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Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education

Support for this project website has been provided by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd, an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The views expressed in the project do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council.

Unless otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Australia Licence.

About the GCTE

The national Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education is the shared vision of the five participating universities to provide a high quality qualification in tertiary teaching and learning to lecturers in their institutions. Each of the universities will offer a Core Unit as a foundation for the Graduate Certificate. Candidates will complete the Core Unit and the elective unit offered by their own institution and then choose two electives from those offered by the other institutions. Five elective units will be offered, one from each university, from which staff will choose two to complete their GCTE. This program will enable smaller universities to offer high quality, fully benchmarked teaching development programs, by minimising the workload in developing and delivering GCTEs by individual institutions, in times when universities are expected to raise standards of teaching, but are also coming under severe financial pressures.

Successful graduates of the program can expect to increase their understanding of the theories and practices of tertiary teaching, through a deeper understanding of how students learn. They will also develop a community of practice, not only amongst fellow candidates at their own institution, but also with others from the partner universities as they participate in elective units from those organisations.

The program's teaching and learning methodology is a balance between theory and practice, enabling staff to develop skills which will not only assist them with their teaching, but also contribute to their own personal development as an academic.

This project, ‘Developing our staff: A multi-university collaboration for mapping and delivery of a shared professional development programme for tertiary educators’  is being funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC), an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Education Science and Training. The views expressed in this website do not necessarily reflect the views of the ALTC.

The five participating universities

• University of New England
• CQUniversity
• University of Ballarat
• Edith Cowan University
• University of Canberra

The Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education is a 24 credit point (or equivalent) course. The structure is suited for completion over two years (1 x 150 hour unit per semester for 4 semesters). The course comprises one compulsory semester-long unit which will be studied at the staff members ‘home’ institution, the compulsory elective unit offered by the ‘home’ university, studied on-line, and two elective semester-long units, which will be studied on-line from the partner universities. The Core Unit will be studied in external mode with meetings arranged at the convenience of the coordinator and staff studying the unit. The three elective units will be studied online, in external mode.

Core unit

Tertiary Teaching and Learning

(The pre-requisite for all of the elective units)

COMPULSORY UNIT offered by each participating university: (150 hours or one semester unit equivalent)

The primary aim of this unit is to enable participants to develop a conceptual framework for understanding tertiary teaching and learning that will enable them to become more expert facilitators of learning, and to reflect on teaching and learning more critically. The development of this framework will be informed by research in teaching and learning (both theory and practice) and enriched by investigating practices in a range of contexts and for a range of learning purposes. Participants will develop a teaching portfolio that will document and demonstrate their teaching philosophy, goals and approach. They will have experienced a range of teaching strategies within the course and reflected upon these experiences (e.g., peer teaching, small group techniques, problem based learning, computer assisted learning). Participants will also collect evidence through the unit activities and the portfolio development process that will be useful in documenting the quality of their teaching for probation and permanency.

Elective units

Curriculum Design for Tertiary Contexts (University of New England)

(Compulsory for UNE candidates)

(6 Credit Points or equivalent)

The aim of this unit is to expand participant’s skills in the development of curriculum, including outcomes, selection of teaching strategies, media and assessment customized for particular contexts and purposes. The focus is on developing flexible approaches to learning and teaching with particular emphasis on personal practice. Participants are encouraged to develop, revise or evaluate a component of their teaching.

Promotion and Professional Practice (University of Ballarat)

(6 Credit Points or equivalent)

Leadership in teaching and learning is an activity that may be undertaken at any level, and is hence inclusive of activities such as the coordination of a single unit or initiative, the convening of a major or sequence of study, chairing of teaching and learning committees and working parties, and high-level structural roles within the institution. At each level the development of a strategic perspective is necessary for effective and evidence-based action and implementation of required teaching and learning aims. This unit offers a flexible introduction to the strategic perspective, and engages participants in an action learning process of strategic analysis towards the development of a strategic teaching and learning initiative within their own setting.

Education Technology (Central Queensland University)

(6 Credit Points or equivalent)

This course introduces you to the incredible learning possibilities afforded by technologically mediated tools and media. You will explore contemporary learning approaches and analyse the usage of a wide range of educational technologies.

Assessment and Evaluation in Tertiary Education (University of Canberra)

(6 Credit Points or equivalent)

The critical role of assessment and evaluation in improving student learning underpins this unit. Participants will explore effective assessment and evaluation strategies against a framework informed by the literature, relevant institutional policy and reflection on participants’ practice. Participants will be involved in assessment-based activities aligned directly with the unit learning outcomes and in the development of comprehensive plans to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and unit design. There will be opportunities for participants to interact with colleagues from a range of disciplines and universities.

Action Learning Project (Edith Cowan University)

(6 Credit Points or equivalent)

This is a work-based unit in which tertiary educators undertake an action-learning project with the intention of improving some aspect of teaching, learning or assessment. Participants from diverse backgrounds and different teaching roles will identify a significant issue relevant to their context, and the strategic initiatives of their institutions or professional organisations. Participants will design and implement an action-learning project that engages positively with organisational priorities as well as contributing to their own professional learning and career aspirations. The focus will be on implementing practical solutions to authentic identified needs. Participants will have the opportunity to investigate and evaluate the theory and practice of action learning and mentoring in the conduct of their own projects; and to reflect on the potential value of these approaches as effective learning strategies for teachers, students and organizations.

Assessment and workload expectations

The Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education is designed to be as flexible as possible to allow for the time commitments of academic staff.

Much of the learning will be self-managed, and comprise approximately 150 hours of work per unit. Face-to-face contact will be required for the Core Unit enrolled internally. This will be in the order of three contact hours per week, to be negotiated with Unit Coordinators.

For the elective units, students enrolled externally, learning support will be in the forms of a combination of printed study materials and online interaction with lecturers and other students. It is estimated that students should invest about 15 hours per week in study. Special library services are available for students learning at a distance.

All assessment in the Graduate Certificate units will be negotiable within the scope of course and unit aims.

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Admission and enrolment

To be eligible for entry into the Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education program an applicant must demonstrate the capacity to undertake the degree by meeting at least one of the following entrance criteria:

1. Completion of any Australian or equivalent Bachelor degree; or
2. Professional experience in a tertiary or higher education industry; or
3. Professional experience in the facilitation of the learning of others for example Nurse Educators, Defence Force instructors, Ambulance, Human Resource Specialists, VET Professionals and public and private training providers.

UNE Course Coordinators (GCTE)

Dr David Paterson Phone 02 6773 3846

Professor Belinda Tynan Phone 02 6773 3196

Unit Schedule and University contacts