![Dr Frances Shapter](/sites/default/files/profiles/7071.jpeg)
Overview
Background
Dr Shapter's background was originally in Agricultural Science and higher education which evolved to the completion of her PhD in molecular genetics in 2008. Prior to her current appointments she was the senior researcher on ARC linkage, Australian Flora Foundation and RIRDC research grants looking at the genetic foundations of domestication and adaptation in Australian native grasses. She supervised two HDR students and has a strong publication record in this field. Her research interests centre on identifying and developing practical applications for gene sequencing. Fran is passionate about teaching and has worked as a facilitator commercially and trained early career researchers and PhD candidates in Project Management, IP and commercialisation and Leadership. She was a participant in the 2020 summit and was appointed to the federal advisory Rural R&D Council in 2009. Dr Shapter was also a sitting member of the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator's Ethics and Community Consultative Committee, 2016-2020.
Fran began tutoring at the UQ School of Veterinary Science in 2011, in large animal production, parasitology and microbiology. Since then she has held a variety of teaching, research and professional roles based around project management, curriculum design and blended learning design. She was the project manager for a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) grant which developed 40 vertically and horizontally integrated, online, adaptive tutorials for veterinary science students and was co-author on the manual developed by this project. She assisted with the development of a new flexible delivery laboratory animal science course in 2015 and delivers 5 weeks of online learning units into this course currently. She has been part of the SoTL research and evaluation associated with both these projects and has reported outcomes at University showcases annually since 2016.
In 2017 Fran became the new Student Clinical Skills Hub Coordinator, a purpose-built, state-of-the-art self-directed learning facility for students of veterinary science. Whilst undertaking this role student usage, resource availability and online support for the Hub has increased more than tenfold. Fran's aim is to provide a safe, authentic, self-directed learning environment where students can practice their clinical skills in accordance with individual competences, beyond the scheduled contact hours of their programs and further enhance their capacity for self-directed, lifelong learning whilst acknowledging the vast array of qualifications, previous training, life experience and cultural backgrounds each student brings with them to the Hub.In 2020 Fran recieved a UQ Teaching Excellence Award due to the demonstarted impact of the SVS Student Clinical Skills Hub.
In 2019 Fran was appointed as a Lecturer in Veterinary Science, while continuing her role as the Hub's coordinator. She continues to maintain her teaching roles into the veterinary program in animal handling, animal production, reproduction, microbiology, parasitology and plant identification. Fran has an additional role in the School with regard to asissting with the design, development and integration of blended learning resources, after working with the Science faculties blended learning design team in 2018. However her SoTL portfolio is best showcased by the development of the online learning community and training resources she has developed for the Student Clinical Skills Hub. As of June 2021, Fran has also taken on the role of the School of Veterinary Science Honours Program Coordinator.
Availability
- Dr Frances Shapter is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Agricultural Science, The University of Queensland
- Postgraduate Diploma, The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, Southern Cross University
- Postgraduate Diploma, Southern Cross University
Research impacts
As a research assistant Frances worked on projects developing the application of pyrosequencing to wheat microsatellites and allele specific PCR for SNP detection in Barley (1). During her PhD she identified novel genotypes (2) and phenotypes (3,4) within Australia's unique native grasses which may be exploited through introgression of wild material into cultivated crops or in their own right as new cereal species.
Frances's post-doctoral research focussed on an ARC-Linkage project developing a mutation protocol for an undomesticated polyploid Australian native grass and has characterised several genes associated with domestication in this species (5). A mutation population was established and screened with 46 elite breeding lines being identified and rolled into a RIRDC commercialisation trial of a native perennial grain. Three of these lines are being developed by the project’s industry partner as new commercial breeding stock.
The ARC linkage project also developed a new protocol for primer design in undomesticated grasses using next generation sequencing (NGS) technology (6). Additionally NGS was used to genomically screen the mutant population for beneficial polymorphisms, which have been confirmed using Sequanom technology (5). Frances has also successfully applied a modified application of NGS to the question of adaptive genetics in a wild grass species through an Australian Flora Foundation project (7,8).
(1) Bundock PC, Cross MJ, Shapter FM and Henry RJ. (2006) Robust allele-specific PCR markers developed for SNP’s in expressed barley sequences. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 112: 358-365.
(2) Shapter FM, Eggler P, Lee LS and Henry RJ (2009). Variation in Granule Bound Starch Synthase I (GBSSI) loci amongst Australian wild cereal relatives (Poaceae). Journal of Cereal Science, 49: 4-11
(3) Shapter FM, Lee LS and Henry RJ (2008) Endosperm and starch granule morphology in wild cereal relatives. Plant Genetic Resources, 6: 85–97.
(4) Shapter, FM, Dawes, MP, Lee, LS & Henry, RJ (2009). Aleurone and subaleurone morphology in native Australian wild cereal relatives. Australian Journal of Botany, 57( 8):688-696.
(5) Shapter FM, Cross M, Ablett G, Malory S, Chivers IH, et al. (2013) High-Throughput Sequencing and Mutagenesis to Accelerate the Domestication of Microlaena stipoides as a New Food Crop. PLoS ONE 8(12): e82641. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0082641
(6) Malory, S, Shapter, FM, Elphinstone, MS, Chivers, IH, Henry, RJ (2011). Characterising homologues of crop domestication genes in poorly described wild crop relatives by high throughput sequencing of whole genomes. Plant Biotechnology Journal 9(9): 1131-1140.
(7) Shapter, FM, Fitzgerald TL, Waters DLE, McDonald S, Chivers IH, Nevo E, Henry RJ (2012) Analysis of ribosomal gene diversity in wild plant populations from contrasting climatic environments. Plant Signalling and Behaviour 7(6): 602-604.
(8) Fitzgerald, T L, Shapter, FM, McDonald, S, Waters, DLE, Chivers, IH, Drenth, A, Nevo, E and Henry, RJ (2011). Genome diversity in wild grasses under environmental stress. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 108(52): 21140-21145.
Works
Search Professor Frances Shapter’s works on UQ eSpace
2024
Journal Article
Applying Iterative Student Feedback across Flipped Classroom and Flexible Teaching Approaches: Impact on Veterinary Students’ Learning Experience
Singh, Arti A., Shapter, Frances M., Bernard, Anne, Whitworth, Deanne J., Holt, Marnie G., Waller, Philip S. and Bond, Stephanie L. (2024). Applying Iterative Student Feedback across Flipped Classroom and Flexible Teaching Approaches: Impact on Veterinary Students’ Learning Experience. Animals, 14 (16) 2335, 2335. doi: 10.3390/ani14162335
2024
Journal Article
Assessment of a teaching module for cardiac auscultation of horses by veterinary students
Wood, Alyse, Shapter, Frances Marie and Stewart, Allison J. (2024). Assessment of a teaching module for cardiac auscultation of horses by veterinary students. Animals, 14 (9) 1341, 1-19. doi: 10.3390/ani14091341
2024
Conference Publication
Balancing animal welfare with graduate competence
Shapter, F.M. (2024). Balancing animal welfare with graduate competence. 13th School of Veterinary Science Teaching Forum, Gatton, QLD, Australia, January.
2023
Conference Publication
Assessment of a teaching module for cardiac auscultation of horses by veterinary students
Wood, Alyse, Shapter, Frances and Stewart, Allison J. (2023). Assessment of a teaching module for cardiac auscultation of horses by veterinary students. Bain Fallon Memorial Lectures Equine Veterinarians of Australia, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia, 17-20 July 2023.
2023
Journal Article
Equine Crofton weed (Ageratina spp.) pneumotoxicity: What do we know and what do we need to know?
Shapter, Frances Marie, Granados-Soler, José Luis, Stewart, Allison J., Bertin, Francois Rene and Allavena, Rachel (2023). Equine Crofton weed (Ageratina spp.) pneumotoxicity: What do we know and what do we need to know?. Animals, 13 (13) 2082, 1-15. doi: 10.3390/ani13132082
2023
Conference Publication
A case study in blending curriculum and communication: VETS1025
Shapter, F.M. (2023). A case study in blending curriculum and communication: VETS1025. 11th School of Veterinary Science Teaching Forum, Gatton, QLD, Australia, February.
2023
Conference Publication
Skills assessment drives practise and practise drives competency; The real value of clinical skills exams
Shapter, F.M. (2023). Skills assessment drives practise and practise drives competency; The real value of clinical skills exams. Vet Ed Downunder, Perth, WA, Australia, 8-10 February 2023.
2023
Conference Publication
Balancing animal welfare with graduate competence
Shapter, F.M. (2023). Balancing animal welfare with graduate competence. Vet Expo, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 18-19 October 2023.
2023
Conference Publication
Assessment drives practice; Practice drives learning, integration and retention
Shapter, F.M. (2023). Assessment drives practice; Practice drives learning, integration and retention. 12th School of Veterinary Science Teaching Forum, Gatton, QLD, Australia, 25 January 2023.
2022
Conference Publication
Blended learning opportunities
Shapter, F.M. (2022). Blended learning opportunities. SVS Course coordinators training, Gatton, QLD, Australia, 27 January 2022.
2021
Conference Publication
What I wish I knew; Tips for new academics
Shapter, F.M. (2021). What I wish I knew; Tips for new academics. UQ New Academics Forum, St Lucia, QLD, Australia, February.
2021
Conference Publication
Student communication: creating efficiencies and enabling student’s to ‘trust the system’.
Shapter, F.M. (2021). Student communication: creating efficiencies and enabling student’s to ‘trust the system’.. ITaLI worKshop, 'What's working in Gatton'., Gatton, QLD, Australia, 4 November 2021.
2021
Conference Publication
Simulation based medical teaching and learning; The use of models and scenarios for supplementing teaching and training in the veterinary sciences
Shapter, F.M. (2021). Simulation based medical teaching and learning; The use of models and scenarios for supplementing teaching and training in the veterinary sciences. Australian Veterinary Association Science Week, Gold Coast (virtual presentation), QLD, Australia, July 2021.
2021
Conference Publication
The use of models and scenarios for supplementing teaching and training in the veterinary sciences
Shapter, F. M. (2021). The use of models and scenarios for supplementing teaching and training in the veterinary sciences. Curriculum Evaluation and Teaching Method Conference., Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia (virtual), 6 September 2021.
2021
Conference Publication
Skills Hub; A facility to augment self-directed learning and clinical competence.
Shapter, F.M. (2021). Skills Hub; A facility to augment self-directed learning and clinical competence.. National funding pitch seminar series for Kashmir University, resulting in $600,000 grant for the Kashmir University., Kashmir (Virtual attendance), August 2021.
2021
Conference Publication
Hybrid teaching traps and tips
Shapter, F.M. (2021). Hybrid teaching traps and tips. UQ ITaLI "Ready to Teach" week, St Lucia, QLD, Australia, February.
2020
Journal Article
Simulated clinical skills for veterinary students supplement limited animal and clinical resources in developing countries
Seddon, Jennifer M., An Thi Tra Vo, , Kempster, Samantha R., Lee, Hannah J., Toan Tat Nguyen, , Munce, Katherine, Del Bianco, Alexander, Chakitdee, Vithaya, Thong Quang, and Shapter, Frances M. (2020). Simulated clinical skills for veterinary students supplement limited animal and clinical resources in developing countries. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 47 (s1), 92-98. doi: 10.3138/jvme.2019-0112
2019
Journal Article
Identification of bacteria and fungi sampled from the conjunctival surface of normal horses in South-East Queensland, Australia
Hampson, Edith C. G. M., Gibson, Justine S., Barot, Mayank, Shapter, Frances M. and Greer, Ristan M. (2019). Identification of bacteria and fungi sampled from the conjunctival surface of normal horses in South-East Queensland, Australia. Veterinary Ophthalmology, 22 (3), 265-275. doi: 10.1111/vop.12587
2018
Book
Vertical modular framework eLearning manual
Gibson, Justine, Reynish, Ingrid and Shapter, Frances (2018). Vertical modular framework eLearning manual. Gatton, QLD Australia: School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/99aee1d
2018
Book Chapter
The domestication, spread and uses of sorghum as a crop
Shapter, F. M., Crowther, A., Fox, G., Godwin, I. D., Watson-Fox, L., Hannah, I. J. C. and Norton, S. L. (2018). The domestication, spread and uses of sorghum as a crop. Achieving sustainable cultivation of sorghum Volume 2: sorghum utilization around the world. (pp. 31-64) edited by William Rooney. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing. doi: 10.19103/as.2017.0015.01
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Frances Shapter is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Master Philosophy
Virtual reality teaching and its effect on veterinary students' practical outcomes
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sobia Zafar, Dr Ben Wood, Dr Allison Stewart
Completed supervision
-
2023
Master Philosophy
A preliminary analysis of the need to establish educational opportunities in laboratory animal science and medicine in Australia and New Zealand
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Rachel Allavena
Media
Enquiries
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