Here's a voice from Singapore - across the polytechnics and universities there are varying requirements concerning whether it is compulsory for new staff to complete an equivalent of the Pg Cert.
In the polytechnic where I am the Director of the Learning Academy, it is compulsory for all new staff to complete the Teaching in Higher Education Certificate programme. Typically, the programme is to be completed within the first year of the staff joining the institution. Where the staff member is unable to complete the requirements (attendance at all sessions, two assignments on learning-teaching approaches and assessment, two developmental teaching observations) he/she is required to apply for a 6-month extension to complete the programme.
Thankfully, across the institution, there is sufficient acknowlegement of the importance of ensuring that all new staff members have sufficient pedagogical grounding to enhance the quality of student learning.
Regards,
Moira
FSEDA
________________________________
From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association on behalf of David Gosling
Sent: Fri 1/29/2010 1:07 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Comparable examples- Is your Pg Cert compulsory for new staff? & RESULTS
Thanks Suki for this account. It is an amazing success story.
An interesting question that this raises for me is whether this model can be adopted in other parts of the developing world. If Sri Lanka can do it.....
Linking this with the news that James Wisdom is to be the next President of ICED - congratulations James - I would like to see ICED take a more proactive lead in assisting third world countries to develop national plans to introduce professional development for HE.
I for one would volunteer my help.
David Gosling
Higher Education Consultant and Researcher
01614566148
07841647275
www.davidgosling.net <http://www.davidgosling.net/>
________________________________
From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Suki Ekaratne
Sent: 26 January 2010 09:27
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Comparable examples- Is your Pg Cert compulsory for new staff? & RESULTS
Dear David,
Thank you for your very useful work, as always.
To your question, "can anyone provide any other comparable examples?" a case of another country...;
A comparable case exits is Sri Lanka. Being a Developing Country, in 1997/98, it mandated all staff joining HE to successfully complete a course in Teaching, Learning & Assessment. However, at that time, there was a massive and an almost insurmountable problem because not a single such course or a Staff Development Centre was available in the country.
So, the first such centre was set up at Colombo University in 1997, with a totally confounded, questionably-competent director (myself!) being 'parachuted in' as its founder director. With Stephen Cox, we soon set up a course, accredited it with SEDA/UK and soon became operational - and serviced lecturers from all universities across the country. This of course made it much easier to set up a consensual ethos on L&T across a wider fabric. I have moved out now, but it continues.
So, starting from a clean slate, the model worked and there is now a palpable difference in the nature of university conversations with regard to teaching & learning - on how the alignment between L&T is viewed, spoken of, and in the desire to take it forward by several stakeholder groups. For example;
- pressure was brought to bear on myself by the lecturer-trainees asking why there was no further support beyond the course... and so a national organisation was founded where one activity is that teaching improvements done by these lecturers are reported and discussed at an annual conference (see: www.slaihee.org <http://www.slaihee.org/> )
- by senior lecturing staff - as to why they were not offered similar courses.... And so a senior course (again accredited by SEDA/UK) was started.
- receipt of massive funding
- corporate sector becoming interested and involved
- spilling over to make a fundamental difference across the country on how other staff in the university sector (such as administrative, management, clerical support staff) viewed training, or rather the lack of it for them! And so... courses were started for them too.....
Almost all universities in Sri Lanka now have their own centres. Different universities responded in different ways, and like in many other western countries and developing countries where I have been privileged to input, the focus can be 'developmental' or 'covering up', a very difficult decision that the management is pushed to make.
David Baume and some others have written briefly on this, and lots of others from many countries contributed, specially as External Examiners from UK.
Thank you, again, and best wishes,
Suki E
________________________________
From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Keulen, dr. J. van (Hanno)
Sent: 25 January 2010 19:50
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Is your Pg Cert compulsory for new staff? RESULTS
Dear David,
Thank you for your initiative and the compilation. It is very informative.
I would like to react to your question: "The UK is probably unique (can anyone provide any other comparable examples?) in making professional development for new staff in higher education mandatory for such a high proportion of its staff."
In 2008, all 14 research universities in the Netherlands decided to mutually recognise each other's teaching certificates and teaching qualifications. I was involved in reviewing the underlying procedures of each university and played some role in massaging the process towards this outcome. Some universities at that time did not have a staff development program in place but decided to join the majority and develop and implement such a program overnight. So by now, pretty much all new staff in higher education is required to compile a portfolio that gives prove of critical competencies with regard to teaching (designing, delivering, assessing, evaluating education), they are facilitated, and there is an assessment procedure in place. Some universities reported that this has tripled or quadrupled participation in staff development courses. Allthough for sure, like you conjecture, things look prettier on paper than in practice. I know of some seasoned mathematicians in my university who pretend to never have heard of the teaching qualification program that was installed at Utrecht University already in 1996.
We had a good look at the systems in the UK, although we do not have the money that the Blair government decided to spend on the HEA, CETLs and the rest, and we consider the UK as topping the bill board when it comes to rigorous standards and the quality of pedagogical discourse in universities. Still, there is something going on on the continent (or Europe, what do you call us today?) that is trying to catch up with you. Other interesting developments take place in Belgium, Germany, and Sweden. You are not alone!
At the upcoming ICED conference in Barcelona next June, I plan to do a workshop on international mutual recognition of teaching qualification systems in higher education. So as to ensure that anyone who has a Pg Cert from the UK is welcome to teach in the Netherlands without being bothered by additional local requirements.
Let's see what happens in the near future!
Best wishes,
Hanno van Keulen
Dr. J. ('Hanno') van Keulen
Consultant and researcher in higher education
IVLOS Insitute of Education, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
PO Box 80127, NL-3508 TC Utrecht
[log in to unmask]
-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association namens David Gosling
Verzonden: ma 25-1-2010 19:29
Aan: [log in to unmask]
Onderwerp: Is your Pg Cert compulsory for new staff? RESULTS
Dear colleagues,
Thanks to the 75 colleagues who replied to the query 'Is your PgCert
compulsory for new staff?'
I am ready to publish the full table of results, but before I do so please
let me know if you do not wish your comment to be in the public domain.
The summary data based on 82 UK institutions is as follows:
63.4% of respondents (52 institutions) have a policy which makes successful
completion of a PgCert mandatory for new staff (but see qualification
below).
19.5% (16 institutions) have a lower requirement, ranging from 20 to 40
credits or a non-accredited course)
13.4% (11 institutions) require staff to enrol on a PgCert or similar, but
do not formally require successful completion. Typically this is because the
probation period is one year, and completion of the PgCert is expected to
take longer than this.
3.7% (3 institutions) have no formal requirement, although in one case staff
are encouraged to take the PgCert.
The major qualification that must be mentioned is that several respondents
in institutions where completing the PgCert is mandatory acknowledge that
the policy may not be enforceable.
It is very striking that only three institutions do not have any formal
requirement. Two of these are 'ancient' universities in Scotland (Aberdeen
and St Andrews) and the third is City University, where not all schools are
yet requiring staff to engage with the PgCert.
In practice there may be other institutions which are like City in that
there is a policy which is not be fully enforced by all schools (some refer
to staff 'slipping through the net'). This raises some tricky questions
about what constitutes a 'requirement' and the extent to which any such
requirement is enforceable.
These findings suggest that there is a strong determination in UK higher
education that all new/inexperienced staff should engage with professional
development in teaching and learning. The UK is probably unique (can anyone
provide any other comparable examples?) in making professional development
for new staff in higher education mandatory for such a high proportion of
its staff.
However, this is far from a unique position compared with other professions
(architects, doctors, lawyers, engineers etc). There is an interesting
difference in that the requirements in HE are being made by employing
institutions and not by a statutory chartered body. Although the HEA
accredits courses it is not in a position to regulate entry to the
profession in the way that the RIBA does or the BMA for example.
The consequence of this is that the de facto requirement for entry into
teaching in higher education varies according to the institution through
which a person enters the profession. Can this variation be justified?
This brief incursion into PgCerts leaves many other questions unanswered -
can successful completion a PgCert be equated with the judgement that
someone is competent to teach? How is competency understood and how is it
assessed? Do PgCerts make equivalent demands on staff - are they comparable?
Are all staff observed teaching? Who is making judgements about the quality
of teaching observed? Is there agreement about what constitutes sufficient
'quality of teaching'? Is a PgCert a 'licence to practice'?
David Gosling
Higher Education Consultant and Researcher
01614566148
07841647275
www.davidgosling.net
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