Dr Gabriella Rodolico
- Senior Lecturer (School of Education)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9442-2882Biography
I am a Lecturer in Science Education (Biology) in the School of Education.
My background is a PhD level Biotechnologist specialised in the Pharmacological Science and Physiopathology of the Respiratory System from The Second University of Naples. In November 2007 I moved to Glasgow to complete my PhD at the Centre for Biophotonics, University of Strathclyde. Subsequently, I attended the PGDE “Biology with Science” course at University of Strathclyde and I have enjoyed teaching Biology with Science in the Secondary sector in Scotland for several years. From 2013 to 2016, I worked for Glasgow City Council and then 2016-2019 I moved to Glasgow Caledonian University teaching at the Advanced Higher HUB.
In 2016 I received funding from the ERASMUS + for the project “Enhancing employability and skills for life looking at and sharing good practice in teaching within different educational systems across the Europe” an exchange of good practice between two schools in Scotland and Sweden and was supported by the 2016-2017 ERASMUS + Key area 1 Staff mobility. This allowed me to learn about the Swedish Education System. As a result, I gained a broad overview of Education and developed the expertise to bridge the gap that often is too wide between schools and universities.
Since I joined University of Glasgow, my main research interests have focused on the implementation of innovative technology in Initial Teacher Education courses such as Virtual Reality and the impact that it has on student teachers.
Nevertheless, during my time in the School of Education, I have had the chance to further develop my other interest in internationalisation by engaging in several scholarship projects which allowed me to develop several professional relationships creating a network in UK as well as abroad. In 2020 I have received 2 more Erasmus + staff mobility funding to consolidate collaborations abroad:
1) Virtual Reality supported lessons, analysing the impact on the learning experience of students at University Niccolo’ Cusano in Rome and University of Glasgow.
2) A demonstration of Virtual Reality pedagogy with implementation of interactive VR supported lesson to In-Service teachers attending the teacher training course at IISER Pune Institute.
As years progressed my interest in technology and internationalisation intertwined in several Scholarship and Research projects.
Research interests
I am interested in innovative technology in Education and Internationalisation. I am a digital immigrant who has a high technology self-efficacy and a bilingual with experience of several education systems who can be a link between cultures as well as schools and universities.
My research interests stem from scholarship activities and research projects I have been involved and promoted in the last 2 years. Technology and internationalisation interests are entwined in my research and often the first support the second and vice versa.
Recently I have been involved in several projects funded by Global Challenges Research Fund, Erasmus+ Staff Mobility Application Key Action 1 – Higher Education 2019-20 and College Strategic Research Fund 2019-2020.
Remote healthcare system for diabetes management (2020-2021)
This project is supported by the Global Challenges Research Fund. In spring-summer 2021, I will lead its dissemination in collaboration with the School of Engineering at the University of Glasgow. The project is based on an innovative non-invasive way to check daily blood sugar in patients with Diabetes. My role is to create interactive remotely delivered workshops in collaboration with one of my PGDE Biology student teachers who volunteered to cooperative teach on the topic of Diabetes. The audience are teachers in Pakistan ITE institutes and Pakistan high schools. Our cooperative teaching will be based on delivering the workshops in Urdu and English.
A reflection into the impact of an internationalisation experience via digital platform, based on views, opinions and experiences of students and lecturers (2020-2021)
The application of technology in Education, especially at the time of pandemic, has also been the focus of a further international project, I have started in October 2020 in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Glasgow and colleagues at the University Niccolo’ Cusano, Rome. The project aims to explore how remotely delivered cooperative teaching, based on the integration of compulsory courses tasks for both universities can support the active participations of both countries’ students. The results are under ongoing analysis and might open innovative ways to think internationalisation digital learning.
Enhancing internationalisation and understanding of sustainability through a remotely delivered hands- on STEM challenge (2020-2021)
Supported by the College Strategic Research Fund 2019-2020 I recently led a team of academic and non-academics experts in STEM, probationer teachers (School of Education, University of Glasgow), in-service teachers and even parents of 4 schools, to carry out a remotely delivered hands-on STEM Renewable Energy Challenge. The project intended to, develop pupil’s curiosity and higher order thinking by building a model of sustainable house powered by a wind turbine. The theoretical and practical aspects were blended in a series of lessons delivered in schools, at home and in twilight sessions with University of Glasgow, creating a triangulated approach with the pupils in the centre.
This project has been showcased at the Festival of Social Sciences 2020, Economic and Social Research.
The project is now a proposal for the International Partnership Development Funding (IPDF) 2020-21 and is based on the delivery of 2 remotely delivered workshops supported by Virtual reality technology and 2 follow up drop-in support sessions with the IISER Pune Institute. The intent is to support the co-development, of a STEM-based challenge, through a series of workshops, with the peculiar feature to be hands-on and yet remotely delivered.
Virtual Reality in Education: a demonstration of Virtual Reality pedagogy with implementation of interactive VR supported lesson to In-Service teachers attending the teacher training course at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune (2019-2020)
This project started in 2019-2020 supported by the grant Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility 2019-20 Staff Mobility and has been delayed due to Covid-19 pandemic
Virtual Reality supported lessons, Analysing the impact on the learning experience of students at University Niccolo’ Cusano and University of Glasgow (2019-2020)
This project is based on the Demonstration of Virtual Reality pedagogy with exemplar taught lesson in the teacher education course “Science of Pedagogy” organised by the University Niccolo’ Cusano. It is supported by the grant Erasmus+ Staff Mobility Application Key Action 1 – Higher Education 2019-20 and has been delayed due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Virtual Reality in Education: The Impact of VR Supported Lessons on the Learning Experience of Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) Student Teachers (2019-2020)
This project explored to what extent a combination of student experience of VR, in the context of learning about effective pedagogy techniques in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses, followed by student planning VR supported lessons, could assist student teachers in overcoming some of the barriers preventing the integration of VR into regular classroom practice. It was supported by the Small Grant School of Education.
Dissemination:
- A publication on the “50 ways to use ClassVR system”.
- A publication of health and safety recommendations on implementing VR supported lessons in Primary and Secondary Schools in collaboration with Scottish Schools’ Education Research Centre.
- Video showcasing VR for teaching.
- A successful submission to the European Educational Research Association (ECER) congress Glasgow 2020 and ECER congress Geneva 2021.
- A successful submission to the Research on Educational Neuroscience Virtual Conference Rome 2021.
- Under revision for a possible publication on Educational Media International Journal.
Grants
1) College Strategic Research Fund 2019-2020
Promoting professional conversation between STEM specialists
2) Erasmus+ Staff Mobility Application Key Action 1 – Higher Education 2019-20
Virtual Reality supported lessons, Analysing the impact on the learning experience of students at University Niccolo Cusano and University of Glasgow
3) Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility 2019-20 Staff Mobility Application ( as part of Key Action 107 – Higher Education projects 2018 & 2019)
A Demonstration of Virtual Reality pedagogy with implementation of interactive VR supported lesson to In-Service teachers attending the teacher training course at IISER
4) Small Grant School of Education
Developing educational applications for Immersive VR and AR technologies to enhance the learning and teaching experience of School of Education staff and their students
5) The Global Challenges Research Fund (involved in the dissemination aspect)
Remote healthcare system for diabetes management
6) International Partnership Development Funding (IPDF)2020-21
A Co-development of a STEM workshop IISER Pune India -UoG School of Education
7) GKE Small Grants 2020/21
8) Scottish Council Research Fund under the Global Challenges scheme for a project in Pakistan in collaboration School of Engineering, University of Glasgow Title: Remote healthcare system for diabetes management
9) LEARNING AND TEACHING DEVELOPMENT FUND 2021, small grant
10 )International Partnership Development Funding (IPDF) 2021-2022 funding Enhancing Teacher Education in STEM through embedding staff mobility in successful COIL initiatives
11) British Council’s Going Global Exploratory Grant 2021-22. Enhancing Teacher Education in STEM through a linguistic lens: a cross-curricula and transnational effort challenging gender stereotypes
Supervision
PhD co-supervision: The Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality on Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety: A Case Study of EFL Learners in China
Teaching
Postgraduate programmes
- PG Diploma in Education-Learning and Teaching in the Secondary: PGDE Biology (course leader)
- PG Diploma in Education -Learning and Teaching in the Secondary: PGDE General Science
- PG Diploma in Education -Learning and Teaching in the Primary: PGDE Primary Science
Undergraduate Programmes
Master of Education with Teaching Qualification:
- Year 1: What's the Point of Education?
- Year 2: What if? (Course Leader)
- Year 3: Education in Practice 3 Science
Professional activities & recognition
Prizes, awards & distinctions
- 2020-21: Teaching Excellence Award (University of Glasgow Teaching Excellence Awards)
- 2021-22: Teaching innovation award (LearnSci)
Editorial boards
- 2022 - 2022: Special Issue of JSML for SocMedHE21
Additional information
PG Diploma in Education-Middle years Science Education- Dissertation for Enhanced Practice (Science): Dissertation supervision
