Think Teaching 2024 from Lt Brain Trust

Talk: James Wright, University of Surrey

James is a Lecturer in the School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering at Surrey. Between 2016 and 2021 James worked in China as a Teaching Fellow on the University of Sheffield - Nanjing Tech University joint degree, then at Guangdong Technion Israel Institute of Technology and the University of Reading - Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology Joint Academy. In this time, he began pedagogical research, particularly focused on transnational education of students of Confucian heritage. He continues pedagogical research at Surrey, mostly focused on reducing in-lab cognitive load, and withdrawal and continuation on undergraduate programmes.

Talk: Kirsty Kiezebrink, University of Aberdeen
 

Kirsty is the Dean for Educational Information at Aberdeen University with a keen focus on digital enhancement in higher education. With a wealth of experience in academia, their expertise lies in supporting staff and students to engage with technologies to transform and enrich the educational experience. Driven by a passion for innovation, they are dedicated to fostering a dynamic and technologically-advanced learning environment aimed at developing graduates who are ready to tackle the challenges of our rapidly-evolving world and excel in their respective fields.
 

Talk: Prof. James Edward Clark

James Clark is a Professor of Cardiovascular and Physiology Education, the School of Cardiovascular and Metabolism Medicine & Sciences lead for education and head of the department of Physiology at King’s College London. James started at his career at King’s in 2004 working as a research associate in the lab of Prof Mike Marber and, following a BHF intermediate research fellowship investigating kinase signalling in the failing heart, gained a lectureship in aerospace physiology in 2007 where he discovered his passion for education. Teaching innovation and excellence has enabled James to transfer to an education only role at King’s (Academic Education Pathway) and he is now working to develop innovative new curricula and new programmes to add value to the Faculty and school’s teaching portfolio.

James will be talking about some of the technology being used at King's College London to offer unique education experiences to the BSc and MSc students. This includes mobile broadcast of laboratory and field work, as well as the fully media-equipped controlled environments chamber that can simulate remote research, such as that carried out on the international space station.

Facility Tour - Interactive CAVE Space and Clinical Skills Suite, Liam Bagley, MMU

Dr Liam Bagley is a Senior Lecturer of Physiology at Manchester Metropolitan University. Liam's research interest is in physiological testing and physical interventions in health settings. Liam brings this research into the experiences of students by simulation of applied physiology situations, applying knowledge from the classroom in simulated practical environments using X-Reality, storytelling and technical skill training and assessment.

Talk - Dr Alison Hill, Exeter University

Alison Hill did her undergraduate degree at the Australian National University and then moved to the University of Cambridge for her PhD, supervised by Prof James Staunton FRS on polyketide biosynthesis. She completed an 18 month postdoc with Prof David Cane at Brown University, where she cloned, overexpressed, purified and characterised casbene synthase. 

Alison joined Kings' College London in 1995 and started her own lab investigating the biosynthesis of soraphen. She moved to the University of Exeter in 2001, moving across to the teaching track in 2005. Alison's pedagogical research studies focuses on integration of maths into the curriculum and addressing the mathematics gap in biosciences, chemistry and beyond for those without A-level maths. This led to the development of bespoke resources embedded into the curriculum to improve confidence and competence in mathematics skills/data processing. 

Alison has pioneered the use of personalised data sets for online assessments and was the recipient of the RSC Excellence in Higher Education Prize 2022. She has also received Teaching innovation Awards in 2022 and 2023.

Talk - Heather Kesby

Heather is a member of the teaching technicians team in the Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds. When Lt was adopted at the University, Heather was the first person to create content from scratch for students and has been involved ever since. The University is using the platform more and more each year, using both off-the-shelf classes and ones the staff have created themselves. Heather will be talking about how she adapts her Lt lessons to make them accessible for any student that walks into the classroom.

Talk - Celia Clarke

Dr Celia Clarke has a degree in Physiology from the University of Sunderland and a PhD in bioengineering from Strathclyde University. Working with spinal cord injury during her PhD and subsequent research into human movement at the University of East Anglia, Celia’s research has focused on gait rehabilitation. Since her appointment to the University of East Anglia in 2010 she has taught physiology and pathophysiology to healthcare professionals across the school from nursing associate to postgraduate level. Celia is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a member of the Bioscience in Nursing education (BiNE) group within the academy. Celia is also a member of The Physiological Society and part of the Education & Teaching theme group.
 

Talk - Andrew O'Malley

Dr Andrew O’Malley currently holds the position of Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director at the Scottish Graduate Entry Medical Programme (ScotGEM) at the University of St Andrews' School of Medicine With a focus on medical education, Andrew has interests in the application of generative AI in education, telehealth education methodologies, and studying the career intentions of medical students who aim to practice in remote/rural settings. Beyond academia, Andrew's consultancy expertise is sought after by a range of organizations including Russell Group Universities, the video games entertainment industry, The United Nations, and ADInstruments.

Facility Tour - Gethin Evans, Dalton Building, MMU

Dr Gethin Evans is currently Deputy Head of Department in the Department of Life Sciences at Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom. He has continued his research career related to Human and Nutritional Physiology while holding a number of roles related to education and has developed his interests in the use of technology-informed teaching.

Talk - Silvia Amadesi

Silvia obtained a Degree in Pharmacy and a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology from the University of Ferrara, Italy, and then embarked on an academic and professional journey that led her across continents and diverse academic environments: from a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship to an Assistant Researcher Pharmacologist role at the University of California, San Francisco; then a Research Associate position at the University of Bristol; and a lectureship in Pharmacology at the University of Cardiff. Finally, in September 2012, she found her academic home at the University of Reading, School of Pharmacy, where she is currently working as Associate Professor in Pharmacology.

Silvia has a rich background in pharmacology and a fervent commitment to enhancing the academic journey for students. Her pedagogic research is focused on developing effective teaching, promoting e-learning methodologies, and implementing academic support systems for undergraduate students, particularly when they are transitioning into university studies. Creating an inclusive environment for a diverse student body, enhancing student engagement through best practices and independent learning, and championing the integration of new Technology Enhanced Learning methods into pedagogy, are among the major aims of her work.