TBL Consultant – Simon Tweddell

Professor Simon Tweddell, EdD, BPharm, FPharmS, PFHEA
Professor of Pharmacy Education
Bradford School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences

Discipline: Pharmacy Education and Faculty development

Email: s.j.tweddell@bradford.ac.uk

I am a Professor of Pharmacy Education in a UK School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences. In 2011, I led the development of a new highly integrated pharmacy curriculum delivered predominately by Team-Based Learning, and supported its implementation in an existing school. Designed using sound educational theory this employer-informed curriculum aims to develop the transformational learning needed for employment as a pharmacist in the 21st Century. To deliver the programme, we sought a learning and teaching strategy that motivated our students both to prepare for and attend class, and once there engage them in active, student-centred learning. Team-Based Learning (TBL) addressed these needs whilst also developing the transferable skills necessary for the workplace and to enhance their employability skills. Pharmacists in practice need to develop the skills to communicate, collaborate, problem-solve, teach and manage their own learning; skills that are developed during their 4-years studying a curriculum delivered predominantly by TBL. I have led the development and mentorship of our academic faculty staff so they have the skills to deliver TBL effectively and have more recently delivered academic staff development workshops in TBL at other HEIs. I have found facilitating learning using TBL a rewarding, fun and enjoyable experience. Students come to class prepared, ready to apply their new knowledge to solve authentic, challenging and real-world problems that develop their team-working and critical thinking skills. I now disseminate the benefits of TBL to others in the UK and in Europe and I established the European Team-Based Learning Community and am the inaugural Chair of the Board that oversees it. I was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2015 and was part of the Team that was awarded a national CATE (Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence) by the Higher Education Academy in 2017. I’m a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

I have helped educators introduce TBL into their curricula across the UK, in Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden and in Italy.

Publications

Basheer HA, Isreb M, Batarseh YS, Tweddell S. (2022).Team-Based Learning Approach for the Delivery of Over-the-counter Module in the Faculty of Pharmacy in Jordan. Indian J of Pharmaceutical Education and Research. 2022;56(2s):s146-s151.

Nelson, M. Tweddell, S. (2020). Outcomes of Implementing Team-Based Learning (TBL): The Experiences of UK Educators. Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal, 3 (), 198-212. 

Tweddell, S. (2020). Evaluating the introduction of team-based learning in a pharmacy consultation skills module. Pharmacy Education20, p151-157

McNeil, J. Olotu-Umoren, L. Borg, M. Waller, S. Richter, U, Berkson, R. McCarter, R. Tweddell, S. (2019) Scaling up Active Collaborative Learning for Student Success. Report for the Office for Students.[online] [Accessed 9th September 2020] Available from  https://aclproject.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/NTU-ABSS-Final-Report-revised-Oct-2019.pdf

Tweddell, S. (2018). Introducing Team-Based Learning in a Pharmacy Curriculum: A Qualitative Study of Staff and Student Experiences (Doctoral dissertation, University of Huddersfield).

De Vries, J. McCarter, R. Tweddell. S (2018) Team-Based Learning: Engaging learners and creating team accountability. UAS Journal. The Journal of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences.

Nelson, M., & Tweddell, S. (2017). Leading Academic Change: Experiences of Academic Staff Implementing Team-Based Learning. Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal1(2), 100.

Nation, L. Tweddell, S. Rutter, P. (2016). The applicability of a validated team-based learning student assessment instrument to assess United Kingdom pharmacy students’ attitude toward team-based learning. Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions: 08/2016, 13.

Tweddell, S. Clark, D. Nelson, M (2016). Team-based learning in pharmacy: The faculty experience. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning. 8 (2016) 7-17.

Tweddell, S. (2013) A New Direction for Pharmacy Education. Pharm.J 2013; 291: 645