Entry requirements
Entry requirements for full-time programme
Post-compulsory teacher training attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities. Applicants are welcome from any academic discipline that is taught in FE or post-compulsory education and training. Admission is open to those with a good undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent) or other professional qualification relevant to the subject you wish to teach. Degrees which may be suitable are: Accountancy, Agricultural Studies, Business, Communication, Construction, Engineering, Health and Social Care, Information Technology, Nursing, Law, Mathematics, Media Studies, Sciences, Sport and Leisure, Tourism. This list is not exhaustive.
We also accept, for a Certificate in Education (Post-Compulsory Education), those with relevant vocational qualifications and experience who do not necessarily possess a degree. Entrants should also possess English/Communication and Mathematics/Numeracy at Level 2, normally GCSE grade A*-C or equivalent.
Entry requirements for part-time programme
The part-time programme is intended for teachers/lecturers or trainers already working in the post-compulsory sector.
Admission to this course is open to applicants who have successfully completed Year 1 of the DTTLs. Year 2 will be one academic year, attending one day a week.
GCSE English A* - C is also required. Students who do not have this qualification will be required to achieve Key Skill Communications at Level 2 or GCSE English Language before they are able to graduate.
You will need to be teaching for at least 150 hours during the academic year in which you undertake the programme. A degree is not necessary for admission to the course but you are required to have a level 3 qualification which may be a vocational qualification in your subject. Applicants will need to have GCSE English grade C or above (or equivalent) before they can graduate. The course requires attendance of one day per week for one academic year.
Course description
Certificate in Education / PGCE
This programme is the professional qualification for those who wish to teach in the post-compulsory sector. The full-time course is designed for students who wish to enter the profession; the part-time programme is designed for those already employed as teachers and trainers in the post-compulsory sector; this might be in Further Education, Higher Education, the Health Service, Adult and Community Education, Prison Service, Armed Forces or private training providers.
It should be noted that this course leads towards the status of Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) and is equivalent to the Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS).
Currently there are teacher shortages in construction, hospitality, finance and accountancy, business studies, information technology, maths, and health and social care, but students from other disciplines are welcome. The courses and students at further education (FE) colleges are diverse and the key requirements for teachers are enthusiasm and the ability and motivation to teach and assess, across a wide range of courses. The programme is run at our Harcourt Hill campus.
Course content
The major part of the course is based in skills development. Theory covered includes learning and teaching theory, assessment theory and human interaction theory.
The emphasis of the course is on the development of skills related to teaching groups and individuals. This includes: planning and delivering to groups, one-to-one tutorials and participation in course teams. A critical analysis of the wider context is expected. You will develop your skills as a reflective practitioner in all your teaching/training roles and be supported through a process of individual learning planning.
You will cover the following aspects of teaching and learning in the post-compulsory sector:
* assessing learners' needs
* planning and preparing teaching and learning programmes for groups and individuals
* developing and using a range of teaching and learning techniques
* managing the learning process
* providing learners with support
* assessing the outcomes of learning and learners' achievements
* reflecting on and evaluating your own performance and planning for future practice
* working within a professional value base and conforming to agreed codes of professional practice.
Students on the full-time course will undertake teaching practice in a post-16 institution. All students will be observed teaching in their setting/institution.
Teaching, learning and assessment
All tutors demonstrate good practice in delivery and assessment tasks and are role models for participants. Sessions will include lectures, group work, role plays, case studies, syndicate groups and one-to-one tutorials.
In line with our aim of role-modelling all the skills we expect you to use in your teaching, you will find a wide variety of ways in which we assess you on this course.
Several different people will observe you in your teaching role. You will be required to present individually to your peer group, work collaboratively with your peers and participate in group presentations. Other methods used are:
* a simulated written exam
* drawing
* completing a portfolio of evidence
* a case study
* audio and video recordings which you analyse
* reports and essays.
Quality
All of the current team are research active and the focus of their research is the post-compulsory sector. Study areas include: communication styles of teachers in FE and higher education (HE), FE teachers' perceptions of initial teacher training (ITT), vocational training of qualified dentists, mentoring and the situated learning of full-time trainee FE teachers.
The department obtained a Grade 2 at Ofsted inspection in 2007.
