- A317, Portland Square, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA
- +44 1752 586209
- shirley.atkinson@plymouth.ac.uk

Profiles
Dr Shirley Atkinson
Visiting Research Fellow
School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
- Web development
- E-commerce
- Early years online
- E-safety
- Computing at School (CAS)
Email publicrelations@plymouth.ac.uk to enquire.
Biography
Biography
Dr Shirley Atkinson worked as a software developer from 1992 through to her entrance into the academic world in 2005. She has been teaching software development modules since 2005 and delivers content using C#, Javascript, and Node along with PHP. She leads modules on API Software development, web development and project management
Shirley became Associate Head of Computing in 2018.
Teaching Responsibilities Programme Manager- BSc (Hons) Software Engineering (NSBM)
- SOFT166 Programme Introduction and Development Workshops
- ISAD251 Database Applications Development
- PRCO204 Integrating Project
- PRCO304 Computing Project
Ad hoc delivery of privacy and online safety workshops as required.
Regional Coordinator for Computing At School South West Regional Centre, now lead for Regional Delivery Partner for National Computing Centre for Education (NCCS)
Leading Computing At Schools Level 1 Master teachers CPD
Supporting Master Teachers across the South West Region
Previous ResponsibilitiesPreviously Athena SWAN champion for SoCEM
Faculty Culture, Diversity and Inclusion committee member
Faculty Women's Network committee member
Qualifications
Ph.D. "Risk reduction through technological control of personal information", 2008
BSc (Hons) Computing and Informatics - 1st Class, 2003.
Certificate of Professional Development, Learning, Teaching and Assessment: Theory and Practice. GTA Course, University of Plymouth, 2006
Employed by NHS Connecting for Health as Data and Business Analyst working in the NSTS Service Management team with a responsibility for Data Quality. 2003/2004 and 2006/2007.
Employed by K2 Medical Systems as software developer working on Maternity Health systems, 2002 and 2007.
Professional membership
Teaching
Teaching
Teaching interests
- Web Technologies
- Server side programming
- ASP.NET
- C#
- Applied patterns
- Agile project managment
Research
Research
Research interests
Protecting individuals online
Privacy within all forms of internet mediated communications
Impact of technology on Domestic Abuse Survivors and Teenagers
Involved in introducing girls to computing and debunking some of the stereotypes surrounding the IT industry
Other research
Dissemination of research to general public through connections with:
Womens Aid Federation, http://www.womensaid.org.uk/, and
Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre, http://www.ceop.gov.uk/.
Publications
Publications
The role of Visualisation in the study of Computer Programming Alhammad S, Atkinson S, Stuart L, (2016), The Proceedings of the 27th Annual Workshop of the Psychology of Programming Interest Group - PPIG 2016, pp. 5-16, Cambridge, UK, 2016
A Field Study on Linked and Open Data at Datahub.ioHeuss T, Fengel J, Humm B, Harriehausen-Mühlbauer B, Atkinson S, (2016), Proceedings of the Eleventh International Network Conference (INC 2016), Frankfurt, Germany, July 19-21, pp79-84, ISBN: 978-1-84102-410-3
Student Teachers Perceptions of Online Risk. Wood, R., Atkinson S., 2015, In The International Journal of Technologies in Learning. Volume 23, Issue 1,
Online with the under 5’s. Atkinson, S., Staunton, T., 2013. In proceedings of the Internet Technologies and Applications Conference, Wrexham, September 2013. www.ita13.org.
Early Years online, Atkinson S., Staunton T., 2011, EU KidsOnline II Conference, LSE, September, 2011
The Mediation of Online Safeguarding by Primary TraineeTeachers, 2011, Atkinson S., Wood R., EU Kids Online II Conference, LSE,September 2011
Atkinson S, Furnell SM, Phippen AD, (2009) Securing the next generation: enhancing e-safety awareness among young people, Computer Fraud & Security, Volume 2009, Issue 7, pp13-19 , 2009
Atkinson, S, Furnell, S, Phippen, AD, (2009), Using Peer-education to encourage safe online behaviour, June 2009, LSE Eu Kids Online, http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/EUKidsOnline/Conference%20papers.htm
Atkinson, S, Furnell, S., Phippen, AD, (2009), E-Safety and E-Security: Raising security awareness among young people using peer education. 8th Annual Security Conference, Vegas
Atkinson S., Johnson., C., Phippen, AD, (2007), Improving protection mechanisms by understanding online risk, Information Management and Computer Security, 2007, vol. 15, vol. 5
Wood, R., Atkinson, S., Johnson, C., Phippen, A. (2007) Mobile phones and schools; the development of a taxonomy of risk, In Proceedings of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare and Higher Education, Canada
Atkinson, S. (2007), Technology and the risk to personal safety, Safe: The Domestic Abuse Quarterly, Issue 22, Summer 2007
Atkinson S, Johnson C, Phippen AD, (2007), Limiting Risks To Personal Privacy Using The Semantic Web, In Proceedings of the Third Collaborative Research Symposium on Security, E-Learning, Internet and Networking.
Atkinson S, Johnson C, Phippen AD, (2007), Personal Privacy Threats: ATaxonomy for Risk Assessment. In Proceedings of Second InternationalConference on Internet Technologies and Applications (accepted and tobe published in September).
Atkinson S, Johnson C, Phippen AD, (2007), Vulnerable Groups and theImpact of Technology Upon Personal Privacy. In Proceedings of HumanAspects of Information Security and Assurance.
Atkinson S, Johnson C, Phippen AD, (2007), Protecting Society using the Semantic Web, Invited poster presentation to the House of Commons Reception for Early Stage Researchers, www.setforeurope.org.
Atkinson S, Jagodzinski P, Johnson C, Phippen AD, (2006), Semantic Web:A Personal Privacy Perspective, Proceedings of The Internet Society II:Advances in Education, Commerce, & Governance conference, (Ed)Morgan, K., Brebbia, C.A, and Spector, J.M. WIT Press, Southampton, 2006
Atkinson S, Jagodzinski P, Johnson C, Phippen AD, (2006), PersonalPrivacy: Exploitation or Control through Technology, Proceedings of theSixth International Network Conference (INC2006), Plymouth, UK, 11-14July, pp269-276, 2006
Atkinson, S. (2006), Internet Technology - how safe is it?, Safe: The Domestic Abuse Quarterly, Issue 16, Winter 2006
Personal
Personal
Reports & invited lectures
Invited speaker for Insafe training seminar in Latvia, Feburary 2009
E-Safety Ambassadors - the Interim report for Becta
Internet Safety Awareness Day, University of Plymouth, 16th January 2008. http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp?page=21593
ICT and Domestic Abuse: A National Perspective. Invited presentation to Stafford County Council, Transnational Conference for IT in conjunction with Stafford Women's Aid. 20th June 2007.
Personal Privacy: I've got nothing to hide! Invited presentation to BCS South West branch, March 2007, www.bcs-southwest.org.uk/presentations.asp
Young People and Modern Technologies: Focusing on the Positives. Invited talk to Trust for the Study of Adolescence, 19 October 2006, Manchester
Uses and Abuses of Technology. Workshops run at the Women's Aid National Conference, Leicester, July 2006.
Other academic activities
Collaboration with Kingston University in researching the role of Mobile Telephones in relation to young people, teacher training and privacy.
Contribtor to Trustguide, www.trustguide.org.uk at DTI funded project by BT/HP.
Additional information
Links
Centre for Cyber Security, Communications and Network Research