Improve your knowledge and understanding of teaching practice and advance your professional skills! Our programme has been designed by staff highly experienced in academic practice, providing you with all the skills you need in supporting student learning in higher education.
We understand that you will have a busy working life, which is why our flexible approach to learning will allow you to study at a pace that best suits you. You'll develop professional skills and values in your work role, gaining professional accreditation with Advance HE that will help you advance to new levels in your career.
Important note
The Advance HE accredited route is currently open for applications from internal candidates and eligible partners. This includes applicants employed by the University of Cumbria or organisations that have a formal partnership with the university.
The un-accredited route is open for applications from external applicants, including International students.
Graduate destinations
You'll gain professional recognition and an entry into further study at a masters level. We recommend the MA in Education Professional Practice if your interest is pedagogical research, or the MSc Practice Development for those with health-related interests.
Course outline
Course summary
You'll develop into a reflective practitioner within your HE community, building your academic knowledge, skills and confidence to engage with your roles and responsibilities. The range of activities, assessments and emphasis on practitioner development forms the foundation of your studies. You will need to provide a range of evidence of your developing practice that can be gathered from your workplace, your teaching, student evaluations and other professional contexts.
Designed to be studied at a distance, we provide optional face-to-face/virtual workshops and webinars to enhance your learning further. All learning activities are designed to be authentic and relevant to your professional HR teaching, developing your practice with an emphasis on teaching observation and review.
Modules
Year one
Compulsory Modules
- Introduction to Learning, Teaching and Assessment
- Researching Academic Practice
- Curriculum Design and Development
Programme Specification
Programme specification
For a detailed summary of all course content please read our programme specification for this course.
Assessment, Feedback, and Teaching and Learning methods
Full details are available in the programme specification.
Timetables
The teaching timetable should be available from the end of August. Access to the timetable is through the Student Hub – you will be able to access the Student Hub after you have completed online registration. The teaching day is 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday; please keep your other commitments open until confirmation of your teaching timetable, and bear in mind that many courses will offer placements or fieldwork which sometimes extends into the evenings and weekends.
Entry requirements
Have a question about our entry requirements?
Entry Requirements
1st or 2nd class honours degree.
Students with other qualifications may be admitted to the course, please contact the Enquiry Centre for further details.
Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) may be considered for relevant prior learning at the same academic level.
Selection criteria
This course is available to applicants who are currently employed by the University of Cumbria, or an organisation that has a formal partnership with the University of Cumbria, or external applicants.
You should have a good honours degree (2:2 or above), however suitable professional experience may be an accepted alternative. As this programme is designed around workplace learning, applicants are expected to undertake higher education teaching or learning support for at least 30 hours per module, in order to achieve the learning outcomes within their work context.
All applicants are required to identify a suitable mentor within their workplace.
All entrants will be required to meet English language proficiency standards (IELTS 6.5 (level 7) or equivalent) and must have access to a computer with a good internet connection.
Applicants with the required qualifications are not normally interviewed but accepted on the strength of their references, evidence of their experience and ability to meet the requirement for 30 hours per module of teaching or support of learning in a higher education context. Where an applicant has suitable professional experience and qualifications but does not hold a good first degree they are interviewed by the programme leader and offered a place if considered to have the appropriate attributes suitable for post-graduate study. Occasionally, applicants may be required to write a short piece of work to demonstrate the necessary attributes.
Particular attention will be made to the personal statement which must clearly state how this programme will enhance the participant's professional practice.
A personal statement is a requirement for application. Within this, you should clearly identify
- Your motivation to undertake this programme
- How you believe it will enhance your professional practice
- Your experience of teaching and/or supporting learning in a higher education/higher professional learning context
- Your teaching/support of learning commitments during the programme
Application information
Making your application
Applications should be made online directly to the university - visit our website or contact enquirycentre@cumbria.ac.uk for details and guidance. There is no official closing date but we would encourage you to apply as early as possible, as many courses are competitive.
What makes a good application?
We consider all aspects of your application, not simply your qualifications and grades. We look at your academic background and performance, relevant experience (particularly for professional courses where some voluntary or paid experience is required) and your reference. Above all, we look for motivation, commitment and potential - evidence that you can benefit from study at higher education level.
Make sure you include:
- Relevant qualifications/evidence of ability: check our website for the specific entry requirements required for each course. Tell us your previous academic results and your projected grades.
- A supportive reference, from an employer or your school or college.
- A good personal statement.
Explain clearly what attracts you to the course and tell us about your wider interests and experience. If you are applying for a course that incorporates professional training and placements, you should include any relevant experience or visits you have made in the workplace. Highlight your individual strengths and qualities, personal skills, capacity for teamwork, contribution to the community and your enterprise, originality and determination. Select some activities which bring out these qualities.
What next?
When we receive your application, we will send you an acknowledgement and if you are successful at this stage you will get either - an offer (with an invitation to visit the campus to which you have applied), or - an invitation to interview on a particular date. If we are not able to offer you a place on your chosen course we will usually try to offer you a place on a similar course and will contact you to discuss this. Alternatively, if we think you are suitable, but cannot offer you a place on your preferred campus because of the level of competition, we will offer you a place at another campus if one is available.
And if I accept?
The admissions team will contact you and send further information from February onwards about accommodation, and from May/June onwards about preparing to join the university. If you have any other queries, please telephone the admissions offices for information and advice on 0845 6061144.
Deferred entry
We welcome applications for deferred entry on some courses. If you have specific plans during your year out, indicate these on your personal statement as they may be relevant to your course and could enhance your application.
International students
Please see the international pages of our website for full details of our entry requirements (including English-language skills) as well as contacts for advice and support.
Student finance
We have a wide range of scholarships, bursaries, grants and funds available to support you throughout your studies with us. This includes the Cumbria Bursary - a non-repayable bursary designed to support first year students with a household income of less than £25,000.
Student FinanceAdditional costs
All students will need to purchase stationery, course books and personal equipment. Extra costs may also be applicable to cover field trips, membership fees etc.
Resources and facilities
Our wide range of learning and information resources are designed for flexible learning through the virtual learning environment. You'll be provided with a free electronic portfolio for your studies.
Awards and recognition
"Much of the approach I take comes from utilising the established notion of a constructively aligned curriculum (Biggs and Tang, 2007) as a starting point. Also important is the emphasis on a learner-centred perspective in the process of curriculum design (Barnett and Coate, 2005).
"I believe that the application of this theory to an individual's context has a most significant impact on practice development. Aspects of this approach have been applied in the design and delivery of the PgC which I am responsible for leading.
"This programme is predominantly delivered online and incorporates considerable resources available through the programme's virtual learning environment. The pragmatic aim of this approach is to widen the scope for participation amongst local, national and international partners, exploring approaches that recognise diverse needs and backgrounds of learners."
- Dr Amanda Chapman, Senior Lecturer in Academic Development