of six partner instutions). 2025-2028. Largest funded project on adult play.

Consultant, FORTITUDE project (European Research Council funded, University of Leicester), 2020-24.

Training lead, British Council and Afghanistan Ministry of HE: National Training Team (implementing quality enhancement across Afghan universities). 2018-2020.

Consultant and Co-I, AHRC Transforming Thresholds project: KE Project between HE, SMEs and Heritage organisations. 2014-18.

Consultancies for Birmingham City University (Distance Learning review); Durham University (PGCert redesign). 2015-2019.

Selected recent publications

Lee, C. & Moseley, A. (2026) “Exploring student and staff belonging in a UK university using LEGO ® SERIOUS PLAY ®” in The Journal of Play in Adulthood. [To be published 27/4/26 online].

Moseley, A. (2024) “Rethinking the University Curriculum, Playfully” in Toft Nørgård, R. & Whitton, N. eds. The Playful University: Philosophy, Pedagogy, Politics and Principles. Routlege: New York.

Whitton, N & Moseley, A. (2024) “Exploring Play as the Nexus of Games and Playfulness”. 18th European Conference on Games Based Learning, Aarhus, Denmark, 3-4 October 2024.

Moseley, A. (2023) “Creating Curricula Together” in S. Nolan & S. Hutchinson eds. Leading Innovation and Creativity in University Teaching. Routledge: New York. 
Watkins, D. & Moseley, A., (2022) “Envisioning research through a lens of play”, The Journal of Play in Adulthood, vol 4, issue 1, pp52-71. doi: https://doi.org/10.5920/jpa.997

Moseley, A. (2022) “Belonging with LEGO SERIOUS PLAY” in Nerantzi, C. & James, A. LEGO for university learning: Online, offline and elsewhere. Zenodo: https://zenodo.org/records/7421754

Moseley, A. & Tøft Norgård, R. Guest Eds. (2021) “The Playful Academic” special issue of The Journal of Play in Adulthood, vol 3, issue 1 (1-8). [Google Scholar: 26]

Tøft Norgård, R. & Moseley, A. Guest Eds. (2021) “Designs for Playful Learning” special issue of The Journal of Play in Adulthood, vol 3, issue 2 (1-8).

Moseley, A. (2019) 'The great history conundrum: could immersive games enhance an undergraduate "skills" course?' in A. Von Lünen, K.K. Lewis, B. Litherlano and P. Callum (eds) Historia Ludens: the playing historian. New York: Routledge, pp.71-88.

Whitton, N. and Moseley, A. (eds) (2019) Playful learning: events and activities to engage adults. New York: Routledge.

Moseley, A. (2018) 'Real-life contexts in learning games: towards a new typology'. International Journal of Games Based Learning, 8(4), pp. 18-31.

Parry, R., Moseley, A. and Page, R. (2018) Museum thresholds: the design and media of arrival. New York: Routledge.

Moseley, A. and Whitton, N. (eds) (2014) 'Engagement in simulation/gaming: symposium overview'. Simulation & Gaming, 45(4-5), pp. 428-432.

Moseley, A. (2013) 'A case for integration: assessment and games' in T. M. Connolly, T. Hainey, E. Boyle, G. Baxter and P. Moreno-Ger (eds) Psychology, pedagogy and assessment in serious games. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, pp. 342-356.

Moseley, A. and Whitton, N. (eds) (2013) New traditional games for learning: a case book. New York: Routledge.

Moseley, A. (2012) 'An alternate reality for education?: lessons to be learned from online immersive games', International Journal of Games Based Learning, 2(3), pp. 32-50.

Whitton, N. and Moseley, A. eds. (2012) Using games to enhance learning and teaching: a beginners’ guide, New York: Routledge.

Recent presentations and conferences

Keynote Speaker: Moseley, A. (2024): “Collaboration and Play: how to connect the curriculum”, SEDA Spring Conference, Liverpool, May 2024.

Keynote Speaker: Moseley, A. (2021): “The Role of Play and Playfulness in Active Learning”, Global Active Learning Conference 2021, Online, July 2021.

Keynote Speaker: Moseley, A. (2021): “Playful Learning, Teaching and Researching”, ECGBL, University of Brighton, October 2021. 

Keynote speaker: Moseley, A. (2019): 'Playful leadership', The Playful University conference, Aarhus University, Denmark, August 2019

Keynote speaker: Moseley, A. (2018): 'Looking for play in dark places'. Icepops UK copyright literacy conference, Liverpool, 3 April 2018.

Co-chair: Moseley, A. (2016) Association for Learning Technology annual conference (ALTC), Warwick.

Keynote speaker: Moseley, A. (2016) 'What can play do for you?'. LILAC Conference, Dublin, Ireland, 21-23 March 2016.

Invited speaker: Moseley, A. (2015) 'Increasing student motivation and participation through games and gamification'. Inside Gov symposium on mobile learning, London, 8 July 2015.

Co-Chair (with S. Warburton): Moseley, A.and Warburton, S. (2015) In focus: games, gamification and games-based learning: a symposium. Senate House, University of London, 4 March 2015.