Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (Academic Professional) PgCert

Course overview:

This Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (Academic Professional) apprenticeship route has been developed to meet the professional development needs of practitioners who are new to teaching and supporting learning roles in higher education. It is a work-based course that provides extensive training and work experience in both the core elements of the apprenticeship and in the specialist route for teaching.

Students come from a range of institutions and this offers you the opportunity for collaborative work and discussion. You can take up to 24 months to complete the course and the majority of your learning will be based on your own teaching practice.

The apprenticeship standard and assessment plan are aligned to the current editions of the Higher Education Academy UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF). A successful apprentice who meets the requirements for the specialist teaching role will be eligible for professional recognition as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. More about the UKPSF. It comprises four descriptors that incorporate a comprehensive set of professional standards and guidelines for everyone involved in teaching and supporting learning in HE.

How you learn:

While studying the academic professional route you are entitled to an allocation of at least 20% of your normal work-time for academic study, which is agreed with your employer. You study this course on a part-time basis, however your programme includes elements delivered using distance learning, blended learning and there are initial blocks of teaching for each module. All modules include work-based elements and application of theory to practice.

The course is managed and taught by principal and senior lecturers who all hold either fellowship or senior fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.

How you are assessed:

You are provided with course and module guides containing comprehensive information about your assessments. You complete a portfolio for each module. However these will differ in content in order to reflect the different purpose of each module. You then use some of the content from these portfolios to develop three further assessment tasks to satisfy the end-point assessment of the academic professional route you are studying.

Career opportunities:

Participants on the course can progress to the MA Education.