We chat to Dr Christopher Klopper, Academic Director at Griffith College.
Tell us a bit about your work background.?
I started my career 25 years ago as a music and maths teacher in South Africa, followed by a period as curriculum lead in Arts and Culture. I established a Centre for Indigenous Music and Dance in Africa working across several countries, together with a group of musical arts performers who were former street children. I immigrated to Australia 14 years ago and have spent 11 years as an arts educator and leader in learning and teaching at Australian universities. I have held numerous roles that have built up my experience and capability, and I’ve led projects to improve student learning outcomes.
Tell us about your role at Griffith; your main responsibilities, the parts you enjoy and the challenges you face?
I supervise a number of academic leaders and continuing teachers and am responsible for ensuring ongoing collaborative relationships with key academic and general staff. I am also responsible for developing and maintaining links with key staff at the university, and for performance in learning and teaching across all programs delivered at the college.
What I enjoy most is working with a group of passionate teachers who want to ensure every student achieves to their full capability. I thoroughly enjoy the diversity of nationalities in the workplace and helping staff to stretch themselves.
I had only been in my role for a little over 3 months when we transitioned to working and learning from home. This was no simple feat for anyone, but given we had not completed a full academic trimester cycle, it was tough providing leadership to a team with whom I hadn’t had much time to build a working relationship. But we managed to navigate the transition and build a collegial working team thanks to Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
What I enjoy most about this role is working with a group of passionate teachers who want to ensure every student achieves to their full capability.
The
green apple
Interview
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