Learning and Teaching in Higher Education PgCert

Why choose this course?

This course is ideally suited for those who wish to develop their teaching in line with the current demands and opportunities in higher education teaching and learning. The course is fully delivered online, making it especially appealing for busy in-service teachers who are pressed for time. Our course is designed for those already employed by institutions that deliver higher or further education. It is aimed at those who teach and: have fewer than three years' full-time teaching experience or are involved in supporting learning (such as librarians, learning technologists, academic developers, skills advisers, technicians). This course would also benefit anyone in these roles who wishes to strengthen or refresh their understanding and knowledge of learning and teaching. Our tutors are educationalists and specialise in online learning, in addition to being active researchers in higher education studies.

What you will study

The course comprises two modules each lasting 19 weeks (16 weeks of structured learning and three weeks of assessment preparation) that contextualise your teaching experiences within the wider issues, such as classroom teaching, curriculum design, learning environment, student learning. Within each module, you will critically examine, reflect upon and develop your professional practice in teaching and supporting learning in higher and further education. Given the interactive nature of the course, it is important that from the beginning you see the teachers as facilitators on the course, but not the primary source of knowledge. Independent reading and reflection on books, online journals, internet articles, and collaboration with your colleagues and mentor will all contribute to your learning. Your success on the course will be achieved by making full use of all these resources and integrating them in ways which show that your teaching is aligned with the principles of active learning.

Teaching and assessment

The approximate percentage for how you will be assessed on this course is as follows: 100% coursework

After you graduate

This course has been designed to be a practical, work-based course in learning, teaching and assessment in higher education. As such, it prepares you for working as a teacher and/or facilitator in higher or further education. The award of a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education is recognised by most universities in the UK, and increasingly internationally, as necessary qualifications for teaching in higher education institutions. Additionally the course thoroughly prepares you for every success in applying for the status of Fellow of the Higher Education Academy with the Higher Education Academy, a status recognised by most universities in the UK, and increasingly internationally, as necessary/desirable recognition for teaching in higher education institutions.