Dr. John Bell has a Ph. D in Physiology and Pharmacology from the University of California, San Diego. He is the Dean of Undergraduate Education and a professor in the Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology.
Q: What made you pursue physiology and pharmacology all the way to a Ph. D?
I wanted to be a scientist from the time I was a child. I discovered as an undergraduate student that I really liked a mixture of chemistry, physics and biology. Those disciplines offered that opportunity, as well as being disciplines in the life sciences, that are a bit more practical in terms of employment than some others that also interested me. There are both industrial as well as academic opportunities there. Academic opportunities in institutions like BYU that are predominately undergraduate as well as places that have professional schools, such as medical school, dental school and things like that. It offered me an opportunity to pursue my interests as well as provide a wide range of potential employment.
Q: Are you currently involved in any research or academic projects?
Thats all I do. I have administrative responsibilities for General Education, Honors and Freshman Year. The director of our Honors Program and I were just discussing some of the ideas of where the Honors Program might go. So, Im constantly involved in projects. In my research lab I study cell membranes and the physics of some of the molecules that are embedded in the cell membrane and how that impacts certain pathological situations involved with cancers and involved with inflammatory diseases. I would say the work I do is more basic than applied. That means its more in terms of identifying an understanding of what exists in nature. Other researchers, whose interest are more in the direction of application, take that information and apply it in ways to generate treatment.
Q: How has student-teacher interaction changed for you since becoming the Dean of Undergraduate Education?
There has been a change in what courses I teach because I felt an increased need to teach courses in the Honors Program or General Education. For many years Ive taught somewhat in those arenas, now I certainly think more about what happens in a course that I teach in General Education as well as for majors. I think in terms of General Education more than I used to. I have the opportunity of teaching in some situations that I would not have predicted. For example, I teach a course in mathematical modeling and a course in statistics for students that have specific kinds of backgrounds. While Ive had expertise in those areas in terms of my research and training, Ive never imagined myself teaching those things because Im not a member of those faculties. My interactions with Honors and General Education have offered me the opportunity to participate in those things where it would have otherwise not have happened.
Q: What is your personal teaching philosophy?
It is to focus on student learning, what the student is doing, whats happening in the students head and focus on helping students be empowered so that they have a very deep and thorough understanding. The goal is expertise, really. Students come as novices and the goal is that by the end of the course theyre experts. Not about everything, but what is in the course; they have expertise in those areas. My job is to help them make the transition from being a novice to being an expert. That means I need to understand what the characteristics of an expert are, and make those transparent to the student. Then I help the student learn whether they are acquiring those characteristics, whether those are things in their possession or are not yet acquired. That refocuses the students attention away from the study guide idea that if they memorize the words and say something intelligent about these concepts theyll be fine to saying, Am I an expert or not? Can I apply these? Can I solve problems? Can I think, talk and write about these? Do I thoroughly understand them? Do I own them? That means there needs to be effort in reflection. Its what we call metacognitive skills, where the student learns to evaluate their own understanding and assess whether they do or dont own them. It helps them to identify misconceptions and ways to resolve them, as well as identify resources that would be helpful. Its whole different strategy than simply reviewing notes, which is a potential challenge in a discipline that is information-rich. My philosophy is to help them develop their true understanding and expertise.
Q: How has your experience been at BYU?
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5 Questions: Dr. John Bell
- Tier II INDV for Summer I or Fall 2010 (Project Soar) - May 14th, 2010 [May 14th, 2010]
- Medical Receptionist - May 25th, 2010 [May 25th, 2010]
- Student Health Advisory Committee - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- UA Career Services Kick-Off - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- International Alliance for the Prevention of AIDS (IAPA) - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- UA Best Buddies - Campus Club - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- International Alliance for the Prevention of AIDS - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- Physician Assistant Careers - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- Student Health Advisory Committe - December 21st, 2010 [December 21st, 2010]
- UA Chapter of Project Sunshine - February 14th, 2011 [February 14th, 2011]
- Vive Peru - February 14th, 2011 [February 14th, 2011]
- Surgery Undergraduate Research Fluency (SURF) Program - February 27th, 2011 [February 27th, 2011]
- Rehab Technician - March 19th, 2011 [March 19th, 2011]
- Medical Office Position - March 29th, 2011 [March 29th, 2011]
- Med-Start Summer Program/Counselors & Resident Assistants Needed - April 3rd, 2011 [April 3rd, 2011]
- Volunteer Training for Hospice Family Care - May 15th, 2011 [May 15th, 2011]
- Physiology : neuromuscular junction - motor unit - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- Google I/O 2008 - Anatomy and Physiology of an Android - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- The Science of Stress Physiology Emotions Fight Flight - August 28th, 2011 [August 28th, 2011]
- American Cancer Society Volunteer - August 28th, 2011 [August 28th, 2011]
- American Medical Student Association (AMSA) - August 28th, 2011 [August 28th, 2011]
- 16. Renal Physiology - August 28th, 2011 [August 28th, 2011]
- Plant Physiology: Phototropic Response (Britannica.com) - August 29th, 2011 [August 29th, 2011]
- 15. Cardiovascular Physiology (cont.) - August 29th, 2011 [August 29th, 2011]
- 14. Cardiovascular Physiology (cont.) - August 31st, 2011 [August 31st, 2011]
- 17. Renal Physiology (cont.) - August 31st, 2011 [August 31st, 2011]
- Human Physiology : What Is a Nucleotide? - September 1st, 2011 [September 1st, 2011]
- Lipoprotein Physiology: HDL (4/4) - September 3rd, 2011 [September 3rd, 2011]
- Heart Physiology (Ventricular filling: part 1/6) - September 3rd, 2011 [September 3rd, 2011]
- American Red Cross - September 4th, 2011 [September 4th, 2011]
- Muralcles - UA Service Club - September 4th, 2011 [September 4th, 2011]
- The Neuroscience Club - September 4th, 2011 [September 4th, 2011]
- Physical Therapy Opportunity - September 4th, 2011 [September 4th, 2011]
- 13. Cardiovascular Physiology - September 5th, 2011 [September 5th, 2011]
- Peripheral Nervous System: Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathology - September 7th, 2011 [September 7th, 2011]
- Physiology Tour - September 11th, 2011 [September 11th, 2011]
- VivePeru's Winter 2011 Internships - September 11th, 2011 [September 11th, 2011]
- Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) - September 11th, 2011 [September 11th, 2011]
- Physiology of Lipoprotein Metabolism - September 13th, 2011 [September 13th, 2011]
- Anatomy and Physiology (Intro) - September 15th, 2011 [September 15th, 2011]
- Heart Physiology (Cardiac output: part 3/6) - September 16th, 2011 [September 16th, 2011]
- Lipoprotein Physiology: Overview (1/4) - September 17th, 2011 [September 17th, 2011]
- Respiratory Physiology Part 2 - September 24th, 2011 [September 24th, 2011]
- Global Brigades-Ghana - September 25th, 2011 [September 25th, 2011]
- UA College of Medicine Pediatrics Club - September 25th, 2011 [September 25th, 2011]
- Medical Opportunity over Spring Break - September 25th, 2011 [September 25th, 2011]
- Human Physiology : What Is Interphase? - September 25th, 2011 [September 25th, 2011]
- Swallowing (deglutition) from Anatomy - September 27th, 2011 [September 27th, 2011]
- Respiratory Physiology Part 1 - September 28th, 2011 [September 28th, 2011]
- Science in Action: Aero Medicine 1956 Vintage Physiology Training FIlm - September 30th, 2011 [September 30th, 2011]
- Human Body | Human Anatomy and Physiology - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Mr.Ford's Anatomy - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- The Physiology of Cardiac Output - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Digestive Physiology - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Endocrine System Physiology.wmv - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Anatomy - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Human Physiology : What Is Mutation? - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Anatomy and Physiology - October 5th, 2011 [October 5th, 2011]
- Human Physiology : What Is Protein Synthesis? - October 5th, 2011 [October 5th, 2011]
- Australian Coaches - Physiology and energy systems - October 5th, 2011 [October 5th, 2011]
- Renal Physiology - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Learning Anatomy and Physiology? - http://tinyurl.com/huanatomy - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- "Anatomy and Physiology", The Liver - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Homeostasis Physiology Biology - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Anatomy of the Ear and Physiology of Hearing (basics).wmv - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Interview about 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Strength Project Anatomy and Physiology: The Anatomical Position - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Autonomic Nervous System Physiology.wmv - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Peter Doherty, Nobel Laureate in Medicine, Interview - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Chapter 1 Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology.wmv - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- Human Physiology for Regular People - Interactive Study Guide - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- 2011 Nobel Prize in Medicine - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- Rockefeller University Press Conference 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Ralph Steinman - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- Muscle Physiology Chapter: Video 2 of 2 - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- Boyles Law from Respiratory System - Anatomy - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- Respiratory Physiology Chapter 13 - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- 35 Chapter 08 Part 02 Physiology - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- Cell Physiology Chapter 2: Video 2 of 3 - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- Human Physiology : How Does the Body Make Blood? - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]