Centre for Bioscience

It is virtually impossible to teach a research-based subject, like the Biosciences, without having experienced real science and carried out practical research (laboratory, field work). Research is, increasingly, becoming specialised with fewer larger groups spread across a number of institutions. This means that not all specialities are going to be represented at every university. Without access to raw experimental data, and all its faults, it is difficult to give students a realistic experience of "real" research.

It takes time to design, create, evaluate and modify teaching materials. A cyclic process of design, evaluation and modification means that it may take years for some resources to evolve to become useful to students. As an individual, I cannot have the time to create the full range of resources to cover all my teaching needs. It seems fair that if I should share my resources if I am going to use materials created by others.

Finding relevant materials of suitable quality and at a level appropriate to a particular course can be demoralizing and takes time. Bringing resources together into one or a few repositories, particularly if they are federated, makes classification and, hence, searching easier.

Though concentrating on making materials in our own specialist domains and sharing them; with time the collection will grow to give students a richer learning experience.

Vivien’s research background includes genetics, biotechnology and radiobiology. Her teaching experience spans undergraduate, masters, doctoral supervision and post-graduate medical education at the Universities of: East London, London Metropolitan, Queen Mary (London), Manchester and Oxford, Over the years she has become interested in developing student learning and basic skills.

A digital dinosaur, Vivien has been using technology in her own teaching in prehistory before the web and helping others to use technology in their teaching and in the administration of learning.
Since being at Oxford she has gained a Teaching Excellence Award, been nominated for National Teaching Fellowship Scheme and gained several OxTalent awards. Vivien has worked closely with the HEA subject centres for several years.