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Active postgraduate and/or undergraduate teacher
I teach basic and clinical pharmacology as well as quantitative and clinical pharmacokinetics to undergraduate pharmacy students and dentistry students. I also teach pharmaceutical biotechnology.
My postgraduate teaching modules include Regulation of Medical Devices and IVDs, Regulation of Complementary Medicines, and Research Methodology.
Below is my IKAMVA (e-learning platform) with the modules that I teach.
Learning and Teaching approach and profile
Introduction of the Flipped Classroom model to the learning and teaching process of an undergraduate pharmacology module.
A flipped classroom is a learning and teaching strategy which aims to promote active learning and increase student engagement by having learners complete readings at home and work on live problem-solving during class time. Learning materials including slides, book chapters, relevant literature, animations etc were provided in a step-wise logical flow on the lesson page of UWC’s e-learning platform. The learning outcomes were clearly defined and a lesson guide was provided to learners. We incentivize the learners’ preparation for the class by attaching a mark to the completion of the lesson page and also for a short quiz that because active after completing the lesson page. In class, there is a short review of the lesson page followed by questions and answers to ensure unification of understanding. Thereafter a task was given and students were assigned to random groups to complete the task in class. The outcome of the task was presented by each group and a submission from each group was submitted for grading by the tutors. The tutors grade the submissions and give the learners feedback as appropriate. A review of the flipped classroom approach showed acceptance by a majority of the learners while a few of the learners complained about the extent of work they have to put in for such an approach to learning. Below is are excerpts from an evaluation of the process.
Infusing related industry experience into the learning and teaching process of a postgraduate medical device regulation module
A few informal surveys show that students prefer professors to have experience outside of academia. Several sources discuss the advantages of industry experience for faculty, as many of the skills learned in professional experience can be directly transferable to learners and give learners a robust understanding during learning. We implement “industry-relevant teaching” during the delivery of the module on “Regulation of Medical Devices and IVDs” by inviting experienced industry-based experts to present during the tutorial sessions. Response from the students during the sessions showed that these experts with substantial industry experience can distil broad subject matter down to the most pertinent information that the students need in the workplace. In addition, the industry-experienced tutors drew important lessons from their time in the field that expanded the learning of the students.
The industry experts tutorial sessions were with:
Andre ten Napel (Managing Director - TNMC Medical Devices SA and Business Consultant to Medical Device Design and Manufacturing Companies in South Africa, UAE, Germany, UK, Portugal, Belgium, UK, etc. Specialties: CE-Mark Expert, FDA Approvals, Sterilisation Validation Expert, Plant Design)
Khanyisile Nkuku from the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA)
Ashley Uys, the founder of Medical Diagnostech (Pty) Ltd
Implementing industry-relevant research projects
The online masters programme in medicine regulation requires students to execute a final project towards a mini-thesis. Given my engagement with the pharmaceutical industry and National Regulatory Agencies in Africa, I initiated a process to get these institutions to make presentations to the students, during the Research Methodology modules, on their priority research needs. The presentations provided an avenue for the students to identify industry-relevant projects to be executed towards their mini-thesis. The engagement also benefited the pharmaceutical industry and National Regulatory Agencies because it provided research-based solutions to their problems, especially those issues related to navigating regulatory hurdles in Africa.
The institutions that presented their research needs included:
Biovac
UVU Bio Africa
Africa Union Development Agency/Africa Medicine Regulation Harmonization (AUDA/AMRH)
Curriculum and graduate attributes
Updating the curriculum of a fourth-year pharmaceutical biotechnology module in line with the current global situation and policy
I am involved in curriculum development and renewal. The curriculum development and renewal process involves engagement and connection with all stakeholders in the field of study. I was privileged to serve on the talent development committee of the Partnership for Vaccine Manufacturing of the Africa CDC.
I was able to infuse the new health order of the Africa CDC to improve the local manufacture of vaccines in Africa into a related module that I teach by including content on the “Manufacture of mRNA vaccines”. This is particularly relevant for the biotech industry in South Africa which has received the WHO pre-qualification as a mRNA manufacturing hub. I continue to engage with the industry to assess their workplace competency requirements and try to infuse such into our learning and teaching process in relevant modules.
Another example of the infusion industry-relevant knowledge and skill in relevant modules is an introduction to the recent field of Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) modelling (an aspect of Pharmacometrics) in the content of a clinical pharmacokinetic elective module. (See portfolio for details).
At an African scale, I was recently nominated by the Southern African Regional Universities Association, on behalf of the SADC secretariat, to chair a working group that will “Develop a Curriculum Structure and Outline for a SADC Industrial Pharmacy Fellowship Programme” funded by Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
PHA426 IKAMVA lesson page with a review article on mRNA for class discussion.
Addressing students’ learning needs
According to Richard Felder “The more thoroughly instructors understand the differences, the better chance they have of meeting the diverse learning needs of all of their students” (“Understanding Student Differences,” Journal of Engineering Education 94 [2005]: 57). Therefore, an understanding of the differences among the students, creates a better chance of meeting the diverse learning needs of all through the implementation of strategies that will facilitate personalize learning. In addition, this exercise will create a psychologically safe environment for every learner, determine each student's readiness for learning, identify multiple access points to the curriculum to increase engagement and success and develop and demonstrate greater emotional intelligence in the classroom.
A couple of ways that I have address student’s need include but not limited to the following:
The need for requisite prior knowledge
I ascertain students’ prior knowledge by administering pre-lecture quiz, assignments and exercises. The results from the quiz will indicate the current knowledge base and gaps among the student. The impact of this approach was assessed in PHA426 (Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Biopharmaceutics). The module requires the students to have a prerequisite knowledge in basic biotechnology. I have learnt, when I taught this module in 2018, that this foundational prerequisite knowledge might not be present in all the students to the same degree. This made it difficult to build the on shaking or non-existing foundation (knowledge). In the year 2019, I conducted a pre-class biotechnology knowledge assessment. The results (a pre-tutorial mean score of 63%) was very informative and I used it to design a pre-class tutorial (on IKAMVA) for the class. The post-tutorial assessment showed a mean score of 81% (a 18% increase in knowledge). (See link below for details). This approach to student need assessment has become a standard teaching practice for this module and the other modules that I teach.
The need to improve English vocabulary
I try to create a comfortable and friendly environment that allow the student to freely ask questions and seek clarification. The questions most times reveal the “needs” of the student that I need to meet. One thing that stood out for me was the need for the student to understand some words in English. For example, I asked a question that used the word “eminent” but it was interpreted by 90% of the class as “emergency”. I realized the need to increase English vocabulary of the students since it is the language for teaching. Therefore, I started using synonyms for some of the “big words” we come across in textbooks or used during my lecture.
The need for networking of knowledge
By engaging application-based assessment and discussions, it is clear to me that the students learn in isolation; they do not make a connection between prior knowledge and current learning. I try to emphasize that all the modules in the course of study has an overall goal towards making the students into confident pharmacists. To address this need, I give pre-lecture quizzes at every lecture session. It was cumbersome at the start for me and the students, but they have now come to appreciate the importance of such quizzes to ensure networking of knowledge. See the comment by one student: “Dr Egieyeh had mini spot quizzes, which helped us to go over the work taught in the previous lecture.”
In conclusion, I would like to better understand the limitations (emotional, financial, psychological etc.) to effective study of lecture materials by students, especially before the first official assessment. To achieve this, I intend to create time for more personal engagement and building cordial relationship with the students, especially those that find it difficult to speak during the class.
An example of student learning need. The figure is a box plot of the pre-tutorial and post-tutorial scores for 118 students enrolled for PHA426 (Pharmaceutical Biotechnology). The knowledge of students in the subject area was assesses prior to commencement of lecture (pre-tutorial). The result obtained was used to design a pre-lecture tutorial. The assessment of students' knowledge after the tutorial (post tutorial)showed that the intervention led to a 18% increase in knowledge.
Teaching philosophy and approaches to teaching
My teaching style has been visual (spatial) teaching and learning style hinged on 'student-centredness'. To achieve the visual (spatial) teaching and learning style, I set out to use words to create pictures that will lead to transformation. I find ways to say or illustrate something so that the person listening to me can see what I am saying. The ability to use what the listener can relate to as the basis to explain complex principle is my utmost desire. My lecture notes have a lot of pictures, illustrations, flash animations and movies, which I use to explain the principle being taught, and I encourage to the student to write down what they understand in their own words. “A single picture speaks a thousand word”. I prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding (Visual (spatial) teaching and learning style) because it will ensure enhancement of long-term memories, improved comprehension, better critical and creative thinking, and increased students’ attention, motivation, and curiosity
During the lecture, I try to pay very carefully attention to the verbal and non-verbal communication from the students to determine what they want and need to hear at any point in the lecture. Although I usually prepare a variety of lecture materials ahead of the class, however the dynamics of each class determine how the material is employed to drive home the point that I need to make or give a better explanation of the concept being discussed. The student’s questions and facial expressions inform me about what issues to delve into in more depth, what examples to give, and what stories to tell. The following often occur during my teaching sessions.
1. Demonstrations.
I get inspiration for classroom demonstrations quite often during my lecture. I use items ranging from stationary, water bottles and the student themselves in a demonstration to explain a concept. In addition, I design short animations to provide a visual perception of a concept being discussed.
2. Captivating Stories.
People love to be told stories and I have discovered that is one of the ways to get the class settled down for the lecture. Studies can often be presented in story form especially if there are stories related to a scientific breakthrough or theory being discussed. I often tell stories from my personal experiences to illustrate points about the material being taught. For example, I related to the student a mistake I made while working as a production assistant at a Pharmaceutical company in order to emphasize the need to set appropriate drying time for drying process using different equipment (while teaching a pharmaceutic module). I believe that most experiences provide an opportunity for personal development, but in order to take advantage of our experiences, we need to think about how they can help us learn. Therefore, learning from my personal experience may cut short the learning process of the students on the subject matter.
3. Empathy for all.
Lecturing is a dialogue, by which I mean that the lecturer and the audience are participating in a communicative exchange. Admittedly, I do most of the talking but the class’s non-verbal communication influences what I have to say and how I say it. I am sensitive to the faces of the student. I attend to the class very carefully in an attempt to carry along every member of the class (the students alluded to this in the student evaluation). I often pause to determine whether they comprehend what is being presented, are interested in its content, and are happy with how things are going.
4. Student engagement.
Although I usually provide a comprehensive slide with adequate content in addition to materials for critical reading, I encourage students to write during the lecture. I always say in class “The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory”. A student that is able to write down or paraphrase my explanation in his/her own words shows good understanding of the concept being explained. This also helps the student to be engaged with the lecture and prevent absent-mindedness. However, whenever I am presenting something that is new or conceptually difficult, I instruct the students to stop taking notes, listen to the explanation and then write thereafter. The intent here is ensure that the material is clear and understood before the students write it down in their notes. Lecture materials for general knowledge and materials that will be examined or assessed are clearly demarcated. A couple of quizzes are inserted into the lecture slides to gauge the understanding of the previous material presented. This also ensure that the students are engaged during and the lecture and focused.
Examples of relevant student comments:
“Dr S Egieyeh, your lectures were very interesting and the examples that were made by using real life situations helped me understand topics and remember the information well.”
“Dr S Egieyeh TEACHING STYLE WAS VERY INTERESTING AS WE KEPT ON GIVING US RESOURCES AS TO WHAT LOOK FOR, ARTICLES ,WEBSITES AND CITATION OF WHERE TO GET INFO TO FURTHER OUR KNOWLEDGE AND WOULD NOT CONTINUE UNTIL EVERYONE IS IN THE SAME WAVELENGTH .”
5. Creating a conducive environment for teaching and learning
5. Creating a conducive environment for teaching and learning
The lecture classroom is a theatre where the teacher needs to captivate the attention of the audience (student) throughout the allotted time of engagement and leave a lasting impression (achievement of learning outcome). During teaching, I try to display a showmanship that is compatible the temperament of the class but always spiced with humor, demonstrations, and stories. I observed that this has made the students eager to be in my class. In addition, we have developed a bond such that they are willing to listen when I give constructive criticism and corrections.
6. Assessments
6. Assessments
In my view, the purpose of assessment is not to show the shortcoming of the students, but rather to structure their studying and provide a diagnosis of the level of understanding of the material presented. Assessment should not be perceived as punitive. Therefore, I usually provide sample test questions and organize review sessions that discuss it. I always do this and the review sessions are one of the most intensely informative and satisfying times for both the students and for myself. For my summative assessment, I attempt to minimize the amount of recall questions, instead I set questions that require students to evaluate and apply what they learnt in novel contexts or case studies. Generally, the assessments consist of a combination of written, multiple-choice questions and oral examinations. The assessments are based on material, which supports the learning objectives from the lectures and case study seminars. Students are given feedback on their performance after each assessment session. It is important that this Feedback from these assessments are reviewed prior to the next lecture and during special tutorial sessions.
In my view, the purpose of assessment is not to show the shortcoming of the students, but rather to structure their studying and provide a diagnosis of the level of understanding of the material presented. Assessment should not be perceived as punitive. Therefore, I usually provide sample test questions and organize review sessions that discuss it. I always do this and the review sessions are one of the most intensely informative and satisfying times for both the students and for myself. For my summative assessment, I attempt to minimize the amount of recall questions, instead I set questions that require students to evaluate and apply what they learnt in novel contexts or case studies. Generally, the assessments consist of a combination of written, multiple-choice questions and oral examinations. The assessments are based on material, which supports the learning objectives from the lectures and case study seminars. Students are given feedback on their performance after each assessment session. It is important that this Feedback from these assessments are reviewed prior to the next lecture and during special tutorial sessions.
Research–led teaching
My research is focused on computational drug discovery and development. At pharmacy 4th year level (final year), I have introduced (since 2018) topics on the role of computational modelling and prediction in preclinical drug development (one of the topics in the PHC403 elective). The PHC403 elective students also have an opportunity to conduct practical experiment on computational simulation for prediction of pharmacokinetic properties of compounds. The students were sensitized to the cutting-edge and real-world application of their learnings by providing them with original research journal articles on the matter. They also assist current postgraduate students who are conducting research in my research field and the postgraduate students assist in teaching the undergraduate students, and share their experiences with them. Feedback from my students indicates that the inclusion of my on-going research into their course has stimulated their interest in pharmacology.
One of the journals used to discuss the lecture on "Gene Therapy".
A SDS-PAGE gel develop in my laboratory and used to teach quality control of biologics.
Curriculum development and renewal
As a coordinator of two modules in the School of Pharmacy, I am involved in curriculum development and renewal. Curriculum development and renewal process involves engagement and connection with all stakeholders including the South African Pharmacy council and the Pharmacist Society of South Africa. These organization set the competency and skills required in workplace. I constantly review the curriculum to align with current competency and skills required in the workplace. A typical example is the introduction of the recent field of Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) modelling (an aspect of Pharmacometrics) into the curriculum of this elective module.
The introduction of this new field sparked interest in the students and one of the students have proceeded to postgraduate studies in Pharmacometrics (see screenshot of email below).
Infusion of technologies into teaching and learning
The use of AI (LLM model) in pharmacokinetic calculations within a pharmacology module
My experience in teaching quantitative pharmacokinetics revealed that students have differing mathematical backgrounds which affects their comprehension of the concepts including basic calculus (integration and differentiation). Initially, I usually send out a chapter on calculus to the students as a pre-reading before the commencement of the classes with the hope that each student will review these basic concepts before we begin the quantitative pharmacokinetic class. I usually administer a pre-class quiz to get the extent of the basic calculus knowledge. I now allow the students to engage with AI tools to get the basic knowledge of calculus before the class. This led to an improvement in the pre-class quiz. offer valuable assistance to professionals in this field. I also expose the students to AI-backed software that enables the students to predict pharmacokinetic parameters for a particular drug with greater speed and accuracy.
Calculus tutorial from Google Gemini
AI supported pharmacokinetic software
The covid-19 pandemic challenged the traditional approach to teaching and learning and we responded by moving on to online teaching. In the early days of the lockdown when I was at hope, I needed to come up with an innovative way of recording the feedback of the mathematical calculation exercises (part of the quantitative pharmacokinetics in PHC323). I decided to set up a ring light and phone to view and record while I do the calculation from the exercises given to the students (see picture below). Such recordings were then sent via WhatsApp (a popular social media platform amongst students) to the class group. A couple of months later, I was able to get an electronic writing pad that can directly relay the calculations that I do on to the MS PowerPoint slide on the computer (see below).
Another innovative technology that was infused into the teaching and learning of the PHA426 module was the use of an interactive online game. Space Doctor (see below) uses interactive game to teach the advantages and disadvantages of vectors used to deliver genes in gene therapy.
Finally, I also use customized animations to explain the concepts that I teach. A sample animation (see below) that I prepare to explain concepts of pharmacodynamics during my lecture.
Animation1.movScholarship of teaching and learning
"The scholarship of teaching means that we invest in our teaching the intellectual powers we practice in our research” (Bender and Gray, 1999). I have discovered that teaching can be approached as a form of research (or scholarly work), providing a setting for me to formulate an hypothesis around the effect of my current teaching style on the ability of the student to learn and their performance in assessments given at the end of my teaching. This is done with "an eye not only to improving their own classroom experience but to advancing practice beyond it”
Once I have formulated the research question about student learning, I intend to address this question systematically through my teaching. The following set questions will be used to help me think through the process of systematically examining teaching and learning issues in my classroom:
What have others done to address similar questions in their teaching?
What assignments, activities or other features of your course can help address my question?
What indicators of student learning will be relevant for addressing my question? How can I systematically examine these learning indicators?
How will I make sense of the student learning that I observe?
How have others examined similar evidence of student learning?
I have demonstrated scholarship in teaching and learning by implementing, evaluating and publishing a teaching and learning strategy pandemic. See publication:
J McCartney, S Egieyeh, N Ebrahim, E Braaf, D Beukes. Innovations in Pharmacy Education during the Pandemic: Using Learning Science to support laboratory-based practical skills. SA Pharmaceutical Journal 88 (4), 31-33
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