Learning and Teaching in Higher Education PgCert
Why choose this course?
This course has been designed to be a practical, work-based course in learning, teaching and assessment in higher education. This course is ideal if you want to develop your teaching in line with the current demands and opportunities in higher education teaching and learning. The course is fully delivered online, making it especially appealing for busy in-service teachers who are pressed for time.
The course is designed for those already employed by institutions that deliver higher or further education. It is aimed at individuals who teach and have fewer than three years full time teaching experience or who are involved in supporting learning, such as librarians, learning technologists, academic developers, skills advisers and technicians.
This course would also benefit anyone in these roles who wishes to strengthen or refresh their understanding and knowledge of learning and teaching. Our tutors are educationalists and specialise in online learning, in addition to being active researchers in higher education studies.
After successful completion of the course, you will gain the PGCert Award (60 credits at level 7) and the coursework itself is closely aligned with the required materials and evidence for applying for recognition Fellowship of HEA (at Fellowship level).
| Mode | Duration | Attendance | Start date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online | 1 year | Online course | September 2023 |
| Online | 1 year | Online course |
February 2024 September 2024 |
| Location | Online |
Reasons to choose Kingston University
- This state-of-the-art designed online course will help progress your career in higher education.
- You will experience active learning and study different teaching methods, learning ways to facilitate active learning and involve your students fully and responsibly.
- Our tutors are educationalists and specialise in online learning and Learning Design, in addition to being active researchers in higher education studies.
What you will study
The course comprises two modules each lasting 19 weeks (16 weeks of structured learning and three weeks of assessment preparation) that contextualise your teaching experiences within the wider issues, such as classroom teaching, curriculum design, learning environment, student learning. Within each module, you will critically examine, reflect upon and develop your professional practice in teaching and supporting learning in higher and further education.
Given the interactive nature of the course, it is important that from the beginning you see the teachers as facilitators on the course, but not the primary source of knowledge. Independent reading and reflection on books, online journals, internet articles, and collaboration with your colleagues and mentor will all contribute to your learning. Your success on the course will be achieved by making full use of all these resources and integrating them in ways which show that your teaching is aligned with the principles of active learning.
Modules
Core modules
Active Learning in Teaching Practice
30 credits
This module offers participants the opportunity to examine, reflect upon and develop their professional practice in teaching and supporting learning in HE. The main focus will be on how students learn and participants will examine their practice in relation to a range of ideas drawn from different subject disciplines and scholarship in the field of learning and teaching.
Active Learning in Curriculum Design
30 credits
This module offers participants the opportunity to examine, reflect upon and develop their practice in three broad areas - curriculum design and development, assessment and feedback and quality assurance and quality enhancement.
Entry requirements
Teaching and assessment
Who teaches this course?
The course is taught by a core team of educationalists who specialise in different aspects of higher education studies. Specialisms include academic identities, critical thinking, curriculum design, the link between teaching and research, the quality of digital learning and ways to empower you to think critically and reflectively through technology.
Each member of the team is therefore a research practitioner, that is to say, somebody who embeds research into his or her practice, whilst researching this very practice. In addition to these, a number of academic and academic-related staff (from Kingston University, London and externally) will be involved in the teaching and supervisory activities to give you a varied and fulfilling learning experience.
Current research in this area
- Critical thinking/Critical pedagogy
- Links between teaching and research
- Technology enhanced pedagogies/Technology enhanced learning
- Learning design
Course fees and funding
Additional costs
Depending on the programme of study, there may be extra costs that are not covered by tuition fees which students will need to consider when planning their studies. Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessment and operating University facilities such as the library, access to shared IT equipment and other support services. Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees.
Where a course has additional expenses, we make every effort to highlight them. These may include optional field trips, materials (e.g. art, design, engineering), security checks such as DBS, uniforms, specialist clothing or professional memberships.
After you graduate
The course enables you to make the most of your career as a teacher and/or facilitator in higher or further education. The award of a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education is recognised by most universities in the UK, and increasingly internationally, as a necessary qualification for teaching in higher education institutions. It also provides an entry point to a career in education research, up to 30 credits from this course are transferable to the MRes Education.
Accreditation
The course is designed around the Higher Education Academy UK Professional Standard Framework (HEA UKPSF). The participants who successfully complete the course will have a portfolio of coursework closely aligned to requirements for recognition of Fellowship of the HEA (FHEA), and should they wish they can apply with HEA directly for FHEA recognition.
Course changes and regulations
The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Course changes explained.
Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.
Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.
