Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice

Program Overview

Program Details

Program Overview

Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice

The Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) is framed by the University of Cumbria's Learning, Teaching & Assessment Plan, including our signature pedagogy of place-based engaged learning, with core principles of innovation, inclusivity, and a sense of belonging. Throughout the programme, you will be guided to become a reflective, evidence-based practitioner.

Key Details

• Recruiting to: UK / RoI / Settled in UK
• Course Location: Online
• Delivery Style: Distance Learning
• Course Duration: Part-time: 24 weeks
• Course Start Point: January / September
• Award: PgC

Course Structure

Course Overview

This course is available to University of Cumbria staff who teach and/or support learning and teaching. This is a work-based programme that draws on current teaching experience (you need to have a teaching / supporting learning commitment of at least 70 hours over the course of the programme) and is focussed on your continuing professional development.

Though comprising two modules, the programme is designed as an integrated learning experience, with preparation for PGCAP7002 developing across PGCAP7001 and rooted in learning and professional development within the first module. Personal tutorials will provide an important foundation for this integration. The learning, teaching and assessment approaches on the programme enable you to become part of a learning community, whereby you can learn from peers in different roles and disciplines.

The online delivery of the PGCAP enables flexibility and promotes access to synchronous sessions.

On this course you will...

• Acquire a broad range of skills which can be applied in a range of settings, including effective use of digital learning systems and an in-depth knowledge of pedagogic approaches and current scholarship on learning and teaching.
• Benefit from guest lectures from pedagogic experts drawn from across the University of Cumbria, demonstrating breadth and depth in the range of themes and case studies explored during the programme.
• Develop into well-rounded academic practitioners who are well versed in the scholarship of learning and teaching whilst demonstrating effective pedagogic practices within the educational environment.
• Exemplify our distinctive pedagogic practice at the University of Cumbria, as articulated within our Learning, Teaching and Assessment Plan.
• Have the opportunity to progress to Fellowship of Advance HE (FHEA) once successful in your PGCAP.

Entry Requirements

• Honours degree 2:2 or above.
• Honours degree

Tuition Fees

• 2025 - 2026:
  • Staff can apply for a fee waiver - UK

Teaching & Assessment

How you will learn

Participants will be supported to evaluate their current practice and consider how they enhance this in their own contexts. They will be encouraged to develop their own professional networks and engage with a wide range of learning opportunities, internally and externally, creating a bespoke learning experience on the programme.

How you will be assessed

PGCAP7001: Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

• Formative: formative assessment is integrated throughout the module. A variety of formative tasks will be undertaken and reflected on in a formative journal. The formative assessment includes a five-minute, in-class presentation outlining plans for the project in PGCAP7002.
• Summative: Evidencing Professional Practice Portfolio - part one (100%, 3000 words)
  • Section one – two case studies (2 x 1000 words)
  • Section two – structured reflection and CPD (1000 words)

PGCAP7002: Change and Innovation in Academic Practice

• Formative: formative assessment is integrated throughout the module. A variety of formative tasks will be undertaken and reflected on in a formative journal. The formative assessment includes a five-minute, in-class presentation of work in progress for the enhancing academic practice project.
• Summative: Evidencing Professional Practice Portfolio - part two (100%, equivalent to 3000 words)
  • Section one - Enhancing academic practice project (2500 words)
  • Section two - Reflection on practice and CPD (5-minute pre-recorded presentation)
  • Section three – Authentication of practice. Record of teaching observation that evidences that practice is in line with the requirements of Fellowship.

Career Outcomes

What are the career outcomes for this course that we should be shouting about?
Upon completion of the PGCAP, participants will have acquired a broad set of skills applicable in various settings, including effective use of digital learning systems and an in-depth knowledge of pedagogic approaches and current scholarship on learning and teaching. Developmental observations ensure that participants apply effective teaching practices within the learning environment. Assessments are designed to facilitate real-world practice rather than serve merely as theoretical exercises. In this way, the PGCAP develops well-rounded academic practitioners who are well-versed in the scholarship of learning and teaching, while demonstrating effective pedagogic practices in educational settings. The conclusion of the PGCAP is seen as part of an ongoing process of professional development, rather than a defined endpoint.

Location

Online Learning

Online learning at the University of Cumbria is an interactive experience that makes use of a range of technologies and media types to provide a rich learning environment.