LDC provide first steps into HE teacher education, the chance to gain professional status and the opportunity to expand and enhance teaching skills and understanding through a qualification. The programme for PhD students who teach begins with Preparing to Teach in Higher Education, a mandatory first steps session for all postgraduates who teach at Warwick. If, after this session participants wish to develop their skills further and/or apply for Associate Fellowship status, they can enrol on the APP PGR taught course a 6-month taught course with a variety of workshops, teaching observations and a reflective e-portfolio. An alternative to this course is the APP EXP route, for more experienced teachers. Finally, those participants who have attended the taught course have the opportunity to take their work forward to a fuller qualification, the Postgraduate Award in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, a Warwick qualification bearing 30 credits at Masters level. This final stage takes a further 6 months.
It may be appropriate for postdoctoral researchers with sufficient teaching experience to join the programme. Places are prioritised for PhD students but where there is availability and postdocs meet the requirements, they may join one of the routes.

This introductory element of the overall programme represents the beginning of a participant’s training in teaching in HE at Warwick. Preparing to Teach comprises 3 hours of online activity (using Moodle) plus 3 hours of related taught content. All postgraduate researchers who teach, as a minimum, should complete this training.

Both the face-to-face and online elements look at some of the most important themes in teaching practice: introduction to concepts in teaching and learning in a student-centred environment; group teaching methodology; assessment and feedback; dealing with difficult situations; and planning for learning. The taught session is interactive and participatory, modelling good teaching practices and approaches which participants will be able to translate into their own teaching contexts. In addition, the Moodle content will give participants a flavour of the differences and potential of online delivery.

Participants with a minimum of 15 hours teaching will be prioritised for a place on the Introduction, although those with fewer hours may have an opportunity at a later iteration.

More information about this element and how to enrol onto it can be found here

The APP PGR is open to any postgraduate student with responsibilities for teaching and/or support of learning. On completion of the mandatory Preparing to Teach in Higher Education (formally known as the 'Introduction to Teaching in Higher Education') interested participants should:

• Submit the reflective piece from the Introduction – this is a 500 word reflection which should be completed and submitted through Moodle to the course tutor. Successful completion of this piece of work will enable participants to apply for the full taught course.
• Complete the online application form – this short form is an opportunity for participants to explain why they are interested in the APP PGR and what their current teaching responsibilities are. This information can help the course team plan for the forthcoming programme. Participants also need to indicate that they have their supervisor's approval to complete the programme.

• A minimum of 15 hours teaching activity over the duration of the course – PGRs who teach have varying types of teaching role and responsibility. The minimum requirement for teaching hours is to enable the content of the course to be meaningful to participants, and enable them to practice and develop teaching and learning techniques and approaches that they are learning on the course, in their own context. Crucially, also, those starting the pathway must be teaching higher education level work (e.g. Level 4 - first year undergraduate - or above). Other types of teaching work (e.g. working with children) make interesting comparisons for the portfolio of evidence, but cannot be counted in the required 15 hours.
• Their PhD supervisor’s approval to embark upon the programme – the APP PGR takes time out of a postgraduate student’s research schedule. It is important that a participant’s PhD supervisor is supportive of this. In addition, the supervisor will confirm that the participant will have the necessary 15 hours of teaching.
• To, ideally, be at the early or mid-stage of their PhD, in order to most benefit from the pathway. This is because participants are most likely to have active teaching duties during this time, and sufficient time to complete the e-portfolio and taught sessions before the end of their registration. Those who are writing up, or have had their viva, but have a commitment to ongoing teaching at Warwick may complete the pathway if there is sufficient time, negotiating this with the course leader.
• To have a departmental mentor, who can support them on the programme with regards to discipline-specific teaching and learning, departmental practicies and policies, for example. The mentor would usually also observe a participant's teaching and could be a second assessor of the portfolio of evidence.

A course tutor will review each participant’s application and if they are eligible, will contact them when a place is available on the programme. Dates are usually advertised in advance and participants will be able to choose a route of study over a series of core and CPD workshops.

The latest workshop availability and booking forms will be published on the ADC pages and course Moodle.