Postgraduate certificate in teaching in higher education (PCTHE)

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  • The Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (PCTHE) is a part-time, flexible course that can be taken over 12, 18 or 24 months in blended or online learning format. The course is 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 University 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. The PCTHE is also accredited to the MA Education Higher Education. The PCTHE 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 three 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 then a fee applies.  Please contact us for the current fee.   

    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 online so you may complete some of the course at times and in places of your own choosing.

    Course structure

    The 60 credit (30 ECTS) programme consists of one compulsory 40 credit module and 20 credits to be taken from three alternative modules.

    Code and mode Module Title Credits Status Semester of delivery

    P70405

    blended learning, both face-to-face and online

    		 Learning and teaching in higher education 20

    Compulsory (may be waived with credit for prior learning)


    note: p70405 is excluded in combinations with P70407&8

    		 Offered in S1; or S2, or by agreement with an external client

    P70409

    face-to-face, work-based learning sets; private online option

    Reflection and enquiry in higher education

    Module description (PDF)

    		 40

    Compulsory


    Prerequisite: P70405 or AP(E)L 

    		 Runs over two semesters. Starts in S1 and concludes in S2


  • 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
    1. Respect individual learners and diverse learning communities
    2. Promote participation in higher education and equality of opportunity for learners
    3. Use evidence informed approaches and the outcomes from research and scholarship and continuing professional development
    4. Acknowledge the wider context in which higher education operates recognising the implications for professional practice.
    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.