1. Advancing Health Professions Education Locally and Globally

We strive to enhance teaching and learning in health professions education through:

• Postgraduate training and research at local and international levels.
• Workshops, seminars, and faculty development initiatives to build capacity in health professions education.
• Collaborations with national and international institutions to contribute to global best practices in health education.

2. Curriculum Development & Educational Transformation

We contribute to identifying, designing, and developing qualifications and programmes in health sciences to create a responsive and future-ready higher education system. Our work includes:

• Developing innovative curricula for emerging health professions.
• Supporting the implementation of NWU’s spiralled MBChB curriculum (2028).
• Enhancing programme alignment with accreditation and competency frameworks.

3. 21st-Century Learning: Student-Centred & Interprofessional Education

We prepare students for the complexities of modern healthcare through:

• Interprofessional education (IPE) – Facilitating collaborative education across health disciplines.
• Team-based learning and self-directed learning (SDL) – Encouraging active student engagement and autonomy in learning.

4. Faculty Development & Teaching Innovation

We support lecturers in adopting innovative teaching and learning practices by:

• Designing and implementing active learning pedagogies to enhance student engagement.
• Empowering faculty to explore blended learning, assessment, and e-learning tools.
• Leading a faculty mentorship programme to support academic staff in professional development and teaching excellence.
• Innovative Teaching in Undergraduate Education

The CHPE team is actively involved in WVGW 222, an interdisciplinary module focusing on interprofessional group work. Through team teaching, blended learning, and active learning strategies, this module provides students with an engaging, interprofessional learning experience.

Faculty of Health Sciences teaching team honoured with national award

The Faculty of Health Sciences at the North-West University (NWU) is celebrating a major achievement after its Understanding the World of Health teaching team was named one of the winners of the 2025 National University Teaching Award (NUTA).

They received the NUTA award in category 3: A Collaboration of Academics who have shown innovation in teaching and learning.

The award, coordinated by the South African University Teachers (SAUT), recognises innovative teaching practices in higher education that go beyond individual classrooms to shape departmental, institutional, and even global contexts. The winning team, led by Prof Yolande Heymans, includes Prof Jessica Pool, Prof Anita Lubbe, Prof Christmal Christmals, Dr Christiaan Bekker and Dr Christo Bisschoff.

Their award-winning work focuses on the compulsory second-year module Understanding the World of Health (WVGW 222). This philosophy-based module is taught by a multidisciplinary team representing diverse healthcare disciplines, campuses, and research interests. The module was designed to model the collaborative practices expected in healthcare, thereby preparing students with competencies that extend beyond disciplinary knowledge.

Award-Winning Teaching Excellence

5. Research in Health Professions Education

Our research is grounded in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) while also reflecting the expertise of our academic team:

• Prof Jessica Pool – SoTL, mentorship, and the academic as a professional university lecturer.
• Prof Yolande Heymans – Teaching and learning methods in higher education, team-based learning, and e-learning.
• Prof Christmal Christmal – Clinical education, health professions education, and human resources for health policy.
• Prof Anitia Lubbe – Assessment, feedback literacy, and self-directed learning in health professions education.

Our research informs evidence-based practices and contributes to national and international discourse in health professions education.