Qualifications in the Management of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
This page contains information on:
- The Postgraduate Certificate
- Postgraduate Diploma and MA in the Management of Learning and Teaching
- Graduate Tutors' Induction Programme
- Professional recognition and the Higher Education Academy
The Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma both fall under the aegis of the Pro-Warden (Students and Learning Development) at Goldsmiths. The Postgraduate Certificate was accredited in 2006. These programmes have an innovative international curriculum and are designed for anyone working in Higher Education. To find out more, contact the administrator, Esther Saxey (020 7919 7332). They are exit qualifications, and so where relevant are awarded to qualifying students who do not go on to work towards the MA.
Postgraduate Certificate
This is a part-time programme for staff who teach in Higher Education. There are no fees for staff teaching at Goldsmiths (for a minimum amount of time over the course of an academic year – contact us to check your eligibility).
The PG Certificate allows participants to improve their teaching by exploring learning and teaching theory and reflecting on their own practice. Qualifications equivalent to the PG Cert have developed in the last decade, and are offered in many Universities. Goldsmiths’ PG Certificate is accredited by the Higher Education Academy.
We would like in particular to reach:
- recently appointed academic staff who are new to full-time teaching
- research students at Goldsmiths who currently have teaching duties
- visiting tutors
- teachers in fractional posts
Staff with substantial teaching experience (at Goldsmiths or elsewhere) are also welcome on the programme; reflecting on teaching practice and theory can profitably happen at any stage of a teaching career.
What does it involve?
The programme is made up of four modules, each worth 15 credits: Introduction to Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Higher Education; Approaches to Learning and Teaching in Higher Education; Developing as a Reflective Practitioner; Academic Practitioner Research. This will total around 60 contact hours over the two years of the programme. Independent study will also be required. The programme is mainly delivered through intensive all-day sessions, out of term time, with lectures, small-group discussions and one-to-one tutoring, and an emphasis on peer support. The contact hours are delivered by a range of academic staff, and the programme is coordinated by Mary Claire Halvorson, Director of Professional Development.
How is it assessed?
Each module is assessed by a 2000 word piece of writing. In addition, to receive the PG Certificate, you will need to have had two sessions of teaching observation.
Postgraduate Diploma and MA in the Management of Learning and Teaching
The Postgraduate Diploma level consists of two 30 credit modules. One is a core module – Innovative Curriculum Development – addressing course design, international curriculum, disciplinary curriculum management models, transferable skills and quality assurance and evaluation. The other module is chosen from three options delivered by the Department of Educational Studies (Diaspora, Race, Culture and Education, Masculinities, Femininities and Identities in Education or Researching Culture, Language and Identity in Education).
The MA level consists of a 12000 word dissertation on a topic related to the management of learning and teaching in higher education, decided by the student in agreement with the course coordinator.
Graduate Tutors' Induction Programme
This non-accredited course is designed by the Goldsmiths Learning Enhancement Unit (GLEU) for research students who are approaching teaching on courses in Goldsmiths for the first time. The induction takes place over one day, normally at the beginning of each academic year (contact e.saxey@gold.ac.uk for venue and timing information).
Induction is intended to be accompanied by mentoring and observation in the department in which you are contracted to work.
You will need to organise these latter sessions with your Head of Department or his or her delegate. Expect to observe two or three seminar sessions over the year, more if that can be arranged. There is no substitute for watching experienced colleagues work. You are strongly advised to see out these opportunities and talk to fellow practitioners about the mechanics of teaching and learning.
You should also have at least one of your classes observed by an experienced lecturer. This should be followed by an informal discussion which reflects on your performance in a constructive way and the extent to which your students have engaged.
Please note: this programme does not qualify you to teach. It provides support for your first teaching experiences in HE. The aims are to give participants:
- opportunities to discuss classroom preparation
- opportunities to discuss classroom dynamics
- opportunities to discuss educational theory
- opportunities to discuss assessment
- an overview of some key College policies
- an overview of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
Should you wish to develop your professional profile further you may want to consider enrolling for the Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching, a GLEU programme open to postgraduate students who are teaching 10 hours a year or more as well as part-time and permanent members of the teaching staff.
Professional recognition and the Higher Education Academy
The HEA recognition scheme contributes towards the professionalisation of teaching by conferring the status of Associate Fellow, Fellow, Senior Fellow or Principal Fellow.
The scheme is closely referenced to the UK Professional Standards Framework. There are many benefits to gaining recognition as an Academy Fellow:
- It provides national recognition of your commitment to professionalism in teaching and learning in higher education.
- It demonstrates that your practice is aligned with the UK PSF.
- It provides an indicator of professional identity for higher education practitioners, including the entitlement to use post-nominal letters.
AFHEA – Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
FHEA – Fellows of the Higher Education Academy
SFHEA - Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
PFHEA – Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy - It is a portable asset, that has UK-wide relevance and which is increasingly recognised by higher and further education institutions.
The HEA website has information about application at http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/professional-recognition. GLEU can advise on your application. Contact gleu@gold.ac.uk.