Dr Paul Smith
Senior Lecturer/Programme Leader
I am currently programme leader for chemistry, which requires leadership for the management of the chemistry courses.
My profile
Biography
I am a graduate of the University of Nottingham, UK (BSc-1989 & PhD -1993), and I was postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Manchester, UK (1993-96), The University of Otago, New Zealand (1996-97) and the University of Melbourne, Australia (1998-99). I have been lecturing inorganic chemistry at Manchester Metropolitan University since 1999 and gained a Cert Ed/PGCE (Further, Adult and Higher Education 2001) and I am Senior Fellow of of the AdvanceHE (2015).
What I do
Interests and expertise
My research track record has concerned co-ordination chemistry of d-transition metals, which has covered aspects of organometallic and bioinorganic chemistry. This type of research included ligand design for the modelling of important biological functions such as metal-ion selectivity and the active sites of metalloproteins. My principal areas of interest are listed below:
Metal chemistry relevant to the catalytic sites in mononuclear molybdenum pterin enzymes (e.g. oxo-transferases, hydroxylases).
Co-ordination chemistry of vanadium relevant to bio-accumulators (e.g. amavadin, ascidiacea-sea squirts).
Organometallic and catalytic chemistry of arene-ruthenium complexes.
My research has involved aspects of technology-enhanced learning where I have explored innovative flexible pedagogies to enhance the learning experience. I have worked on projects involving adaptive learning technologies, pre-entry engagement, mobile technology and peer assisted learning to support student success.
The aim of these projects has been to promote student participation in a blended approach to connect technology with the face-to-face contact, providing a learner-centred experience that actively involves the students during classes. I was shortlisted for outstanding innovation in teaching during the Manchester Met students union teaching awards in May 2016.
Projects
My research background has included ligand design for the modelling of important biological functions such as metal-ion selectivity and the active sites of metalloproteins. My principal areas of interest are listed below:
Metal chemistry relevant to the catalytic sites in mononuclear molybdenum pterin enzymes (e.g. oxo-transferases, hydroxylases).
Co-ordination chemistry of vanadium relevant to bio-accumulators (e.g. amavadin, ascidiacea-sea squirts).
Organometallic and catalytic chemistry of arene-ruthenium complexes.
My learning and teaching research projects have involved increasing active learning during lectures by stimulating debate and peer-to-peer instruction, using classroom response systems to pair students for discussion during the polling of a question to enhance learning by promoting social interactions during class.
Another area of interest is adaptive learning technologies, which improve online provision by tailoring the experience to each individual student as part of personalised learning to improve inclusive teaching practices. The strength of adaptive learning is that it challenges students at a level appropriate to their needs allowing them to progress at their own pace. This approach starts with the learning outcomes and what the students should display at the end of their learning. Course content is presented in a learning map in the form of concept pages, tests and videos, and students navigate their own personal learning journey. Adaptive learning provides inclusive teaching where the system guides students along the appropriate path for their individual needs.
Other projects include using the Learner Tracker App, which facilitates often-spaced practice of important skills helping to keep students engaged whilst fixing knowledge. The App periodically releases materials to students for pre-post-class activities, which focuses on an immediate connection between the learner and the content that they need at that moment.
I have led a project to promote pre-entry engagement for new students to help with the transition to university. This included a series of resources to ensure students have the necessary background knowledge to make a successful start to their course. Important topics were outlined in a collection of summary notes/videos combined with a series of self-assessment quizzes, which helps students fill any gaps in their knowledge.
Teaching
My teaching experience involves aspects of inorganic chemistry from the core curriculum of the MChem and BSc chemistry courses and the topics, which I have taught are listed below:
Principles of Bioinorganic Chemistry (3rd year, MChem/BSc) - The primary goals of this course is to develop and apply core inorganic concepts to the understanding of the role of co-ordination compounds within the biosphere.
Organometallic Chemistry and Catalysis (3rd year, MChem/BSc) - The purpose of this course is to examine the structure and reactivity of metal-carbon bonded species, with particular emphasis on the application of organometallic chemistry to organic synthesis and catalysis for the production of bulk chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
d-Block Co-ordination Chemistry (2nd year, MChem/BSc) - This course aims to enrich the student’s knowledge and understanding of the principles involved in the structure and bonding exhibited by transition metal co-ordination compounds.
Research outputs
C. J. Doonan, C. Gourlay, D. J. Nielsen, V. W. L. Ng, P. D. Smith, D. J. Evans, G. N. George, J. M. White and Charles G. Young,
d1 Oxosulfido-Mo(V) Compounds: First Isolation and Unambiguous Characterization of an Extended Series.
Inorg. Chem. 2015, 54, 6386–6396.
Screencasting as a means of Enhancing the Student Learning Experience.
Paul D. Smith
Learning and Teaching in Action, 2015, 10 (1), pp59-74.
Flipped lectures in chemistry using pre-lecture screencasts and game-based classroom response systems.
Paul D. Smith
Proceedings of EDULEARN15 Conference, pp2373-2381 (2015), ISBN: 978-84-606-8243-1.
Personalized education using adaptive learning technology: one size does not have to fit all.
Paul D. Smith
Learning and Teaching in Action (2016), 12(1), pp101-118.
Personalized education in chemistry using CogBooks adaptive learning technology.
Paul D. Smith
Proceedings of INTED2017 Conference, pp2223-2232 (2017), ISBN: 978-84-617-8491-2.