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Postgraduate Certificate In Academic Practice In Higher Education
In common with most universities in the UK, Leicester provides an in-service training course for academic staff who have less than 3 years’ experience in teaching in higher education. This programme forms part of the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice and it offers an opportunity to engage with theories underlying learning, curriculum and assessment issues, and the professional and practical aspects of teaching in HE today. The aim of the programme is not to prescribe teaching methods, but rather to promote exploration of practices and approaches that can be adopted to ensure effective learning.
The University’s Staffing Committee has agreed that newly appointed staff with less than 3 years’ experience in teaching in HE in the UK should successfully complete Module A of this programme as part of the probationary requirements. Members of staff on appointments of one year or less are encouraged, but not required, to enrol on the Certificate as part of their professional development.
The overall aims of the programme are to:
- Enable participants to develop personally and professionally across the range of their academic roles (learning and teaching; research; management, administration and leadership) in ways relevant to their existing and future needs and responsibilities
- Encourage a reflective and scholarly approach to the study and practice of all academic roles
- Inculcate an awareness of the values (e.g. intellectual openness and breadth, confidentiality, respect for diversity, for individual learners and for colleagues) underpinning academic practice
- Encourage participants to develop a capacity for reflection on their practice and to embrace the notion of continued professional development
- Provide access routes to Registered Practitioner and Associate Registered Practitioner status with the Higher Education Academy
Iterations of Module A start in both semesters each academic year, giving participants flexibility about when they embark on the course. The module takes two semesters to complete, and is assessed by a portfolio.
Please contact the Course Leader, Derek Cox, in the University’s Staff Development Centre (email dlc14@le.ac.uk or telephone 0116 252 5056) for further details.