Welcome to this first newsletter of the new academic year.  The new students have arrived and, as I write, are attending their first induction events, the first year conference and all the other activities that accompany starting at University.  Meanwhile we in the faculty of Medical Sciences are also welcoming new colleagues.  So, let me extend a warm welcome to those colleagues in the School of Medical Education and the Institute of Health and Society who have joined us from Durham. I also extend a warm welcome to colleagues in our new School of Pharmacy some of whom have also moved from Durham whilst others have been newly-appointed to join us in Newcastle.  I hope you will all be able to attend some of our various events in our programme for this year and I hope to meet as many of you as possible during this year at one or more of those events.

Our programme of regular events continues this year.  We have a monthly Journal Club, a learning and teaching seminar programme with mostly external speakers and our two learning and teaching fora.  Details of the Journal Club and Learning and Teaching Fora will be found in this newsletter.  Please make diary entries now.  The seminar programme is still being finalised.  This year I am organising the programme slightly differently in that I am inviting Schools to nominate speakers.  So confirmed speakers for the coming year are Naomi Winstone from Surrey, Carol Evans from Southampton, Dave Lewis from Leeds and Gavin Knight, from Portsmouth.  Further speakers are being confirmed and I do have space in the programme for additional speakers.  If anybody would like to propose further speakers I would be happy to include them in this year’s programme.  Dates are still being agreed (it is quite a juggling act) but I can confirm that our first seminar of the academic year will be on November 8th and will be given by Naomi Winstone, a psychologist who has been looking at feedback practice but has also been carrying out some experimental work on feedback as well.

Other events to note in the coming year are two important education conferences both happening in Newcastle, the ASME Conference in July and the BERA conference in September (full details and links below).  With these conferences both being held in Newcastle this provides a good platform to disseminate your work without having to travel the length of the country or further.  I hope as many of you as possible will want to submit an abstract to one or other or both of these events.  Abstracts for the British Educational Research Association Conference undergo quite a rigorous a peer review process.  The Centre for Learning and Teaching normally, at one of their paper writing group sessions, pre-review abstracts so if you are thinking of putting forward an abstract then note the submission date and you can have your abstract reviewed internally prior to submission.

Two other events to draw your attention to are the conference being organised by the School of Pharmacy, Active Learning on the 27th June (details also below) and an international symposium on anatomy education on July 19th organised by Debra Patten in Medical Education (full details to appear in the next newsletter).  As you can see we have a wide-ranging events programme already announced so I hope to see you at as many events as your busy timetables allow so get those dates in your diaries now.

Finally the ERDP Small Grants Scheme will continue next year.  We have yet to decide submission dates but in the meantime you can start thinking if there are any projects that you would like to get started or short periods of study leave that you would like to undertake and for which you would wish to seek funding.

Another full year of activity is ahead of all of us.  Our first priority is, of course, to deliver teaching and support student learning to the highest standards possible but in achieving that it is important that we also take time to think about our practice and the intention very much is for our programmes to be a part of that for you.

Prof Steve McHanwell, Director, FMS Unit for ERDP

A date for your diaries!

In June 2018 Prof Andy Husband and Dr Hamde Nazar will be hosting a workshop that will explore active learning.  This workshop has been funded by the University Conference Fund and an ERDP Development Grant.

The workshop aims to promote and showcase innovative, theoretically-based educational design and evaluation towards fostering student motivation and thereby improving student engagement. Invited internationally recognised speakers offer expertise in technology enhanced and team based learning. Attendees will also have the opportunity to discuss and develop their own ideas for active learning educational interventions and research.

What route has your career taken to get you where you are today?

I studied psychology, then did a social work masters and then a PhD on the social origins of depression. I started my research career in psychiatry and worked on the Cognitive Functions and Aging Study (CFAS) for six years from 1991; an MRC multi-centre study on the prevalence and incidence of dementia with Prof Ian McKeith and David Kay in particular. I also worked in primary health care for a short time with Prof Chris Drinkwater before moving into Medical Education.  In 1998. I started working for the Northern Deanery in the field of Medical Education with Prof van Zwanenberg. I have stayed in Medical Education as I quickly learned that research in this applied field was much more likely to create a change in practice or policy. I moved from Newcastle University with my research team in 2010 to Durham University and in 2011 was appointed to professor. While at Durham I worked with Profs Mclachlan and Hungin. We set up a research Centre which enjoyed a very good reputation. In 2015 I moved back to Newcastle University with my team now consisting of: Drs Carter, Corbett, Hesselgreaves, Kehoe, Medford and Rothwell.

What do you find most challenging about working in HE learning and teaching?

I like to provide students with proper detailed feedback and support, this is of course time consuming and finding enough time can be an issue. I also carry a To Do list around with me to remind me of what I need to do next.

Equality is something that matters to me, and lack of core funding for research staff is a major concern to me.

What’s the best thing you’ve been involved in since you started working with Newcastle University?

In November 2015 I set up a Symposium on Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships for medical students. We were able to get amazing speakers: David Hirsh (Harvard) and Paul Worley (Flinders, Adelaide) as well as our local speakers Hugh Alberti, Paul Crampton and Bob McKinley (Keele). I supervised Paul Crampton’s PhD and feel quite passionate about the potential of these long term placements to facilitate student learning but also enhance a student’s ability to see a patient holistically. The evidence indicates students on these placements become more patient centred, strengthening care and compassion.

What’s the wisest piece of advice you’ve received from a mentor or colleague?

“Work with people you like!”

Prof  Zwanenberg my boss 10 or more years ago learned this from a visit to McMaster University in Canada and shared it with me.

It’s a good starting point, it builds trust, generosity and collegiality.

What’s your top educational research interest?

As stated earlier I enjoy doing research that makes a difference. I have been involved in a few studies that have changed policy and practice

If you could have dinner with 3 famous people from history who would they be?

I have selected three people who believed in equality and had a vision that was eventually realised.

Nelson Mandela, because he fought for equality but he also understood the power of forgiveness. I visited Robben Island in 2000, and heard from the guide, a former inmate, about Mandela’s reconciliation.

Martin Luther King, because he was a visionary and saw a future of equity. In 2014 I went to Martha’s Vineyard and someone pointed out the house where he wrote the speech “I have a dream”.

Emmeline Pankhust, who lead the suffragette movement and was instrumental in gaining women the vote and influencing equal rights for women. It’s hard to believe how different things were less than a hundred years ago.

Prof Jan Illing

Professor of Medical Education Research, School of Medical Education.

Congratulations to everyone in the Faculty who has published their research this quarter.

Journal Articles

Bateman H, Ellis J, Stewart J, McCracken G (2017), Using learning outcomes in dental education. British Dental Journal.

Sarah Barnfield, Alison Clara Pitts, Raj Kalaria, Louise Allan and Ellen Tullo (2017), Is all the stuff about neurons necessary?. Research Involvement and Engagement. http://rdcu.be/vJnm

Hardisty J, Guilding C, Statham L, J Matthan, Randles E, Green A, Bhudia R, Thandi C, Scott L (2017), Are students accepting of an all-day interprofessional learning conference on antimicrobial stewardship and patient safety?. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijpp.12368

Holliday R, Amin K, Lawrence V, Preshaw PM (2017), Tobacco education in UK dental schools: A survey of current practice. European Journal of Dental Education http://doi.org/10.1111/eje.12280

Keenan ID, Hutchinson J, Bell K (2017), Twelve tips for implementing artistic learning approaches in anatomy education. MedEd Publish.  https://doi.org/10.15694/mep.2017.000106

Kehoe A, Illing J (2017), Early Clinical exposure requires facilitated access to support learning Medical Education. Medical Education .

McGeown SP, Putwain D, St Clair-Thompson H, Clough P (2017), Understanding and supporting adolescents’ mental toughness in an educational context. Psychology in the Schools.

McHanwell, S, Patten, D (2017), Exploring strategies in teaching in cross-sectional anatomy: can improved teaching compensate for poor spatial ability?  Journal of Anatomy, 230(2), 355.

Nazar H, Obara I, Paterson A, Nazar Z, Portlock JC, Husband AK (2017), A consensus approach to investigate undergraduate pharmacy students’ experience of interprofessional education. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education . www.ajpe.org/doi/abs/10.5688/ajpe81226

Smith CF, Stokholm C, Sinha R, Poinkwer F, Carter M, Birch M (2017), Interplays of psychometric abilities on learning gross anatomy.. MedEd Publish. https://doi.org/10.15694/mep.2017.000104

St Clair-Thompson H, Giles R, McGeown S, Putwain D, Clough P, Perry J (2017), Mental toughness and transitions to high school and to undergraduate study. Educational Psychology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2016.1184746

Teodorczuk A, Yardley S, Patel R, Worley P, Hirsch D, Illing J (2017), Medical education research should extend further into clinical practice. Medical Education.

Vance GHS, Burford B, Shapiro E, Price R (2017), Longitudinal evaluation of a pilot e-portfolio-based supervision programme for final year medical students: views of students, supervisors and new graduates. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-017-0981-5

Book Chapter

Illing J, Carter M (2017), Philosophical research perspectives and planning your research. In Understanding Medical Education. Eds. Swanwick, O’Brien and Forest Wiley Blackwell.

Text Book

Atkinson M. and McHanwell, S (2017).  Basic Medical Science for Speech and Language Therapy Students.  Revised 2nd Edition.  J&R Publishers ( forthcoming November 2017)

Patterson, J. and McHanwell, S.  (2017).  The physiology of swallowing.  In Scott-Brown’s Otolaryngology:  Head and Neck Surgery, 8th Edition, Paleri, V. et al eds. Boca Raton: CRC Press Taylor and Francis.

Conference Proceedings

Delgaty L (2017), If story telling is central to human meaning, why, in the research world, is there not more story telling?. ASME.

Hennessy C, Keenan ID, Border S (2017), Anatomy of a tweet: how to use social media as anacademic tool. Anatomical Society Summer Meeting at Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

Keenan ID, Backhouse M, Fitzpatrick M, Hutchinson J, Thandi CS (2017), Improvements in anatomy knowledge when using a novel cyclical artistic learning process. Anatomical Society Summer Meeting at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/joa.12558/abstract

Keenan ID, Border S, Hennessy C (2017), Live tweeting at Anatomical Society Conferences: A shorthistory of its rise and impact. Anatomical Society Winter Meeting 2016.

Keenan ID, Shapiro L (2017), Teaching anatomists to draw: observational drawing as aneducational approach. Anatomical Society Winter Meeting 2016.

Keenan ID, Solim ZN, Quigg S, Kerwin J, Lindsay S (2017), Enhancing student learning of human embryology with aprototype e-learning resource. Anatomical Society Winter Meeting 2016. URL http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joa.12637/full

Munjal I, Thomson R, Goff I, Fisher J, Stewart J (2017), ‘Great idea’, ‘sounds scary’, ‘I’m too busy’; Identifying the barriers in developing a staff peer observation programme. Diversity in Medical Education: about people, for people, by people.

Smith C, Finn G, Hennessy C, Stewart J, McHanwell S (2017), Creating and evaluating the impact of a core syllabus in anatomy education using a Delphi methodology. Diversity in medical education: about people, for people, by people.

Woods E, Thomson R, Fisher J, Stewart J (2017), Revolutionising feedback: an exploration of barriers and drivers to change. Diversity in medical education: about people, for people, by people.

Young TJ, Tullo ET, Schartner A (2017), Person-Centred communication and the care of people with dementia: exploring the perspectives of medical students in the UK and Malaysia.. 17th Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. https://www.alz.org/aaic/

Editorial

Keenan ID, Jennings BA (2017), Concluding Commentary. Life Sciences in an Integrated Medical Curriculum: Continuing the Conversation. MedEdPublish. https://www.mededpublish.org/manuscripts/1058/v1

Letter

Burford B, Alberti H, Kennedy D (2017), Early career intentions of medical students: are we selecting the graduates we need for the 21st century?. Education for Primary Care. https://doi.org/10.1080/14739879.2017.1362669

Report

Illing J, Corbett S, Kehoe A, Hesselgreaves H, Crampton P, Sawdon M, Medford W, Finn G, Tiffin P (2017), How does the education and training of health and social care staff lead to patient benefit: a realist synthesis Report for Department of Health.

Review

Li K, Kui C, Lee E, Ho C, Wong S, Wu W, Wong W, Voll J, Li G, Liu T, Yan B, Chan J, Tse G, Keenan ID (2017), The role of 3D printing in anatomy education and surgical training: A narrative review.. MedEdPublish. https://doi.org/10.15694/mep.2017.000092

The NUAGE team (Ellen Tullo, Laura Greaves, Luisa Wakeling and John Lloyd) were shortlisted for a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) this year. This is an award set up by the HEA to celebrate collaborative work in teaching and learning and captures the creative and innovative practice that positively impacts on the student experience. NUAGE is a module at Newcastle that has been recognised for its exemplary work in delivering multidisciplinary teaching about ageing informed by collaboration with older members of the public recruited via Voice North in the design and delivery of the curriculum. The CEO of the HEA, Professor Stephanie Marshall, visited Newcastle on the 20th September to meet the team and present them with a certificate. The team hope to continue their collaboration with the HEA to raise the profile of NUAGE globally.

Talking about the team’s success, Steve McHanwell, Director of the ERDP said:

 “This first round of CATE Awards were highly competitive.  It is a tribute to the highly innovative nature of this module and the hard work put into this project by Luisa, Ellen and Laura that their efforts have been recognised in this way by the Higher Education Academy”

Read more about the team’s research work on collaborative working in a blog from Ellen.

Image L-R: Suzanne Cholerton, Luisa Wakeling, Ellen Tullo, John Lloyd (member of VoiceNorth), Stephanie Marshall (HEA) and Michael Parker (HEA).