Leagan Gaeilge   Text Version   Display: Zoom (-) (+)   View ( Normal High contrast ) Printer Friendly  A to Z  Sitemap

Postgraduate, Professional Programme
in Teaching & Learning in Higher Education

CELT runs the university’s professional, postgraduate programme on Teaching & Learning in Higher Education.

This course is available on a part-time basis to those currently teaching in Higher Education and consists of :

• a Postgraduate Certificate (after 3 modules),
• a Postgraduate Diploma (after a further 3 modules) and
• an MA (after a research methods module, a project, and a dissertation).

The course benefits greatly from the support of experienced staff across the institution (and beyond) who give of their time to share their experience and expertise. The focus is on practical issues that will impact on teaching practice, rather than concentrating heavily (at least initially) on educational theory.

This popular certificate programme in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education has been offered yearly since 2007, and it begins in September. Individual class sizes are restricted to a maximum of 20 participants to promote as much active engagement and discussion as possible. Because the course is very firmly based around evaluating and improving individual teaching practice, enrollment is restricted to those who are currently teaching in higher education.

By the end of the Certificate, the participants will have:

had a number of opportunities to obtain individual feedback on their teaching practice;

reflected on and reviewed their approaches to teaching and support of learning in a variety of contexts relevant to their own academic discipline;

become aware of current thought on teaching at third (and fourth) level through discussion, journal papers and other reading;

shared experiences with their peers;

developed a reflective approach through the use of learning journals and the construction of a teaching portfolio.

The course is largely based on the principle of reflective practice championed by Schon and others and which is used in a number of other professions. However, during the course we will also discuss the limitations of this approach and explore a number of other possible standpoints.
The Postgraduate Certificate is based on successful completion of three modules, each of 10 ECTS:

• CEL260: An Introduction to Teaching & Learning in Higher Education (Semester 1)
• CEL261: Course Design, Assessment & Evaluation (Semester 2)
• CEL262: Reflective Practice & Professional Development (Summer)

Assessment in each case is determined on a pass/fail basis and pass is achieved by successful completion of a number of key items in each module. Whilst there will be scheduled class sessions and workshops in each module, we will also make use of online access to a wide range of resources and materials. The construction of a learning journal based on guided reading and questions for reflection is central to the approach to teaching on these modules. The third module is largely undertaken on an individual basis and involves the completion of some guided reading and the development of a personal teaching portfolio. 

Application procedure.

Application Forms for the Postgraduate Certificate Programme can be obtained from bernadette.henchynuigalway.ie . We are sorry that places on this course are limited and will endeavour to let you know of the success or otherwise of your application as soon as is possible.