Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice in Higher Education

The Programme is designed to meet the needs of HE Lecturers at the University of Leicester and beyond. The needs and aspirations of staff working in a research-intensive institution are addressed through the programme’s interplay between theoretical insights and practical suggestions for improving teaching performance.

A lecturer The course also addresses contextual and professional issues that are essential in order to enhance the University’s position as ‘a leading research and teaching institution, cultivating the synergy between research and teaching’, for the benefits of both students and staff.

This programme is aimed at lecturing staff of the University with less than three years’ experience. However, other learning support staff who undertake a substantial amount of teaching (30 hours or more in an academic year) and who also carry out the full range of learning, teaching and assessment activities (e.g. designing and planning learning activities/programmes of study, assessment of students’ work and giving feedback, student support and guidance) may be able to register for this programme if places are available.

The Programme's Aims are to:

Enable you to develop personally and professionally across the range of your academic roles (learning and teaching; research; management, administration and leadership) in ways relevant to your existing and future needs and responsibilities
Encourage a reflective and scholarly approach to the study and practice of academic roles
Inculcate an awareness of the values (e.g. intellectual openness and breadth, confidentiality, respect for diversity, for individual learners and for colleagues) underpinning academic practice
Encourage you to develop a capacity for reflection on your practice and to embrace the notion of continued professional development
Provide access routes to Fellowship with the Higher Education Academy

Pre-Course: Introduction for Lecturers New to Teaching in Higher Education

This two-day programme is strongly recommended for all new members of lecturing staff with less than one year's experience of teaching in Higher Education and recommended for those with up to 3 years' experience. N.B. Postgraduate students who are beginning teaching should, in the first instance, contact the Postgraduate Researcher Development Team.

For more information, please see: Introduction for Lecturers New to Teaching in HE

Admission to the PG Certificate Course

Applicants should be graduates or equivalent, holding a position in a higher education institution, and be involved in teaching/supporting learning for at least 30 hours in each academic year. Applicants may be accepted from other HEIs, but preference for places will be given to University of Leicester staff.

Some applicants will be required to participate in Module A of the course as part of the requirements of probation for an academic post. If you are in this position and want to talk about what is required of you, or if you think that you qualify for full or partial exemption on account of (a) your prior experience of teaching and/or (b) your participation in an analogous programme in another institution, please contact Course Director, Derek Cox or the Convenor of Module A, Lynnette Matthews (see below).

The Certificate consists of two phases:

PHASE ONE	PHASE TWO
Phase One consists of one 40 credit Module: Module A - Teaching, Learning, and Assessment in Theory and Practice	Phase Two consists of one 20 credit Module chosen from four options: Module B - Curriculum Design Development & Delivery Module C - Small-scale Project Module D - E-Learning Resource Development & Student Support Module E- Building Research Capacity

MODULE A: Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Theory and Practice [40 credits]

(Leading to Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy)

Recruits each semester, with September and January intakes.

Dates:

Semester 1, 2011-2012
The programme commenced on Tuesday 20 September 2011
Semester 2, 2011-2012
The programme commenced on Monday 23 January 2012

Module A is a requirement of probation for most new teaching staff.

This module introduces colleagues to the key theoretical aspects of learning that underpin teaching practices and seeks to highlight the links between the literature and good teaching practice in the context of Higher Education. Through interactive workshops participants will explore the various activities involved in teaching to support student learning, including assessment, grading work and giving feedback as well as classroom practice. Participants will also have the opportunity to foster reflective practice skills to evaluate and develop their teaching performance within their disciplines throughout the module.

Areas that will be addressed include:

Theories of learning
Designing teaching
Exploring practices in the disciplines
The purpose and principles of educational assessment
Assessment methods and designing assessment strategies
Feedback and grading issues
Diversity issues in Higher Education
Professional values and continued professional development

The course is supported by Blackboard, the University’s VLE. This provides access to a wide range of materials used on the course and to develop experience of participating in on-line activities.

Participants wishing to complete the full qualification after successfully achieving Module A need to undertake an additional 20-credit module from the list below. Click on the links for more information.