The Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) programme is a master’s level teaching qualification for staff at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China.
It is designed to support staff with teaching responsibilities to be effective teachers. The course provides a practical and theoretical grounding in learning and teaching in higher education and emphasises the links between conceptual frameworks and teaching practice. The PGCHE aims to encourage participants to develop a scholarly, reflective inquiry base to inform teaching and its development.
University requirement
As part of its commitment to maintaining the highest academic standards in teaching and learning, the University of Nottingham Ningbo China expects all newly appointed or promoted teaching-related staff to complete a required number of credits of the PGCHE.
PGCHE structure
The PGCHE course is a 60-credit qualification and comprises three 20-credit modules.
Module 1. Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
This module focuses on ensuring that participants understand the context within which they are working and are able to plan and teach appropriate learning activities and support students effectively. Participants are required to engage in peer observation processes and reflect critically to enhance their own practice.
- Credits: 20
- Places available: 25/Cohort
- Class frequency: Twice a year (Winter Cohort in Dec & Summer Cohort in August)
- Duration: 3h workshops, twice a week (6 sessions in total)
Module 2. Curriculum Design and Assessment in Higher Education
This module entails reviewing and evaluating higher education module/course curriculum and assessment design from an enhancement perspective. This module builds on Module 1 to allow participants to examine their current teaching context and undertake a review of the curriculum and assessment design of a module or course they teach or are planning to teach.
- Credits: 20
- Places available: 25/Cohort
- Class frequency: Once a year (Summer Cohort in May)
- Duration: 3h workshops, twice a week (6 sessions in total)
Module 3. Educational Inquiry Project (TBC)
This module entails the researching and writing of a substantive piece of scholarship within the field of the PGCHE. Participants choose a topic in consultation with the module convener and an appropriate supervisor. This module builds on previous PGCHE modules to allow participants to undertake an inquiry project which makes use of the understanding of Higher Education gained in the previous two modules. It is rooted in the principles and practices of educational inquiry. This is prefaced on a commitment to the centrality of inquiry in educational practices and emphasises the benefits of an inquiry perspective on teaching for educators and students alike. The participants who take this module spend most of their time undertaking a project negotiated with their mentor.
- Credits: 20
- Places available: 12/Cohort
- Class frequency: Once a year (Oct Cohort)
- Duration: 1-2h meetings, once a week (4 sessions in total); one 2h workshop and three 1h 1-to-1 tutorials
The PGCHE programme has been accredited by Advance HE (formerly the Higher Education Academy, HEA), which means the programme is recognised within and outside the university. It also means that you have the opportunity to become an Associate Fellow and Fellow depending on how many credits you complete as explained below.
- If you complete 20 PGCHE credits, you will gain automatic recognition as an Associate Fellow of the Advance HE
- If you complete 40 PGCHE credits, you will gain automatic recognition as a Fellow of the HEA
Please find more course details from our Moodle page.
PGCHE team