Principles of Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Name: Dr Hamdi Ahmad

Role: Now Assistant Professor in Linguistics at Prince Sattam University, Saudi Arabia

School/Professional Service: Former Teaching assistant at School of LLMVC, the University of Aberdeen, UK

PLTHE Date: June/July 2022

Question 1: Why did you undertake PLTHE?

Although I had already achieved AFHEA, I decided to complete the PLTHE programme. The course is much like a vibrant academic community, made up of top-class researchers and practitioners with advanced subject knowledge in various specialisms from many different Schools. Alongside this, the programme aims to develop and sharpen each participant’s skills to draft their smart career plans, indicating how they intend to progress their professional development as educators following on from the course.

Question 2: How has the PLTHE course impacted upon your teaching/supporting learning practice?

The PLTHE programme as a whole exceeded my expectations. Informative lectures, inspiring discussions, practical assignments, as well as specialist reading material, all have helped me build up considerable competence and confidence in designing and teaching. In addition, I have benefitted enormously from the opportunity to research, critique and evaluate the effectiveness of new methods for learning and teaching. I even gained the opportunity to attend and observe actual presentations. Thanks to PLTHE, I have updated my pedagogical knowledge, developed my reflective skills, and advanced my career.

Question 3: What has been the most beneficial piece of content from the course for your professional development?

The most beneficial piece of content from the PLTHE course would be the various methods and tools for student assessment. I have learnt that summative evaluation of teaching carried out at the very end of the course is not the best (only) approach. In short, undertaking the PLTHE course was such an enriching and amazing experience. I was deeply impressed by the expert and outstanding tutors on the PLTHE programme.

Name: Dr Jonathan Ainslie

Role: Lecturer

School/Professional Service: School of Law

PLTHE date: May 2022

Question 1: Why did you undertake PLTHE?

I undertook PLTHE for two reasons. Firstly, it was a supportive pathway to achieving Advance HE Associate Fellowship and gaining recognition for my teaching experience at the University of Aberdeen. Secondly, I was attracted to the idea of developing my teaching skills and joining a community of like-minded colleagues from across the university.

Question 2: How has the PLTHE course impacted upon your teaching/supporting learning practice?

I have made a lot of changes to my teaching practice and to the way I design assessments. I have introduced some more interactive teaching methods which students have responded positively to in their feedback at the end of the course. I benefited significantly from improving the way I interact with students in class.

Question 3: What has been the most beneficial piece of content from the course for your professional development?

I benefited most from the modules on small-group teaching which gave me plenty of new ideas for how to foster engagement with the course materials. I also felt that the course gave me insight on how the physical classroom environment and the personalities of the group can affect teaching. I enjoyed the opportunity to discuss my teaching practice with colleagues from a wide range of disciplines.

Name: Eleni Borompoka

Role: Information Adviser in Life & Physical Sciences and Engineering

School/Professional Service: Library, Directorate of Digital and Information Services

PLTHE date: October/November 2023

Why did you undertake PLTHE?

I undertook the PLTHE course one year into my role as Information Adviser (Sciences and Engineering); while I had five years’ teaching experience at this point, my role shifted to working closely with specific Schools. I wanted to understand more about teaching and learning in Higher Education and gain valuable insights from tutors and participants of the course in order to facilitate inclusive learning environments. Alongside this, I wanted to pursue a teaching accreditation in Higher Education and the course offered a route to achieve this.

How has the PLTHE course impacted upon your teaching/supporting learning practice?

The course has informed my thinking around increasing student engagement in large classes. It also encouraged me to address learning differences more actively in my teaching and assessment methods. Also, hearing about different assessment techniques opened options for evaluating and measuring student understanding that I did not know were available.

What was the most beneficial piece of content from the course for your professional development?  

As part of the PLTHE course, participants were asked to record a short presentation and provide one another with feedback. This was a useful exercise in giving and receiving evaluation. Finally, through the course I became a learner again, which was a useful reminder of the processes around acquiring new skills.

Name: Ekiyokere Ekiye

Role: Teaching Assistant (PGR)

School/Professional Service: School of Language, Literature, Music, and Visual Culture.

PLTHE date: October/November 2023

Why did you undertake PLTHE?

I enrolled on the PLTHE course for career enhancement and to develop my teaching skills. In relation to my career, the programme provided a way of securing Advance HE Associate Fellowship while acknowledging my teaching experience at the University of Aberdeen. I hope that this will be worthwhile for a future role in academia.

Although I had over eight years’ teaching experience in Nigeria, my role required a shift in practical and professional knowledge, which allowed me to facilitate and develop inclusive learning environments from undertaking PLTHE.

How has the PLTHE course impacted upon your teaching/supporting learning practice?

As a result of taking PLTHE, I have gained a heightened understanding of the unique ways in which individuals learn and how I can actively reflect these differences in my teaching. This ensures that each student is equipped with the necessary resources to reach their full potential while learning. The framework of my lectures has been enhanced to promote learner engagement by incorporating collaborative learning methods. For instance, I have introduced techniques that were promoted in the PLTHE sessions.

What was the most beneficial piece of content from the course for your professional development?

I found the Panopto video presentation to be particularly satisfying; to work on this individually and then provide feedback among a group of peers was extremely beneficial as it covered strengths and potential areas for development.  

Name: Dr Paul Sheridan

Role: Research Fellow

School/Professional Service: School of Biological Sciences

PLTHE Date: November/December 2021

Question 1: Why did you undertake PLTHE?

I was giving lectures to undergraduates in my area of expertise (microbiology), and I wanted to ensure that I provided an engaging and inclusive experience for all of my students. I hadn’t previously received any formal training in teaching practice, and I wanted to change that. This course gave me the primer I needed to apply for Associate Fellowship of Advance HE.

Question 2: How has the PLTHE course impacted upon your teaching/supporting learning practice?

Thanks to the Principles of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education course, I am now more aware of individual learning differences and how I can accommodate these proactively in my teaching, so that every student has the tools that they need to achieve their potential. My lecture structure is now more interactive and incorporates collaborative learning strategies, such as breakout groups and class discussions.

Question 3: What has been the most beneficial piece of content from the course for your professional development?

The course included a practical assessment in which we were asked to record a short presentation on our areas of expertise. The presentations were then assessed by other individuals in the class and feedback was provided. I found this very useful, as it not only pointed out weaker areas in my presentations which could be replaced or improved, but also highlighted things that I was doing right and could expand on in the future.  

Name: Dr Jamie Stevenson

Role: Scholarship Lecturer and Researcher

School: School of Geosciences

PLTHE Date: September 2023

Question 1: Why did you undertake PLTHE?

I enrolled on the PLTHE for two reasons. The first of these being to gain a deeper theoretical understanding of, and qualification in, the higher education teaching I am involved in, as well as to develop my teaching styles and materials from this. Secondly, I very much wanted to work towards Associate Fellow of Advance Higher Education and given this course directly progressed to this it was the perfect choice.

Question 2: How has the PLTHE course impacted upon your teaching/supporting learning practice?

he PLTHE course was extremely informative in helping me understand the theory behind the teaching practices that I undertake week-to-week. As a consequence, it has helped me to develop my teaching styles and materials accordingly which has been really interesting and beneficial to both me and my students.

Question 3: What has been the most beneficial piece of content from the course for your professional development?

I found that having my teaching observed by a staff member was extremely useful and informative. It was excellent to get feedback on my teaching style by a professional and then have the opportunity to reflect on this in the piece of coursework. Beyond that the diversity of the lectures was extremely informative and I found covered all that I would want.

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Further details on any aspect of the Principles of Learning & Teaching in Higher Education and/or an application form are available at the Centre for Academic Development.

Course Co-ordinator: Dr Aaron Thom, Centre for Academic Development

Centre for Academic Development: cad@abdn.ac.uk.

Please be advised to complete the application form as fully and accurately as possible.  Your application is based on the content on this form ONLY (previous communications are not considered as part of the formal application). 

The next courses are taking place:

October 2024, (16 October for 6 consecutive weeks)

January 2025 (dates TBC)