Dr Robert Lyall

Senior Lecturer, Chemistry

Located at: Room 2W-233, Gippsland Campus Postal address: School of Applied Sciences and Engineering Monash University Gippsland Campus, Churchill, Victoria, 3842, Australia Phone: +61 3 512 26451 or +61 3 990 26451 Fax: +61 3 512 26738 or +61 3 990 26738 Email: Robert.Lyall@sci.monash.edu.au

Research Interests

Robert Lyall's major research interest is in science education, with a particular emphasis on the use of interactive technologies to deliver off-campus or distance education. He has further interests in environmental and natural product chemistry.

Roberts' current projects involve studying the profiles and orientations to study of distance education chemistry students and the strategies they use when learning and how interactive multimedia may be used to improve the efficiency of the study methods of students. This research is put to good use when developing materials for teaching science by distance education and also in his role as Distance Education Coordinator for the School of Applied Sciences and Engineering.

Roberts' previous projects have centred around the chemistry of air and aquatic systems, and how this affects the ecological balance of the systems. These have included a study of polycyclic aromatic compounds in the Latrobe Valley and a study of heavy metals and nutrients in wetlands and lakes and how sediments in these can act as a sink to improve the quality of wastewater.

Selected Publications

• R J Lyall & S McNamara, Learning tool or potplant stand? Students opinions of learning from a CAL program. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 16(2), pp. 126-146, 2000.
  
  
• R J Lyall & S McNamara, Distance education chemistry students orientations for learning. Open Learning, 15(2), pp.107-121, 2000.
  
  
• R J Lyall & W Wright, Bridging the gap: Scientists, managers and community groups working together to improve a wetlands. In Williams W D (Ed), Wetlands in a Dry Land: Understanding for Management. Environment Australia and LWRRDC, 1998.
  
  
• R J Lyall & W Wright, Effects of water quality and quantity on perceived health of a body of water: A case study - Lake Guthridge, Victoria, Australia, In Conservation of the Hydrospheric Environment, Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium of Eternet-APR. Bangkok, Thailand, December 1996.
  
  
• D M Druskovich, G T Klease, M Teague, R J Lyall & R Mayes, Open Learning Chemistry, Challenge 1995: To develop tertiary level chemistry at a distance and on a budget. Australian Chemistry Resources Book, 15, pp178-186, 1996.
  
  
• R J Lyall, We're here to learn, not to be confused: The needs of the chemistry student studying by distance education. In Sewart, D. (Ed), One World Many Voices: Quality in Open and Distance Learning Volume 2, selected papers from 17th World Conference of the International Council for Distance Education, Birmingham, June 1995. ICDE and The Open University, Birmingham, United Kingdom, pp133-136, 1995.
  
  
• R J Lyall, Using the interactive technologies to teach distance education chemistry students. In Tait A (Ed), Putting the Student First: Learner-Centred Approaches in Open and Distance Learning, collected conference papers from 6th International Conference on Open and Distance Learning, Cambridge, The Open University, Cambridge, United Kingdom, pp121-127, July 1995.
  
  
• R J Lyall & M A Hooper, A long term study of benzo(a)pyrene in the Latrobe Valley Air. Clean Air, 22, pp 203-4, 1988.
  
  
• M A Hooper, R J Lyall & S J Mainwaring, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Latrobe Valley. Atmospheric Environment, 22, pp 2549-51, 1988.