1. Herbert Ernest Thomas
Born: 14 January 1961
Address: 333 Wairakei Road, Burnside, Christchurch
Cell: +64-27-3300220
E-mail: Herbertethomas@gmail.com
Qualifications
1979 – 1981 Bachelor of Arts (major in English and Afrikaans/Dutch)
University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Other subjects: Psychology II, History I, Linguistics I
1982 Honours Degree in English Literature
University of Stellenbosch
Courses: Romantic Poetry, The 19th Century Novel,
Modern Poetry, Shakespeare, Literary Theory, Medieval Literature
1983 Higher Diploma in Education (Post-graduate)
University of Stellenbosch
Didactic specialization: English and Afrikaans
1988 Bachelor of Laws Year 1 (part-time)
University of South Africa
Courses: Private Law I, Private Law II, Criminal Law I, Interpretation of Statutes
1991 – 1992 Master of Arts in General Linguistics
University of Stellenbosch: specialization field: Pragmatics and, more specifically,
Relevance Theory: Communication and Cognition

2. 1998 T.E.F.L. (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Diploma
Cape Town School of Languages, South Africa
1998 A+ Computer Service Technician’s Diploma
(Microsoft Certified)
Computer Services, South Africa
2000 Computer Science and Informatics 114 & 144 (C++ )
University of the Free State, South Africa
2001 Computer Science and Informatics 234, 222, 224 & 212 (VB 6.0 & OO Systems
Development; Interface Design and Web Programming)
University of the Free State
2006 Ph.D. in Computer-integrated Education
University of Pretoria, South Africa
Supervisor: Professor Johannes Cronje
External examiner: Prof Dan Surry, South Alabama University
Dissertation topic: The sustainable implementation of computers in school
districts – a case study in the Free State Province of South Africa
Employment History
2014 Manager, Centre for Educational Development, Christchurch Polytechnic Institute
of Technology (CPIT), New Zealand
Role:
 Develop, lead and manage the Centre and its staff and resources
 Provide leadership and support in partnership with Departments in
educational development
 Develop key strategies, plans for educational development, particularly
learning design and technology enhanced learning
 Manage the implementation of relevant CPIT plans
 Manage a portfolio of CPIT Academic Division projects relevant to
educational development
 Foster and develop collaborative relationships within CPIT and with other
TEO’s and organisations in New Zealand and internationally.
 Further develop a partnership model for educational development between
CED and the Academic Evaluation Unit.

3. 2010 - 2013 Electronic Learning Media (ELM) Team Leader, University of Canterbury,
New Zealand
Role:
 Strategic planning for institutional promotion of e-learning
 Management of e-learning strategy implementation
 Management of ELM Team
 Liaison with Senior Management Team, colleges, schools and
departments
 Provision of institutional direction relating to ELM engagement with
academic staff members
Key achievements:
 Strategic assessment of e-learning at UC after February 2011 earthquake
 Development of first e-learning strategic priorities document for UC
 Development of new college-based ELM engagement model
 Establishment and embedding of e-learning project methodology
 Implementation of automated multimedia capture
 Co-designed first integrated UC Learning and Teaching / e-Learning Plan
 Co-teach PG Tertiary Teaching Certificate Paper in Course Design
2006 - 2010 Head: Division e-Learning, Centre for Higher Education Studies and
Development, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Role:
 Strategic planning for institution (30 000 students and 3000 staff)
 Management of implementation of e-learning strategy
 Management of Division e-Learning (twelve staff members)
 Liaison with six academic faculties, Computer Services and Top
Management
 Provision of institutional direction relating to the integration of emerging
technologies into the curriculum
 Note: Strong multi-cultural environment
Key achievements:
 Drafting of first institutional e-learning strategic plan
 Implementation of early adopter strategic initiatives
 Quadrupling of number of e-learning modules
 Establishment of core competencies in Division e-Learning
 Participation in Association of Commonwealth Universities e-learning
benchmarking exercise

4.  Incorporation of online distance programmes into Division e-Learning
 Member of steering committee for the establishment of national higher
education e-learning advisory body
2005 Instructional Designer /Researcher, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein,
South Africa
Role:
 Introduction of the blended model at the institution
 Design of procedures, documents and workflow for the implementation of
first-time e-learning modules
 Assisting academic staff to redesign contact modules for blended
approach
Achievements:
 Design and implementation of instructional design processes, procedures
and documentation for the institution as a whole
2003 - 2010 Part-time lecturer: Course leader: Literacy Module, BML Degree, School of
Management, University of the Free State
2004 - 2010 Part-time lecturer: Course leader, Literacy Module, MDP, School of
Management, University of the Free State
2004 - 2010 Designer and Course Leader of the E-learning module for the M.A. in Higher
Education Studies and the e-Learning Module for the Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education
Studies, University of the Free State
 Note: Included Master’s level supervision
2002-2004 Examiner: Free State Department of Education,
Grade 12 English First Language Higher Grade and Standard Grade
Papers II (Literature) and III (Creative and Transactional Writing)
2001 Online Community Manager: MBA Program
School of Management (online distance students)
University of the Free State
April 1999 - 2005 St Michael’s School (Anglican Girls’ School), Bloemfontein, South Africa
Teacher: English

5. Subject Head: English
Head of Department: Academic, Information Technology,
Representative Council of Learners
Achievements:
 2004: Grade 12 class of 43 learners: 24 A-averages (80%+); 18 B-averages;
and 1 C-average for English First Language (Class average of 79.9% - also
the best in the Free State region)
 2002-2004: St Michael’s UN style debating team represented the Free State
region in the national finals
 Half of students taught were not mother-tongue speakers of English
January – Woodside Community School, London, United Kingdom
March 1999 Teacher: English
1993 –1998 Vista University, Bloemfontein Campus
Lecturer: English I, II, III and Honours
Head of Bloemfontein sub-department 1995 – 1997 (1600 students and seven
permanent staff members)
Co-ordinator of English I (all seven campuses) 1995 – 1997
Convenor of research project into the viability of a Computer Assisted Language
Learning Centre
 Note: 90% of students not mother-tongue speakers of English
 Note: included Honours-level supervision
1988 – 1991 Vista University, Kimberley Campus
Lecturer (part-time): English I, II and III
1989 – 1990 Perseverance College of Education
Lecturer: English Language and Literature I, II and III
Assessor: student teacher practice
1989 South African Colleges of Education (House of Representatives)
Chief National Examiner: English Literature II (all colleges of education)
1989 Department of Education and Training

6. Adult education classes (ABET) in A-level English (part-time)
1986 – 1988 Kimberley Boys` High School
& Secondary school teacher in English and Afrikaans (all levels);
1991 - 1992 Geography and History up to junior high level
Head of English Department: 1989 - 1992
1988 – 1990 Cape Provincial Education Department
Sub-examiner: Cape Education Grade 12 Examinations: Literature Examination
Publications
Books
Thomas, Herbert. 2009. Integrating computers for sustainable use in
schools: A case study in South Africa. Saarbrucken, Germany: VDM
Publishers.
Chapters in books
Thomas, Herbert. 1998. Multimedia and the transformation of higher
education in South Africa. In Cameron, Keith (Ed). Multimedia CALL:
Theory and Practice. London: Intellect Books, 17-23.
Thomas, Herbert & Hollis, Jessica. 2013. Project Management,
Complexity and Creativity. In Benson, Angela D., Moore, Joi L., &
Williams van Rooij, Shahron (Eds.). Cases on Educational Technology
Planning, Design, and Implementation: A Project Management
Perspective. IGI-Global.
Peer-reviewed journal articles
Thomas, Herbert. 1995. Elements of Hypertextual Design in House of
the Spirits. In English Studies in Africa 38 (1): 35-44.
Thomas, Herbert. 1997. The New Literacy: The challenges of
hypertextual discourse. In Computer Assisted Language Learning
Journal 10 (5) (1997): 479 - 489.

7. Thomas, Herbert & Cronje, Johannes. 2007. Computers in schools:
implementing for sustainability. Why the truth is rarely pure and never
simple. SAJHE 21 (6): 759 – 780.
Thomas, Herbert. 2010. Learning spaces, learning environments and the
dis’placement’ of learning. In British Journal of Educational
Technology. 41(3): 502-511.
Pons, Dirk, Walker, Lawrence, Thomas, Herbert & Hollis, Jessica. 2012.
Evaluation of student engagement with a lecture capture system. The
Journal of Adult Learning Aotearoa New Zealand. 40(1): 79-91.
Peer-reviewed publicationsof conference proceedings
“Multimedia: Towards virtual language environments”
Association of University English Teachers of South Africa
University of the North – Pietersburg
29 June – 3 July 1997
“Towards sustainable implementation of computers in schools”
(with Johannes Cronje (1))
IST Africa 2006 Conference and Exhibition
Pretoria
3 – 5 May 2006
“Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants or Digital Foreigners?”
(with Karen Thomas (1))
Ed-Media 2006: World Conference on Educational Multimedia,
Hypermedia and Telecommunications
Orlando, Florida, USA
26 – 30 June 2006
“Distributed complex games as artifacts of distributed, complex world
views”
8th World Wide Web Applications Conference, 2006
Bloemfontein
5-8 September 2006

8. “Digital immigrants, digital natives and the training games Africans play”
Online-Educa 2006, 12th International Conference on Technology
Supported Learning and Training
Berlin
29 November – 1 December 2006
“Walking the tightrope: balancing the imperatives of quality, equity and
accessibility in a transforming higher education context”
(with Tienie Crous, Magda Fourie, Liezel Massyn, Karen Thomas and
Helena van Zyl)
Online Educa, 2007. 13th International Conference on Technology
Supported Learning and Training.
Berlin
29 November – 1 December 2007
“Learning as both action and artifact: connectivism as nexus”
10th World Wide Web Applications Conference, 2008
Cape Town
3-5 September 2008
“The e-learning manager as prophet: the curious case of a developing
country”
Online Educa, 2008. 14th International Conference on Technology
Supported Learning and Training
Berlin
3-5 December 2008
“The impact of South Africa’s ICT infrastructure on higher education”
(with Cheryl Brown, Antoinette van der Merwe and Liezl van Dyk)
3rd International Conference on e-Learning
University of Cape Town
Cape Town
26-27 June 2008
Conference Papers
“Text, hypertext and context – two different routes to learning”

9. South African Applied Linguistics Association
University of Stellenbosch
10-12 July 1995
“Hypertext and the Reification of the Reader/User”
English In Africa Conference
Rhodes University – Grahamstown
11-14 September 1995
“The New Literacy: Hypertext and the Restructuring of Education”
South African Applied Linguistics Association
University of Zululand – Empangeni
8-10 July 1996
“Holism versus Isolationism: The challenges of hypertextual discourse”
(with Niel van Niekerk (2))
HSRC International Symposium on Culture, Communication and
Development
HSRC – Pretoria
29-31 August 1996
“Multimedia and the proposed restructuring of tertiary education in South
Africa
Theory and Practice of Multimedia Computer Assisted Language
Learning
University of Exeter – United Kingdom
21-27 September 1997
“Unravelling the interface between human language and computer
language”
Africa Connects and I*Earn International Conference
University of Cape Town
9 – 13 July 2001
“Desire2learn: the challenge of systemic functionality”
Free State Provincial Conference on ELITS & e-Education
Free State Department of Education

10. Bloemfontein
21 – 23 March 2005
“Sustainable computer use in schools”
(with Johannes Cronje)
e-Merge 2006 Online Conference
University of Cape Town
10-21 July 2006
“Computers in schools: implementing for sustainability. Why the truth is
rarely pure and never simple”
NADEOSA 10th Anniversary Conference
Pretoria
23-24 August 2006
“Sustainable implementation of computers in school districts”
UP Faculty of Education: Research Indaba 2006
Pretoria
13 October 2006
”Landscaping information and communication technologies in higher
education in South Africa”
(with Cheryl Brown, Antoinette van der Merwe and Liezl van Dyk)
TENET e-Learning Symposium
Johannesburg
12 – 14 November 2007
“Learning spaces, learning environments and the dis’placement’ of
learning”
Eduvate 2008 Conference
University of Pretoria
Pretoria
25-27 June 2008
“Problem-based adventure learning: addressing the conundrum of
inaccessible under-prepared students”
(with Liezel Massyn (1) and Karen Thomas (2))

11. 1st Southern African Conference on the First Year Experience
Stellenbosch
8-10 September 2008
“”The visible effects of invisible networks”
(with Nalize Marais)
HELTASA 2009
University of Johannesburg
Johannesburg
24-26 November 2009
“Articulating the nature of the real and virtual spaces and bodies we
inhabit” [panel contribution]
ULearn10 Conference
Christchurch
6-8 October 2010
“Whose game are we playing? Digital technology and crises of identity”
CCA-EDUCAUSE Australasia 2011
Sydney Convention Centre, Darling Harbour
Sydney
4-6 April 2011
“Complexity, ‘supermemes’ and online learning”
DEANZ Conference 2012
Wellington
11-13 April 2012
“The Digital Media(ting) Group”
(with Wayne Riggall)
30th Tertiary ICT Conference
CPIT, Christchurch
3-5 October 2012
“Is there such a thing as a re-usable learning object?”
(with Fiona Macdonald)
DEANZ Conference 2014

12. Christchurch
30 April – 2 May 2014
Papers at symposia, forums & meetings
“Distance education at the University of the Free State”
Distance Education Indaba
Tshwane University of Technology
Pretoria
27-28 February 2008
“Blended learning and the imperative of integrated learning space design”
UFS Prestige Teaching and Learning Forum
Bloemfontein
23 October 2008
(Interview in) “Online learning – the future of education?”
Anthony Doesburg
New Zealand Listener, Issue 3780, 20 October 2012
Reviewer
Perspectives in Education (2009-2010)
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (Current)
Advisory Board
NMC Horizon Report: Technology Outlook New Zealand 2011-2016
On-going Research Interests
Learning spaces and learning environments
Complexity and education
Open source systems, particularly Moodle
The sustainable use of computers in higher and secondary education
Computer-assisted learning in higher and secondary education
Computer-integrated education and qualitative research methodology

13. Referees
Wayne Riggall
(Ex) Manager, Digital Media Group
University of Canterbury
Email: wriggall@gmail.com
Coral Black
Associate Librarian
University of Canterbury
Email: coral.black@canterbury.ac.nz