The professional standards and structures of the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education in the UK

2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 17530558
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Educaion
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: KATO Kaori Niigata University, Research Institute for Faculty Development, Associate Professor, 大学教育開発研究センター, 助教授 (80323997)
• Project Period (FY): 2005 – 2006
• Keywords: staff Development / higher education / academic staff / 大学教員

Research Abstract

This research project aims to bring out the professional standards and structures of the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) in the United Kingdom.
I went through literature reviews and survey on programmes at University of Nottingham, University of Leicester, Imperial College of London, and Institute of Education, London University, I actually participated in several of core workshops of the PGCHE held at some of the universities above, and had interviews with the relevant head staffs during the research period of 2005-2007.
Firstly, this report has reviewed the backgrounds of the PGCHE and staff development in the UK. The main focus is on the context of quality assurances and transformation from teaching into learning in the learning society and knowledge society as well as on the movement of the UK government regarding the PGCHE since "Dearing report".
Secondary, I refer that the UK professional standards framework for teaching and supporting learning in higher educati on is presented as a professional standard for the PGCHE. Besides the process of the consultation for the standards framework is notable feature of making useful national standards.
Thirdly, I have briefed the structure of the PGCHE and illustrated some of the programmes implemented in institutions cited above. The programmes are generally a part-time course of Maser level. They are outcomes based learning and aim to meet the needs of higher education teachers as professionals in the context of university. It should be noted that the participants of the PGCHE address action learning to construct the foundations of learning communities at universities.
Finally, it is impressive that the UK higher education institutions have recently intended to play a leading role in the learning society, developing the integration between research and teaching. The PGCHE is the very core programme to challenge the intention..
The professional standards and structures of the PGCHE would be a promising benchmark for programmes of faculty development in Japan.