Who is the course designed for?
The course is offered by the Cambridge Centre for Teaching & Learning and is aimed at staff who teach and/or support learning of students who are studying at the University of Cambridge. Participants normally have at least three years’ experience of teaching and/or supporting students in higher education. The course assumes a significant amount of independent study, as well as active involvement in teaching and/or supporting learning during the course. The course is not normally open to PhD students.
CCTL offers a range of accredited teaching development provision. Please take time to review all options before continuing with your application. For further information, see https://www.cctl.cam.ac.uk/teaching-programmes.
The course is designed so that participants are able to investigate aspects of teaching and learning that are particularly important to them. Some of the outcomes that are likely to arise from taking the course are:
- greater understanding of student engagement in higher education;
- increased confidence;
- an ability to think creatively and from an evidence base, about how to improve education within and beyond your own practice.
Aims of the programme
The course is designed to enable its participants to develop enquiry-based approaches to engaging with educational challenges and contributing to improvements in the education of students at Cambridge and at tertiary level more broadly. You will:
- develop your understanding of how students learn;
- extend your repertoire of teaching, learning and assessment methods; and
- develop a cogent personal philosophy of education drawing on understanding, use and critical awareness of educational research methods and reflective practice.
In doing so, you will develop practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge about teaching and learning in higher education. The programme is also designed to facilitate cross-disciplinary discussion of teaching, learning and assessment.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education students should be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge and understanding
- How students learn, both generally and within their subject / disciplinary areas;
- appropriate methods for teaching, learning and assessment in the subject area and at the level of the academic programme;
- the implications of quality assurance and quality enhancement for educational practice;
- practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in higher education;
- appropriate personal qualities and professional attitudes, including empathy and collegiality and commitment to inclusive and equitable educational practice and an appreciation of the wider context in which higher education operates.
Skills and other attributes
- intellectual skills
- Ability to critically evaluate current research and advanced scholarship in higher education theory and practice;
- ability to reflect critically on individual continuing professional development needs within teaching and independently to identify ways of fulfilling those needs;
- ability to deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, making sound judgements in the absence of complete data;
- practical skills
- Ability to making informed judgements about using a wide variety of teaching, learning and assessment methods in order to contribute towards students' learning;
- designing and using evidence-informed approaches, including the outcomes from research, scholarship and continuing professional development in order to develop integrated approaches to educational practice.
- other transferable skills
The course is designed specifically for teachers in higher education and equips them with a range of skills transferable on a daily basis to complex situations in higher education, as well as an ability to exercise initiative and take decisions in complex and unpredictable situations. These skills are equally applicable in a wide range of careers within higher education and beyond.
Teaching and learning
Unit 1: Developing as an enquiring university teacher
Introduces selected practitioner research methods and methodologies.
Unit 2: Teaching and learning strategies and techniques
Introduces selected theories of learning, considers the strengths and limitations of a range of teaching and learning formats, and introduces selected evaluation methods.
Unit 3: Designing teaching, learning and assessment
Investigates theoretical perspectives on curriculum and course design and considers their implications for teaching, learning and assessment.
Teaching dates
- VLE opens: Wednesday 13 Aug 2025
- Day School 1: Wednesday 10 Sep 2025
- Day School 2: Wednesday 01 Oct 2025
- Day School 3: Wednesday 14 Jan 2026
- Day School 4: Wednesday 22 Apr 2026
- Day School 5: Wednesday 08 Jul 2026
It is expected that participants attend all day-schools, as well as participate fully in online learning through the course VLE and in termly individual tutorials and peer-learning communities. A significant amount of independent study is also required.
Full details of each Unit; including key dates, learning objectives, outcomes and assessment, are given in the Course Guide.
What is the status of this qualification?
The Postgraduate Certificate is equivalent to 60 credits at Level 7. It is accredited by Advance HE at Descriptor 2 (Fellow of the Higher Education Academy / FHEA)
Find out more
If you have any academic questions, please contact Dr Meg Tait: mebt1@cam.ac.uk
If you have any questions about the application process, contact our Admissions team: pgadmissions@ice.cam.ac.uk
