Academic & Professional Learning (Postgraduate Certificate-Diploma-MA)
Entry requirementsStandard Entry For Certificate level: Recently appointed members of the teaching staff who have less than two years' full time equivalent experience of teaching in further or higher education, are normally required to participate in PCAPL or an approved equivalent course. However, PCAPL is open to any colleague who wishes to attend, so long as they have sufficient breadth of teaching activity to satisfy the course requirements, and, have the agreement of their line manager. Experienced colleagues are welcome to join the programme if places are available. The programme is also open to Health Care Professionals who wish to obtain a teaching qualification validated by their professional body, for example the NMC. Students will need to provide evidence of professional and subject qualifications relevant to the focus of their teaching role and will be expected to be educated to a minimum of first degree level (or equivalent). Students will be informed about procedures for judging equivalence for entry (APEL) to the programme should they not have the qualifications identified above. For Diploma & Masters Levels: For those wishing to record the successful completion of the award with the NMC * An entry on the appropriate part(s) of the current NMC register * Have completed a minimum of three years full-time experience (or equivalent part-time experience) in relevant professional practice during the last ten years * Acquired additional professional knowledge that must be relevant to the intended area of teaching/practice, and at no less than first degree level
Academic titleAcademic & Professional Learning (Postgraduate Certificate/Diploma/MA)
Course descriptionCOURSE INFORMATION
This programme has been designed to meet both individual and organisational needs for staff who already working within or hope to work within HE or Health and Social Care sector (education and training environments). Northumbria University has expressed a commitment to invest in its staff and offer a range of staff development opportunities (in its Mission Statement and Learning and Teaching Strategy) to facilitate recruitment and retention and enhance the quality of its provision. HE Academy standards have informed the structure of the postgraduate certificate component. The Higher Education Academy (HEA) accredits the PG Cert. phase of the programme such that participants who successfully complete year one are eligible to become Registered Practitioners of the HEA. The PG Cert. programme offers a portable qualification that is accepted across the UK higher education sector, and in some other countries. The PG Dip. phase of the programme is validated by the Nursing & Midwifery Council and other professional bodies allied to medicine. Health professionals who successfully complete year two will have their qualification recorded on the NMC professional register. This enables individuals to teach Health Care Professionals in both HE and Clinical settings throughout the UK.
What will you study?
At certificate level (all students):
The programme is made up of three 20-point modules. These focus on:
* Scholarship and the knowledge and understanding required to underpin learning and teaching within their academic practice
* Assessment, support for learning and student personal development
* Designing, planning delivering and evaluating learning activities
* Issues relating to academic administration issues, management and leadership for learning and teaching
At Diploma level (health care professional students):
The programme is made up of two 30-point modules. These focus on:
* The advancement of knowledge and understanding gained from other modules within the programme and the critical exploration of students' personal educational development in accordance with identified professional body standards
* The application of educational knowledge to clinical practice
* The development of the students' ability to critically understand and conceptualise the process of research at the levels of philosophy and design.
At Masters level:
Students may choose one of the following 60 points modules to complete their Masters qualification:
* Empirical Project: the undertaking of an educationally focused piece of research that seeks to describe or explore an aspect of educational practice
* Practice Project: the undertaking of a piece of action research that seeks to collaboratively change an aspect of educational practice
* Systematic Review: the undertaking of an educationally focused critical exploration of literature that aims to illuminate an aspect of educational practice.
COURSEWORK AND ASSESSMENT
The detailed content of the programme is informed by the identification of participants' needs and interests. The assessment strategy for this programme is based on the principles of the University's Assessment for Learning (AfL) strategy developed by members of the programme teaching team. Assessment draws largely on participants' teaching activities in relevant contexts. A range of flexible formative and summative assessment methods are used throughout the programme.
ACCREDITATION
Students may wish to have previous certificated learning or experiential learning recognised to enable advanced standing on to the programme. They will be informed of the approved process they will need to follow which will involve providing evidence of the previous learning which meets the level and outcomes of the modules they are seeking exemption from
CAREERS
The Postgraduate Certificate qualification is a requirement for new teaching members of University staff. It confers eligibility for participants to become Registered Practitioners of the Higher Education Academy. The Postgraduate Diploma qualification enables Health Care Professionals to record their qualification with their professional body and to follow teaching career pathways both within the Higher Educational context and within clinical settings.
OTHER INFO
This is a part time day-release programme. The certificate phase of the programme lasts for one year. To gain the Diploma qualification takes a further year. The Masters qualification is normally undertaken in a third year of study.