PG Cert in Learning & Teaching in HE

PG Cert in Learning & Teaching in HE

"This course has been the beginning of a journey of enlightenment for me! ... In school I was awarded an excellent by OFSTED, however, the move to university work has led to a shift in my perception as to what good teaching is."

    - Previous Student

DATES FOR 2011/12

MEDD4144:
Thursday 22nd September 2011, room WB139
Friday 23rd September 2011, room WB139
Tuesday 17th January 2012, room EEG020

MEDD4142:
Thursday 19th January 2012, room EE1102
Friday 20th January 2012, room EE2010
Monday 21st May 2012, room EE1102

MEDD4143 (for 2010 cohort):
Monday 12th September 2011, room EEG131
Tuesday 13th September 2011, room EEG131
Tuesday 20th December 2011, room EEG131

 

Support Lunches 2011/12

All support lunches run 12.15pm – 2.15pm

Thursday 10th November 2011, EEG131
Friday 2nd December 2011, EE2010
Wednesday 21st December 2011, EEG027
Thursday 12th January 2012, EEG119

 

Please book your place using the online system - this will help for catering and will also give you a record of what you have attended.

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 PG Cert meets level 2 of the UK Professional Standards for Teachers in HE. Completion of the first module of the programme, ‘MEDD4144: Supporting Student Learning’, demonstrates attainment of level 1 of the Standards.  The PG Cert is accredited by both the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) and the Higher Education Academy.  The PG Cert is accredited as the learning teaching and assessment SEDA named award and at Fellowship level with the HE Academy. The module ‘MEDD4144: Supporting Student Learning’ provides Associate Fellowship with the HE Academy specifically for those for whom learning and teaching is a smaller part of their role in HE.

"Engagement with the PG Certificate course and, in particular, the APEL process for 4144, has been highly beneficial in enabling me to gain not only an enhanced understanding of my current practice, and development needs, but has also given me a different perspective on assessment. ...  I have become aware of an exciting array of potential changes to my practice which can be explored ...  to further promote student engagement and empowerment."

    - Previous Student

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 9 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.  The modules are assessed in a variety of ways, which give you the opportunity to reflect on different aspects of yor higher education teaching.

"My personal and professional development has been vast over the last 18 months.  It was not until writing these reflective portfolios that I realised the scale of this development."     

    - Previous Student

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 Diploma or 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.