Postgraduate Certificate Teaching in Higher Education
The Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (PCTHE) is a one-year part-time course delivered by a team from the Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development (OCSLD) and other colleagues with a broad range of experience in adult, further and higher education.
The course is validated by Oxford Brookes as a postgraduate award carrying 60 M-level credits. Upon completion, staff can use the award to apply for membership of the Higher Education Academy which is the professional organisation concerned with teaching in Higher Education. This is a long-established and well-respected course that forms part of the 'First Three Years' programme - a support package for new academic staff at Brookes.
Aims
- To widen your repertoire of and competence in teaching and assessment methods
- To support you with teaching problems you face
- To increase your understanding of teaching and learning processes so that you can make appropriate and informed decisions about course design, teaching, learning and assessment methods
- To foster the habits of reflective teaching and of professionalism in evaluating and improving teaching
- To foster the development of a scholarly and research-based approach to teaching and learning in higher education
- To help you become a more skilled and scholarly teacher of your discipline
Oxford Brookes staff
The course is designed specifically for academic staff in higher education and is compulsory for Brookes staff appointed at 0.5 (or more) of a teaching post with a contract of 12 or more months, who have less than five years teaching experience. Most of the course participants work at Oxford Brookes University or one of its partnership organisations.
External applicants
Each year a number of external applicants are welcomed onto the course. If you are not a member of staff at Oxford Brookes the fee for the course is £1,500 for the year.
Modes of study
The course is designed to be flexible and offers choice in its structure and delivery. There are a variety of modes of study with taught sessions combined with online activities, tutorial support and independent study. A proportion of the activities and group tasks are delivered via Brookes Virtual so you may complete some of the course at times and in places of your own choosing.
Course structure
The course structure is modular with two compulsory modules:
P70405 ‘Learning and Teaching in Higher Education’ (20 credits) aims to give an introduction to pedagogical practice, theory, and scholarship and offers a range of practical teaching and assessment strategies.
P70406 ‘Evaluating and Investigating your Teaching in Higher Education’ (40 credits) is focused on evaluating and investigating pedagogy. You will be required to explore learning and teaching in your disciplines more deeply and to engage in evaluating your own practice.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the PCTHE, you will be able to:
- Plan and design a teaching programme or scheme of work from a course outline, document or syllabus
- Apply and critically evaluate a wide and appropriate range of learning activities, using a mix of tutor observation, student feedback and self reflection
- Monitor and critically examine the way you provide support to students on academic and pastoral issues
- Use a wide and appropriate range of formative and summative assessment techniques to support student learning and to record student achievement
- Investigate an issue linked to teaching in your discipline and show the resultant changes in your practice
Course values
These objectives will be informed and underpinned by the following values:
- Respect for individual learners
- Commitment to incorporating the process and outcomes of relevant research, scholarship and/or professional practice
- Commitment to development of learning communities
- Commitment to encouraging participation in higher education, acknowledging diversity and promoting equality of opportunity
- Commitment to continuing professional development and evaluation of practice
Accredited prior learning
The majority of participants who enrol for the Postgraduate Certificate Teaching in Higher Education will need to complete the whole course. However, participants who hold a recognised teaching qualification other than in the higher education context and have Qualified Teacher Status may be eligible to apply for credit towards the award.
Further information
Please contact Roy Grant on 01865 485852 or email: rgrant@brookes.ac.uk