PG Cert in Learning and Teaching in HE

PG Cert in Learning and Teaching in HE

DATES FOR 2010/11

MEDD4144:
23rd September 2010, room CC004
24th September 2010, room CC004 and
18th January 2011, room SS008

MEDD4142:
20th January 2011, room HBG006
21st January 2011, room HBG006 and
19th May 2011, room SS008

MEDD4143
13th September 2010, room SS009
15th September 2010, room SS009 and
11th January 2011, room CH2006

2009/2010 Dates

MEDD4144 [SEDA 1] Supporting Student Learning in HE

5th November 2009, EE2013
6th November 2009, EE2013
7th January 2010, EE2015

MEDD4142 [SEDA 2] Learning Teaching and Assessment in HE

20th January 2010, EE2015
22nd January 2010, EE2010
13th May 2010, EE2013

MEDD4143 [SEDA 3] Introduction to Academic Practice [for Sept 2008 registrations]

11th September 2009, EE2009
12th January 2010, EE1102

MEDD4144e [eSEDA 1] Supporting student learning in HE.
The on-line version of this module will start via Blackboard on 2nd November 2009.

 

Support Lunches

Support Lunches for Semester 1, 2010/11 are to be arranged.

 

Colleagues should apply and register for the programme in the normal way through registry student admissions.  You can download a pdf application form here.

Study days run 9.15am - 4.15pm unless otherwise stated.

The PGCert for University of Worcester Staff
All staff employed by the University of Worcester, or who teach on University of Worcester accredited courses, can  undertake this programme free of charge. Other HE practitioners can also register for the programme and should consult Registry Admissions at Worcester to discuss the fee structure. Completion of the PGCert is compulsory for new inexperienced academic staff at Worcester. University of Worcester staff undertaking the programme are entitled to some time allowance to complete the programme. Please register with student admissions at the University before the start of the programme in early September.

Entry Requirements
You will normally have the following:
• A first or second class honours degree
• Current and ongoing experience of supporting the learning of HE students
• Current experience, or anticipated experience during the period of the programme, of curriculum and assessment design at HE level.

The Course
The Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education is designed specifically for:
• HE lecturers, tutors and academics
• Those supporting HE in an FE setting
• Anyone working in HE, whose role includes significant responsibility for supporting student learning.

It is a part-time experiential work-based learning programme that takes place alongside, and complements, employment supporting HE student learning. The 3 modules provide an opportunity for programme participants to gain knowledge, understanding and capabilities in learning, teaching, assessment and academic practice.  The programme seeks to develop practitioners with clear professional values, who understand teaching as facilitating learning and who are constantly seeking to improve their practice in a reflective and theoretically informed way.

Course Aims and Benefits
The programme aims are to:
• Provide support in any learning, teaching and assessment problems you face
• Promote a student-centred approach
• Increase your understanding of the learning process so you can make informed decisions about course design and teaching methods
• Foster your reflective practice
• Support your development as a skilled teacher researcher and scholar
• Encourage your engagement with policy, strategy and quality considerations
• Enhance your career management

Completion of the PGCert meets level 2 of the UK Professional Standards for Teachers in HE. Completion of the first module of the programme, ‘Supporting Student Learning’, demonstrates attainment of level 1 of the Standards.  The PGCert is accredited by both the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) and the Higher Education Academy.  The certificate is accredited as a full SEDA certificate and at Fellowship level with the HEAcademy. The module ‘Supporting Student Learning’ provides SEDA associate accreditation and Associate Fellowship with the HE Academy specifically for those for whom learning and teaching is a smaller part of their role in HE.

Experienced Lecturers and Staff 
All members of the course team are experienced tutors who engage in pedagogic research and have received recognition for their excellent HE teaching. The course leader’s inspirational teaching and educational development was recognised in 2001 by the award of a National Teaching Fellowship. He has served on the executive and as a director of SEDA and has a national reputation for research and scholarship on learning and teaching in HE.

Learning, Teaching and Assessment 
The course believes that learning is best when it is active, and seeks to build understanding on the basis of individuals relating theory to their experience and when that understanding is shared, developed and tested through collaboration.  The programme is supported  through a series of 8 interactive study days. These offer the chance to experience and discuss a variety of learning activities. Regular lunchtime support sessions, e-learning materials, as well as peer, mentor and line manager support all feed into the learning of the programme. Each module is assessed by a portfolio based on your work facilitating learning in HE. Each portfolio will demonstrate your engagement with the values of the programme and the specific learning outcomes of the module.  The portfolios require a reflective commentary, linking examples of your developing practice, through critical reflection, to relevant theory and research. However the majority of the material in the portfolio will be work you complete as a normal part of your teaching or learning support role.

Experience Counts
Prior experience is valued on the PGCert. Those course members who have the equivalent of three years’ full-time experience in a related educational setting can claim accreditation of prior learning against a module towards the certificate.

Time Commitment
The PGCert is awarded on successful completion of 3 modules taught in semesters.  Each module entails approximately 200 hours of study. The modules each include formal mandatory contact time, together with further informal tutorial time.  The remainder is divided between directed and self-directed study.  Most participants complete the PGCert over two years.

Related Courses
It is also possible to go on from the PGCert to obtain a Masters in Higher Education by undertaking further modules with an HE focus or to complete a Masters in Education on the basis of generic modules within the Postgraduate Education Programme.