Overview
The programme is aimed at early career professionals with less than 3 years experience of full-time teaching and those with no formal teaching qualifications or fellowship at Descriptor 2.
The programme will develop contemporary knowledge, skills and practices relevant to the higher education sector in the UK.
Student-centred and inclusive teaching, learning and assessment strategies are paramount in the sector. This programme will use current educational and pedagogic research to help participants gain Fellowship at Descriptor 2 and attain the academic professional apprenticeship award at the end of the course.
In order to gain a Fellowship, you must complete the EPA successfully. The course is therefore designed to lay the foundations and necessary engagement that meets apprenticeship standards.
| ModePart-time | Duration12 Months + 6 Month EPA | Start dateFebruary | Application code5965 | Application method Direct to LSBU |
Location
London South Bank University student union is located at 103 Borough Rd, London SE1 0AA.
If you are visiting our Southwark Campus, you may wish to use our downloadable campus map (PNG File 466 KB). For information on accessibility, see our DisabledGo access guides. See our location page for more details.
Entry Level Requirements
Want to start your course this September? call 0800 923 8888 for entry requirements.
- Hold an undergraduate degree which is considered comparable to a UK honours degree, in any subject, and from an institution acceptable to the university.
- Be currently teaching or supporting learning or professional practice development on an HE course, teaching or professional practice on a full-time or part-time basis.
- Participants will have GCSE grade A-C in English and Maths.
- You will need to be confident with online learning, including accessing and engaging with materials on Moodle and confident working in basic programs such as Word and Excel. Enrolment takes place online. You will be contacted by email with clear enrolment instructions, including a pre-assessment. OD will then confirm your place on the course.
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Missing English and Maths qualifications?
If you do not have the required English and Maths qualifications needed to satisfy the entry requirements for this programme, we have courses available at our partner College that you can take to upskill in these areas. Find out more at South Bank College.
Funding
The cost of the apprenticeship is paid fully by the employer (sometimes part funded by the government) through apprenticeship levy. The apprenticeship levy is a pot of money some companies pay into, which all businesses have access to spend on the training costs of apprenticeships. Companies fall into two categories: levy-payers (who pay into the pot) and non-levy payers (who do not). You can find out more in our Levy and Funding section, specifically for employers
The apprentice does not contribute toward the cost of study.
Bands
Apprenticeship standards are all assigned a funding band by the Government – these funding bands are the maximum amount the Government will fund via the levy towards a given apprenticeship standard. There are currently 30 funding bands ranging from £1,000 to £27,000.
Incentives
Employers with less than 50 staff sending an apprentice aged 16-18 will have 100% of the training costs paid by the government. All employers who employ an apprentice aged 16-18 on the first day of teaching will receive a £1,000 incentive from the government. You can find out more in our Levy and Funding section, specifically for employers.
Cost
You can find out the funding band for an Apprenticeship Standard on the Government website. To find out how much we are charging, please get in touch with us at apprenticeships@lsbu.ac.uk
Field trips
Some modules include field with and site visits, which may be residential or outside the United Kingdom, ranging from three to five days. These are organised by the Division and students are required to contribute towards the cost. If there are any field trips or any course visits as part of your course, we will let you know in good time.
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| Mode Part-time | Duration 12 Months + 6 Month EPA | Start date February | Application code 5965 | Application method Direct to LSBU |
An Apprenticeship Standard is comprised of a programme of study, an End Point Assessment and on-the-job learning. This means that in addition to meeting academic requirements, you’ll need to be employed in a role related to your apprenticeship. The process of applying depends on whether you have an employer to sponsor (and support) you.
If you are employed and your employer has confirmed they will support your apprenticeship:
You are welcome to submit an application via our online application system. You’ll need to provide details of your employment/employer as part of the application. You’ll also need to ensure you and your employer meet the requirements – find out who can be an apprentice to see if you meet the entry requirements and employer commitments to find out more about your employer’s role.
If you are not employed:
- You will need to find a job role related to the apprenticeship you wish to apply for, with an employer who is happy to support you. If you would like to find an employer to support your apprenticeship with LSBU, you can search which employers are currently advertising Apprenticeships via the National Apprenticeship Service website searching for ‘London South Bank University’ as keywords.
- If there are no search results, this means there are currently no vacancies. We update our vacancies regularly, so please do check back regularly.
- Many employers advertise their apprenticeship vacancies on their websites or via other portals. You could search for ‘find an apprenticeship’ online.
- When you’re ready to apply, see the government's advice on how to write a winning apprenticeship application and make your application using our online application system.
Further information for apprentices
If you’re a prospective apprentice, you can find out more about who can be an apprentice on our student pages.
Further information for employers
If you’re an employer, you can find information about the employer commitments and further related information on the related pages for business.
See our admissions policy (PDF File 298 KB) and complaints policy (PDF File 448 KB).
Prepare to start
There are steps the apprentices, the employer and the University need to complete before you start your course. Take a look at the steps to be completed in the Enrolment section. Employers may also like to look at our steps to offering an apprenticeship.
The APA Postgraduate Certificate TLHE constitutes three core (compulsory) modules:
- BRP – Becoming a Reflective Pedagogue
- EFAP – Evaluating the Feedback Assessment Process
- DPE – Developing Practitioner Enquiry
Module 1: Becoming a Reflective Pedagogue (BRP)
The focus of this first, introductory, module is on the role of the tutor as a student-focused, learning planner and deliverer of L&T activities in the HE context. It considers L&T in different environments (e.g. large groups, medium/small groups such as seminars, tutorials and others such as online and blended learning, the use of learning resources & technologies, and managing learning environments). In so doing, the module crucially considers the experiences and attributes of our own diverse learners and seeks to find ways of improving their learning through the systematic and informed development of participants’ own engaged critically reflective and scholarly practice.
Learning Objectives
- Analyse and articulate how the notions of social pedagogy and super complexity have implications for teaching, learning and practice in an inclusive HE environment.
- Analyse and debate research exploring the economic, social and cultural factors that pattern and frame students’ experiences of learning in higher education contexts.
- Critically contextualise findings from research, scholarship and evidence-informed approaches to apply selected strategies to enhance their own specific discipline/professional context.
- Integrate theory and practice to reflectively interrogate professional practice for inclusivity.
Module 2: Evaluating the Feedback and Assessment Process (EFAP)
This second module explores the role that assessment and feedback play within the overall learning process in higher education contexts and the quality assurance processes associated with effective feedback and assessment in HE. The module addresses the pedagogical aspects that may inform assessment and feedback processes and helps participants to creatively reflect on how their own individual subject-specific requirements underpin course assessment and feedback frameworks. The module covers a range of theoretical, research and pedagogical experiments to analyse assessment as an important aspect of learning, but also an area which is central to the student experience. The module offers an opportunity for participants to reflect on a selected issue to develop and trial a strategy to enrich students’ experiences around assessment and feedback.
Learning Objectives
- Identify and analyse pedagogical strategies and experiments to interrogate own practice around feedback and assessment.
- Critically explore a range of concepts and technologies around assessment and feedback and discern their relevance to specific professional practice.
- Critically contextualise findings from research, scholarship and evidence-informed approaches to contextualise and apply selected strategies within their own teaching context or subject area.
- Demonstrate awareness of how reflections on feedback and assessment strategies can inform own continuing professional development and enhance quality assurance.
Module 3: Developing Practitioner Enquiry (DPE)
This final module aims to enable participants to appraise, plan and deliver higher education courses/modules in an inclusive and professional manner, understanding the complex context of HE, and examining curriculum and quality assurance processes. The module examines the coordination of teaching, learning and assessment, and relates curriculum issues to wider patterns of continuity and change in higher education. The module will help participants to plan, evaluate and implement changes in curricula in higher education. The module builds the capacity of staff to conduct reflective scholarly enquiry in their immediate professional teaching contexts. The module encourages critical analysis across various factors which underpin the educational imperatives of higher education institutions currently, some of these factors are: curriculum theory, policy debates, and innovative methods of teaching and learning, as well as developments in pedagogical research. Central to this is the development of core knowledge, areas of practice and professional values articulated in the Professional Standards Framework (2023).
This module is usually studied as a long and thin spinal third and final module of the APA PGCert programme, being designed as the synoptic module. Each module contains a total of 200 learning hours. ‘Learning hours’ constitute a total of contact and directed time, assessment preparation and participant activity.
Learning Objectives
- Identify and critically reflect on key aspects of inclusive practice to develop pedagogical strategies responding to curriculum needs in a specific subject area or discipline.
- Critically integrate a range of concepts and theories to inform selected aspects of practice authoritatively.
- To demonstrate appropriate research skills in developing a relevant small-scale study applying selected research-informed strategies within their own teaching context or subject area.
- To evidence critical reflections, around research, development of practice and curriculum evaluation that can be applied to other aspects of own continuing professional development.
Careers
Employability Service
We are University of the Year for Graduate Employment for the second year in a row - The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018, 2019.
At LSBU, we want to set you up for a successful career. During your studies – and for two years after you graduate – you’ll have access to our Employability Service, which includes:
- An online board where you can see a wide range of placements: part-time, full-time or voluntary. You can also drop in to see our Job Shop advisers, who are always available to help you take the next step in your search.
- Our Careers Gym offering group workshops on CVs, interview techniques and finding work experience, as well as regular presentations from employers across a range of sectors.
Our Student Enterprise team can also help you start your own business and develop valuable entrepreneurial skills.
The APA PGCert TLHE is integral to course participants’ professional development. In academia, in order to secure academic promotions (i.e. Senior Lecturer, Reader, Assistant Professor, Professor), there is an expectation that members of staff have the necessary teaching qualifications, such as, Fellowship from Advance HE. Therefore, for teaching and professional staff joining the course, who will be the vast majority of the cohorts, the APA PGCert will give course participants a teaching qualification which is important for the development of their academic roles and an important step towards securing further academic promotions within the sector of HE more widely.
The course is carefully planned to meet the requirements of the apprenticeship standard for teaching roles. The Academic Professional apprenticeship is carefully mapped to relevant KSBs. The course is taught through a combination of workshops, group activities, group collaborative work, lectures and formative assessment which help students generate content and build their teaching portfolios. All students must be in a position where they are responsible for the learning of others, whether it is in an academic, professional or vocational environment. The course will offer opportunities to discuss, improve and reflect on practice and there will be opportunities to present examples from pedagogy to a wider community of professionals dedicated to enhancing the continuing professional development that is needed in their roles. The apprenticeship is taught for a period of twelve months and you must be available to attend sessions on a weekly basis. The taught phase is followed by the End Point Assessment phase which is expected to take no longer than six months, and the End Point Assessment Organisation is Advance HE.
Teaching and Assessment
The higher education sector employs staff with various previous professional backgrounds. HE members of staff have responsibilities for teaching and learning and need to enhance teaching and learning quality at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The learning experience and achievement of students is paramount in an environment where there are expectations and benchmarks around equality, diversity and inclusion. New technologies provide abundant opportunities for designing and helping to deliver a curriculum; the accountability of QAA subject and institutional audit requires academic staff to examine the curricula on offer; the appropriateness of assessment used and mechanisms for supporting participants and assuring quality. Therefore, all teaching staff, require opportunities to review methods and strategies and to be able to justify the use of learning and teaching methods. The APA PGCert is the taught programme for those who have less than 3 years’ experience teaching in the sector.
As part of student support and to provide extra professional development resources to course participants, a Professional Adviser (PA) will be allocated at the beginning of the course, by teaching week 2, the PA might also be involved in some of the teaching throughout the course. The role of the Professional Adviser is to act as a ‘professional critical friend’ who understands the process of working towards fellowship and can offer support as course participants reflect on key areas of practice throughout the course. Professional Advisers will carry out tripartite review meetings 4 times throughout the 12 months of taught input and can meet upon request. Professional Advisers can be contacted to arrange details of how and when it is convenient to meet. Professional Advisers can support by discussing emergent plans for assessments, guiding course participants as they make connections between theory and practice and discussing how the 15 dimensions of PSF 2023 and the meeting of KSBs to help course participants become a responsive, effective, and inclusive practitioner who understands the importance of reflective practice. The team of Professional Advisers will be under the supervision of the Professional Adviser Lead and Course Leader who will oversee the planning and documenting of tripartite review meetings.
The course will also be introducing course participants to Gateway activities throughout the course and in preparation for the End Point Assessment (EPA). The LSBU Gateway preparation module will be embedded throughout the course through progress monitoring activities that help course participants map their demonstrated skills and experience against KSBs. These activities will be delivered as self-assessment exercises which course participants can also use as a resource to discuss in tripartite review meetings. The objective of the Gateway module will be to further prepare and create a professional learning log which course participants can use as evidence of engagement on tripartite meetings and also as an extra resource to draw from as they enter the EPA stage.
The end point assessment will take place after the three core modules and the gateway module have been completed. The EPA will involve the following items: a) an Academic Professional Conversation (1 hour), b) an Academic Professional Practice Assessment (1 hour), and c) a 7,500-word Academic Assessment. The assessment strategy across all three modules of the course develops course participants’ skills and the reflection on experience needed to prepare effectively for the End Point Assessment and meet Descriptor 2 Fellowship requirements. The course team have scheduled two sessions with the EPA Assessor Provider to deliver information to course participants in preparation for the EPA stage.
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