Effects of PostGraduate Certificates

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Effects of Post-Graduate Certificates
The effects of postgraduate certificates in
teaching and learning in higher education Mark
Warnes INSPIRE Anglia Ruskin University
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• Project Summary
• The full title of the project is The effects of
  postgraduate certificates in teaching and
  learning in higher education and explores how
  effective PGCs are in assisting new staff to
  become lecturers.
• Participants are invited to complete an initial
  postal questionnaire, an online survey, a
  telephone interview and a further questionnaire
  at the end of the course.
• The project draws on qualitative and quantitative
  data drawn from seven participating HE
  institutions and provides a valuable insight into
  the implementation of PGCs.

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• Data Collection Stage 1
• Initial Questionnaire EPGC3
• EPGC1 combined Participant Information Sheet
  and Consent Form
• EPGC3 initial Questionnaire
• Sent to HEIs on 12 October 2006
• 85 responses

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• Data Collection Stage 2
• Online Questionnaire
• In-house hosted on Anglia Ruskin server
• Will use Survey Monkey in future
• Administered in March 2007
• 28 responses

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• Data Collection Stage 2

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• Data Collection Stage 3
• Telephone Interviews
• Administered by researcher at University of
  Hertfordshire
• Interviews took place during June 2007
• 7 responses

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• Data Collection Stage 4
• Final Questionnaire EPGC4
• Administered June / July 2007
• Only four institutions
• 28 responses

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• Findings Stage 1 Initial Questionnaire
• Initial Questionnaire EPGC3
• Interim Report produced May 2007
• Reconstructed Peters tables
• Institution-specific feedback

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• Findings Stage 1 Initial Questionnaire
  (cont.)

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• Findings Stage 1 Initial Questionnaire
  (cont.)

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• Findings Stage 1 Initial Questionnaire
  (cont.)
• Participants ways of developing as a teacher in
  post in higher education (5 very important /
  satisfied)

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• Findings Stage 1 Initial Questionnaire
  (cont.)
• Longitudinal Comparisons

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• Findings Stage 1 Initial Questionnaire
  (cont.)
• Participants expectations of the PGC course

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• Findings Stage 1 Initial Questionnaire
  (cont.)
• Longitudinal Comparisons

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• Findings Stage 2 Online Questionnaire
• Online questionnaire
• 28 responses
• 7 questions
• Unattractive design

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• Findings Stage 2 Online Questionnaire (cont.)
• Question 1 What difference is the course making
  to your thinking about teaching in higher
  education none at all or a lot?
• Big Picture providing a holistic view of
  education
• Theory linking theory and practice
• New ways of thinking innovation and creativity
• Community developing a community of practice

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• Findings Stage 2 Online Questionnaire (cont.)
• Question 2 What difference is the course
  making to your practice as a teacher in higher
  education - none at all or a lot? Can you give
  any brief examples?
• Main themes
• New theories
• Confidence
• Diversity of student body
• Reflective practice

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Findings Stage 2 Online Questionnaire
(cont.) I have had fourteen years experience
before coming here, and I am already a Fellow of
the Higher Education Academy. It is
patronising and arrogant to assume that we have
to do this course. It is really, with its
guest speakers, little more than a long induction
course.
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• Findings Stage 2 Online Questionnaire (cont.)
• Question 3 Are there any unintentional
  outcomes from your participation in this PGC?
  (Are you learning things that were not declared
  to be outcomes in the PGC course guide, handbook
  or programme specification?) If so, what are
  they?
• Networking 10
• Other 9
• No 9

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• Findings Stage 2 Online Questionnaire (cont.)
• Question 4 Are there features of the course
  design or practice that help you to learn about
  teaching in higher education? If so, what are
  they?
• Community of Practice 11
• On-course Models 4
• Reading 4
• Student 2
• Other 8

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• Findings Stage 2 Online Questionnaire (cont.)
• Question 5 Are there features of the course
  design or practice that impede your learning
  about teaching in higher education? If so, what
  are they?
• No 17
• Time 6
• Other 5

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• Findings Stage 2 Online Questionnaire (cont.)
• Question 6 Are there extraneous factors that
  help you to learn about teaching in higher
  education? (For example, experience in another
  institution.) If so, what are they?
• Leading question most answers noted and / or
  described previous experience but no other types
  of responses

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• Findings Stage 2 Online Questionnaire (cont.)
• Question 7 Are there extraneous factors that
  impede your learning about teaching in higher
  education? (For example, timetable clashes.) If
  so, what are they?
• No 10
• Time 15
• Other 3

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• Findings Stage 3 Telephone Interview
• General questions supported above findings
• Questions concerning Online Learning
• VLE as data repository
• Course guide / handouts and guest speakers
  presentations
• Failed and slow connections
• Highlighted concerns about student equipment
• Preference for face-to-face interaction
• Challenging paradigm

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• Findings Stage 4 Final Questionnaire

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Findings Stage 4 Final Questionnaire (cont.)

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• Findings Stage 4 Final Questionnaire
• Strongly Agree 1
• Strongly Disagree 5

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• Interpretations
• Broadly Speaking
• Findings similar to last year
• No significant change in attitude across the
  course
• Doing the job still regarded most effective
• Online learning still regarded as least effective
• Community of Practice very highly regarded
  unanticipated result

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• Next steps
• Current academic year
• Initial Questionnaires already sent to partner
  institutions
• Redesign of online questionnaire
• New questions? (Any suggestions?)
• New partners

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Contact Details Mark Warnes INSPIRE Room 204,
The Eastings Anglia Ruskin University East Road,
Cambridge CB1 1PT Tel [phone] Email
m.warnes_at_anglia.ac.uk