Prof Heather McQueen (BSc, PhD, SFHEA, NTF)
Professor of Biology Education. Associate Director of teaching for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Contact details
- Tel: 0131 650 5819
- Email: h.mcqueen@ed.ac.uk
Address
- Street
-
Institute of Cell Biology
University of Edinburgh
Roger Land Building
RL 1.64
Alexander Crum Brown Road
Kings Buildings - City
- Edinburgh
- Post code
- EH9 3FF
Background
August 2019- present: Professor of Biology Education, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh
August 2010 - September 2019: Senior Lecturer, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh
September 2015- August 2017: Secondment (half-time) to the Institute of Academic Development (IAD), University of Edinburgh
January 2001- July 2010: Lecturer, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh
October 1998-January 2001: Caledonian Research Fellowship (Personal Fellow), Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh
March 1995-October 1998: Postdoctoral Research Fellow Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh
October 1991-March 1995: Higher Scientific Officer, Roslin Institute, Edinburgh
July 1988-July 1991: Research Associate, Edinburgh University Medical School
Qualifications
Glasgow University, B.Sc. in Genetics (Hons, 2i), 1983-1987.
Edinburgh University, Ph.D., Medical Faculty, 1988-1991.
Edinburgh University, Professional certificate in University teaching, 2004.
Senior Fellow Higher Education Academy, 2018.
Responsibilities & affiliations
National Teaching Fellow (2019).
Associate Director of Teaching for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, School of Biological Sciences.
Director Midlothian Science Festival. <http://midlothiansciencefestival.com>
Member of School of Biological Sciences Learning and Teaching committee, and Curriculum Council.
External Examiner, Glasgow University.
College Academic Misconduct Officer (2011 –2016).
Project Leader for Gene Jury. <http://www.genejury.biology.ed.ac.uk/About.html>
Open to PhD supervision enquiries?
Yes
Current research interests
I am interested in a wide variety of pedagogical issues, particularly evidence-led approaches to student learning and engagement. I am currently investigating methods and benefits of personalised learning in lectures and am trialling a novel form of the flipped classroom known as 'quectures'. Quectures aim to engage students during lectures via interaction, discussion and personalisation of learning and make use of students' own questions for learning.Current project grants
2018: IAD Action Fund, 'Biology EdTA network'
Past project grants
2016: Centre for Science Education summer student, Student Engagement'
2016: Innovative Initiative funds, storyline interactives for teaching.
2013-2014: ‘The closed Facebook course page: A breeding ground for poor academic practice or a new opportunity for good scholarship awareness?’ Higher Education Academy, Teaching Development Grant, £6,999
2012-2013: ‘PeerWisdom: Evaluating and boosting Biology student benefits from the PeerWise online learning tool’, Principal’s Teaching Award, £10,000
2010-2011: ‘Gene Jury Comes of Age’, Scottish Government Science Engagement Grant, £25,000
2009-2010: ‘Gene Jury Remote’, Scottish Government Science Engagement Grant, £27,162
2008-2009: ‘Gene Jury S1’, Scottish Government Science Engagement Grant, £25,037
2007-2008: ‘E-learning to love Bioscience- Gene Jury’, Scottish Government Science Engagement Grant, £10,000
2007-2008: ‘E-learning to love Bioscience’, Wellcome Trust People Award, £28,706
2000-2004: ‘European Union Cancer Immunome Project’ (partner), European Community Award, £200,452
2000-2004: ‘An investigation of Avian Dosage Compensation’, BBSRC £153,728
1998-2002: Royal Society of Edinburgh Caledonian Research Fellowship £109,803
-
Raising attainment for low-scoring students through quectures: An analysis of achievement and engagement with personalised learning in lectures
(13 pages)
In:
International journal of STEM education, vol. 9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-022-00360-0
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Managing your mind: How simple activities within the curriculum can improve undergraduate students’ mental health and well-being
(13 pages)
In:
New Directions in the Teaching of Physical Sciences, vol. 16
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29311/ndtps.v0i16.3588
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Quectures: Personalised constructive learning in lectures
(15 pages)
In:
Active Learning in Higher Education, vol. 21, pp. 217-231
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787418760325
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
From students to scientists: The impact of interactive engagement in lectures
(12 pages)
In:
New Directions in the Teaching of Physical Sciences, vol. 13
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29311/ndtps.v0i13.2425
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Where Facebook meets plagiarism; an investigation and an intervention
(12 pages)
In:
Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, vol. 5, pp. 33-44
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14297/jpaap.v5i3.260
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Scaffolding student engagement via online peer learning
(9 pages)
In:
European Journal of Physics, vol. 35
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/0143-0807/35/4/045002
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Peerwise provides significant academic benefits to biological science students across diverse learning tasks, but with minimal instructor intervention
(11 pages)
In:
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, vol. 42, pp. 371–381
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.20806
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Student-generated content: Enhancing learning through sharing multiple-choice questions
(15 pages)
In:
International Journal of Science Education, vol. 36, pp. 2180-2194
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2014.916831
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Gene Jury Pupil Conference: Engaging in Modern Genetics
(28 pages)
In:
Genetics Society News, pp. 26
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Somatic sex identity is cell autonomous in the chicken
(6 pages)
In:
Nature, vol. 464, pp. 237-242
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08852
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Avian sex chromosomes: dosage compensation matters: dosage compensation matters
(11 pages)
In:
Chromosome Research, vol. 17, pp. 687-697
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10577-009-9056-8
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Cell autonomous sexual development in birds
In:
Mechanisms of Development, vol. 126, pp. S253, abstract 15-P020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mod.2009.06.664
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Meeting abstract (Published) -
Female-specific hyperacetylation of histone H4 in the chicken Z chromosome
(10 pages)
In:
Chromosome Research, vol. 13, pp. 205-14
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10577-005-1505-4
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
MBD1, MBD2 and CGBP genes at chromosome 18q21 are infrequently mutated in human colon and lung cancers
(5 pages)
In:
Oncogene, vol. 22, pp. 3506-10
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1206574
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Dosage compensation in birds
(5 pages)
In:
Current Biology, vol. 11, pp. 253-7
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Genomic structure and chromosomal mapping of the murine and human Mbd1, Mbd2, Mbd3, and Mbd4 genes
(7 pages)
In:
Mammalian Genome, vol. 10, pp. 906-12
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Chicken microchromosomes are hyperacetylated, early replicating, and gene rich
(10 pages)
In:
Genome Research, vol. 8, pp. 621-30
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/gr.8.6.621
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
CpG islands of chicken are concentrated on microchromosomes
(4 pages)
In:
Nature Genetics, vol. 12, pp. 321-4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0396-321
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Invited speaker
2018, ‘The Flipped classroom: Student-centred Interaction’. Cara Syria Webinar
2017, ‘Quectures: Thinking during lectures’, Bioscience Education Summit, University of East Anglia
2017, ‘Quectures: Questioning the lecture, not the lecturer’, Horizons STEM Education Conference, Herriot Watt University
2017, ‘The Quecture: Thinking during lectures, Life of Learning Conference, Napier University
2016, ‘Thinking during lectures’, Bioscience Education Summit, Bath University
2016, ‘Plagiarism: The Student View’, Heads of University Bioscience Spring meeting, Leicester University
2015, ‘Co-creation of a good scholarship video for Facebook using padlets’, Bioscience Education Summit, Ulster University
2015, ‘The benefits of PeerWise for Collaborative Online Learning’, Scottish Network for Teaching Biology in HE, Dundee University
2015, ‘The Facebook Group: A plagiarism breeding ground or a new opportunity for good scholarship awareness’, Online Distance Learning networking event, Edinburgh University
2015, ‘The many benefits of PeerWise for Collaborative online learning’, Biochemical Society ‘Enhancing Molecular Bioscience Education’ workshop, Cambridge University
2014, ‘PeerWisdom: Collaborative Online Learning in Biology’, Heads of University Bioscience Spring meeting, Royal Society Centre, Chicheley Hall, Milton Keynes
2014, ‘PeerWise: An academic Elixir or a Bitter Pill’, HEA STEM Annual Conference, Edinburgh
2013, ‘PeerWisdom: Evaluating and Boosting Biology student benefits from the PeerWise Online Learning tool’, HEA STEM Annual Conference, Birmingham
2014, ‘Epigenetics: Hype and Hope for the 21st century’, Shetland Science Outreach Group, Lerwick
2013, ‘PeerWise’, EUSA Inspiring Teaching Conference
2013, ‘PeerWisdom?’, PTAS Learning and Teaching Forum, Edinburgh.
2011, ‘Reflective Clicking’, HEA “Clickers re-loaded” Workshop, Edinburgh
2011, ‘Gene Jury – resources for teaching ethics and genetics’, Scottish Science Education Conference, Crieff
2010, ‘Gene Jury: Bye Bye Biodiversity’, Learning Teaching Scotland workshop, Edinburgh
2004, ‘The Chicken Z chromosome: A turn on or a turn off?’ International Chromosome Conference XV, Brunel
2000, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Glasgow University
1999, HUGO "Spatial organisation genome workshop", Edinburgh
1997, Avian Molecular Cytogenetics workshop, Leicester
1996, International Society of Animal Genetics, Tours, France
1996, Mammalian Genetics & Development workshop, London
Organiser
Biosummit 2018, Edinburgh University September 2018
Gene Jury Pupil Conference, Edinburgh University 2011