Winner: 2021 Team Prize for Excellence in Higher Education
Keele Team-Based Learning Group
Keele University
For pioneering the integration of the active learning strategy Team-Based Learning in the curriculum of UK higher education chemistry programmes, through collaborative teamwork and by supporting others to adopt this strategy.
Team Based Learning (TBL) is a highly structured learning technique where students undertake a series of activities in their team, learning from each other and working together to solve problems. TBL has been shown to contribute to the development of a wide range of skills, such as communication, teamwork and problem solving. The Keele TBL group were the first chemistry educators in the UK to use TBL in their teaching. Over the last 7 years they have embedded TBL across all years of the chemistry degree programmes at Keele, which has received positive student feedback and contributed to enhanced student performance. The group has also widely disseminated their work on TBL, and have helped educators across the world to adopt TBL in their teaching.
Biography
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[...] our students have the potential to change the world for the better. Playing a small role in helping to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills they might use in the future to do amazing things is one of the greatest motivators there is.
Keele Team-Based Learning Group
Q&A with Keele Team-Based Learning Group
How did you first become interested in chemistry or science?
I was always naturally inquisitive to understand the world around me. A standout moment was when I was in GCSE Chemistry and I was taught by an inspirational teacher, Dr Beard. He was innovative in his teaching and had a great impact on many pupils. I will always remember his explanation of the forming of tectonic plates using the heating of milk to understand and explore such a big phenomenon. As well as this, he also encouraged us to write song lyrics about what we had learned in GCSE Chemistry to Katy Perry’s song track, which was cool at the time!
What motivates you?
Laura Hancock: I am motivated by my love of chemistry, my love of teaching and how we can provide the best possible learning experience for the students. Moreover, our students have the potential to change the world for the better. Playing a small role in helping to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills they might use in the future to do amazing things is one of the greatest motivators there is.
What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?
Cosma Gottardi: Chemistry is a very broad discipline and offers many career choices when you graduate or qualify. I find chemistry interesting because it connects to so many other sciences and has lots of pockets to specialise in, most of them of great benefit to humanity and planet Earth. Yet regardless of your motivation, it is very important that you pursue a subject that you enjoy and care about, because you will probably have to stick with it for at least three years; and you can make a difference in this world regardless of your degree or vocational training!
What has been a highlight for you?
Graeme Jones: Discovering Team-Based Learning (TBL) in 2014 undoubtedly made the biggest improvement to the quality of my teaching. It has sound active learning pedagogy behind it, it develops transferable skills and it has improved the student performance in assessments. Most importantly, the students like it!
How can good science education support solving global challenges?
Daniela Plana: Good science education can support solving some global challenges quite directly by providing students the knowledge and tools they may need to address aspects of climate change or clean energy and water, to name a few. However, a well-rounded, inclusive science education can also contribute to other aspects, such as sustainable communities, strong institutions, partnerships and reduced inequalities; the use of Team-Based Learning, for example, enables us students to gain communication and team-working skills that can contribute significantly in these endeavours.
Why do you think teamwork is important in science?
Tess Phillips: A diverse team will bring a range of knowledge, experience and ideas to the group, which through effective communication leads to a sum that is greater than the individual parts. Before academia, I worked in the biotech industry, in a small team working on the early stages of drug design. Our team brought together expertise in many areas of chemistry and biology: expertise in protein structure, molecular modelling, chemical synthesis, biological testing, drug-like properties and many other areas that all contribute to the design of a successful medicinal drug molecule. We see the same in TBL – different students have different strengths and by pooling knowledge and asking questions of each other, all students benefit. There is nothing like discussing a subject with others, explaining your ideas and incorporating aspects you hadn’t considered, to test and refine your understanding of science.
What is your favourite element?
Chloe Howe: My favourite element is iron, because without my daily iron supplement I have very little energy! Iron is central to all of our lives (as well as the Earth’s crust), and not just because it is essential in carrying oxygen around our bodies. It is used in the frames of vehicles that we use to travel, and the frames of buildings that we live and work in, and it is the catalyst in the Haber process that produces the fertilizer required for our food industry. Also, iron oxide is a key ingredient in many of my favourite cosmetics, which gives me even more reasons to like iron!