Dr Jenni Carr

The PGCertHE is practice-based programme and is aimed at early career academics, including assistant professors, LSE fellows, assistant professorial lecturers and graduate teaching assistants who have completed the Introduction to Teaching: Associate Fellowship Programme (TC501) as well as other colleagues who have substantive responsibilities for student learning.

The PGCertHE is a requirement for most newly appointed Assistant Professors  (check letter of appointment if you are unsure is this applies to your employment). Additionally, colleagues who are experienced academics but relatively new to UK higher education are encouraged to join the programme.

This is a practice-based programme. so you need to be on a 0.5 FTE contract or higher OR teaching (or delivering training) at least 20 hours across the year in a context in which you can be observed – once by a member of the Eden Centre and once by a peer. The observations can occur either in Autumn or Winter terms.

In this programme, you will work on 3 modules:

• Module 1: Teaching in our Disciplines (required) *
• Module 2: Course Design (required)

plus one module from the following list:

• Module 3: Student learning
• Module 4: Assessment and feedback
• Module 5: Contemporary issues in HE
• Module 6: Independent enquiry
• Module 7: Creative pedagogies in social sciences

*If you have previously completed the TC501 ‘Principles of Teaching in Higher Education programme’, this module will be carried over and does not need to be repeated.

To complete the programme, you will:

• Develop an opening year statement (OYS) in which you reflect on your approach to teaching and student learning
• Participate in workshops
• Prepare written assignments (or equivalent) for the 3 modules
• Have 2 teaching observations – one from a member of LSE Eden Centre and one from a peer
• Develop an end of year statement (EYS) in which you reflect on how the teaching year has gone and your intentions for future development.

These materials are drawn together, along with feedback on your teaching from both TQARO and formative surveys, into a portfolio that is submitted in Summer Term or the following Autumn Term.  Once the portfolio is deemed complete it is submitted to a Board of Examiners.

Modules 1 and 2 are compulsory and your final number of teaching hours will depend on which optional module you choose. 

• Module 1 - 14hrs AT/WT (if you have completed the New Academic Induction Programme you are not required to attend Module 1 workshops)
• Module 2 - 5hrs,  AT or WT or ST
• Module 3, - 5hrs, AT or WT
• Module 4 - 5hrs,  AT or WT or ST
• Module 5 - 5hrs, WT
• Module 6 - 5 hours, AT or WT or ST

Teaching for this course will take the form of on-campus interactive workshops and digital interaction via the Moodle online learning environment.

There are formative feedback points for each of the summative assignments.

Additionally, there are formative reflections at both the start and finish of the programme. These formative reflections, combined with the coversheets on the summative essays, make up the learning log element of the course and contribute to the final portfolio submission. Finally, participants present their course design work and receive formative feedback from both members of the PGCertHE teaching team and peers.

Throughout, the formative pieces are designed to encourage a reflexive approach to academic practice.

• Ahmet, A (2020) What Exactly are Inclusive Pedagogies? LSE Higher Education Blog https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/highereducation/2020/06/29/what-exactly-are-inclusive-pedagogies/
• Alonso, D., Mirriahi, D. and Davison, C. (2019) ‘The standards for academics’ standards-based assessment practices’ Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Volume 44, Issue 4
• Barradell, S., Barrie, S. and Paseta, T. (2018) ‘Ways of thinking and practising: Highlighting the complexities of higher education curriculum’, Innovations in Education and Teaching International, Volume 55, - Issue 3
• Biggs, J (1996) Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment. Higher education Vol 32 No. 3 347-364.
• Brookfield, S. (2017) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco CA
• Fung, D. (2017) A Connected Curriculum for Higher Education, UCL Press, London
• Gopal,P. (2012) ‘On decolonisation and the university’ Textual Practice, Vol. 35, No. 6, 873–899
• Hughes, G (2011) ‘Towards a personal best: a case for introducing ipsative assessment in higher education’ Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 36, No. 3, May 2011, 353–367
• Laurillard, D. (2002) Rethinking university teaching: a framework for the effective use of learning technologies. London: Routledge.
• Meyer, J. & Land, R. (2003) Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge: linkages to ways of thinking and practising within the disciplines. Occasional report 4: ETL project. Edinburgh.
• Nicol, D. & Macfarlane Dick, D. (2006) Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: a model and seven principles of good feedback practice, Studies in Higher Education, Vol 31 No. 2 199-218.

Summative assignments for Module 1, Module 2 and for the optional module are set out as follows:

• Module 1 - a practice-based assignment (34%) 3 topics from a choice of 7 topics. Choice of formats (depending on topics chosen) essay, research project proposal, video. In either AT, WT or ST.
• Module 2 - Project (33%, 2000 words) in either AT, WT or ST*.
• Essay, project, audio/visual or blog posts depending on the module (33% words) in AT, WT or ST*.

All assignments are marked on a Complete/Not Yet Complete basis and all assessment are viewed as developmental opportunities.

Participants are offered detailed feedback on all work and, where appropriate, they have the option of developing assignments further based on feedback from the teaching team and peers (Course Design module).