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1. Admissions/ Management Information
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Title of the programme – including any lower awards
Please provide the titles used for all awards relating to this programme. Note: all programmes are required to have at least a Postgraduate Certificate exit award.

See guidance on programme titles in:
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https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf
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Masters
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Postgraduate DiplomaPlease indicate if the Postgraduate Diploma is available as an entry point, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.N/A
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Postgraduate CertificatePostgraduate Certificate in Academic PracticePlease indicate if the Postgraduate Certificate is available as an entry points, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.Entry
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Level of qualificationLevel 7
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This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:2021
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Awarding institutionTeaching institution
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University of YorkUniversity of York
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Department(s):
Where more than one department is involved, indicate the lead department		Board of Studies
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Lead DepartmentStudent Administration and Academic Affairs (Student and Academic Services)Academic Practice
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Other contributing Departments:
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Route code
(existing programmes only)		PCYRKSAPC1
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Admissions criteria
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Member of University of York Staff with substantial role in teaching and supporting student learning; approval by line manager (where requirement to undertake the programme is not an expectation of employment.
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Length and status of the programme(s) and mode(s) of study
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ProgrammeLength (years/ months)Status (full-time/ part-time)
Please select		Start dates/months
(if applicable – for programmes that have multiple intakes or start dates that differ from the usual academic year)		Mode
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Face-to-face, campus-basedDistance learningOther
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Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice2 YearsPart-timeSeptermberPlease select Y/NYesPlease select Y/NNo
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Language(s) of study
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English
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Language(s) of assessment
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English
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2. Programme accreditation by Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRB)
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2.a. Is the programme recognised or accredited by a PSRB
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Please Select Y/N:Yesif No move to section 3
if Yes complete the following questions
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2.b. Name of PSRB
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Advance HE
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2.c. Please provide details of any approval/ accrediation event needed, including: timecales, the nature of the event, central support / information required:
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N/A
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2.d. Are there any conditions on the approval/ accreditation of the programme(s)/ graduates (for example accreditation only for the full award and not any interim award)
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N/A
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3. Additional Professional or Vocational Standards
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Are there any additional requirements of accrediting bodies or PSRB or pre-requisite professional experience needed to study this programme?
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Please Select Y/N:Noif Yes, provide details
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4. Programme leadership and programme team
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4.a. Please name the programme leader for the year to which the programme design applies and any key members of staff responsible for designing, maintaining and overseeing the programme.
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Duncan Jackson (Programme Leader); Lisa O'Malley (Chair of Board of Studies for Academic Practice)
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5. Purpose and learning outcomes of the programme
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5.a.ii Statement of purpose for applicants registering for the Postgraduate Certificate programme
Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective certificate student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
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The Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) provides the knowledge, skill and insight you will need to embark upon a successful academic career. The drive to push the boundaries of knowledge, and to provide the best opportunities for learning for our students within a rapidly changing policy landscape, means we work in a challenging environment. PGCAP will prepare you for this challenge by exposing you to principles of current good practice, policy and research in higher education and by equipping you with the skill of critical self-reflection. Alongside your discipline-based expertise, you will be able to develop your teaching, research, administrative duties and other academic activity to become a fully participating colleague within your department and the University. You will engage with current thinking on learning and teaching and will yourself undertake learning and teaching scholarship. If your role involves research, you will be supported in developing your research profile and preparing to take on research leadership responsibilities. You will also be guided through the key systems and frameworks that underpin academic policy and strategy at York so that you are equipped to undertake your role efficiently and to good effect.

PGCAP is taught by a range of experienced academic and professional staff. The programme is interactive, delivered using a combination of face-to-face and online formats and it is designed to integrate with your departmental responsibilities. You will be engaging with staff from across the University, allowing you to benefit from a genuinely multi-disciplinary working environment. At the same time you will have an opportunity to receive guidance particular to your discipline in the form of Faculty-specific workshops and regular meetings with an academic supervisor from your own, or a cognate, discipline.
On successful completion of PGCAP, you will be eligible to claim Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. If you are responsible for teaching nurses and midwives you will also have the opportunity to secure Nursing and Midwifery Council accreditation.
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5.b.i. Programme Learning Outcomes - Masters
Please provide six to eight statements of what a graduate of the Masters programme will be able to do.
If the document only covers a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma please specify four to six PLO statements in the sections 5.b.ii and 5.b.iii as appropriate.
Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
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PLOOn successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
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5.b.ii. Programme Learning Outcomes - Postgraduate Diploma
Please provide four to six statements outlining what a graduate of the Postgraduate Diploma programme will be able to do.
Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
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PLOOn successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
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5.b.iii. Programme Learning Outcomes - Postgraduate Certificate
Please provide four to six statements outlining what a graduate of the Postgraduate Certificate programme will be able to do.
Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
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PLOOn successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
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1Design and undertake effective teaching, research, administrative and other academic responsibilities in a way that is equitable and inclusive by employing approaches, including those enhanced by technology, aligned to the ways students learn and the way knowledge is created, both generally and in the discipline.
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2Adopt and communicate informed philosophical and practical positions in regard to fulfilling their academic responsibilities, through an understanding of the key policies, frameworks and issues that underlie modern higher education practice within the context of the University of York.
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3Apply intellectual robustness and creativity to all areas of their academic work by utilising their experiences of engaging with scholarly activity on PGCAP alongside the development of their research and scholarship in work-based practice.
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4Analyse and adapt their practice by implementing thought-through evaluation strategies and critically reflecting upon experience and the assumptions which underpin their approaches to academic activity.
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5Fulfil their role as an academic citizen responsibly and with integrity, whether that be working independently or collegially, by being able to contextualise personal responsibilities against departmental, institutional and societal expectations and requirements.
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6Identify, develop and implement strategies for personal professional development that are realistic in being evidence-informed and which are mindful of both disciplinary and sector trends and priorities and factors of uncertainty and risk.
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5.c. Explanation of the choice of Programme Learning Outcomes
Please explain your rationale for choosing these PLOs in a statement that can be used for students (such as in a student handbook). Please include brief reference to:
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i) ... in what way will these PLOs result in an ambitious, challenging programme which stretches the students?
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The PLOs require participants to see their academic role in both an intellectual and practical light. Although for most this is a given with regard to their disciplinary research, it is less likely to be explicitly acknowledged with regard to learning and teaching, and indeed activity associated with citizenship and service. Equally, although many participants will have quite extensive experience through PhD study, post-doctoral research and possibly some previous academic appointment, their engagement with PGCAP means that their position at York is their first substantive academic post. Given the rapidly changing nature of higher education, and indeed the uncertainty that characterises it, it is necessary for new academic staff to quickly acclimatise to the reality of academic work. Although this may involve teaching, research and administration, or a combination of these, there are also essential underpinning principles that individuals need to grapple with and which they may not have, previously, encountered - such as collegiality, citizenship and collective responsibility for not just personal development, but also departmental and institutional advancement. As well as capturing development, therefore, in all key areas of academic practice, the PGCAP PLOs also explicitly focus on these less tangible, but essential components of academic practice that are challenging for new staff, but which need to be addressed.
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ii) ... in what way will these PLOs produce a programme which is distinctive and advantageous to the student?
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The PLOs capture the holistic nature of the academic role, but simultaneously allow flexibility to reflect the different priorities and responsibilities inherent in any particular individual’s teaching and research, or teaching and scholarship contract. They go beyond simply the ‘doing’ of the job and seek to engage participants with core underpinning values which frame ‘thinking’, in other words requiring them to think through the ‘why’ as well as the ‘what’ and to analyse the underlying assumptions that give rise to particular actions. An ability to engage intellectually with this deeper level of consideration is a defining characteristic of what might be referred to as the critically reflective practitioner. Reflexivity and critical reflection are difficult concepts for individuals to grapple with and adopt as embedded principles of personal academic practice and development, but they are essential skills in an environment that is characterised by change, uncertainty and challenge. The programme outcomes for PGCAP seek to not just provide essential knowledge, skills and attributes to enable participants to successfully commence their academic career at York, but also they seek to provide them with the capacity and attributes to continue to develop beyond their engagement with the programme.
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iii) ... how the design of the programme enables students from diverse entry routes to transition successfully into the programme? For example, how does the organisation of the programme ensure solid foundations in disciplinary knowledge and understanding of conventions, language skills, mathematics and statistics skills, writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity
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 The PGCAP programme focuses initially on laying the foundations of good practice in learning and teaching, both generally within higher education but with specific consideration to the context of the University of York. Although it is likely that the majority of PGCAP participants have some solid foundation in research (most having completed a PhD and often one or more postdocs), none will have the same extent of grounding in teaching and student learning and, given teaching responsibilities will feature significantly in their workloads immediately, it is essential that they are provided with support in this area as soon as possible. PGCAP participants are also drawn from a diverse range of disciplines, each with their own conventions and traditions in learning and teaching. This cultural diversity can lead to unhelpful genericism, but the PGCAP approach is to take advantage of ‘difference’ by grounding coverage of core principles in multi-disciplinary discussion, thereby allowing all participants, whatever their background, to contribute to, and learn from, their engagement with the programme and the different disciplines which are represented. This is not to downplay the importance of disciplinary approaches, however, and with this in mind all participants are also able to benefit from the support of a disciplinary-orintated and experienced academic supervisor. In terms of specific approaches advocated by PGCAP, i.e. critical reflexivity, participants are supported in their development of reflective thinking and writing through the design of workshops, supervisory support and assessment.
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iv) ... how the programme is designed to enable students to progress successfully - in a limited time frame - through to the end of the award? For example, the development of higher level research skills; enabling students to complete an independent study module; developing competence and confidence in practical skills/ professional skills. See QAA masters characteristics doument http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Masters-Degree-Characteristics-15.pdf
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Year one of PGCAP engages participants with fundamental principles of learning and teaching in higher education in order to allow them to be effective in their practice. Year 2 develops from this foundation, by requiring participants to engage with their learning and teaching in an intellectual manner and to achieve an understanding of evidence-informed practice. They are encouraged to consider their teaching, and the learning of their students, through a scholarly lens and appropriate support in pedagogical action research is provided to enable them to undertake a small research project into learning and teaching that has relevance to their own practice, but also, potentially, the practice of their department and the wider university.. It is also in the second year that the programme moves from providing support for the present challenges of the academic role, to considering career trajectory and future planning.
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v) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will develop students’ digital literacy skills and how technology-enhanced learning will be used to support active student learning through peer/tutor interaction, collaboration and formative (self) assessment opportunities (reference could be made to such as blogging, flipped classroooms, response 'clickers' in lectures, simulations, etc).
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Given that PGCAP is, in effect, a programme designed to enable participants to undertake, and develop in, their academic role, then participant exposure to current learning and teaching technologies is embedded within the curriculum. For those with a particular interest in this area, there is ample opportunity, with support from the E-learning Development Team as appropriate, to undertake scholarly investigations into the use, and impact, of technologies in learning and teaching. Beyond this, participants, although teachers themselves, are also students on PGCAP and they are therefore exposed to technology (through engagement with the VLE for example) from the student perspective, with the intention that this provide them with an insight into the experiences of their own students. We have also developed, with the Library, a specific resource for participants engaging with scholarship into teaching and learning, through a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Subject Guide: http://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/sotl.
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vi) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will support and enhance the students’ employability (for example, opportunities for students to apply their learning in a real world setting)?
The programme's employablity objectives should be informed by the University's Employability Strategy:
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http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/careers/staff/
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PGCAP is a particular programme in that its participants are already employed by the University of York, and the majority employed in their chosen vocation. That said, the programme is designed to not just allow them to undertake their current role at York, but also to provide them with the skills and opportunity for forward-thinking, that will allow them to develop their practice and advance their career be that at this university or another. In particular, the Academic Identity and Professional Development module is explicitly concerned with requiring participants to reflect upon their personal perceptions of what it means to be an academic and a disciplinary scholar along with a thought through plan for professional development and trajectory, contextualised within departmental, disciplinary and sector expectations.
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viii) ... how learning and teaching on the programme are informed and led by research in the department/ Centre/ University?
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The Academic Practice team who co-ordinate and deliver PGCAP are also responsible for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Network, and undertake their own investigations into HE learning and teaching practice. The results of this work are directly fed into the PGCAP curriculum, the content of which is reviewed, comprehensively, on an annual basis to ensure it is up-to-date and exposes participants to current thinking and policy.
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5.d. Progression
For masters programmes where students do not incrementally 'progress' on the completion of a discrete Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma, please summarise students’ progressive development towards the achievement of the PLOs, in terms of the characteristics that you expect students to demonstrate at the end of the set of modules or part thereof. This summary may be particularly helpful to students and the programme team where there is a high proportion of option modules and in circumstances where students registered on a higher award will exit early with a lower one.

Note: it is not expected that a position statement is written for each masters PLO, but this can be done if preferred.
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On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate students will be able to:
If the PG Cert is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the diploma/masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
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NOTE: on completion of the Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Higher Education module (REG00015M), participants withdrawing from PGCAP prior to completion of the programme will be able to exit with the Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education independent CPD module (REG00016M). This module is only 20 credits and does not lead to an award, but it will enable participants to claim professional recognition as HEA Associate Fellows.
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On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma students will be able to:
If the PG Diploma is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
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N/A
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6. Reference points and programme regulations
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6.a. Relevant Quality Assurance Agency benchmark statement(s) and other relevant external reference points
Please state relevant reference points consulted (e.g. Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, National Occupational Standards, Subject Benchmark Statements or the requirements of PSRBs): See also Taught Postgraduate Modular Scheme: Framework for Programme Design:
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https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf
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http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Masters-Degree-Characteristics-15.pdf
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http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality/the-quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements
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http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/publication?PubID=2843#.VthM1fmLS70
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Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Descriptor for a higher education qualification at level 7: Master's Degree); UK Professional Standards Framework; Nursing and Midwifery Council Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice; Academic Professional Apprenticeship Standard
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6.b. University award regulations
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The University’s award and assessment regulations apply to all programmes: any exceptions that relate to this programme are approved by University Teaching Committee and are recorded at the end of this document.
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7. Programme Structure
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7.a. Module Structure and Summative Assessment Map
Please complete the summary table below which shows the module structure and the pattern of summative assessment through the programme.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
If the structure of your programme does not fit the usual academic year (for instance students start at the beginning of September or in January) please contact your Academic Quality Team contact in the Academic Support Office for guidance on how to represent the structure in an alternative format.

To clearly present the overall programme structure, include the name and details of each invidual CORE module in the rows below. For OPTION modules, ‘Option module’ or 'Option from list x' should be used in place of specifically including all named options. If the programme requires students to select option modules from specific lists by term of delivery or subject theme these lists should be provided in the next section (7.b).

From the drop-down select 'S' to indicate the start of the module, 'A' to indicate the timing of each distinct summative assessment point (eg. essay submission/ exam), and 'E' to indicate the end of teaching delivery for the module (if the end of the module coincides with the summative assessment select 'EA'). It is not expected that each summative task will be listed where an overall module might be assessed cumulatively (for example weekly problem sheets).

Summative assessment by exams should normally be scheduled in the spring week 1 and summer Common Assessment period (weeks 5-7). Where the summer CAP is used, a single ‘A’ can be used within the shaded cells as it is understood that you will not know in which week of the CAP the examination will take place. (NB: An additional resit assessment week is provided in week 10 of the summer term for postgraduate students. See Guide to Assessment, 5.4.a)
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http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/registry-services/guide/
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Part-time structure
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Year 1
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CreditsModuleAutumn TermSpring TermSummer TermSummer Vacation
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CodeTitle12345678910123456789101234567891012345678910111213
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20REG00015Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Higher EducationSEAA
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20REG00011Scholarship of Teaching and LearningS
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Please indicate when the Progression Board and Final Exam board will be held and when any reassessments will be submitted.
NB: You are required to provide at least three weeks notice to students of the need for them to resubmit any required assessments, in accordance with the Guide to Assessment section 4.9
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Progression Board
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Reassessment
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Exam Board
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Year 2
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CreditsModuleAutumn TermSpring TermSummer TermSummer Vacation