THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2020/2021

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Social and Political Science : Postgrad (School of Social and Political Studies)

Postgraduate Course: Principles and Practices of Higher Education (PGSP12001)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Social and Political Science CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 12 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits40 ECTS Credits20
SummaryBy utilizing the activities, core knowledge and professional values set out in the UK Professional Standards Framework (PSF), this course will provide postgraduate research students the skills and techniques required of all university educators. By the end of the course, students will develop the foundations required for academic practice in Higher Education, in order to contribute to their future careers.
Course description Academic Description
o This advanced research training course will introduce the principles and practices of higher education. These skills are vital to support university academics in their development of their careers, in the designing and delivery of a high-quality learning environment, but also extremely useful for anyone planning to deliver presentations, facilitate small-group discussion or design training activities in any career. This course is a first step; its goal is to provide postgraduate research students with a solid foundation for developing themselves further as educators. By the end of the course, students will be aware of the various modes of university teaching and will be prepared to contribute to course delivery as part of a team, and will also be able to reflect on their teaching practice in a critical way.
Outline Content
o Theories of student learning
o Designing and planning teaching
o Delivering lectures to large groups
o Facilitating small-group discussions and group work
o Demonstrating practical skills
o Online Learning
o Assessments: design, marking, and feedback
o Reflective practices: improving your teaching
Student Learning Experience
o This course will be offered for the duration of the full year. The weekly schedule of activities will be designed to allow all first-year research students to participate
o The learning outcomes will be achieved through a variety of action learning sets that will contain activities such as: observations, reading, individual tasks, group activities, conversations with practitioners and reflective writing
o Many of the activities that students undertake will be offered from a variety of subject areas within the School of Social and Political Science to allow students to select those that suit their interests.


Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2020/21, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  50
Course Start Full Year
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 400 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 40, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 8, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 352 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Students will prepare an 8,000-word portfolio of work based on their observations during the course drawing on the standards set in the UKPSF. This portfolio will include observation notes, teaching plans, essay marking, critical reflections and blogging posts. Students will be asked to observe Collaborate sessions or to share online learning materials for dialogic feedback in lieu of face to face opportunities.
Feedback Feedback will be provided on the Reflective Submission that students will complete at the end of each module. This will be provided by course teachers, course tutors alongside peer review and analysis.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the key concepts and theories relating to core areas of academic practice within higher education
  2. Apply concepts and theories from relevant research to enhance academic practice in ways appropriate to higher education
  3. Critically evaluate the practical constraints in the higher education workplace and identify practical solutions to problems
  4. Use reflective techniques to evaluate teaching, including taking account of student diversity and understanding academic practice
  5. Understand how practice including teaching, marking, course planning and delivery within higher education will be informed by critical self-reflection and therefore contribute positively to course delivery within higher education
Reading List
Fry, H., Ketteridge, S. and Marshall, S., (2014). A handbook for teaching and learning in higher education: enhancing academic practice Fourth Ed., Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Lea, J., (2015). Enhancing learning and teaching in higher education: engaging with the dimensions of practice, Maidenhead, Berkshire, England: Open University Press, McGraw-Hill Education
Weller, S. (2015) Academic Practice: developing as a professional in higher education, London: Sage.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Developing the analytical and practical skills required for professional development and reflective practice
Build the ability to communicate knowledge through using interpersonal skills and intellectual autonomy
Apply knowledge integration and sharing across a number of disciplines within the Social Sciences and beyond
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserMr Richard Brodie
Tel: (0131 6)50 4278
Email: R.Brodie@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Cath Thompson
Tel: (0131 6)51 3892
Email: cthomps7@exseed.ed.ac.uk
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