Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Development in Higher Education PGCPD

1
5th Annual Learning and Teaching Conference
28th June 2005
Postgraduate Certificate in Professional
Development in Higher Education (PGCPD)
Accredited by
and
Andy Cornwell Head of Informal Continuing
Education
2
NEWI - Context

• F/T students 2,700 P/T students 2,200
• 250 Academic Staff
• Two campuses Plas Coch North Wales School of
  Art Design
• 3 Academic Subject Clusters 2 Schools
• Education, Sport Lifelong Learning
• Art, Design Humanities
• Technology, Computing Sciences
• School of Health Social Care
• Wrexham Business School

3
Links to NEWIs Policies

• NEWI Strategic Plan 2003 - 2008
• Excellence in learning and teaching
• HR Policy completion of PGCPD for
• those with less than 3 years experience
  
• of HE teaching Probationary condition
• Professional Development Planning
• and ISDR
• Learning and Teaching Strategy
• Enhancing quality of learning, teaching and
  assessment
• Scholarship of Learning and Teaching
• Peer Observation
• Membership of HE Academy

4
Aims of PGCPD

• to ensure that participants have demonstrated
  teaching competence by applying and adapting
  theoretical conceptual frameworks in response to
  the changing context within the higher education
  sector
• to promote autonomous learning within the
  boundaries of professional practice
• to promote reflective practice by engaging higher
  education teachers in professional development
  and critical review of learning, teaching,
  assessment and evaluative procedures and
  processes
• to encourage critical scrutiny and broaden
  understanding of the institutional, national and
  international contextual developments impacting
  upon higher education

5
Who the PGCPD is for?

• Inexperienced and experienced lecturers
  and
• associated staff who teach within the
  HE sector
• Part-time staff
• Associated staff involved in supporting
  students
• via such units as Information and
  Student
• Services
• Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) and
  other
• post-graduate assistants who are
  required to fulfil
• a teaching commitment
• Staff in FE colleges teaching HE courses

6
Flexibility in delivery

• Accredited programme half-day per week
  over
• 3 terms includes 11 tutorials, etc.
• Accredited route AP(E)L for more
  experienced
• Support for HE Academy membership enrol
  on
• one module to gain tutorial support and
  to
• develop peer observation skills
• Supported by on-line material to enable some
  
• blended learning

7
What is involved?

• Accredited Programme 3 x 20 credit modules
• Reflective Practice in Higher Education
• Learning, Teaching and Assessment
• Policy and Practice in Higher Education
• Accredited Route 1 x 20 credit module
• Reflective Practice in HE module
  comprising
• Peer Observation of Teaching and
• Professional Development Plan (PDP)

8
Challenges

• Variable attendance
• Low completion rate
• Subject pedagogy - enhancing quality of
  mentoring
• Trying to squeeze a quart into a pint pot
• Reduce assessment burden without compromising
  
• quality
• Further development of on-line support
• Encouraging colleagues to share good practice

9
Hindrances to completion

• Concerns regarding performance management
• Inconvenience and work-life balance
• Pressure on staff in small HEI
• Lots of competing priorities
• Insufficient time to undertake tasks
• Additions to and changes of responsibility
• Lack of consistent support from colleagues
• Competing interests Subject discipline vs
  Pedagogic concerns
• Too much flexibility

10
Things that participants have valued

• Reflecting on practice
• Discussion with course members
• Work-focused applications
• Sharing ideas with colleagues
• Tutor responsiveness
• Taught sessions
• Engaging with theory
• Personal reading
• Completing assignments

11
What participants say

• In summary, I cannot place enough emphasis on
  how
• important the PGCPD in HE has been in my
  professional
• development.
• Being able to constantly evaluate my teaching
  in this
• way has definitely made me a better
  teacher.
• My philosophy of teaching has changed
  dramatically
• since embarking on the PGCPD. Prior to the
  course my
• focus was very much on transferring
  information rather
• than thinking about the needs of the
  learner. The PG
• course has made me much more creative in my
  
• teaching and the ways of assessing students
  learning. I
• now engage the students in active learning,
  as opposed
• to a passive lecturing style of
  presentation.

12
What participants say

• Understanding the assessment process has
  revealed
• that far from being an additional burden,
  as often
• perceived by students and lecturers,
  assessment is
• an integral component of the teaching and
  learning
• system, often guiding and enhancing student
  
• learning.
• Building on the work we have done during the
  PGCPD I
• have learned lots about the process of
  teaching, the
• underlying theories and strategies for doing
  it effectively. I
• have also learned that teaching is
  complicated, but that its
• OK for teachers to experiment, get things
  wrong and do
• things differently, as we enhance and
  improve what we do.

13
Some on going questions?

• How do we hear and recognise the needs
  for those that find it difficult to complete?
• What can we do to help support those who
  find it difficult to complete?
• How can partnerships between Institution,
  ASCs / Schools and Subject Areas be enhanced
  to encourage completion of awards?

CONTACT a.cornwell_at_newi.ac.uk