Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (full time)

Course code: X34X

Start date: September

Course length: full time: one year

Campus: Derby Campus, Kedleston Road

Faculty: Education, Health and Science

School: School of Education

A career in the FE and Skills sector teaching students over the age of 14 is stimulating, challenging and rewarding. Our Professional Graduate Certificate in Education will help you to become a teacher, trainer or tutor in one of these environments: further education colleges, adult and community learning centres, workplaces, training provider centres, prisons or public services training environments.

You will study two days a week at our Kedleston Road site, and you'll be on work placement for two days each week. This means that you'll gain full experience of the teaching year and have the opportunity to take part fully in school or college life.

The teaching sessions at the University will feed directly into your learning and expert guest speakers will also share their knowledge and experience.

At the end of the first learning period, you'll go on a six week block placement. You will also have a one week placement in a different teaching and learning environment, for example a school or a university, later in the course, so that you can gain experience in different settings.

Your personal tutor will help you with your personal and professional development during the course. You'll also have a mentor in your work placement, who will support you and help you to develop your subject specialism

Preparing to teach in FE and Skills plus

This is an introductory module to prepare you to teach in the FE & Skills sector and looks at the roles and responsibilities of a teacher in the sector, including boundaries. You will study how to effectively plan, deliver and assess and strategies to motivate and include learners. You will also look at the importance of reflective practice and will complete a reflective blog. This module includes study skills to prepare you for writing at an academic level.

Developing Practical Teaching Skills

This module builds on the practical elements of teaching from ‘Preparing to teach’ that relate to the delivery of learning. You will examine how to utilise resources effectively including the use of technology in learning. Behaviour Management and how to support learners is also studied as part of the teacher’s ‘toolkit’.

The Theory of Teaching and Learning

This module examines the links between theory and practice in order to provide a more informed overview of teaching and learning. You will examine a range of established learning theories that can provide differing frameworks to support and develop your learners. You will study behaviourism; cognivitism; humanism; social and situated learning and communication theory.

The Teaching Professional

This module examines the concept of the professionalism and the role the teacher has as a professional. It examines behaviour, rights and responsibilities and required understanding of legislation. You will also evaluate and reflect on your own personal development as a teacher and what CPD is required throughout your career. You will examine the importance of research into your own subject pedagogy and how this will enhance your practice. This module requires you to reflect on the classes that you deliver and be able to recognise when changes are needed to your practice. You will also study the role of key stakeholders who impact on your practice eg Ofsted.

Curriculum Development and Design

This module focuses on the importance of change in the curriculum offered in the sector and the modes of delivery required to meet customer needs. You will study the impact of government initiatives on curriculum design and your role in changing the curriculum to meet these demands. It also encourages you to reflect on changes and their implications for your own practice, including improving your curriculum offer.

One Optional module from the following:

• Using Technology to Enable Learning (TEL)
• Management in FE & Skills Sector
• Managing Behaviour in FE & Skills sector
• Vocational Higher Education
• Post 14 Teaching in Schools
• Independent Research in a Professional Context

Please note: All modules can be completed as stand alone CPD modules. Please enquire for further details.

A good honours degree (2:2 minimum) in a subject related to the FE and Skills sector. GCSE maths and English at level 2. You will also need to demonstrate a knowledge of the FE & Skills sector.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is required at the point of accepting a place at the University. The Disclosure and Barring Service was established when the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) merged in 2012 and will now provide the criminal records checking service for this programme.

This is a specialist course.

UK/EU students

• Full time: £8,800 (each year)

*These fees apply if you're starting this course between September 2013 and August 2014. We recommend you check fee details with us though, as they can change. Costs can increase each year.

How you'll learn:

• Group activities and tasks
• Group and individual research
• Presentations, demonstrations
• Group discussions and debates

How you'll be assessed:

• Coursework
• Presentations
• observations

On successful completion of the course, you will be able to gain employment as a lecturer or support tutor in an appropriate teaching environment.

“staff had a wealth of experience which enabled them to help us contextualise our practice”

“there was a strong emphasis of enabling students to learn from each other which was really effective”

“modules were generally practical and could be directly incorporated into teaching”

“experience gained on the work placement was invaluable”