Professor Tim Cooper is excited to be taking on his 'dream role' as the University of Otago’s first Dean of Learning and Teaching.
Professor Tim Cooper is the University of Otago’s first Dean of Learning and Teaching.
“This is my dream role because it’s about teaching, it’s strategic, it’s about improving the experience of staff and therefore the learning experience of students,” Professor Cooper says.
In this newly created role, which reports to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Cooper will lead the University’s strategy on learning and teaching.
Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Phil Bremer says, “We are delighted to welcome Professor Cooper to this newly created role of Dean of Learning and Teaching. This appointment comes at a very important time for our University as we set our course with our Pae Tata Strategic Plan, towards our aspirational Vision 2040. This role will help to ensure that support for quality learning and excellent teaching is right at the heart of all we do.”
Professor Cooper started the role in August. He says the University has some big challenges and big opportunities ahead.
“We will be having a big conversation as a University about our new teaching and learning plan. We need a new one that includes a new graduate profile in an age of generative AI and, as we head towards Vision 2040, framing our learning and teaching much much more in te ao Māori and Pacific ways of learning.
“So in the next 18 months we are going to have this extended conversation about why we do what we do, and I get to lead that. I am super excited,” Professor Cooper says.
A Professor of Church History, he has published work on seventeenth-century English religious history and the Puritans in particular. He has not been replaced in the Theology Programme and will continue to keep his hand in teaching there.
Nearly five years ago he was appointed as the first Head of the newly formed Te Pae Takata School of Arts.
Professor Cooper likes new roles, enjoying change and the opportunity to shape the values of those new roles.
For him, a key purpose as Head of School was bringing people together and building a community. The impact of COVID-19 was a real challenge to this as it tended to push people back into the world of their own programmes under the pressure of teaching online and in lockdown.
“The School of Arts has fantastic people in it - good people doing good work. Staff were doing amazing work getting us online, looking after our students. That was tiring and it took a long time to regain our capacity.”
He says many of the achievements he reflects on in the Head of School role are ones that people will not know about, except for the individual staff involved.
“I saw my role as helping staff to flourish and achieve their aspirations.”
More visibly, a highlight has been the development of the Māori and Pacific Strategic Framework action plans in the School, and a visit to Puketeraki Marae last year was a moment to treasure. Another highlight was the School of Arts Student Association Ball in 2021.
Professor Cooper has left the Arts Building after nearly 19 years. He is now based in Scott/Shand House, sharing space with the team of the Office of Student Success.