Kingston Pharmacy student is runner up in Pharmacy Student of the Year competition.

Kenneth Chan one of the first intake of pharmacy students at Kingston University was one of the finalists in the British Pharmaceutical Students Association (BPSA) student of the year competition. This competition, sponsored by the pharmaceutical company Reckitt Benckiser, tests the pharmacy students’ knowledge of current issues affecting pharmacy and medicines. Students from every pharmacy school in the UK are eligible to participate and there are a large number of entries each year.

The best entries are invited to take part in the finals at the BPSA conference, which this year was held in Nottingham. Kenneth was the runner up, a very admirable performance, especially since the winner and third-placed student were both in their 4th year of studies. All in all, a remarkable achievement, for a first year student from Kingston University Department of Pharmacy.

Kenneth has won a copy of Martindale for himself. In addition he has won 2 further copies and a couple of other textbooks for the school. One of the Martindale’s will be kept in the pharmacy practice lab while the second with the other books will be presented to the library.

Kenneth deserves hearty congratulations for his magnificent achievement.

Blended Learning

Click here to view the Blended learning powerpoint slide show

Academic staff in the School of Pharmacy and Chemistry recognise that students are stimulated and learn better from being exposed to a variety of teaching techniques.  The School has been at the forefront of the use of blended learning in its courses. Blended learning combines traditional face-to-face teaching with electronic-learning methods.  The Learning Management System (LMS) Blackboard is used extensively in the School to provide a wide range of resources to support student learning.  Innovations in Blended Learning include the replacement of lectures in a second year inorganic chemistry module with study packs and extra workshops sessions.  The study packs are supported by embedded learning activities and on-line formative assessments.  This approach has proved popular with students and has resulted in an improved module performance.  Another development is the use of on-line crime scenes and case studies.  Current developments include a Faculty project to develop e-learning resources to support the teaching of a variety of academic skills such as: data analysis, laboratory report writing.

Online Investigation and Analysis of a Virtual Crime Scene
“The Blue Professor”

The aim was to provide students with a ‘real’ context, within which to extend their knowledge of analytical science. It is a problem-based case study set within the investigation of a (fictitious) suspicious death. The project involved the creation of interactive web-based packages, which present students with problem scenarios/case studies within forensic science/analytical science. Students use appropriate theory and knowledge of analytical techniques to tackle an extended and open-ended problem using a ‘simulated crime scene’.

The students should be able to solve the problem by working through the information given in the Blackboard resource case study. All the web-based aspects of the packages are interactive, requiring students to answer questions, review information and use interactive group discussion boards/forums to submit individual ideas in order to reach a collective group decision. Updated information, requests for further analysis/quiz’s and feedback on initial conclusions can be easily provided through Blackboard. Manipulation and evaluation of information and data to make realistic decisions on evidence available is central to the case study.

Design Criteria
The case studies provide an alternative means of making experimental chemistry more relevant and act as effective pre-lab exercises. The students are presented with a problem scenario (suspicious death) within forensic science. The class is divided into groups. The case study operates by supplying information in the form of reports from various official agencies (police, pathologist and forensic laboratory). The students solve the problem by working through the information given in a web based resource linked to Blackboard. By choosing the appropriate analytical technique for a certain number of samples collected from the crime scene, they are able to solve the crime.

Information provided includes crime scene reports, interviews, Scenes of Crime Officer (SOCO) report, post mortem report, witness statements and video footage of the crime scene which includes multimedia evidence hot spots (regions within the crime scene that can be explored, using virtual reality, containing evidence).  A glossary of terms used in forensic science and analytical chemistry is included as well as information on analytical techniques.

Students make two requests to the forensic laboratory using the web based resource and must specify clearly the analytical technique required.  The number of requests permitted is limited to encourage critical thinking.  This limited request situation focuses the students into asking the correct questions and thinking carefully about choosing the correct analytical technique. Submitted requests are useful in charting the changes in attitude towards the case and between groups. They also provide a means in which to monitor how the students are following the case as additional information is delivered to each group. The groups receive the ‘results cards’ electronically and by evaluating the results provided the students are able to reflect upon the case so each set of results should inform their subsequent request for further chemical analysis as the case progresses. Once the students are satisfied with their conclusions regarding the suspicious death, they are directed to a Respondus test delivered through Blackboard in order to assess their understanding of crime scene processing and the suitability of the analytical techniques to a particular crime scene.

This project makes use of many of Blackboard’s main features such as group functions. Within the module, a number of student groups are formed for collaborative/project work.  The group request analysis of the various types of evidence collected and the results are delivered to each group by immediately through an interactive macro.  From the results, the students should be able to determine the cause of death.  The motives and opportunity of the various suspects are determined from the anecdotal evidence.

An example of some video footage created for the project can be accessed by clicking on the following link:
The project would not have been possible without the help of many friends and colleagues here at Kingston University especially Nicole Lane, Val Urwin, Chris Thomas, Andy Bond, Teresa Connolly and the cast – Bob Gant, Kerry Denholm Price, Terry Mills, Neil Williams, Philip Miller-Tate, Lesley Tomlinson, Theo Moore etc

G Sewell

Professor Graham Sewell (Professor of Clinical Pharmacy), has been awarded a research grant of £52,700 by Carmel Pharma ab, a medical device company based in Sweden.  This grant will support research at KU into the use of new closed-system technologies for the aseptic preparation of potentially hazardous pharmaceuticals. This work will include a scientific evaluation of the new technology in the handling of genotoxic anti-cancer medicines, enzyme-directed pro-drug therapies and biological drug – targeting vectors. The key aims will be to reduce the risk of cross-contamination between pharmaceutical products prepared in the same work area, and to reduce occupation exposure risks to pharmacy and nursing staff.

Professor Sewell was also recently appointed Editor in Chief of the new European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy Science (EJHP-S). This journal, and its companion the European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy Practice, are official journals of the European Association of Hospital Pharmacy (EAHP), and both journals already have a circulation of 17000+ throughout Europe. EJHP-S publishes high quality reviews and original research articles of relevance to hospital pharmacy, and its scope encompasses disciplines from drug discovery and pharmaceutical technologies to clinical and social pharmacy.

G Sewell April 2005