Prof Ian Couper, director of the Ukwanda Centre for Rural Health, recently completed the Teaching Advancement at Universities (TAU) Fellowship that aims to create excellence in teaching and learning in higher education.

The TAU Fellowship Programme, presented by the Higher Education Learning & Teaching Association of South Africa (HELTASA), brought together more than 50 academics from 23 South African higher education institutions to engage with each other about the scholarship of teaching and learning, teaching excellence, and change and transformation. The candidates came from various disciplines across the educational spectrum.

Couper was accompanied by two other Matie academics, Dr Elmarie Constandius from the Department of Visual Arts and Prof Geo Quinot from the Department of Public Law.

"We can easily become insular in health professions education, but many of the issues we face in teaching and learning happen across the board in all disciplines – so there is a lot we can learn from others," says Couper.

"That was one of the things I enjoyed most about the fellowship – sharing ideas and talking to people from completely different disciplines."

According to him, the fellowship also changed his perception about teaching and learning. "It made me think about teaching and learning in a more academic way – not only about delivering it, but actually being engaged in the issues around research in teaching and learning and how we reflect on the scholarship of learning," says Couper.

The 2015-2016 programme was the first TAU Fellowship in South Africa, and Couper encourages colleagues from the faculty with an interest in teaching and learning to consider this opportunity.

Photo: The first group of TAU Fellows and Advisors at a gathering at the Karridene Beach Hotel in Durban.