BEAN 2023 Program – Invited Speakers

KEYNOTE: Assoc Prof Bryan Dewsbury, Florida International University (FIU)

Bio: Bryan Dewsbury is an Associate Professor of Biology at Florida International University (FIU). He is the Principal Investigator of the Science Education and Society (SEAS) research program, which blends research on the social context of teaching and learning, faculty development of inclusive practices, and programming in the cultivation of equity in education. He is an Associate Director of the STEM Transformational Institute where he directs the Division of Transformative Education. He is also a Fellow with the John N. Gardner Institute where he assists institutions of higher education cultivate best practices in inclusive education. Dewsbury grew up in Trinidad and Tobago and immigrated to the United States in 1999. He received a BS in biology from Morehouse College and an MS and PhD in biology from FIU.

Professor Tim Fawns – What next for Assessment in Higher Education: A Fireside Chat

Bio: Tim Fawns is Associate Professor (Education Focused) at the Monash Education Academy, Monash University, where he oversees a broad range of academic development initiatives. Tim’s research interests are at the intersection between digital, professional (particularly medical and healthcare professions) and higher education, with a particular focus on the relationship between technology and educational practice. Tim’s research covers a broad range of educational practices (including curriculum design, assessment, teaching practice, evaluation and more), with emphasis on appreciating complexity in relation to online, blended and hybrid education.

Dr Liza Barbour – Co-Designing Planetary Health Education: Empowering Students and Enhancing Educator Capacity

Bio: Liza Barbour is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian (AdvAPD) with practical experience in community and clinical dietetics, food service and public health nutrition. These roles have enabled Liza to work in the Pilbara and Gascoyne regions of remote Western Australia, Alice Springs, the Kingdom of Tonga and Metropolitan Melbourne.  Liza is an active member of Dieitians Australia’s Food and Environment leadership committee and led the development of their first National position paper on Healthy and Sustainable Diets. Liza is an Australian Advisor on the International Confederation of Dietetic Association’s (ICDA) sustainable food systems toolkit. Liza’s PhD explored the role of local government policy in promoting a population-wide shift to healthy and environmentally sustainable diets.

Professor Pauline Ross & Assoc Prof Michelle Rank – The Bioscience 2030 Report

Bio: Professor Pauline Ross is a Professor of Biology and Teaching Principal for Life, Earth and Environmental Science (LEES) at the University of Sydney, a National Teaching Fellow of the Office for Learning and Teaching, investigating the changing nature of the academic role and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy of the UK. As Teaching Principal for LEES she is leading the redesign of the Life Sciences curriculum at the University of Sydney. Professor Ross has held various senior higher education positions involving the redesign of curricula including, Science Teacher Education co-ordinator at Macquarie University, Assistant Associate Dean (Health and Science) and Associate Head of School (Learning and Teaching) at Western Sydney University.

Bio: Assoc Prof Michelle Rank (she/they) is a teaching focused academic with over 15 years   of experience in the field of topographical anatomy. Michelle specialises in the design and delivery of innovative clinical anatomy training programs at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. They are an enthusiastic educator whose teaching is exemplified by leading courageous change and delivering ground-breaking digital innovations into a discipline steeped in traditional teaching practices. Michelle’s teaching innovations have received national awards and international recognition. Michelle’s recent research focuses on what modern large cohort (600+ students) on-campus teaching can look like in the age of the digital lecture.