These programmes are delivered by academics from the Surrey Institute of Education, with occasional support from other colleagues working across Surrey University. The PGCLTHE and AFHEA pathway are taught together.

An outline of the two programmes is given below. Please consider which programme is most suitable for your teaching context.

Programme	AFHEA Pathway	PGCLTHE
Duration	9 months	18 months
Teaching expectations	Minimum 2-3 hours over the 9 months	Minimum 10 hours over the programme
Award	AFHEA	FHEA Postgraduate Certificate (60 M level credits)
Start month	January	January
Programme themes covered (see below)	Themes 1-3	Themes 1-6

There is a three-month break in the programme over the summer (July-September).

Successful completion leads to the award of Associate or full Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy – now Advance HE (AFHEA or FHEA).  

Cohort size:     85 per entry maximum  

Start date:       January each year 

Programme aims and outcomes:

Through the completion of six connected themes, participants will develop an understanding of the complex interrelationship between learning and teaching in higher education.  Through a series of challenges established throughout the programme, participants will develop a greater ability to form responses that they can justify, as well as an ability to develop and pose appropriate questions to further develop their future practice.  The programme aims to engender these approaches, so that participants naturally adopt a questioning approach to their own practice as they develop in the future to enable them to become adaptive teachers who are always evolving.

Through the development of the participants’ understanding of theories of learning and teaching the programme encourages personal evaluation and reflection on how these underpin effective practice in higher education within specific disciplines and institutional settings. The programme emphasises the integration of conceptual knowledge, practical capability and personal development.

The overall educational outcomes are to: 

• Develop participant knowledge, skills and understanding of academic practice within Higher Education 

• Broaden participant understanding of learning and teaching strategies, enhancing their capacity to select appropriately and implement these effectively so they can justify the decisions they make  

• Develop participant understanding of the depth and breadth of literature on academic practice at generic and discipline level and the ability to critique this evidence 

• Enhance participant understanding and appreciation of ethical issues and boundaries within learning and teaching 

• Develop participant ability to analyse and reflect upon the dynamics between theory and practice 

• Enable each participant to apply their developing knowledge when planning their professional and personal development       

Assessment:

The aim of the assessment is for participants to demonstrate the programme outcomes and in so doing meet the UK Professional Standards Framework PSF.  This is achieved through a three-stage process: 

Stage 1:  A portfolio of evidence will be developed by each participant with guidance from the programme tutors.  During each section of the programme, participants will complete a submission to their portfolio.  To enable Stage 3 to be scheduled, each section of the portfolio must be fully completed. 

*Stage 2:  For PGCLTHE participants only: participants must successfully complete the final teaching observation observed by their tutor.  Once this has been completed and signed off by the tutor, and Stage 1 has been completed, then Stage 3 can be scheduled. 

Stage 3:  The portfolio will form the basis of an oral conversation with three colleagues, lasting approximately one hour.

Programme themes:

Theme 1 – Professional Development  

Theme 2 – Different Voices

Theme 3 – Reflective practice  

Theme 4 – Context and policy 

Theme 5 – Learning design  

Theme 6 – Theory-practice 

Pattern of delivery:

There is a mix of whole group sessions and smaller tutorials. These are scheduled at different times and days to be as flexible as possible.   Some sessions may be recorded and available online, some sessions will be in person.   The programme is structured around a series of learning interactions, including a combination of independent work, microteaching, small group interactions and attendance at a variety of different workshops, debates and lectures.

Module information for the PGCLTHE can be found here.

Places for PGR’s

The programmes are available to academic staff and PGRs involved in teaching. Academic staff are given priority for places, with a waiting list in place for PGRs. This means PGR places are subject to availability.

How to enrol:

For details on how to enrol, please contact Joanna Reffell on:  j.reffell@surrey.ac.uk