Shobana Dissanayeke

Shobana Dissanayeke

Dr

  • TW20 0EX

Personal profile

Teaching

As a teaching focussed academic I spend most my time involved with developing and delivering teaching material.  I am particularly interested in interaction and engagement as a way of learning, both between teacher and student and also between peers.  As such, my lectures tend to use a lot of clicker questions and discussion.  My courses also include assessments which are carried out in groups.  This fosters peer to peer learning and enhances several employability skills such as team work and organisation.

 

COURSES TAUGHT 

BS1021 – Becoming a Bioscientist

I am the co-coordinator of this new first year course along with Dr. Becky Thomas.  This course provides some of the fundamental skills to be a scientists including processing information, mathematics and communication.  Additionally students get the chance to learn from several members of the department, visit a range of research areas and be involved in a mini project which ends in an exhibition of thier work.

 

BS1071 – Cell Biology and Genetics

I provide a lecture and run a practical on Microbiology to all first year students.  The practical is very popular and introduces basic Microbiology techniques.  The assessment is carried out via an electronic SMART worksheet developed with Learning Science which allows students to revisit the techniques that they carried out and solidify their learning.

 

BS2005 – Microbiology

I am the course coordinator and lecturer for the optional second year Microbiology course.  This is open to all students and covers a range of topics including food production, biofuel production, water safety and health and disease.  There are three assessments for this course, two practical reports and a poster presentation of a recent original publication which is carried out in groups.

 

BS3510 – Molecular and Medical Microbiology

I am the course coordinator and along with Dr. Jorge Tovar-Torres lecture on a range of topics related to Medical Microbiology.  The course covers diseases which are globally important and looks at pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention and treatments.  We also look at how antibiotics work and the threat of antibiotic resistance.