Individual professional development

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate a commitment to your own development as an HE professional with specific regard to learning, teaching and assessment.
2. Illustrate how your own personal context for learning & teaching in HE is influenced by local and national (or international) quality frameworks.
3. Critique key principles, learning theories, pedagogical approaches and scholarly literature and examine the influence these can and should have on your practice.
4. Design, plan and carry out small scale action research to evaluate and enhance your own practice in Learning & teaching in HE.
5. Reflect upon and plan for your own continuing professional development in line with the UKPSF.

The PGcert (online) will be delivered by EDS staff and online via the VLE – Moodle and Xerte - (with some face-to-face support from faculty link tutors – particularly during Part 2) using a mixture of:

• Written and video materials
• Online articles and journals (all accessible through the VLE or the Web)
• Online quizzes
• Oline discussions forums
• Online wikis
• Online tutorials.

The course is undertaken as a cohort of learners engaged in collaborative learning rather than a traditional individual distance model. Cohorts will be made up of colleagues from across a range of partner institutions fostering a sense of community and embracing the diversity of provision.

Structure

Will be a ‘chunked’ approach of bite-sized online lectures, activities, tasks and forums – where certain aspects of the course need to be completed before access is granted to the next part.

Indicative Content

The course is broken up into 3 Units (roughly 1 Unit per term)

Unit 1 (Approx. Jan to April)

• Theoretical exploration of teaching, learning, pedagogy, behaviour management, assessment and feedback
• Academic writing and referencing

Unit 2 (Approx. May to July)

• Experiencing and reflecting on academic practice in local context (including design and delivery of learning activities, assessment and feedback; exploring student diversity and institution/faculty/school regulations and practices)
• Exploring ideas, solutions and implementations for enhancement and innovation of practice
• Sharing experiences and ideas with the wider community
• Giving and receiving peer feedback
• Student Engagement
• Link Tutor to undertake a ‘Monitoring Visit’ during this Unit

Note: As the PGCert develops faculties/schools may want to provide the students (staff) with greater direction in terms of specific activities and tasks in relation to their discipline/subject area – which will be organised and monitored

Unit 3 (Approx. Sept to Dec)

• Action Research and Innovation of Practice

Content

Areas covered will generally include (but are not restricted to):

• Theories of Learning (with a focus on Constructivism/Social Constructivism)
• Teaching and learning approaches
• Humanist/Student-Centred Approaches to pedagogy
• Flipped and Blended approaches to learning and teaching.
• Innovative uses of learning technologies to promote engagement and inclusivity
• Learning Outcomes, Constructive Alignment and Curriculum Design
• Assessment and Feedback • Inclusive Teaching practices
• Understanding the diverse range of cultural and educational capital our students bring to their BCU learning journeys
• Empowering students and facilitating growth of Self-Efficacy through Curriculum Design
• How to access, engage with and responsively utilise local level data analytics systems at BCU.
• Analysis of mechanisms and principles for Quality Assurance and Quality Enhancement both at local level and in relation to the ‘big picture’ in the rapidly changing HE sector
• Peer Observation
• Ethics of Researching own practice
• Action research for CPD

Assessment

The assessment consists of the following three components (each component will assess all LOs):

1. Professional Practice Observation (33.3%) - Observation of a classroom-based session demonstrating the design and delivery of teaching, learning opportunities and assessment within the subject discipline of the apprentice – to be completed by a Link Tutor or senior colleague. A formal record of the observation will be submitted – a format will be provided)
2. Professional Video Presentation (33.3%) - focusing upon the student’s ability to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills relating to effective teaching and learning practice. (Students will answer a set of provided questions within their presentation).
3. Written Submission (33.3%) - comprising a 3000 words (+/- 10%) reflective journal and a 4500 words (+/- 10% or equivalent) set of 10 pieces of evidence demonstrating the knowledge, understanding and skills required by their role in teaching, learning and assessment

Note: All marking/assessment of PGCert assignments will be carried out by EDS staff under standard postgraduate university regulations. Successful candidates will receive a PGCert HE and (once fees are paid) FHEA status.

Entry Requirements

A first degree (BA, BSc, etc.) or equivalent practice experience

In employment in a learning and teaching capacity in an international partner institution, with responsibility for:

• Regular contact with BCU registered HE students
• Responsibility for assessment
• Responsibility for curriculum design and/or delivery in HE

Standard University entry requirements (i.e. English language competencies)

Having attended and successfully completed the following SEDA accredited courses:

• Introduction to Learning and Teaching in Higher Education