Oleksii Hliebov, MD, PhD believes that the learning technologies of the future must not only provide resources to help direct students to academic and career success but also stimulate the critical thinking that allows students to become proficient in medical inquiry. As a new Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) faculty member, he brings a teaching philosophy that emphasizes active engagement in learning.
“When students are actively engaged in exploring, applying, or debating the material, they will learn more than by passive listening. I practice Team-Based Learning (TBL), Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Case-Based Learning (CBL) approaches, which involve stimulating critical thinking skills and medical investigation through knowledge acquisition, enhanced group collaboration, and communication. I encourage students to focus on asking questions, especially questions for which answers are not immediately available.”
Hliebov received both his MD degree in 2009 and a PhD degree in physiology in 2013 from the Lugansk State Medical University in Ukraine. He has been in academic medicine for 13 years and has spent the last 5 years at medical schools in the Caribbean, most recently at American University of Integrative Sciences, School of Medicine in Barbados as both Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Clinical Medicine and Course Director of the university’s Fundamentals of Clinical Medicine courses. His research has focused on the study of new derivatives of imidazole-thiasolidine derivatives, dealing with diabetes type 2 as a disease related to carbohydrate metabolism disorder mainly caused by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency.
Hliebov’s interactive teaching approach is based on learning strategies that increase student engagement and success, relying on traditional methods of teaching, such as linguistic, visual, and kinesthetic, but also using unique online methods. He has developed an instructional software, Question Bank Manager (QBM), which assists educators to effectively develop, maintain, and deploy learning management system banks of questions for quizzes, exams, and active learning exercises. Instructors can use QBM to prepare and exchange questions with other educators, in addition to creating review sessions and printed tests. The software allows educators to interact online in real-time with students.
As part of his prior work, Hliebov and a research team developed a clinical reasoning platform, Testing Portal with Innovative Clinical Reasoning Module/Algorithm, which is an innovative educational product that has some features of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and serves as an effective online study tool for students. It allows faculty to develop and present to students customized digital teaching content, such as flashcards, videos, reading materials, and handouts for high schools, colleges, and universities. Its clinical reasoning algorithm allows faculty to direct the thought process of students. The “Testing Portal” allows students to work with flashcards, reading materials, videos, and banks of questions developed by the faculty without the need of utilizing any additional modules and allows faculty to monitor students’ progress through the study materials.
Besides teaching, Hliebov enjoys deep-sea diving and has participated in Dive Fest 2021 in Barbados, as well as efforts to protect coral reefs and beaches from microplastics pollution. He joins the Ross Med family with his wife RUSM professor Tetiana Hliebova, MD, and their eight-year-old daughter.
“I tell my students their questions are like shovels; they are tools to dig deeper and sometimes, one scoop just isn’t enough. It enhances critical thinking and ongoing learning within a team environment. By engaging students in active learning, I teach them how to think like a doctor.”
Sources
Hliebov O.M., Chornous V.O., Melnik O.Y., Tikhonenko M.V., Sheremeta L.M., Yarosh O.K., Denisenko O.M., Rodic R.V., Vovk M.V. (2016) Synthesis, Hypoglycaemic Activity and Acute Toxicity of New Hybrid Structures of Imidazole-thiasolidine Derivates. Journal of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, 1, 280-285. (http://ophcj.nuph.edu.ua/article/view/ophcj.16.872, https://doi.org/10.24959/ophcj.16.872 )
