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Teaching

You are taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, interactive workshops, and practical activities etc. Interactive workshops take a variety of formats and are intended to enable the application of learning through reflective discussion and small group activities. Seminars enable the discussion and development of understanding of topics covered in lectures, and practical activities include simulation of real-life teaching through in-class microteaches.

In addition, one-to-one meetings with personal academic tutors and with subject specialist mentors are scheduled on a regular basis. Our recent Ofsted (2023) report said ‘subject-specific tutors are knowledgeable. They support trainees to develop their understanding of specific strategies to use while teaching their subject. Furthermore, tutors effectively teach and model current research in their teaching.’

Your teaching placement will provide you with ample opportunity to develop and hone your teaching skills and will provide a rich source of experience on which you can reflect during taught sessions.

Contact time

In a typical week, you will have around 4 contact hours of teaching (tutorial & taught sessions), and 15 non-contact hours. The breakdown is as follows:

• 6 hours - Guided independent study
• 6 hours - Work-based learning
• 3 hours - Preparation for assessment/portfolio updating
• 3 hours - Taught content
• 1 hour - Tutorial

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you will have around 15 hours of non-contact time (6 hours of guided independent study, 6 hours of work-based learning, and three hours of preparation for assessment or portfolio updating per week). Typically, this will involve reviewing taught materials, reading around the topics taught in class, updating subject specialist knowledge, engaging with mentors through regular meetings, and preparing for assessment. 

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including The Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

Work-based Learning Requirements

Students will engage in work-based Professional Practice as part of their training programme, including teaching, planning, assessing, and other duties associated with teaching in the Further Education and Skills sector, such as shadowing, observing and 1-1 student support. The breakdown of expected hours is below: 250 hours in total:

150 hours (min) Teaching Practice, of which…

• 100 hours (min) in specialist subject
• 20 hours (min) online synchronous delivery
• 20 hours (min) in second placement

100 hours additional duties

• e.g. open events, planning and preparation, assessment marking, etc.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes a Course Leader, with oversight of the course, and Course Tutors from the partner institution.

Teaching is informed by research and consultancy, and 3 lecturers on the course team have a higher education teaching qualification or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy.  

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or ‘formative’ assignments.  Each module has one or more formal or ‘summative’ assessments, and for taught modules these are graded and contribute towards the overall module grade. Summative assessments in taught modules are graded against the University’s Level 5 Generic Grade Descriptors.

At the end of each academic year the Professional Portfolio is submitted as part of the summative assessment for that year’s Professional Practice module. Professional Practice modules are graded by submission of the Professional Practice portfolio alongside a professional discussion (Year One) or a viva voce (Year Two). This will be conducted in person by the Module Leader and the Subject Mentor who will share the questioning and agree a result. The Professional Practice Modules are graded against the Themes of the National Occupational Standard at either Fail, Pass, or Distinction.

A typical formal assessment pattern for each year of the course is: 

Year 1

• 1 Microteach,  
• 1 Lesson Plan and Commentary
• 2 Presentations
• 1 Written reflection
• 1 Discussion board
• 1 Podcast/blog/vlog  
• 1 Action plan
• 2 Portfolio audits
• 1 completed portfolio with professional discussion and target setting

Year 2

• 2 Professional Discussion  
• 2 Presentations  
• 2 Written Reports
• 2 Portfolio audits
• 1 Demonstration
• 1 Action Plan 
• 1 completed portfolio with viva voce and target setting

Feedback

Students receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback is intended to support learning, and students are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

We will provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the .