1. Who is this programme for?
2. What is the programme seeking to achieve?
3. What does the programme involve?
4. What prior experience and responsibilities must I have to enrol?
5. How long does it take to complete the accreditation?
6. Is this programme a requirement for probation or promotion?
7. What support would I get whilst doing the programme?
8. How do I go about applying?
9. Timetable for 2011/12

1. Who is this programme for?

This in-service programme supports and accredits the academic development of staff who teach at Lancaster.  It is designed for a range of staff who teach and support student learning, including:

* lecturers and teaching fellows who are new to HE teaching and/or to Lancaster

* lecturers with considerable experience who are wishing to develop aspects of their teaching and curriculum, part-time teaching staff

* some research associates and postgraduates who have substantial teaching duties and prior professional accreditation

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2. What is the programme seeking to achieve?

The programme fosters a dynamic, cross-disciplinary community of practitioners to share ideas and develop a discourse about academic practice. The programme helps you to situate yourself as an individual academic and teacher within the frames and concerns of your department, your discipline, Lancaster University and the wider academic context, to support the development of your professional aspirations and achievements. It seeks to enhance the students' learning experience and your confidence and skills as an HE teacher by working on your practical teaching skills, developing evaluation techniques, using peer review and observation of teaching,  and by investigating teaching and learning resources. Integrating knowledge and understanding of pedagogical principles and values with your practical know-how is considered essential. This is developed on this programme by critically engaging with educational and subject-specific literature and research, having dialogues with peers and tutors, and writing critically and reflectively about your practice. The assessment is designed to emerge from your own work as a teacher and academic, and much of the experiential learning and reflection takes place ‘on-the-job' in your department.

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3. What does the programme involve?

The taught programme is divided into two linked modules, Developing HE Practice (DHEP) and  Curriculum Design and Development (CDD), both @ 30 level 7 credits.  Participants successfully completing the programme are awarded a 60 credit Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, and gain Fellowship status with the Higher Education Academy and a Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) award in Learning, Teaching and Assessing.

Module 1 - Developing HE Practice (DHEP)

In 2011-12 the module will start with an introductory day session in late September, followed by some preliminary independent activities during Michaelmas Term. The taught element comprises a 3-day workshop in January and a number of 90 minute seminars in the Lent Term focusing on key topics on teaching and learning in HE and course participants' own practice and concerns.  The assessment is fully integrated into the module, by constructing a Portfolio of evaluation and critical reflection on department-based teaching-related activities.  These include undertaking peer observations, collecting and reviewing student reflections and feedback on their learning, planning and reviewing teaching and assessment practices, and reading educational literature and research evidence. A final Critical Review of your practice and pedagogic understanding is produced by the end of the Lent Term 2012, drawing on this portfolio evidence.

The module is designed to address the needs and interests of both colleagues with limited prior teaching experience and those who have been teaching in the UK system or elsewhere for some time. Each individual discusses their situation and experience with a CAP tutor at the beginning of the programme. If you have more than three years of HE experience and engagement with professional development activities, we can explore possible exemption from some aspects of Module 1 (DHEP).

Module 2 - Curriculum Design and Development (CDD)

This module is designed to continue the development of HE teaching staff who have undertaken the DHEP module, or have substantial prior teaching experience, by focussing on HE curriculum design and development, and wider student learning issues. 

There are a series of full and half-day workshops in the Summer Term which explore key topics around course design through a mix of input from tutors, small group activities and presentations, supported with reading materials and other resources.

The assessment strategy is designed to emerge from and inform participants’ own work as teachers and academics during the module. The assessment comprises an oral and written critical evaluation of a module for which they are responsible, or a proposal for a new module, exploring a number of local and national contextual factors, and also a more scholarly examination of an emerging curriculum-related pedagogical issue.

The attendance commitment for this module is approx. 35 hours in the Summer Term 2012. Most of the experiential learning and reflection to prepare for the assessment takes place ‘on-the-job’ in the participants’ departments.

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4. What prior experience and responsibilities must I have to enrol?

You may not have had much prior teaching experience. However,  you will need to have the full range of teaching and related responsibilities commensurate with an academic contract  during 2011-12, normally including a minimum of 150 hours teaching and teaching-related activities (i.e. not 150 hours of contact) per academic year (pro-rata for part-time staff) . You need to have responsibility for choosing and using a range of teaching methods with student groups on different modules, using a variety of assessment approaches, and undertaking administration of teaching and research related activities. It is assumed that you will have some degree of responsibility for the development of the curriculum within at least one module.

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5. How long does it take to complete the accreditation?

The entire programme can be completed within one academic year. This year, the CAP course will start relatively informally in late September, with the taught sessions taking place during the Lent and Summer Terms 2012. The DHEP module assignment is submitted after the Easter Vacation and the CDD module assignment is submitted by September 2012.

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6. Is this programme a requirement for probation or promotion?

Many universities have now made an accredited teaching qualification a requirement for recruitment or probation. The current institutional policy at Lancaster is that academic staff with less than three years experience should undergo professional development in teaching, either through CAP or an appropriate equivalent. Most departments have now made the programme a requirement for completing the probationary period. Lancaster University has also made the Certificate in Academic Practice (CAP) part of the means by which academic staff can demonstrate appropriate levels of achievement in teaching to address the criteria for probation and promotion. The costs of the programme are met centrally - there is no charge for staff or departments.

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7. What support would I get whilst doing the programme?

There are a number of support mechanisms:

• the CAP tutor team, who support your work through sessions, e-mail and tutorials
• your CAP peers with whom you will meet regularly to share ideas and discuss practice and emerging issues
• a subject mentor in your own department, who observes you teach, meets to discuss your teaching, and helps with the development of ideas and materials in your subject
• departmental colleagues who have responsibility for the courses on which you teach
• the CAP virtual learning environment, which is a source for discussion topics and materials
• the CAP Resources Room for browsing relevant literature and providing a networked working space
• the Development Programmes Coordinator who administers the CAP programme and provides front line contact

8. How do I go about applying?

You need to first agree with your Head of Department that you will apply for a place, in order to  establish a workload allocation for undertaking the programme and an agreement that you have sufficient and appropriate teaching duties. You need also to discuss the allocation of a teaching mentor, who may be a CAP graduate in your department. You can then complete the 2011-12 application form and letter of agreement and return it to the Development Programmes Coordinator.

Please note: Places are limited for the programme and fill quickly. Early application is recommended.  Places will be allocated in early September.   

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9. Timetable for 2011/12

Optional  CPD workshops:   CPD sessions and teaching forums as advertised throughout the year, open to all staff

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If you have any further questions you can contact

The Development Programmes Coordinator, Helen Ratcliffe, who processes application forms and can answer enquiries. e-mail: professionalprogrammes@lancaster.ac.uk, tel: 01524 5-92137 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting. Helen can also give you contact details of colleagues in your department and faculty who have completed the CAP programme.

The CAP Programme Director can also answer your questions about the programme:

Ali Cooper - e-mail: a.m.cooper@lancaster.ac.uk. tel: 01524 5-93441

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