Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

Entry requirements

The minimum entry qualifications for the course are:

• a professionally relevant first degree or equivalent qualification;
• 70 hours teaching per annum; and
• a mentor approved by the course team

Months of entry

February, September

Course content

Why choose this course?
This course is ideally suited for those who wish to develop their 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.

Our course is designed for those already employed by institutions that deliver higher or further education. It is aimed at those who teach and:

have fewer than three years' full-time teaching experience or
are involved in supporting learning (such as librarians, learning technologists, academic developers, skills advisers, 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).

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.