Kee, Kevin

Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Ottawa

Kevin Kee is Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ottawa. Previously, he has been Associate Vice-President Research and Canada Research Chair in Digital Humanities at Brock University, a Director and Project Director at the National Film Board of Canada, and an Assistant Professor in the Departments of History and Integrated Studies in Education (D.I.S.E.), as well as the Director of Undergraduate Programs (D.I.S.E) at McGill University.

At Brock University, just prior to taking on his current position, he worked to place the university at the forefront of digital humanities research and development, and Niagara at the leading edge of interactive media production. He has led or helped lead the conception and establishment at Brock of undergraduate programs (the Interactive Arts and Sciences minor and major programs), business incubators and generators (the Niagara Interactive Media Generator (now the Niagara Interactive Media Generator-Generator at One), conferences (Interacting with Immersive Worlds Conferences), and research projects and symposia series (such as the symposium for the book Pastplay).

He is interested in the use of computing to analyze and express culture, and history in particular, in innovative ways. His research program lies at the intersection of history, computing, education, and game studies.

Many of his research projects (such as the Ontario Augmented Reality Network) develop and support university to public- and private-sector technology transfers and partnerships. He created a corporation so that he could train budding interactive media entrepreneurs, and its projects (such as Niagara 1812), have been supported by the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, Ontario Media Development Corporation, and Ontario Trillium Foundation. Together with his team he has produced history websites, games and simulations.

He has also published books and articles on the use of computer simulations for history and history teaching and learning, and on Canadian cultural history.

Publications Since 2007

Pastplay: Teaching and Learning History with Technology (ed.). Ann Arbour, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2014.

“Introduction.” In Pastplay: Teaching and Learning History with Technology, edited by Kevin Kee, 1-20. Ann Arbour, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2014.

With Shawn Graham, “Teaching History in an Age of Pervasive Computing: The Case for Games in the High School and Undergraduate Classroom.” In Pastplay: Teaching and Learning History with Technology, edited by Kevin Kee. Ann Arbour, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2014.

With Eric Poitras, Suzanne Lajoie, and Dana Cataldo. “Towards Evaluating and Modeling the Impacts of Mobile-Based Augmented Reality Applications on Learning and Engagement. In International Artificial Intelligence and Education Proceedings. Amsterdam: IOS Press, 2013.

With William Turkel and Spencer Roberts. “A Method for Navigating the Infinite Archive.” In History in the Digital Age, edited by Toni Weller. New York: Routledge, 2013.

With Geoffrey Rockwell. “The Leisure of Serious Games: A Dialogue.” Game Studies 11(2) (2011).

With Nicki Darbyson. "Creating and Using Virtual Environments to Promote Historical Thinking." In New Possibilities for the Past: Shaping History Education in Canada, edited by Penney Clark, 264-81. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2011.

With Tamara Vaughn and Shawn Graham. "'Sometimes, Graphics Get in the Way': An Exploration of Interactive Fiction in the Classroom." In Gaming for Classroom-Based Learning, edited by Young Kyun Baek. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2010.

With John Bachynski. "Outbreak: Lessons Learned from Developing a 'History Game.'" In Loading, edited by The Canadian Game Studies Association, 2009.

With John Bonnett. "Transitions: A Prologue, Program and Preview for Digital Humanities Research in Canada." Introduction to edited collection, Digital Studies, 2009.

With Shawn Graham, Pat Dunae, John Lutz, Andrew Large, Michel Blondeau and Mike Clare. "Towards a Theory of Good History Through Gaming." Canadian Historical Review 90(2) (2009): 303-26.

"Computerized History Games: Options for Narratives." Simulation and Gaming December 2008. http://sag.sagepub.com/cgi/rapidpdf/1046878108325441v1

"Liberty vs. Security in the Shadow of 9/11: Facilitating the Debate in the Classroom." In The Emperor’s New Computer: ICT, Teachers and Teaching, edited by Tony Dipetta. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, 2008.

"H.T. Crossley." In Religion Past and Present Volume III: Encyclopedia of Theology and Religion: Chu-Deu, edited by Hans Dieter Betz, Don S. Browning, and Bernd Janowski. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 2007. (translation of article in Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart 4).

With Jamshid Beheshti, Andrew Large, and Charles Cole. "'A Journey to the Past: A Quebec Village in 1890': A Test Case for Best Practices for History Simulations." Proceedings of the 2006 Future Play Conference.