John Curtis

Details

My background

Hello my name is John, I am an experienced research scientist and science tutor.
I have a combined studies honours degree in Physiology and Biochemistry and a PhD in Physiology (Neuroscience). I can offer you a wide range and depth of experience from both my research and teaching career. I currently teach biology and provide pastoral support for students in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh.
I am also an associate lecturer with the Open University with three years experience teaching on an online only module called ‘’Human Biology’’. This mean that I am very familiar with teaching in an online environment and I am sure that I can make your learning experience with me, smooth, inspiring and enjoyable.
My research focused on neuronal electrophysiology and cell biology. This included synaptic physiology and cell signalling, neurodegeneration (Prion protein diseases, Alzheimer's disease and Rett syndrome) and the role of neuronal mitochondria in these diseases. I have also studied receptors involved in pain and analgesia (using real time calcium imaging techniques) and the neuroscience of the olfactory system in relation to navigation and homing of Salmon in Scottish rivers. I have published scientific papers, contributed chapters to books and presented at conferences both in the UK and internationally.
During this time I have gained many years experience in teaching Science and Biology. This includes giving lectures, tutorials and leading practical laboratory classes on many aspects of Biological Sciences, including Neuroscience, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Biochemistry, Physiology and Zoology.
I have always loved Biology and the natural world. This extends from a love of the outdoors and I have a never ending feeling of amazement at the world around us. As a teenager my fascination in the universe and amateur astronomy opened my eyes to how inspiring apparently ‘hard science’ could be and soon realised that the explanations of reality emerging from science was even more amazing than anything fiction could produce.
This inspired my love of the science of life and all things biological including the human body. My first real passion as a qualified scientist was Physiology and Neuroscience of the brain and nervous system. More recently, as my role has shifted focus away from the research laboratory and more towards teaching I have rekindled my love for general biology, Zoology and wildlife.
For me, the only thing that comes close to that feeling of excitement I get from learning or discovering some new aspect of biology is sharing my amazement with other people. I want to share my never ending sense of wonder at the amazing stories science tells us about the things we see and take for granted all around us. I hope I can share this with you and help nurture your own sense of wonder at the natural world.
In addition to science I enjoy walking, beach combing, rock pooling, cycling, camping and being outdoors. I also love Astronomy, Cosmology and History and I am in a regiment that re-enacts the Jacobite period. I love music and play the guitar, Bodhran and whistle (but all badly I am afraid!).

Experience

I have a combined studies honours degree in Physiology and Biochemistry and a PhD in Physiology (Neuroscience). During my postdoctoral work and in my current position I have accrued many years of teaching experience in a wide variety of Biological and Biomedical subjects at both the organismal and the cellular/molecular level.
I have extensive experience teaching and interacting with people of all ages in an educational/support environment. This includes working with children as a youth worker running youth clubs (including an animation clubs for 10-16 year olds with East Lothian Council), working with young adults at a pre University level (Sutton Trust Summer School), teaching undergraduates at all levels (lectures, tutorials, workshops and practical classes) and postgraduate students (MSc and PhD) who are doing laboratory projects for a dissertation (University of Leeds and the University of Edinburgh). I also organise and teach postgraduate and early postdoctoral colleagues as demonstrators for practical laboratory classes and as tutors for undergraduate teaching (University of Edinburgh). This means ensuring that the demonstrators and tutors content knowledge and ‘teaching’ style is of the highest quality.
I have become familiar with different pedagogical approaches to enhance deeper learning in students. This has either been through a teaching role that required a specific approach (problem based facilitated tutorials with medical students, University of Edinburgh) or through attending courses and workshops, as part of my Continual Professional Development (CPD), and then being able to put these ideas into practice through teaching roles that I currently perform. Part of my role at the University of Edinburgh involves helping students with study skills and teaching them how to reflect on their approach to learning which is especially important with the transition from school to University where the sudden focus on student driven learning can be an unwelcome shock to some. I consistently include discussion of study skills in tutorials and workshops and in my current position as Student Support Tutor (University of Edinburgh), I help students to explore and develop their own study skills. This sometimes means working on a one to one basis covering topics such as note taking styles, how to get the best out of tutorials, critical thinking, revision technique and self-reflection. I have also given workshops on self-reflection, which introduce the concept and discuss why it is crucial for effective personal development.
As part of my CPD to continue to improve myself as a teacher and consequently the student learning experience, I regularly attend courses and workshops on teaching techniques and pedagogies. Further to this, I am participating in the ‘Edinburgh Teaching Award’ a program run by the ‘Institute of Academic Development‘ within the University of Edinburgh. This course encourages us to record and evidence our experience and CPD and to write a series of self-reflective blogs on teaching practice. Successful completion of the course leads to accreditation to the HEA. I am working towards accreditation at the level of senior fellow.
The creation of a good virtual learning environment is an essential component of the learning experience. Not only can it be a very useful student resource, but also can serve as an essential student-staff ‘hub’ for communication and teaching. As a teacher on many courses, I have engaged in providing guidance, educational resources (lecture slides, videos, animations, reading material) and different forms of feedback (formative in the form of low stakes quizzes and tests, written or audio) online. I am also involved in setting up the submission and online marking of work (Blackboard Turnitin, Learn and Pebble pad) and for peer assessment exercises (for undergraduates). I have used video conferencing software such as Collaborate, Adobe Connect and Skype and have participated in many live, online workshops.
In September 2017 I joined the Open University as an Associate Lecturer on an online module studying Human Biology. I have taken Open University training courses for Adobe Connect and now have experience in running successful Tutor groups (25 students) and cluster group tutorials (100 students) in online rooms. I have also contributed and moderated the tutor group and cluster group discussion forum. The Open University offers further training for its staff and I have participated in courses designed to further my understanding of the unique challenges and advantages that can be presented in the online learning environment. It presents both its own unique set of circumstances and also many parallels with real face to face teaching.
Both of my roles at the University of Edinburgh and the Open University require me to mark work and provide in depth feedback to students and give advice on how to most effectively use and reflect on this.
The University of Edinburgh is very much an international University and has students enrolled from all over the world. This means that one has to interact with students with varied cultural backgrounds. In addition, the Scottish degree is traditionally a four-year degree and so takes in first year students with an array of qualifications including Highers, A-levels and international qualifications. The University of Edinburgh also runs a widening participation scheme that admits students from non-traditional educational routes and these students are often more mature and have complicated lives (part-time work, childcare and family commitments). This is also true of the Open University student population.
In addition to working with students from varied educational and cultural backgrounds, I also have experience working with students with disabilities. Again, my experience in this field is from both the teaching and support perspective. As a student support tutor, one of my roles is to make sure students who come to the university with pre-diagnosed disabilities, get all the help and support they can. The types of disabilities that we encounter are varied and can range from a student in a wheel chair, to conditions such as ADHD and Dyslexia. As a student support tutor we stay in regular contact with students to ensure their access to the course material and includes being aware of issues surrounding disability and equal rights when delivering content. This might range from preparing guidebooks with non-white paper to help students with dyslexia and colour sensitivity to preparing worksheets and or setting up alternative lab classes for students that cannot for a variety of reasons fully engage but, obviously still need to meet the learning objectives of a course.

Qualifications

PhD in Neuroscience (University of Leeds, 1993)
Combined Studies Hons in Biochemistry and Physiology (University of Leeds, 1988)

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