Education Research and Practice

This theme unites educators and researchers dedicated to transforming teaching and learning in Chemistry, Pharmacy, and Pharmacology. We focus on curriculum innovation, inclusive education, and evidence-based, student-centred teaching to enhance academic success and professional readiness.

Our research includes:

• Evaluating simulation-based learning to replicate clinical environments, support interprofessional education, and improve decision-making skills.

• Advancing active learning using discussion, extended reality, and interactive polling to boost student engagement and understanding.

• Designing group work resources that strengthen communication, conflict resolution, and collaborative decision-making.

• Applying structured preparation strategies to develop practical laboratory skills and ensure safe, effective participation.

• Innovating teaching methods to enhance communication and clinical skills for pharmacy professionals aligned with NHS priorities.

• Exploring the impact of authentic assessments on student engagement, critical thinking, wellbeing, and learning outcomes.

• Studying the benefits of embedding trainee pharmacists in clinical teams to support autonomy and experiential learning.

• Implementing inclusive education practices, including extended reality and accessible lab manuals, to support diverse learners.

Members

• Dr James Desborough (lead) Pharmacy education, communication skills, health services research

• Ms Jennifer Badcock Team-based learning, pharmacy services, primary care pharmacy

• Mrs Melanie Boughen   Pharmacy technician professional development

• Mrs Laura Ellis Online learning, distance education, pharmacy technician education

• Dr Anna-Marie Fuller Curriculum design, student wellbeing

• Mrs Jenny Hannah Workplace-based learning, national benchmarking, assessment

• Dr Hannah Kinsey  Interprofessional learning, workplace education, learner autonomy

• Professor Simon Lancaster Digital technologies for facilitating learning and teaching

• Mrs Sarah Lynch Digital learning, flipped classrooms, Socratic teaching methods

• Mrs Emma Marks Experiential learning, artificial intelligence in education

• Mrs Alina Mazalu-Dragu   Placement learning, assessment design, theory-to-practice integration

• Dr Paul McDermott  Digital wellbeing, constructivist teaching, authentic assessment

• Dr Lindsay Morgan Advanced practice, national credentialing, prescribing workforce

• Dr Rosemary Norton  Widening participation, student wellbeing, digital inclusion

• Dr Leoni Palmer Curriculum design, authentic assessment, assessment design

• Ms Nicola Parr Asynchronous content, experiential learning, workplace assessment

• Mr Ewan Raffel  Hospital pharmacy, independent prescribing, clinical integration

• Dr Vilius Savickas Simulation-based education, clinical pharmacy, cardiology

• Dr Jeremy Sokhi Peer teaching, innovative methods, simulation-based learning

• Miss Sophie White Interprofessional education, medicines management, simulation

Selected Publications

1. What we learned from a pilot study aimed at getting first-generation students into pharmacy. Harrington C and Norton R. Times Higher Education 23rd January 2024.

2. Assessing the GenAI process, not the output Paul McDermott, Leoni Palmer, and Rosemary Norton. Times Higher Education 24th January 2025.

3. Dividing opinions - Reviewing the future calculation curriculum in pre-registration pharmacy technician teaching in England and Wales. Billy Smith, Hannah Kinsey. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning 17:102336 (2025)

4. Exploring the effect of augmented reality on cognitive load, attitude, spatial ability, and stereochemical perception. Daniel Elford, Simon J. Lancaster, Garth A. Jones. Journal of Science Education and Technology 31:322-339.

5. Interactive docking workshop: Docking the anticancer drug Belinostat to its cellular histone deacetylase (HDAC) target. G. Iakovou, L Palmer, A. Ganesan, A. Kitao, S.D. Laycock, S. Hayward. Journal of Chemical Education 102:2514-21 (2025).  

6. Longitudinal placements for trainee pharmacists: Learning whilst improving patient care. Hannah Kinsey, Jeremy Sokhi, Maria Christou, David Wright. Medical Education 56:220-28 (2022)

7. Evaluation of effectiveness and safety of pharmacist independent prescribers in care homes: Cluster randomised controlled trial. Richard Holland, Christine Bond, David Alldred, Antony Arthur, Garry Barton, Linda Birt, Jeanette Blacklock, Annie Blyth, Stamatina Cheilari, Amrit Daffu-O’Reilly, Lindsay Dalgarno, James Desborough, Joanna C. Ford, Kelly Grant, Bronwen Harry, Helen J. Hill, Carmel Hughes, Jacqueline Inch, Vivienne Maskrey, Phyo Myint Nigel Norris, Fiona Poland, Lee Shepstone, Maureen Spargo, David Turner, Laura Watts, Arnold Zermansky, David WrightBritish Medical Journal (2023).

8. Crossing the Divide: A Transitional Undergraduate Research Project in Medicinal Chemistry. Paul McDermott, Leoni Palmer, Andrew Beekman, Ganesan, Simon MacDonald and Richard Hatley, Journal of Chemical Education (2025).