National Teaching Fellowship for biochemist

Gary Hughes
Professors shaking hands
DSC_7359 by Higher Education Academy
Dr Klappa receives his award from Professor Rama Thirunamachandran, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Canterbury Christ Church University.

Dr Peter Klappa awarded a National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

Dr Peter Klappa, Reader in Biochemistry and Master of Rutherford College, has been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

Dr Klappa is one of only 55 higher education staff in England, Northern Ireland and Wales to have been awarded a Fellowship, the most prestigious award for excellence in higher education teaching and support for learning.

The successful National Teaching Fellows (NTFs) were chosen from over 180 nominations.

Dr Klappa joined the University in 1995. A member of its School of Biosciences, he has introduced and developed a wide range of initiatives designed to make learning accessible to all. These include physical teaching props and online technologies, as well as audio-visual tools that provide students with meaningful and individualised feedback to their assessments.

Dr Klappa’s videos on YouTube have attracted a large international audience of both students and teachers. As part of a collaboration he has produced high-quality computer-generated animations to make complex biological topics accessible for learners worldwide. Recently he has started to incorporate social media into his teaching – this approach gives him the opportunity to interact with a large cohort of students in an individualised format, using technology most of them are familiar with.

To further improve his teaching skills for higher education, he took the University’s Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) programme and was the first academic to graduate from it.

For more information contact Martin Herrema.