Rate My Professor Nicole Reinke

Dr. Nicole Reinke serves as Lecturer in Pathophysiology in the School of Health at the University of the Sunshine Coast. She earned her PhD in Physiology from the University of New England, Master of Education and Graduate Certificate in Education from James Cook University, and BSc (Honours) from the University of New England. Her PhD thesis, titled “Potassium Transport and Cellular Metabolism in the Cation Dimorphic Erythrocytes of the Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula),” established the groundwork for her research into the antioxidant benefits of nutrient supplements, cardiac reperfusion injury, and diabetes mellitus. Reinke's academic interests extend to pathophysiology, encompassing ion transport in erythrocytes, studies on erythrocyte antioxidant and metabolic enzymes, and cell biochemistry in diabetes mellitus.

In the scholarship of teaching and learning, Dr. Reinke investigates the implementation and evaluation of teaching techniques and tools to enhance student learning in physiology and pathophysiology, including the effectiveness of 3D immersive visualization using the University of the Sunshine Coast’s CAVE2 facility, technology in higher education, and student transition and first-year experience strategies. She has received several competitive grants, such as the USC Commissioned Learning and Teaching Grant of $30,000 in 2015 for “Getting stuck in the cell membrane: Immersive 3D visualisations for enhanced teaching of a threshold concept in biology,” the USC Learning and Teaching Exploratory Grant of $15,000 in 2017 for “Supporting learning-centred approaches for student self-evaluation,” and the USC First Year Experience Grant of $4,000 in 2017 for “Avoiding a collision with collusion.” Her notable publications include “Immersive 3D Experience of Osmosis Improves Learning Outcomes in First-Year Biomedical Science Students” (2021, Advances in Physiology Education), “The Impact of Timetable Changes on Student Achievement and Learning Experiences” (2018, Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice), “Promoting Student Engagement and Academic Achievement in First-Year Anatomy and Physiology Courses” (2019), and “Selenium Supplementation Affects Broiler Growth Performance, Meat Yield and Feather Coverage” (2004). She teaches Pathophysiology (LFS303), Human Pathophysiology (HLT221), and Human Physiology (LFS112), and contributes to the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) as an executive member of the Queensland branch and through TATAL initiatives.