Applications are now open for the September 2024 cohort of the Post Graduate Certificate Teaching in Higher Education.

The course aims to develop an evidence-based, reflective, and critical approach to learning, teaching, and assessment in Higher Education. It leads to Fellowship status via the University’s framework for continuing professional development (TALENT) and it is led by staff from the Sheffield Institute of Education with guest speakers from across the wider institution.

The deadline for applications is 31 May 2024.

Places on the course are limited and allocated as received by our Admissions Team on a first come first served basis, subject to the contractual requirements.  

Course details

• The course runs in term time at City Campus.
• It is for academic staff who do not hold a teaching qualification in higher education. Please note, if you have significant experience of teaching in Higher Education or an existing teaching qualification, you are advised to explore routes to fellowship offered through the TALENT scheme.
• Peer networking is an essential and much-appreciated component with many useful connections made within and across Colleges.
• Please be aware that this is a Post-Graduate academic qualification in Education and requires a commitment to study at this level.
• Teaching takes place on a Friday in either a morning or afternoon session.
• The course starts with a mandatory two-day induction study block.
• Please note your application to the course is taken as a commitment to attend the mandatory induction and teaching sessions as detailed below so please ensure you can meet this requirement prior to applying.

	From		Break Week(s)	To
Mandatory Induction	Thursday 12 Sept	Week 7	None	Friday 13 Sept	Week 7
Module 1 (Weekly)	Friday 27 Sept	Week 9	None	Friday 13 Dec	Week 20
Module 2 (Weekly)	Friday 24 Jan	Week 26	35 & 36	Friday 25 April	Week 39

Pre-enrolment Organisation site

Once you have accepted your offer and before the course begins in September, you will be added to a pre-enrolment Blackboard Organisation site using your staff email. This site will contain key information about the course to support you to prepare for the programme. Details about your allocation to the morning or afternoon group will be posted on the site. This resource is likely to be available from July 2024.

Workplan implications

• Staff taking the course are entitled to 270 hours remission on their workplans.
• It is expected that you will be released from other duties to attend all scheduled teaching sessions.
• Line managers please be aware that to fulfil the requirements of the course, all applicants will need to have scheduled teaching in both semester one and semester two and will need to be involved in the design of the sessions in which they will be observed in both semesters.

Funding

• Individual departments are responsible for the funding of the course and your line manager approval forms part of the application.
• You will need to complete a Staff Internal Funding (SIFF) form to cover the course fees and gain approval for this prior to submitting your application. All relevant codes should be obtained from your individual department (your line manager should be able to advise on this).

Entry requirements

• You should hold an Undergraduate Degree or equivalent (please contact the course leader Sarah Rawding s.rawding@shu.ac.uk to check relevance of professional qualifications).
• You need to have a minimum of 60 hours of scheduled teaching during the academic year (most staff will have more than this) and this MUST include teaching in Semester one and Semester two.
• Fellowship should be a requirement of your contract of employment, please see below for further details on this.
• You must have the opportunity to contribute to the development and review of teaching and learning materials to fulfil the requirements of the assessments.
• Agreement from your line manager is confirmed via the Line manager checklist at the bottom of this page. Please be aware that this confirms the allocation of workplan hours, release time to attend the course as well as agreement for departmental funding. Approval must be confirmed via the line manager checklist (e-signature required) and failure to submit a signed form with your application will result in a delay in the admissions process and potential loss of an allocated place on the course as well as possible personal responsibility for course fees.

Once we reach capacity, applicants who have met all conditions will be added to a waiting list and offered a place if one becomes available prior to the mandatory induction. If no places become available, all applicants on the waiting list, that have fulfilled the entry requirements will be offered a place on the next cohort starting in September 2025. Please note that line managers will need to complete a revised checklist for this intake.

Contractual requirements

Priority for places on the course will be given to academic staff for whom Fellowship is a contractual requirement. Your line manager will confirm this at the application stage. If you are not required to complete Fellowship as part of your contract but want to complete the course and have agreement from your line manager, you will be added to a waiting list and allocated a place if one becomes available prior to the mandatory induction. You will need to negotiate funding with your line manager/department. You do have the option to self-fund the course.

Please be aware that if Fellowship is not a contractual requirement we will be unable to confirm a place on the course until September prior to the mandatory induction.

Post Graduate Certificate Teaching in Higher Education – application guidance for staff

1.	Gain the support of your line manager to attend the course.
2.	Complete and submit the SIFF funding form (if your department is funding).
3.	Ask your line manager to complete the line manager checklist including their e-signature and return to you.
4.	Send your completed application form, line manager checklist, copy of your degree certificate and if you will be an international student, a copy of your visa to specialistroutes@shu.ac.uk with the subject heading Pg Cert Teaching in Higher Education.
5.	Once all the required information for entry has been received, the admissions team will review your application and be in touch (decisions regarding priority in allocation of places will be dependent on contractual requirements). If the admissions team are a position to make you an offer you will receive this via email and you will need to reply to accept or decline the offer.
6.	Once you have accepted an offer and in mid-July you will be enrolled on the Course Pre-enrolment Organisation blackboard site using your staff login details. You will find key information about the course here and can begin to work on the pre-enrolment tasks. You will receive an email to confirm when this site is available.
7.	Ten working days before the course starts you will receive an email inviting you to enrol. Please respond to this and complete the enrolment tasks to enable you to join the course.

Forms