About Me: I am a Professor of Pharmacy Education in a UK School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences. In 2011, I led the development of a new highly integrated pharmacy curriculum delivered predominately by Team-Based Learning, and support its implementation in an existing school. Designed using sound education theory this employer-informed curriculum aims to develop the transformational learning needed for employment as a pharmacist in the 21st century. To deliver the programme, we sought a learning and teaching strategy that motivated our students both to prepare for and attend class, and once there engage them in active, student-centred learning. Team-Based Learning (TBL) addressed these needs whilst also developing the transferable skills necessary for the workplace and to enhance their employability skills. Pharmacists in practice need to develop the skills to communicate, collaborate, problem-solve, teach and manage their own learning; skills that are developed during their 4-years studying a curriculum delivered predominately by TBL. I have led the development and mentorship of our academic faculty, so they have the skills to deliver TBL effectively and have more recently delivered academic staff development workshops in TBL at other HEIs.

I have found facilitating learning using TBL a rewarding, fun and enjoyable experience. Students come to class prepared, ready to apply their new knowledge to solve authentic, challenging and real-world problems that develop their team-working and critical thinking skills. I now disseminate the benefits of TBL to others in the UK and in Europe and I established the European Team-Based Learning Community and was the inaugural Chair of the Board that oversees it from 2016-2019. I was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2015 and was part of the Team that was award a national CATE (Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence) by the Higher Education Academy in 2017. I’m a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

I have helped educators introduce TBL into their curricula across the UK, in Austria, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Italy.

Interest in TBL: I started using TBL in 2012 and have been delighted by its results. It is a well-designed active learning pedagogy that can really help ensure students are accountable for their preparation and are actively engaged in knowledge application and collaborative problem solving. I’ve spent the last few years promoting TBL to national and international audiences and my aim is to promote it more widely across Europe.