BRIEF CURRICULUM VITAE: Trevor R. Anderson
(November 2008)

1. Name, Position and Contact Details:

Professor Trevor R. Anderson
Ph.D., Biochemistry, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Head, Science Education Research Group (SERG)
Associate Professor, School of Biochemistry, Genetics, Microbiology & Plant Pathology
University of KwaZulu-Natal (Pietermaritzburg)
P/Bag X01 Scottsville 3209, South Africa
Tel. +27-33-260-5464/29; Fax. +27-33-260 6127; Email anderson@ukzn.ac.za
Website: http://www.sciag.ukzn.ac.za/bgm/en/anderson; Skype address: trevor.anderson7
Conceptual & Reasoning Difficulties (CARD) Resource: http://www.card.unp.ac.za

2. Selected Professional Positions and Awards:

* Member: Educational Sub-Committee of the International Union of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (IUBMB) (Since July 1998);
* Member: Editorial Board of “Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Education” (Since May 1998)
* Recipient of the Monash University “Scholar in Residence in Education” award for 2007 by Monash University’s School of Biomedical Sciences (SOBS), Australia (4 – 14 December 2007)
* Member: Australian Carrick project for development of a Concept Inventory for Molecular Life science under Dr Tony Wright and Prof Susan Hamilton, University Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
* Member: American Teagle Foundation Project, investigating the implementation of the ASBMB skills-based curriculum for liberal education in the USA, under Prof Adele Wolfson, Wellesley College, USA
* Invited Reference Group member for an Australian Carrick Project entitled, “A cross-disciplinary approach to language support for first year students in the science disciplines” (Dr Felicia Zhang, University of Canberra), 2008
* Author of a regular column for ‘Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Education’, entitled ‘Bridging the Gap between science education research and its application in teaching practice’;
* Chairperson: Educational Committee of the Federation of African Societies of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (FASBMB) (Sept 1998 – 2003)
* Editor: SA Society of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (SASBMB) Newsletter (1988-1996)

3. Teaching Experience:

He has 34 years of teaching experience in biochemistry, science education and ethics and strongly believes in the ‘power’ of cross-disciplinary interaction in the enhancement of teaching and research.
* Current courses: Metabolism; Signal transduction; Protein Structure/ Function, Science Education; Modeling and visualization techniques to understand and research biochemistry (Hons), Written and Oral presentation of science, Ethics: The nature and integrity of science and scientists.

4. Accomplishments in Education:

a) Selected Keynote and Invited (Sponsored) International Conference Presentations and Workshops:

* Co-convenor with Prof Duane Sears (UCSB), IUBMB /ASBMB Workshop, 21st IUBMB & 12th FAOBMB Congress, Shanghai, China, scheduled for 2-7 August 2009
* Co-convenor with Prof Duane Sears (UCSB), ASBMB Workshop, “Defining the core of the discipline and developing suitable assessment tools”, New Orleans, scheduled for 18-26 April 2009
* Concept Inventories in Life Sciences Education: Using alternative conceptions, 33rd FEBS, 11th IUBMB Conference, Athens, Greece, 2 July 2008
* Invited keynote speaker at the National Forum on Education in Biomedical Sciences, The School of Biomedical Sciences, Monash University, Australia, 11 Dec., 2007
* The IUBMB Concept Inventory Project: A Research Perspective, 19th FAOBMB Conference, Seoul, Korea, May 27-30, 2007
* The IUBMB Concept Inventory Project: A Research Perspective, 36th SBBq and 10th IUBMB Conference, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, May 21-25, 2007
* Bridging the educational research- teaching practice gap: barriers and strategies. FontD meeting of the Scientific Committee, Halmstad University College, Hotel Tylösand, Sweden, May 14-16, 2007
* Invited speaker: The importance and assessment of visual literacy in molecular science, Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) e o ensino de ciências: diálogos entre as literacias digital e científica, Braga, Portugal, 16 Dec., 2006
* Convenor and presenter: The importance of visual literacy and its assessment in biochemistry,  IUBMB Symposium on Visual Literacy in Biochemistry at the 30th FEBS Congress and 9th IUBMB Conference, Budapest, Hungary, 2-7 July 2005,
* Invited speaker: Assessing and researching for conceptual understanding in biochemistry, 8th IUBMB and ASBMB Conference, Boston, USA, 12-16 June, 2004
* Invited speaker: Do Students Really Understand Metabolism the Way We Think They Do? 18th IUBMB conference, Birmingham, UK, 16-20 July, 2000
* Convenor and presenter of:
* 3rd IUBMB/FASBMB/SASBMB Biochemistry Education Workshop, Cape Town, (17–19 Nov., 2001)
* 2nd FASBMB/IUBMB Biochemistry Education Workshop, Cairo, Egypt, Using Research Results to Improve Teaching and Learning of Biochemistry (15 Nov., 2000)
* 1st FASBMB/IUBMB Biochemistry Education Workshop, Potchefstroom, Improving the teaching  & learning of biochemistry (29 Sept. – 3 Oct., 1998)

b) Educational Research and Innovations:

Over the past 16 years he has established a science education research group (SERG) within the School of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology at UKZN, which graduates students with the same Doctoral and Masters Degrees as other research areas within these disciplines. His group currently has 7 postgraduate students, as well as various international collaborations with Sweden, Australia and Brazil, focusing on the assessment of student conceptual understanding and visual literacy in science, including the identification and remediation of conceptual and visualization difficulties among students studying biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. He is particularly interested in symbolic language and how one can measure the effectiveness, and improve the design and use of models such as diagrams, computer images and animations so that they enhance, rather than hinder, the development of the conceptual knowledge and visualization skills that are so essential for all bioscientists. He has designed and developed a resource of student’s conceptual and reasoning difficulties (CARD) in science (See http://www.card.unp.ac.za), which is aimed at developing research capacity in the area of student difficulties and teacher competence at tertiary and secondary levels. This resource has a strong focus on chemistry but is currently being expanded into biology and molecular science.

5. Some Recent Postgraduate Theses Supervised:

1. Abindra S. Gupthar Ph.D., 2008, Biochemistry students’ difficulties with symbolic and visual language used in molecular biology
2. Lindelani E. Mnguni, M.Sc., 2008 (with distinction) Development of a taxonomy for visual literacy in the molecular life sciences (Supervisor with KJ Schönborn (co-supervisor), Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany
3. Allen van Blerk, M.Ed., 2008 (summa cum laude) Learners' Spatial Visualisation and Conceptual Difficulties in Geometry (co-supervisor with Iben Christiansen, Faculty of Education, as supervisor)
4. Lynn du Plessis Ph.D., 2007 The presentation and interpretation of arrow symbolism in biology diagrams at secondary level
5. Carolyn E. Hancock Ph.D., 2006 Identification and remediation of student difficulties with quantitative genetics
6. Konrad J. Schönborn, Ph.D., 2006 Using student difficulties to identify and model factors influencing the ability to interpret external representations of IgG-antigen binding
7. Tracy L. Hull, M.Sc., 2003 Students’ use of diagrams for the visualisation of biochemical processes (Supervisor with D.J. Grayson, Science Education, UNISA as co-supervisor)

6. Some Selected Publications:

1. Schönborn, K.J. and Anderson, T.R. (2008) Development of a Model of Factors Determining Students’ Ability to Interpret External Representations in Biochemistry. International Journal of Science Education DOI: 10.1080/09500690701670535.
2. Anderson, T.R. and Schönborn, K.J. (2008) Bridging the Educational Research-Teaching Practice Gap: Conceptual understanding, Part 1: The multifaceted nature of expert knowledge, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education 36 (4), 309-315.
3. Schönborn, K.J. and Anderson, T.R. (2008) Bridging the Educational Research-Teaching Practice Gap: Conceptual understanding, Part 2: Assessing and developing student knowledge, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education 36 (5), 372-379.
4. Grayson, D.J., Anderson, T.R., & Crossley, L. G. (2001) A Four-Level Framework for Identifying and Classifying Student Conceptual and Reasoning Difficulties. International Journal of Science Education, 23 (6), 611-622.
5. Schönborn, K.J., Anderson, T.R. and Mnguni, L.E. (2007). Methods to determine the role of external representations in developing understanding in biochemistry, In: D. Lemmermöhle, M. Rothgangel, S. Bögeholz, M. Hasselhorn & R. Watermann (Eds), Professionell Lehren - Erfolgreich Lernen. Münster: Waxmann, pp. 291-301 (ISBN 978-3-8309-1820-2).
6. Anderson, T.R. (2007) The importance of bridging the gap between science education research and its application in biochemistry teaching and learning: barriers and strategies, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education 35 (6), 465-470
7. Anderson, T.R. (2007) Bridging the Educational Research-Teaching Practice Gap: The power of assessment, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education 35 (6), 471-477.
8. Schönborn, K.J. and Anderson, T.R. (2006) The Importance of Visual Literacy in the Education of Biochemists.  Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 34 (2), 94-102
9. Schönborn, K. J., Anderson, T.R., Grayson, D.J. (2002) Student difficulties with the interpretation of a textbook diagram of immunoglobulin G (IgG), Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Education, 30 (2), 93-97.
10. Du Plessis, L., Anderson, T.R., Grayson, D. J. (2003) Student Difficulties With The Use Of Arrow Symbolism In Biological Diagrams, In: J. Lewis, A. Magro & L. Simonneaux (Eds), Biology Education for the Real World: Student, Teacher, Citizen, Ecole Nationale de Formation Agronomique (Pub.), pp. 89-103.
11. Anderson, T. R. & Grayson, D. J. (1994). Improving students’ understanding of carbohydrate metabolism in first-year biochemistry at tertiary level. Research in Science Education, 24, 1-10.
12. Halstead, SE, Anderson, TR and Spankie, S (2003) Formulation of statements of propositional knowledge and corresponding student difficulties for the Brønsted-Lowry acid-base model: A reciprocal matching and honing process, In: D. Fisher & T. Marsh (Eds), Making Science, Mathematics and Technology Education Accessible to All. Perth: Key Centre for School Science and Mathematics (Pub), pp. 377-388 (ISBN 1 74067 303 4)
13. Young, D, van der Vlugt, J, Qanya, S, Aldous, C, Anderson, T, Davies, N, Deyi, S, Diwu, C, Faragher, M, Hammond-Gordon, M, Mbatha, T, Mwepu, D, Nxasana, J, Rogan, J, Schäfer, M, Solomons, G, Stander, C, van Niekerk, M, Wildsmith-Cromarty, R and Zuma, S. (2005), In: Understanding concepts in mathematics and science education, Maskew Miller Longman (Pub.) ISBN No. 0 636 06771 8
14. Anderson, TR (2005) The effective practice of agricultural science. In: Ethics in Agriculture- An African Perspective (Edit: A van Niekerk), Springer, The Netherlands, Ch. 8, pp 143-163.