Excellence in teaching

Dr Tim Colmer has been teaching in Plant Sciences for the past two years, specialising in environmental plant physiology. In 1996 he won an Excellence in Teaching Award. These awards represent a joint effort by the Guild and the University to recognise and reward exemplary teaching.

My courses consider responses and adaptations of plants at the cellular level, and the integration of these processes to whole plant adaptation, with a focus on inter-disciplinary approaches to solving problems in these systems. Lectures, evaluations of the current scientific literature, group discussions and laboratory-based teaching are used as teaching tools. Laboratory-based teaching is an important component, since I am convinced that hands-on experience is valuable to students learning plant science.

Laboratory classes are designed to strengthen the understanding of key issues from the lectures. The experimental work is structured around a clear set of notes which:

1. provide the information required to complete the experiments, and
2. raise issues related to the experimental work which we discuss in class.

Assessment is based on one-page reports, including tables of data or figures. This format challenges students to develop skills to identify the major issues and prepare a concise document to communicate their interpretation of experimental results.

One of the laboratory sessions is used for small group discussions in which the students critically evaluate a research paper from the current scientific literature. The students read the paper and prepare a brief set of notes and questions prior to the tutorial at which key issues are then discussed and clarified. This exercise provides the students with further experience in the critical assessment of scientific data.

My lectures are structured around overhead transparencies, and slides from my own research on issues within the general topic. I hand out a set of 'incomplete notes' containing the main details of the overheads and all the figures and tables taken from scientific publications used to illustrate major points. Students thus have access to all the information, and at the same time are required to participate in the lectures and to think about the information presented so that together we build up a 'story' in relation to the topic.

One way I promote discussion at selected times during lectures is as follows. First, I present background information and key examples of experimental data on a particular issue. Then, I ask for interpretations of the data and/or what additional information is required before a reliable assessment can be made. This frequently leads into a discussion on experimental approaches to obtain the required information. Finally, I challenge the students to integrate their ideas or selected parts of the newly identified information into the broader framework of the topic. The purpose of this exercise is to develop skills and confidence for tackling problem solving in a scientifically rigorous and critical way. These sessions usually last for about five minutes, and I always summarise the ground we have just covered to ensure the whole class moves forward together.