Rate My Professor Jackie O'Flaherty

Dr Jackie O'Flaherty is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, College of Health, at Adelaide University. She earned her BSc in 1981, MSc with Certificate of Proficiency, and PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, in 1986. Her early research in biochemistry addressed lysosomal disorders and glycogen metabolism, yielding publications such as "Correction of Human Mucopolysaccharidosis Type-VI Fibroblasts with Recombinant N-acetylgalactosamine-4-Sulphatase" (Biochemical Journal, 1992), "Human N-Acetylgalactosamine-4-Sulphatase Biosynthesis and Maturation in Normal, Maroteaux-Lamy and Multiple-Sulphatase-Deficient Fibroblasts" (Biochemical Journal, 1990), "Biochemical Characterisation of Patient’s and Prenatal-Diagnosis of Sialic Acid Storage Disease for Three Families" (Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease, 1988), and "Lysosomal glycogen-storage induced by Acarbose, a 1,4-alpha-glucosidase inhibitor" (Biochemical Journal, 1985).

O'Flaherty coordinates and teaches undergraduate courses in Clinical and Health Sciences centred around human health, specialising in Anatomy, Physiology, Pathophysiology, and Case Based Learning. She developed and taught Biosciences courses for undergraduate nursing and midwifery students, with a focus on fostering engagement for online and distance learners. Key innovations include founding the UniSA "JumpStart your Science and Online Learning in Health Sciences" workshop, which won an International Online Effective Practice Award in 2018, and co-founding the Health Sciences transition short course "ScienceReady". Her research specialisations include teaching and learning in health sciences, online education, flipped and virtual classrooms, student engagement, bioscience education for nursing and midwifery, peer coaching, and technology in higher education. Notable publications are "The use of flipped classrooms in higher education: A Scoping review" with Craig Phillips (Internet and Higher Education, 2015), "Using a science simulation-based learning tool to develop students' active learning, self-confidence and critical thinking in academic writing" (Nurse Education in Practice, 2020), and "Evaluating nursing students' engagement in an online course using flipped virtual classrooms" (Student Success Journal, 2019). She has received major awards including the OLT Australian Award for University Teaching Excellence (2013), UniSA Award for Teaching Excellence (2012), Open Universities Australia National Awards for Excellence in online student engagement (2007, 2008, 2017, 2018), and International OLC Effective Practice Awards (2017, 2018, 2019). O'Flaherty is an invited mentor in the Australian Awarded University Teachers Network.