Associate Teachers course

• Information sheet for applicants 2011-2012 (pdf 63KB)
• Applicant Profile for the Associate Teacher (AT) (word doc 174KB)

The Associate Teachers course (AT) is an introductory teaching course designed for the University’s part-time teachers, known as associate teachers. These may be graduate teaching assistants, hourly-paid staff, sessional teachers or those who support learners in departments such as the Library and Computer Services.

The AT course has been designed to address the fundamentals of teaching and learning in higher education practice for teaching staff new to teaching in higher education. It offers a basic introduction to the field of teaching, learning and assessment, grounded in pedagogic research, and a range of activities designed to link theory to practice.

Your practice as a teacher in Higher Education will provide the basis on which you will be asked to present, discuss, and critically evaluate. You will therefore need to have at least 50 hours of concurrent teaching (including marking and preparation time) in tertiary education in order to benefit fully from the course experience.

The course is validated by Oxford Brookes as a 20 credit level-M single module P70405 ‘Learning and Teaching in Higher Education’. It is also accredited by the Higher Education Academy and participants may apply for recognition as an Associate of the Higher Education Academy (AHEA) on successful completion of the module. An Associate Teachers Attendance Certificate is issued to those who attend fully but do not wish to gain the credits for this course.

Course aims

This module is designed to:

• help you become a more skilled teacher within your discipline
• widen your repertoire of teaching, learning and assessment methods
• increase your understanding of teaching and learning processes so that you can make appropriate and informed decisions
• promote reflective teaching as a means to evaluate and improve teaching practices
• support you in responding to real teaching incidents

Organised sessions and activities cover topics on teaching methods including blended approaches, student learning, assessment, curriculum design, personal tutoring, teaching inclusively and evaluation. The course also employs and models a range of approaches to learning and teaching to help participants develop a critical and informed awareness of the strengths and limitations of a range of strategies.

Oxford Brookes staff

The University has, for many years, required anyone who teaches for 50 or more hours a year at Oxford Brookes (including marking and preparation time) to attend relevant course workshops; others are invited to do so. Oxford Brookes also has a number of postgraduate students who are required to teach as part of their funding arrangements and therefore need to attend this course.

For those who have only limited or periodic teaching responsibilities, OCSLD invites attendance of at least two of the topics of the AT course, depending on the nature of your teaching context, and provides an attendance certificate called First Steps into Teaching in Higher Education.

External applicants

Most of the course participants work at Oxford Brookes University or one of its partnership organisations. However, each year a number of external applicants are welcomed onto the course.

Modes of study

There are a variety of modes of study with taught sessions combined with online activities, practical exercises, tutorial support and independent study. A proportion of the activities and group tasks are delivered via Brookes Virtual so that you may complete some of the course at times and in places of your own choosing.

Learning outcomes

Having completed this module successfully, you will be able to:

• Knowledge and understanding:
  • Design and implement learning activities appropriate to your chosen Higher Education context.
  • Demonstrate a theoretical understanding of student learning and student development.
  • Critically evaluate the impact of your teaching practice.
• Disciplinary/professional skills:
  • Take a scholarly approach to your teaching and learning practice in higher education
  • Monitor and review your contribution to the support of student learning, in the context of departmental and institutional policies and practices
• Transferable skills:
  • Identify your continuing professional development strengths, needs and aspirations within higher education
  • Learn independently and self-critically, including making professional and effective use of others where appropriate
  • Reflect on your higher education practice and on yourself as a practitioner

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

Progression to higher awards

The Associate Teacher course provides an entry route to the Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (PCTHE) (MU61). Credits may be used towards the award up to five years from certification of the work.