Dr Sarah Bailey
About
Biography
Up to now I seem to have worked at places beginning with the letter S! I started out my career in science right here at the University of Surrey, where I undertook a BSc in Molecular Biology which included a PTY in New York City at Cornell University.
My experience in the lab there sparked my interest in cell signalling and I followed this interest to Brighton, to the University of Sussex, where I undertook a PhD in the lab of Dr Alison Sinclair. My project was on the intracellular interactions of the Epstein-Barr Virus transcription factor Zta (BZLF1) and this quickly led me to the field of DNA Damage response in combination with cellular signalling.
One of the few places left in the south of England with a university and an S to their name was Southampton, so in preparation to leave Sussex, I sought out Dr Paul Townsend who was undertaking some research on STAT-1 and collaborating on a p53 project, which I had found in my PhD research.
While writing up my PhD thesis I co-authored grants (with Dr Townsend and Dr Cragg) to fund my research on p73 and STAT-1 in Lymphoma. The project started in January 2009, just as I handed in my completed PhD thesis. I remained at the University of Southampton while I undertook a further 2 projects which focused more on downstream cell signalling in hormone dependent cancers of the breast (with Mr Ramsey Cutress) and prostate (Dr Simon Crabb) and left the university in April 2014. In my time at the University of Southampton I pursued teaching CPDs, hoping one day that I would make it to be a lecturer.
Following this I had a career break and spent some time teaching swimming, which is how I funded writing my PhD thesis and grants in 2008 and building on my experience as a competitive swimmer when I was at school. I then undertook a part time visiting lecturer post at the University of Westminster, where I focused on small group teaching in Biochemistry, which made a welcome change and allowed me to stretch my brain while also looking after my new daughter.
I returned to where my journey began (and yet another S), joining the University of Surrey teaching staff as a Teaching Fellow in Physiology in January 2017. Initially my post was designed to run physiology modules and to design a new genetics module in addition to contributing to other teaching in the School of Biosciences.
In 2022 I was promoted to the position of Senior Lecturer in Physiology and I then took on my current role of Programme Director for BSc Biochemistry programme. This enables me to have a good overview of student development and pedagogic practices on this programme, identifying where there is room to develop our speciality teaching and research experience. I lead on the accreditation of four of our BSc programmes by the Royal Society of Biology in Summer 2023.
I took on my current role of Deputy Director of Learning and Teaching in January 2024. In this role I work with the Director of Learning and Teaching to ensure that modules and programmes are effective with reaching key outputs such as organisation, teaching quality and student voice in addition to ensuring key policies and procedures are adhered to. In this role I work very closely with both Pedagogic development Coordinator and Senior Personal Tutor to ensure that the student experience is maintained and refined throughout the year.
My pedagogic research focusses on the effect of student belonging and the modes of learning and teaching delivery (online, hybrid and face to face teaching) opportunities on student self efficacy. Creating a truly inclusive, and accessible to all, environment is dear to my heart and I am a great believer in trying to incorporate inclusive practices and Universal Design for Learning is something that I'm very keen to embed in my modules.
University roles and responsibilities
- BSc Biochemistry Programme Director - November 2023 to present
- Deputy Director of Learning and Teaching - January 2024 to present
My qualifications
This demonstrates the ability to lead and influence other academics in their practice in higher education It demonstrates the ability to work with others and enable them to develop their own practice in teaching and learning with your support and guidance to be effective in a way that will benefit the student experience and student learning in a host of different ways.
(Achieving Distinction and Fellow of HEA status)
This aims to develop an understanding of the complex interrelationship between learning and teaching in Higher Education, there is an introduction to principles of pedagogy informed teaching and how to engage in pedagogic research, aimed to develop an enquiry based approach and enable graduates of this course to development of their own future practice.
Thesis title: Investigation of the interaction of Epstein-Barr Virus protein Zta with 53BP1: a DNA damage response protein
Includes Professional Training Year
Final Year Project title: Characterisation of glutamate receptor-evoked intracellular calcium elevation in purified oligodendrocytes.
This consisted of three supervisor assessments, assessment of practical ability and a written report of the research project undertaken at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, USA.
Project: Interactions between Histamine H3 and Angiotensin AT1 receptors in cardiac sympathetic nerves: relevance to the control of noradrenaline release during myocardial ischaemia. Supervisor: Professor Roberto Levi
Previous roles
In September 2021 I took on this role In this role I work with peers to ensure that pedagogic approaches are incorporated into teaching, learning and assessment approaches and that those that are successful in contributing to key performance indicators are disseminated across the school and University. Collaboration with these types of projects is a major contributor to success and is therefore also a key part of my job, connecting likeminded colleagues, to enhance the student experience and student success. This gave me the opportunity to be involved in curriculum development and also organisation of our Faculty Teaching and Learning Away Days.
In this role I took responsibility for the implementation of learning and assessment adjustments for students in the School of Bioscience and Medicine across both undergraduate and postgraduate students (around 1300 undergraduate and 50 postgraduate students). This role requires excellent communication skills to work with both staff and students to craft an effective solution that will optimise student performance while not compromising the quality of work expected by the student and managing staff expectations and workload to provide reasonable learning and assessment adjustments. For postgraduate students the access to the disability and neurodiversity service seemed much less developed so I have recently been working with colleagues to develop a workflow to identify how we can better identify when a student needs support so that they can quickly and efficiently be directed to the right person for reasonable adjustments to be implemented. I had to manage the account with a budget from Office for Students and ensure that this was used wisely and equitably to support students in our school.
In this role I worked with students to identify areas for praise and dissemination of good practices to staff and to encourage students to provide critical and constructive feedback for the development of areas of their curriculum where they find barriers to learning and areas that are a source of increased mental stress. This role requires diplomatic, constructive and clear communication skills, ability to identify recurring themes and where to highlight that support is needed, working with both staff and students to suggest a mutually aggregable solution.
Affiliations and memberships
News
In the media
ResearchResearch interests
Pedagogic:
My interests in pedagogic work focus on self-efficacy, which is generally considered as the belief that a person has in their ability to complete a task, whether this is an academic or real world problem. Bandura (1997) bases this upon the aspect of social cognitive theory that is defined as the “exercise of human agency through people’s beliefs in capabilities to produce the desired effects by their actions”. This theory considers the path through which the ability to understand or meet threshold competencies is attained, in combination with factors that motivate their learning activities, determine the development of self-regulation, and the influence of social interactions (Bandura, 2011).
A number of studies in Psychology and other areas have identified a positive correlation between self-efficacy and academic achievement (Andrew, 1998, Caprara, 2008), however until now this has been less clearly illustrated in the subject of Biology. Initial research by Baldwin et al (1999) identified that self-efficacy was likely a key player in the performance of both biology majors and non-majors in a large Biology undergraduate class and generated their own biological efficacy scale. Baldwin (1999) considered four main areas in the generation of a biological efficacy scale that academic faculty considered to be essential properties of a biologist; effective communications of biological concepts to both peers and others, creative thinking and synthesis of question generation surrounding real world problems, to reason logically and be able to critically evaluate data, and finally to increase their confidence in the ability to critique, analyse and write about concepts of biology (including extrapolation of data). Evidence suggests that, in biology, the use of case studies and more scaffolded learning both inside and outside the classroom can reduce the perceived threat of unknown content and therefore enhance self-efficacy (Woolcock et al., 2016).
Another factor that may influence self-efficacy and academic achievement is the perseverance of students to work on a problem in the face of a more problematic concept (Trujillio & Tanner, 2014). The sources of self-efficacy can be attributed to mastery experience, emotional or physiological states, social persuasion and vicarious experience, thus experiencing the content during the class or beyond the classroom in some way can influence physiology self-efficacy. Experiences beyond the classroom was identified by Fencl and Scheel (2004) to play a major role in mastery experience; they observed that students experience physics through model building in the real world without a fully understanding how the physics works, as a result students tend to rely on this experience rather than structured models that they explore in class to answer questions.
The final player to be considered is the behaviour of the student, multiple studies have identified active learning within the classroom (Wilke, 2003) and collaboration between students (Taradi et al., 2005) to be essential to the development of the ability to apply knowledge to new situations (Taradi et al., 2005) and self-regulation (Wilke, 2003). Blended learning brings together electronic resources with active learning to enhance the student experience (Taradi et al., 2005, Cheung, 2015), it can be an excellent way to enable students to become more confident in searching for additional resources outside the course content and can be designed to give formative feedback almost instantly, which has been shown to enhance self-efficacy and promote critical thinking (Wang & Wu 2008)
My interest lies in what activities in and out of the lecture theatre that we can utilise to enhance self-efficacy and how these learning behaviours improve not only academic performance but also self awareness of academic ability and therefore the need to persevere with tasks to achieve competency in this skill or knowledge.
Ongoing projects
Use of digital learning such as laboratory simulations, embedded in the virtual learning environment, on student self-efficacy in the laboratory.
Use of scaffolded online and hybrid learning activities to enhance self-efficacy development as a life long learner.
The use of self-study, team working and academic writing skills in the development of self-Efficacy in Physiology and Biochemistry.
Level 6 (Final year) projects available.
Scientific:
DNA damage response and cellular signalling to include the p53 family of transcription factors in cancer models and how they can modulate herpes virus replication.
Modulation of transcription through post-translational modification and formation of alternate transcriptional activation complexes, and how this can cause non-universal transcription factor efficacy and/or selectivity changes.
Level 6 (Final year) projects available (data analysis and grant based projects only)
References:
Ainscough, L., Foulis, E., Colthorpe, K., Zimbardi, K., Robertson-Dean, M., Chunduri, P. & Lluka, L. (2016) Changes in Biology Self-Efficacy during a First-Year University Course. CBE Life Sci Educ, 15(2).
Andrew, S. (1998) Self-efficacy as a predictor of academic performance in science. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 27(3), 596-603.
Baldwin, J. A., Ebert-May, D. & J., B. D. (1999) The development of a college biology self-efficacy instrument for nonmajors. Science Education, 83(4), 397-408.
Bandura, A. (1997) Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.
Bandura, A. (2011) Social Cognitive Theory, in Van Lange, P., Kruglanski, A. & Higgins, E. (eds), Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology: Collection Sage UK, 349-373.
Caprara, G.V., Fida,R., Vecchione, M., Del Bove, G., Vecchio, G.M., & Barbaranelli, C. (2008) Longitudinal Analysis of the Role of Perceived Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning in Academic Continuance and Achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology 100(3), 525-34
Cheung, D. (2015) The Combined Effects of Classroom Teaching and Learning Strategy Use on Students’ Chemistry Self-Efficacy. Research in Science Education, 45(1), 101-116.
Fencl, H. & Scheel, K. (2005) Engaging Students: An Examination of the Effects of Teaching Strategies on Self-Efficacy and Course Climate in a Nonmajors Physics Course. Journal of College Science Teaching 35(1), 20-24.
Fencl, H. S. & Scheel, K. R. (2004) Pedagogical approaches, contextual variables, and the development of student self ‐ efficacy in undergraduate physics courses. , Physics Education Research Conference. 173-176.
Kitchen, E., Reeve, S., Bell, J. D., Sudweeks, R. R. & Bradshaw, W. S. (2007) The development and application of affective assessment in an upper-level cell biology course. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(8), 1057-1087.
Lawson, A. E., Banks, D. L. & Logvin, M. (2007) Self-efficacy, reasoning ability, and achievement in college biology. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(5), 706-724.
Sawtelle, V., Brewe, E. & Kramer, L. H. (2012) Exploring the relationship between self-efficacy and retention in introductory physics. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 49(9), 1096-1121.
Struyven, K., Dochy, F. & Janssens, S. (2008) Students’ likes and dislikes regarding student- activating and lecture-based educational settings: Consequences for students’ perceptions of the learning environment, student learning and performance. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 23(3), 295-317.
Taradi, S. K., Taradi, M., Radic, K. & Pokrajac, N. (2005) Blending problem-based learning with Web technology positively impacts student learning outcomes in acid-base physiology. Adv Physiol Educ, 29(1), 35-9.
Trujillo, G. & Tanner, K. D. (2014) Considering the role of affect in learning: monitoring students' self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and science identity. CBE Life Sci Educ, 13(1), 6-15.
Wang, S.-L. & Wu, P.-Y. (2008) The role of feedback and self-efficacy on web-based learning: The social cognitive perspective. Computers & Education, 51(4), 1589-1598.
Wilke, R. R. (2003) The effect of active learning on student characteristics in a human physiology course for nonmajors. Adv Physiol Educ, 27(1-4), 207-23.
Woolcock, A. D., Creevy, K. E., Coleman, A. E., Moore, J. N. & Brown, S. A. (2016) Assessing Academic Self-Efficacy, Knowledge, and Attitudes in Undergraduate Physiology Students. Am J Educ Res, 4(9), 652-657.
Indicators of esteem
Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
Research interests
Pedagogic:
My interests in pedagogic work focus on self-efficacy, which is generally considered as the belief that a person has in their ability to complete a task, whether this is an academic or real world problem. Bandura (1997) bases this upon the aspect of social cognitive theory that is defined as the “exercise of human agency through people’s beliefs in capabilities to produce the desired effects by their actions”. This theory considers the path through which the ability to understand or meet threshold competencies is attained, in combination with factors that motivate their learning activities, determine the development of self-regulation, and the influence of social interactions (Bandura, 2011).
A number of studies in Psychology and other areas have identified a positive correlation between self-efficacy and academic achievement (Andrew, 1998, Caprara, 2008), however until now this has been less clearly illustrated in the subject of Biology. Initial research by Baldwin et al (1999) identified that self-efficacy was likely a key player in the performance of both biology majors and non-majors in a large Biology undergraduate class and generated their own biological efficacy scale. Baldwin (1999) considered four main areas in the generation of a biological efficacy scale that academic faculty considered to be essential properties of a biologist; effective communications of biological concepts to both peers and others, creative thinking and synthesis of question generation surrounding real world problems, to reason logically and be able to critically evaluate data, and finally to increase their confidence in the ability to critique, analyse and write about concepts of biology (including extrapolation of data). Evidence suggests that, in biology, the use of case studies and more scaffolded learning both inside and outside the classroom can reduce the perceived threat of unknown content and therefore enhance self-efficacy (Woolcock et al., 2016).
Another factor that may influence self-efficacy and academic achievement is the perseverance of students to work on a problem in the face of a more problematic concept (Trujillio & Tanner, 2014). The sources of self-efficacy can be attributed to mastery experience, emotional or physiological states, social persuasion and vicarious experience, thus experiencing the content during the class or beyond the classroom in some way can influence physiology self-efficacy. Experiences beyond the classroom was identified by Fencl and Scheel (2004) to play a major role in mastery experience; they observed that students experience physics through model building in the real world without a fully understanding how the physics works, as a result students tend to rely on this experience rather than structured models that they explore in class to answer questions.
The final player to be considered is the behaviour of the student, multiple studies have identified active learning within the classroom (Wilke, 2003) and collaboration between students (Taradi et al., 2005) to be essential to the development of the ability to apply knowledge to new situations (Taradi et al., 2005) and self-regulation (Wilke, 2003). Blended learning brings together electronic resources with active learning to enhance the student experience (Taradi et al., 2005, Cheung, 2015), it can be an excellent way to enable students to become more confident in searching for additional resources outside the course content and can be designed to give formative feedback almost instantly, which has been shown to enhance self-efficacy and promote critical thinking (Wang & Wu 2008)
My interest lies in what activities in and out of the lecture theatre that we can utilise to enhance self-efficacy and how these learning behaviours improve not only academic performance but also self awareness of academic ability and therefore the need to persevere with tasks to achieve competency in this skill or knowledge.
Ongoing projects
Use of digital learning such as laboratory simulations, embedded in the virtual learning environment, on student self-efficacy in the laboratory.
Use of scaffolded online and hybrid learning activities to enhance self-efficacy development as a life long learner.
The use of self-study, team working and academic writing skills in the development of self-Efficacy in Physiology and Biochemistry.
Level 6 (Final year) projects available.
Scientific:
DNA damage response and cellular signalling to include the p53 family of transcription factors in cancer models and how they can modulate herpes virus replication.
Modulation of transcription through post-translational modification and formation of alternate transcriptional activation complexes, and how this can cause non-universal transcription factor efficacy and/or selectivity changes.
Level 6 (Final year) projects available (data analysis and grant based projects only)
References:
Ainscough, L., Foulis, E., Colthorpe, K., Zimbardi, K., Robertson-Dean, M., Chunduri, P. & Lluka, L. (2016) Changes in Biology Self-Efficacy during a First-Year University Course. CBE Life Sci Educ, 15(2).
Andrew, S. (1998) Self-efficacy as a predictor of academic performance in science. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 27(3), 596-603.
Baldwin, J. A., Ebert-May, D. & J., B. D. (1999) The development of a college biology self-efficacy instrument for nonmajors. Science Education, 83(4), 397-408.
Bandura, A. (1997) Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.
Bandura, A. (2011) Social Cognitive Theory, in Van Lange, P., Kruglanski, A. & Higgins, E. (eds), Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology: Collection Sage UK, 349-373.
Caprara, G.V., Fida,R., Vecchione, M., Del Bove, G., Vecchio, G.M., & Barbaranelli, C. (2008) Longitudinal Analysis of the Role of Perceived Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning in Academic Continuance and Achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology 100(3), 525-34
Cheung, D. (2015) The Combined Effects of Classroom Teaching and Learning Strategy Use on Students’ Chemistry Self-Efficacy. Research in Science Education, 45(1), 101-116.
Fencl, H. & Scheel, K. (2005) Engaging Students: An Examination of the Effects of Teaching Strategies on Self-Efficacy and Course Climate in a Nonmajors Physics Course. Journal of College Science Teaching 35(1), 20-24.
Fencl, H. S. & Scheel, K. R. (2004) Pedagogical approaches, contextual variables, and the development of student self ‐ efficacy in undergraduate physics courses. , Physics Education Research Conference. 173-176.
Kitchen, E., Reeve, S., Bell, J. D., Sudweeks, R. R. & Bradshaw, W. S. (2007) The development and application of affective assessment in an upper-level cell biology course. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(8), 1057-1087.
Lawson, A. E., Banks, D. L. & Logvin, M. (2007) Self-efficacy, reasoning ability, and achievement in college biology. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(5), 706-724.
Sawtelle, V., Brewe, E. & Kramer, L. H. (2012) Exploring the relationship between self-efficacy and retention in introductory physics. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 49(9), 1096-1121.
Struyven, K., Dochy, F. & Janssens, S. (2008) Students’ likes and dislikes regarding student- activating and lecture-based educational settings: Consequences for students’ perceptions of the learning environment, student learning and performance. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 23(3), 295-317.
Taradi, S. K., Taradi, M., Radic, K. & Pokrajac, N. (2005) Blending problem-based learning with Web technology positively impacts student learning outcomes in acid-base physiology. Adv Physiol Educ, 29(1), 35-9.
Trujillo, G. & Tanner, K. D. (2014) Considering the role of affect in learning: monitoring students' self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and science identity. CBE Life Sci Educ, 13(1), 6-15.
Wang, S.-L. & Wu, P.-Y. (2008) The role of feedback and self-efficacy on web-based learning: The social cognitive perspective. Computers & Education, 51(4), 1589-1598.
Wilke, R. R. (2003) The effect of active learning on student characteristics in a human physiology course for nonmajors. Adv Physiol Educ, 27(1-4), 207-23.
Woolcock, A. D., Creevy, K. E., Coleman, A. E., Moore, J. N. & Brown, S. A. (2016) Assessing Academic Self-Efficacy, Knowledge, and Attitudes in Undergraduate Physiology Students. Am J Educ Res, 4(9), 652-657.
Indicators of esteem
Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
Supervision
Postgraduate research supervision
Danielle Knight (nee Evans) - Completed March 2023
Thesis title: Exploring Biochemical Literacy
The purpose of this work was to contribute to the ongoing development and enhancement of undergraduate biochemical literacy in the UK. There is identification of Seven areas of biochemical literacy; critical thinking, communication, self-management, information literacy, visual literacy, practical skills, and content knowledge, this work looks at how these can be effectively taught and whether there are signature pedagogies associated with the teaching of this subject in addition to how experiential learning (Kolb's experiential learning cycle) plays a part in the learning of this subject Arguably laboratory sessions play a big part in the teaching, learning and assessment strategies of this subject, however it is an aspect that can be a large source of anxiety. This lead us to analyse the impact of the use of pre-lab Virtual Learning Software (VLS) as formative assessment to support students development and learning. Regular formative feedback has been demonstrated to improve student outcomes, therefore this work also addresses student-staff cocreation of a skills-centred first-year, first-semester module and the impact on their student self-efficacy.
Supervisory team: Dr Sarah G. Bailey, Professor John McVey, Prof Naomi Winstone, Dr Ian G. Bailey.
Teaching
My role:
This includes preparing innovative teaching including technologies to replace or supplement learning, necessitated by hybrid learning, part of student-staff collaborations. Implementation of active learning activities in live tutorials was essential for an effective hybrid approach and well-reviewed teaching history recently. I run three modules per year, I encourage student-staff partnerships and have a strong focus on developing graduate attributes that will enhance employability such as good communication. In my modules I encourage staff to create & use writing tasks during the learning and teaching sessions, to enhance student writing performance and clarity, building up and revisiting previous concepts. Innovative practices that have I have driven include online practical replacements which were well received by students and reduced marking load. Daily collaboration with staff has been essential to the effective running of modules and attendance of learning and teaching committee meetings has enabled me to provide some input into how programmes are developed and run.
I module lead 3 modules across the year:
- BMS2038: Integration of Physiological Systems
- BMS1032: Introduction to Physiology
- BMS3093: Human Genetics in the 21st Century.
I am a member of the Teaching team on the following modules:
Level 4:
- BMS1025: Cell Biology
- BMS1032: Introduction to Physiology
- BMS1047: Molecular Biology
- BMS1052: Exploring Biochemistry
- BMS1054: Biochemistry: Understanding the Chemistry of life
Level 5:
- BMS2035: Biochemistry Enzymes and Metabolism
- BMS2036: Molecular Biology and Genetics
- BMS2038: Integration of Physiological Systems
- BMS2047: Introduction to Pharmacology
- BMS2043: Clinical and Analytical Biochemistry
Level 6:
- BMS3093: Human Genetics in the 21st Century
- BMS3048: Research Project - yearly project students.
Postgraduate:
Case based Medicine (PGDip Physician Associate)
Post Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching [mentoring, teaching and viva's)
SFHEA mentoring
Publications
Purpose Concept maps have been described as a valuable tool for exploring curriculum knowledge. However, less attention has been given to the use of them to visualise contested and tacit knowledge, i.e. the values and perceptions of teachers that underpin their practice. This paper aims to explore the use of concept mapping to uncover academics’ views and help them articulate their perspectives within the framework provided by the concepts of pedagogic frailty and resilience in a collaborative environment. Design/methodology/approach Participants were a group of five colleagues within a Biochemical Science Department, working on the development of a new undergraduate curriculum. A qualitative single-case study was conducted to get some insights on how concept mapping might scaffold each step of the collaborative process. They answered the online questionnaire; their answers were “translated” into an initial expert-constructed concept map, which was offered as a starting point to articulate their views during a group session, resulting in a consensus map. Findings Engaging with the questionnaire was useful for providing the participants with an example of an “excellent” map, sensitising them to the core concepts and the possible links between them, without imposing a high level of cognitive load. This fostered dialogue of complex ideas, introducing the potential benefits of consensus maps in team-based projects. Originality/value An online questionnaire may facilitate the application of the pedagogic frailty model for academic development by scaling up the mapping process. The map-mediated facilitation of dialogue within teams of academics may facilitate faculty development by making explicit the underpinning values held by team members.
Background/Aims: Use of placebo is the ideal for comparison in clinical trials to reduce biases. With digital technology being used more frequently in healthcare interventions, how do we determine the placebo effect where interventions exploit technology? If placebo in medicine is traditionally defined by a lack of pharmacological agents, how might we begin to move towards controlling for effects of digital technology? Method: This paper explores the traditional placebo effect and discusses its impact in healthcare contexts with digital technology with reference to a particular trial. Different meanings of placebo in the context of evaluating technology suggest new challenges and positive consequences. Results: Methodological considerations are discussed, which enabled the development of a placebo-controlled evaluation of a digital technology in healthcare and rehabilitation. Conclusion: Digital placebo was controlled in our trial by employing technology across all groups in the absence of evidence-based practice and shows how to control for unknown and hidden effects of technology.
When developing meaningful curricula, institutions must engage with the desired disciplinary attributes of their graduates. Successfully employed in several areas, including psychology and chemistry, disciplinary literacies provide structure for the development of core competencies‐pursuing progressive education. To this end, we have sought to develop a comprehensive blueprint of a graduate biochemist, providing detailed insight into the development of skills in the context of disciplinary knowledge. The Biochemical Literacy Framework (BCLF) aspires to encourage innovative course design in both the biochemical field and beyond through stimulating discussion among individuals developing undergraduate biochemistry degree courses based on pedagogical best practice. Here, we examine the concept of biochemical literacy aiming to start answering the question: What must individuals do and know to approach and transform ideas in the context of the biochemical sciences? The BCLF began with the guidance published by relevant learned societies – including the Royal Society of Biology, the Biochemical Society, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Quality Assurance Agency, before considering relevant pedagogical literature. We propose that biochemical literacy is comprised of seven key skills: critical thinking, self‐management, communication, information literacy, visual literacy, practical skills and content knowledge. Together, these form a dynamic, highly interconnected and interrelated meta‐literacy supporting the use of evidence‐based, robust learning techniques. The BCLF is intended to form the foundation for discussion between colleagues, in addition to forming the groundwork for both pragmatic and exploratory future studies into facilitating and further defining biochemical literacy.
Purpose:Evidence is increasing for effective virtual reality therapy for motor rehabilitation for children with Cerebral Palsy. We assessed the feasibility of a virtual reality therapy mode of intervention, appropriateness of measures, and potential cost-effectiveness. Methods:A 12-week, 2-group, parallel-feasibility trial (ISRCT 17624388) using Nintendo Wii FitTM at home. Children aged 5–16, with ambulatory Cerebral Palsy, who were able to follow simple instructions were randomised to two groups; one supported by physiotherapists (individualised activity programme), the other unsupported with children having free choice (control). Children were assessed in clinic at baseline, week 6, and week 12 by blinded assessors. Feasibility of the intervention was assessed via recruitment, adherence, and usefulness of measurement tools. Results:Forty-four children were eligible (out of 48 approached): 31 consented, 30 were randomised, 21 completed the study; 10 in the supported group and 11 in the unsupported group. Nine children discontinued from tiredness, after-school activities, homework, surgery, technical difficulties or negative system feedback. The supported group completed 19 of 36 (IQR 5-35) possible sessions; the unsupported group 24 of 36 sessions (IQR 8-36). Gross Motor Function Measure scores varied by Cerebral Palsy severity after the intervention. There were no adverse events. Conclusion: Virtual reality therapy offers potential as a therapeutic adjunct for children with Cerebral Palsy, warranting substantive confirmatory study. Gross Motor Function Measure, with modifications to improve sensitivity, appeared appropriate as a primary measure, with Timed up and Go test secondary. The intervention was inexpensive costing £20 per child. An explanatory trial to evaluate the clinical/cost effectiveness of commercial system virtual reality therapy is feasible with minor methodological adaptation.
Additional publications
Published Work: Subject specific
Borrello, M.T., Benelkebir, H., Lee, A., Tam, C.H., Shafat, M., Rushworth, S.A., Bowles, K.M., Douglas, L., Duriez, P.J., Bailey, S., Crabb, S.J., Packham, G., & Ganesan, A. (2021) Synthesis of carboxamide containing tranylcypromine analogues as LSD1 (KDM1A) inhibitors targeting acute myeloid leukemia ChemMedChem 2021, 16, 1–10
da Mota, S.R., Bailey, S.G., Strivens, R.A.,, Hayden, A.L., Douglas, L.R., Duriez, P.J., Borrello,
M.T., Benelkebir, H., Ganesan, A., Packham G.K., & Crabb, S.J. (2018) LSD1 inhibition attenuates androgen receptor V7 splice variant activation in castration resistant prostate cancer models. Cancer Cell Int 18:71-79
Papadakis E, Robson N, Yeomans A, Bailey S, Laversin S, Beers S, Sayan AE, Ashton-Key M Schwaiger S, Stuppner H, Troppmair J, Packham G, Cutress R. (2016) A combination of trastuzumab and BAG-1 inhibition synergistically targets HER2 positive breast cancer cells. Oncotarget 5;7(14):18851-64.
Tortorici M, Borrello M, Tardugno M, Chiarelli L, Pilotto S, Ciossani G, Vellore N, Bailey SG, Cowan J, O'Connell M, Crabb S, Packham G, Mai A, Baron R, Ganesan A, Mattevi A. (2013) Protein recognition by small peptide reversible inhibitors of the chromatin-modifying LSD1/CoREST lysine demethylase. ACS Chem Biol.16;8(8):1677-82.
Carroll CJ, Sayan BS, Bailey SG, McCormick J, Stephanou A, Latchman DS, Townsend PA. (2013) Regulation of Myocardial Interleukin-6 Expression by p53 and STAT1. J Interferon Cytokine Res. 33(9):542-8
Bailey SG, Cragg MS, Townsend PA. (2012) Role of STAT-1 in the breast. JAK-STAT 1:3, 197–199
Bailey SG, Cragg MS, Townsend PA. (2011) Family friction as DNp73 antagonises p73 and p53. International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology 43(4):482-6.
Shuttleworth SJ, Bailey SG, Townsend PA. (2010) Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors: New Promise in theTreatment of Immune and Inflammatory Diseases. Curr Drug Targets 11(11):1430-8.
Bailey SG, Sanchez-Elsner T, Stephanou A, Cragg MS, Townsend PA. (2010) Regulating the genome surveillance system: miRNAs and the p53 superfamily. Apoptosis. 15(5):541-52.
Kuizon E, Pearce EG, Bailey SG, Chen-Scarabelli C, Yuan Z, Abounit K, McCauley RB, Saravolatz L, Faggian G, Mazzucco A, Townsend PA, Scarabelli TM.(2009) Mechanisms of action and clinical implications of cardiac urocortin: a journey from the heart to the systemic circulation, with a stopover in the mitochondria. Int J Cardiol. 12;137(3):189-94
Bailey SG, Verrall E, Schelcher C, Rhie A, Doherty AJ, Sinclair AJ. (2009). Functional interaction between Epstein-Barr virus replication protein Zta and host DNA damage response protein 53BP1. J Virol. 83(21):11116-22.
Sinclair A, Yarranton S, Schelcher C. (2006). DNA-damage response pathways triggered by viral replication. Expert Rev. Mol. Med.8 (5):1-11.
Conference presentations:
Bailey S.G. Balancing inclusivity and hybrid model education to foster engagement with Medical Ethics. Oral Presentation at Surrey Excites April 2022.
Bailey S.G., Bartsch, U., Johnston, J.D., & Revell V.R. – Effect of semester long writing practice on student writing skills in a second year Physiology module. Oral Presentation at Surrey Excites April 2022.
Evans D.L. Bailey S.G., Trinder S.L., Thumser A.E., Winstone N.E., & Bailey I.G. Evaluating “Exploring Biochemistry “ – a team-centred, student -directed, literature -based undergraduate introductory module. Poster presentation at Evolving Molecular Bioscience Education 2018.
Bailey I, Bailey S, Trinder S, Thumser A, Developing course identity through the use of reflective team-based learning, FHMS Learning and Teaching away day 2017
Bailey S.G., Bailey I.G., Trinder S.L., and Thumser A.E. Framework and Threshold concepts leading to innovative teaching in Biochemistry. Oral Presentation at EDULearn17 - 9th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies. Barcelona, Spain. July, 2017 DOI: 10.21125/edulearn.2017.2685
Bailey I, Bailey S, Trinder S, Thumser A, Addressing Academic Frailty Through Course Design, First annual symposium on academic frailty, 2017
Bailey I, Bailey S, Trinder S, Thumser A, targeting support services through design of a demographic framework for evaluating the risk of student drop out form higher education, Surrey Excites 2017