Oliver is a History graduate of the University of Cumbria. His undergraduate studies looked at History in the public sphere, with work focusing on comparing dictators: Hitler and Stalin, as well as a dissertation on the Spanish Civil War. He has research interests on political and military history with a special interest in the American Civil War. His recent research has looked into the various pedagogical approaches towards learner self-regulation. His Master’s thesis in particular examined the effects of peer-assessment on student self-regulated learning.