Darren Cosker is a Professor at the University of Bath in Computer Science. He is the Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Motion, Entertainment Research & Applications (CAMERA), a £5 million RCUK-funded research centre based at the University of Bath. CAMERA aims to create advanced motion tracking technologies for use in the entertainment industry, to enhance training and athlete performance, and to help develop assistive technologies.
What can you see outside of the window?
My office is on the top floor of 1W, so my window looks out on the parade. Usually I see students busily walking between lecturers!
What does your average day at work involve?
Coffee always helps get started! After that I usually deal with any urgent tasks before working through projects. This is usually broken up by meetings throughout the day or visitors to our CAMERA studio- which is usually busy with commercial projects or research.
Why do you think teaching at your university is important?
Teaching is the foundation of what we do, and has a key relationship with our research. Being a research intensive university means we can ensure our teaching is always contemporary and up to date with new thinking and trends.
What do you hope the impact of the CLT will be?
To make the University of Bath an exciting environment for teaching. Where new ideas to deliver innovative teaching are supported, and the leading figures in education are brought here to inspire both our academics and students.
Who has inspired you most in your teaching career?
Probably not a single person, but a mix of moments if you like I have seen delivered by some excellent speakers. I have seen some great talks by academics - delivering research and teaching - and the things which stand out are those occasions where someone can boil a complex idea down into a simple concept, or talk passionately about a subject or idea. There are too many of these moments to list, but they always stick in my mind.
Teaching is the foundation of what we do, and has a key relationship with our research. Being a research intensive university means we can ensure our teaching is always contemporary and up to date with new thinking and trends.
When did a lecture go wrong and how did you overcome it?
Can’t think of a lecture, but I can remember delivering some maths tutorials as an undergraduate and covering topics I hadn’t seen in about 3 years. Some sticky moments!
Recommend a book, film or album from the past year.
The southern reach trilogy is a great set of sci-fi books. The first has just been adapted as a film on Netflix by Alex Garland and is pretty decent but as with most transitions to film it hasn’t got the depth of the novel. I would however recommend both!
What is the biggest change that you've seen in teaching since you started your career?
The internet has obviously changed everything- and students can now learn so much online. However, this is great for us as teachers- we can now create a rounded education drawing on multiple concepts and examples by guiding students towards a great range of additional material.
What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out in teaching at your university?
Relax and engage with the students. Make teaching a dialogue and don’t rush things.
What three things would you take to a desert island?
My fiancé, my daughter and my Nintendo switch.
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