Dr Bill Byers e-mail: w.byers@ulster.ac.uk Bill Byers has taught chemistry on a variety of courses from sub-degree to postgraduate level to a wide range of students studying many disciplines for over 40 years. He has continued teaching, researching and examining part-time since retiring as a senior lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Ulster (United Kingdom) at the end of 2008. His initial research interests in bioinorganic and environmental chemistry gradually gave way to an interest in teaching and student learning with a particular interest in developing independent learners. Over the past decade he has been involved in several working groups within the European Chemistry Thematic Network and has acted as group leader for the working groups dealing with developing independent learners in chemistry and innovative approaches to university chemistry education (jointly with Ingo Eilkes). He has published a number of papers on chemical education and presented his work at several international conferences He has acted as external examiner for several chemistry courses in Ireland and Malaysia and a number of MSc dissertations on science education. He has received a number of awards for his teaching including the 2002 Royal Society of Chemistry tertiary education award Academic and Professional Qualifications 1964 BSc Chemistry (1st Class Honours) UMIST 1967 PhD University of Manchester 1977 MRSC CChem 1995 FRSC 1996-2001 RSC Register of Health & Safety Specialists 2000 Postgraduate Certificate in University Teaching University of Ulster 2001 Member of the Institute of Learning and Teaching/HE Academy Brief Outline of Career History 1998-2008 Present position 1984-1998 Lecturer 1978-1984 Senior Lecturer 1972-1978 Lecturer II 1970-1972 Postdoctoral Fellow 1968-1970 Postdoctoral Fellow 1967-1968 Postdoctoral Fellow University of Ulster University of Ulster Ulster Polytechnic Ulster Polytechnic Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory Oxford University of Pittsburgh University of Alberta Teaching Experience: 40 years Distinguished Teaching Award (UU) 1996 Distinguished Teaching Fellowship (UU) 2001 RSC Silver Medal and Tertiary Education Award 2002 Teaching Interests: Inorganic Chemistry, Radiochemistry, Bioinorganic Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Spectroscopy and Group Theory, Environmental Chemistry, Occupational Hygiene and Health and Safety. Teaching Expertise: Professional Activities 2000-2010 2003-2005 2003-2006 20052005-2009 2005-2010 Incomplete Hand-outs, Questioning, Audience Response Systems, Open-ended experiments, Group Laboratory Classes, Context and Problem Based Learning, Traditional Group Work, Case Studies, Role play, Study Diaries, General Pedagogy, Reflection and Metacognition, Learning Outcomes and Constructive Alignment . Activity Coordinator and Judge, Salters Festival of Chemistry District Member for Ireland on the RSC Council Member of the Education and Qualifications Board, RSC National Judge for the Rolls-Royce Science Prize Member of the Higher Education Academy Physical Sciences Centre Advisory Committee. Member of the European Chemistry Thematic Network Management Committee. Publications and Communications Byers, B., (2011). Using ‘Learning Logs’ to promote the development of self-regulated learners. Journal of Science Education, 12, 28-31 Eilks, I. and., (2010). The need for innovative methods of teaching Byers, B and learning chemistry in higher education - Reflections from a project of the European Thematic Network, Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 11, 241-252. Byers, B., (2007). ECTN (The European Chemistry Thematic Network): Promoting Cooperation, Harmony, Synergy and Innovation throughout the EC’, Proceedings of the 2nd European Variety in Chemical Education Conference, (Prague), 216 – 220. Byers, B., (2007). Opening the Portal to Self-regulated Learning: Using Learning Logs to Develop Metacognitive Skills, Proceedings of the 41st IUPAC Congress, (Turin), 242. Byers B., (2007). Opening the Portal to Self-regulated Learning: Using Learning Logs to Develop Metacognitive Skills, Proceedings of the 41st IUPAC Congress, (Turin), 242. Byers, W. and (2005). The Midwich Cuckoos revisited: promoting learning through Wilkins, H., peer group work, Proceedings of the Science Learning and Teaching Conference (University of Warwick), 90-95. Byers, B. et al., (2004). The customer is always right! The need to rethink secondary school chemistry education, Proceedings of the 7th Educational Conference on Research in Chemical Education, (Ljubljana, Slovenia), 58-61. Byers, B., (2002). Cultured Pearls or Tasty Truffles: Teaching Chemistry for the 21st Century, Chemistry in Action, 66, 20-26 Byers, B., (2002). Promoting active learning through small group laboratory classes, Univ. Chem. Educ., 6, 28-34. Byers, B., (2001). Using student led Pre- and Post-labs Sessions to Promote Active earning in Practical Classes, Proceedings of the 2nd European conference on Chemical Education, (Aveiro, Portugal), 131-133. Byers, W., (2001). Using questions to promote active learning in lectures, Univ. Chem. Educ., 5, 24-30. Byers, W., (1999). Our Vulnerable Atmosphere”, Chemistry in Action, 59, 4-10. Book: Eilks, I. and Byers, B. (Eds.), (2009). Innovative methods in teaching and learning chemistry in higher education. Cambridge: RSC Publishing.